Inside My Specify Colour with Confidence Workshop

Here’s a look inside my Specify Colour with Confidence workshop from two new True Colour Experts in the Chicago class.

I recently hired a new Colour Designer, Larkin Owens, for our very busy eDesign department and Social Media Manager, Kristy Robb. And just in time to attend my Chicago workshop this month!

Below is their personal and inside take on the workshop, Terreeia and I are so happy to have these two fabulous women on our team!

Photos by Haley Meadow a Chicago Event Photographer

The only photo we managed to get of Kristy and Larkin together (below).

Kristy’s Inside Look:

If you told me to describe my True Colour Expert training in Chicago last week with just one word, I would readily tell you that word is generosity. Maria shares so much unselfish goodness with the entire class – from her animated story-telling, to confessions of past mistakes (and entertaining early blog photos), to ridiculously helpful trade tips and tricks!

So, today I’m sharing a few thoughts about my experience with you.

Our group in Chicago was filled with a variety of levels, from the seasoned pros, to newly minted designers, to those of us who are simply passionate about decorating our homes – there was even a textile/rug designer. How cool is that?!

For me, I land somewhere inside the home decor blogger/enthusiast bucket. Aside from working for Maria these last few months, I’ve never had any extensive interior design or color training. I see myself as a creative (and maybe a bit clever) home decorator. But, I shy away from calling myself a designer. Anyone else out there feel the same way???

So, I anticipated that being in a room with real design professionals would be super intimidating. I could not have been more wrong. Everyone was thoughtful and kind. Each of us had something to share with each other, making it a truly remarkable learning community and experience.

During introductions, I heard several mentions that interior design (staging, decorating, or whatever you want to call it) was a 2nd or 3rd career. And THIS IS WHERE they chose to invest time and resources on their new path. That alone speaks volumes to me about the Specify Colour with Confidence class and how versatile the color training is.

But, the majority of participants came to this training for confidence – I mean, that’s in the title of the class, right?! (and yes, even the pros need assurance too)

The confidence that comes with a practiced system.

That’s exactly what Maria generously shares and teaches. It’s the confidence that comes with a practiced system. It’s the courage and certainty you gain from in-class exercises with real-world examples and materials.

It’s the new True Colour Expert TRIBE you now belong to.

There was such a strong current of realization and aha moments during the entire Specify Colour with Confidence training. Maria’s system (and frankly all the free advice she shares on her blog) isn’t based on assumptive hypotheticals. Maria weaves her own story and experiences into an organized method that works consistently. And, instead of hoarding all her knowledge and expertise, Maria shares it candidly with the rest of us.

After reading this blog, you already know Maria sees the world differently. Instead of rose-colored glasses, you might say she has more of a pink-beige lens. 😉

And, once you complete this training you also walk away seeing the world through an entirely new lens that includes a useful group of undertones you can no longer UNSEE. I mean, pink beige is everywhere people!

That is the real beauty of this training… because when you look around afterwards, you realize the world needs SO MANY MORE True Colour Experts in it!

Larkin’s Inside Look:

Ditto to everything Kristy said!

If we’re talking buckets, I fall into that of designers. My unconventional path in landscape and interiors led to unexpected experiences, namely working for my brilliant friend and mentor Jill at Colour Studio, who ultimately turned me onto Maria.

I have to admit – I was over the moon when I started working in the eDesign team in the last couple weeks and Maria asked me to attend the Specify Colour with Confidence workshop. While I’ve been really fortunate to work for people that I deeply admire and that offered an endless wealth of knowledge, the system of undertones that Maria has uniquely developed fascinates me. I know she sees colour differently than most people and I have a lot to learn from her, as well. So I went in like a sponge, ready to soak it all up.

What I found immediately striking was that the room was filled with impressive women of diverse, interesting backgrounds and one common mindset – we were there to learn from Maria. We all showed up because we want a better understanding of colour to help us do whatever it is we do. And while I firmly believe every person could benefit from Maria’s live training, this time around, the room happened to be all women. Knowing that women, especially in the design realm, have the capacity to see more nuance in colour than most, this learning environment felt particularly ripe.

Maria’s solid, self-created place in the business of colour

The course then also reaffirmed Maria’s solid, self-created place in the business of colour – it allowed her to develop and teach this magical system that allows you to quickly identify and effectively select colours that relate to what is in front of you. You can never unsee undertones after taking her course.

Maria gave us the bones of that system on the first day, invited us to play and test it on the second, then actually doled out useful examples of how to put that into our own practices on the third. For me, that third day was the real icing on the cake – she provided us with an energetically candid account of how she grew her craft and business. And who doesn’t love cake?!

But while this dynamic group of women was out there aspiring to become True Colour Experts ourselves, perhaps the most impactful gain was getting to see Maria’s true colors.

Her personality comes to life in person. I read her books, watched her videos, binged her blog, and followed her on Instagram, but it’s different to see her ignite a room with informed banter and a good dose of humility. Her story begs us to ask ourselves ‘so what?’ or maybe, more importantly, ‘what if?’

She reminds us to keep exploring, keep learning, keep pushing for clarity around who we are and what we bring to the table – even when we feel lost or uninspired or new or broke or hugely imperfect or whatever our experience is.

SHE REMINDS US THAT WE CAN POSITIVELY TRANSFORM THE WORLD THROUGH COLOUR

Well, and maybe a little styling. But I digress.

What I really want to say is that we were lucky enough to witness all of this in person in our Chicago training last week and now we have the capacity to go out and spread Maria’s legacy with the same generosity. And, make no mistake, we will transform this world through colour.

How about you?

Interested in becoming the next True Colour Expert? There’s 4 seats left in Boston and Orlando coming up at the end of November! We will not be back to either of these locations again. Register here.

PS. Terreeia and I are in Maui (therefore, two of my Team members were at High Point this weekend to report on the 2020 Trends) attending a Relationship Mastery event with Tony Robbins. This was us in our first helicopter ride (the course included some play):