Today is my last day teaching at BeadFX and though I'm excited to head onto my next venue I'll be sad to leave here. Fortunately some of the students have wisely/ crazily/ amazingly booked in for all 5 days with me so I'll have their company to ease me through leaving.

I have been very fortunate over the past few days, and especially today, to meet some lovely people, many of whose work I had long admired which was great! Some of those people were Stephanie Dixon, Maria Rypan, Jo-Ann Woolverton, Roxann Blazetich-Ozols, Carol Cooper, Amy Waldman-Smith and Pamela Kearns. I had unknowingly already decided to purchase some beads made by Carol before she came to today's class and then when I met Amy and saw her beads...well I just couldn't resist.

Today's class is all about Geometric Stars. It's the first time I've taught stars with the extra touch I introduced in Geometric Beadwork and as always I have fun seeing the colours and patterns everyone uses.

It always amazes me to see what students create as it really shows how their minds work. Some people need to bead a piece a few times to see how it works and can then explore variations whereas other people's brains can look at a piece and immediately see how they can play with it and add pattern, texture etc.

Some people can work fine in a class not being affected by all the noise and discussion etc whereas others need to take their work home and try it on their own for it to really sink it.

A classroom can be a thing of wonder where creations happen, or a thing of stress with people worried they're 'not getting it' or not doing it right, and many combinations inbetween.

I have been in classrooms, as a teacher and a student, filled with laughter and occasionally tears when it gets too much for someone. Feeling you're no good at something you love can often be the last straw if someone is feeling low.

One thing I have observed, and always felt privileged when I do, is when, often after a few days together, a classroom turns into a place of safety and conversations turn personal. That doesn't mean necessarily emotional (it can simply mean that hilarious personal conversations happen) but that after a few days together with people with the same interests, guards drop and working away with your hands seems to allow people's minds to wander and open and all sorts of discussions can happen. It's incredible what being in a room full of women (maybe the same would happen in a mixed-sex room but I've not experienced it) all of whom are relaxing and creating can cause.

Today's class ended up taking an emotional turn when a conversation of introductions turned into a 'confessional' with students discussing health issues they had kept secret from friends and family and before I knew it I was doing the same and for the first time 'publicly announced' that I have Multiple Sclerosis, and have had it for about 3 years. I haven't mentioned it before for many reasons, not least of which was that I'd prefer everyone to judge me on my work, skills and personality instead of a stupid disease I have developed.

Phew, only 4 days in and Canada is turning into an eye-opening and life-changing trip.