Meet the Teacher: Erin Pikor

 

 
Erin has been teaching Simply Sweet Sugar Scrubs ~ 5 Types & Mold Making: Custom Silicone Soap Molds at The Nova Studio for 3 years now & we are thrilled to have her coming back to visit us again! Don't miss on on the discount we have available on the website for multiple classes :)

Both of her classes are tons of fun & teach some amazing skills. Since we were so excited about her upcoming classes, we decided to do a little interview to get to know her better.

~ What do you like most about teaching, and what inspired you to start? 

I have always liked sharing information and collaborative processes. When I started making bath and body products it was just me - no one to bounce knowledge off of, and the learning experience was slow and expensive. I didn't know about The Nova Studio at the time, and online resources were limited, scattered and unreliable. Teaching gives me the chance to help others avoid the costly mistakes that I made. Also, I really love to talk, in particular about things I know a lot about! As you can imagine when one talks a lot, one gets tuned out a lot, so when I teach I have a very captive audience which is just thrilling!

 

~ What has been your most memorable teaching moment thus far? 

Luckily I have not had any major disasters while teaching. If I did, those disasters would certainly be the most memorable moments and would certainly make for the best stories! I did accidentally feed my husband soap once but that was not teaching related. I can't really think of a particular teaching moment, but the most memorable part of teaching for me in general is meeting new people and hearing about how my classes have turned hobbies into businesses, or gave an existing business a new way to grow. Every once in a while a student will send me a message about some new product they have created using techniques they learned in my classes. It is really rewarding to see a students creativity set free by the knowledge they have gained! 

~ Tell us something about yourself that might be surprising or unexpected. 

Up until recently I trained for and ran Spartan and the Tough Mudder Races which are are 9-12 mile races through the most difficult native terrain with military style obstacles that include swimming, rope climbing, wall jumping, spear throwing sometimes and ice baths and a whole mess of other fun things! I guess you can say I am really competitive! 

~ What inspires or interests you outside of teaching? 

Outside of teaching my main focus is the day to day operations of Naiad Soap Arts which includes most of my interests like making stuff (Product Development/R&D), messing around on my computer (Marketing Material, Package Design), thrift store shopping for cool stuff (Soap Styling and Set Design), and taking pictures (Product Photography, Clip Art). Sometimes hiking the mountain trails and checking out the native SoCal foliage even becomes work related (Wild Harvesting botanicals). I don't do much that isn't work related but I enjoy hanging with my hubby. I am really into books and television related to sci fi and urban fantasy. I try to live a fairly eco conscious lifestyle, as much as one can without sacrificing modern luxuries at least, and I have a crush on green tea. 

~ Any final words of wisdom? 

I have a short attention span so I have very short mottos: Focus, Focus, Focus. Make a list. Make a plan. Never be afraid to start over. Get outside more. Laziness, a necessary indulgence, but not too often. 

Thanks Erin! Now that you know a little bit more about her, check out her website, blog, & upcoming classes - PLUS save $30 by signing up for her classes as well as Debbie's Special Occasion/Favor Melt & Pour Soap Projects, a full weekend of classes on April 20 & 21, 2013!