Is it a 'Service' if You Give More Than Your Skills?

Last night was my final life drawing session of this semester.

We did about 10 x 2-minute poses, then moved into a couple at 10, then 3 at 15. (My final 4 are pictured here).

I'm very grateful to the 4 models we've used over this last semester. Each brought something different to my drawing.

As I drew I began wondering how to describe the modern relationship between artist and sitter. It's not a collaboration, but is it just a 'service'?

Something about the word seems too clinical.

As an English coach, do I offer a service –?or something more?

Read on for this week's Notes from the Margins...

An Intro to Life Drawing

Life modelling is a real skill. You may think it is just sitting still, naked, but first off, sitting still is hard (and for many, so is being nude). You also need physical fitness to hold odd poses and a certain awareness of how your body looks within a room, as well as which kind of poses make it most interesting for artists to draw.

Many life models are artists or dancers, but not all.

The 4 our group uses regularly are all professional artist models.

Working with a good life model doesn't make me a better artist, but they sure have a rare combination of attitude and talent that allows me to be the artist I am capable of being.

About Services

We all have people who lend/hire their time and skills to help us be great at what we do. (Counselling... service, accountancy... service).

But it seems wrong to say service for something that shapes your output –?and life models are quite literally painted into the results.

English coaching is a service in that together we set goals. I enable you to do X,Y & Z in English.

That definition implies any ELT coach (even Duolingo) would get the same results but I know that's not the case.

Every good teacher gives parts of themselves when they help. Those particular aspects of what we have to share are what make us unique.

This is what makes me opposed to corporate language schools and online learning platforms, which profit from taking all that good juice out of teachers while paying them as if they were interchangeable.

They give their clients a cool, clearly defined service.

As independents, we give more.

In my case, as well as knowledge of how to help L2 users navigate the trickier parts of the English language, you get my strong creative/problem-solving streak, my love of art, Scottish culture and ecology, and my passion for helping others succeed. These are all tools which will not just help you learn English, but feel good speaking English.

Some lucky people choose to get this all bundled up in the form of an English coaching holiday exploring Scotland.

Art students get it when I design/deliver exciting English tuition for their art school.

Anyway, you'll be happy to know that you won't have any more naked people on your timeline until August (from me at least!).

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this (clearly not resolved) question of where the word 'service' begins and ends.

From Blue Noun Language Hub in Scotland... Have a great summer!

Ruth