Workshop: Natascha Stellmach > Directing People: The Art of Trust

Directing People: The Art of Trust 

The practices behind leadership, creativity and connection.

Natascha Stellmach's work has taken her from hospitals to studios, classrooms to boardrooms, and onto international stages. What surprised her wasn't how different those worlds were—it was how similar they are. Stellmach believes that whether you're treating a patient, teaching a student, directing performers, working with galleries and collectors, leading a team or building a business, success depends on the same foundational practices: cultivating presence, building trust, providing direction, and knowing when to let go.

This highly participatory masterclass invites you to experience these practices through a series of carefully guided exercises, reflections and conversations. Working individually, in pairs and as a whole group, you'll experiment with different ways of listening, leading, responding and directing—discovering how small shifts in presence and attention can profoundly influence the people around you.

Rather than learning a set of techniques, you'll develop an embodied understanding of how trust is created, how direction can invite rather than control, and why letting go is often the most powerful act of leadership. Through experiential exercises, guided reflections, journalling and group enquiry, you'll explore how these principles can be integrated into your own creative and professional practice.

Duration
A five-hour workshop from 11.00am – 4.00pm.

Group Size
Participation is limited to 15 people, creating an intimate, engaging environment where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate.

Price
$85 (inc GST) per person. Includes tea, coffee and water. 

A Screen-Free Experience
To support deep attention and creative enquiry, this workshop is designed as a largely screen-free experience. Participants are invited to put phones and digital devices aside (unless needed as an accessibility aid), with opportunities to check them during breaks. Research suggests that handwriting and sustained attention can support memory, reflection and creative thinking in ways that differ from working on digital devices. Throughout the day, you will explore the value of working with pen, paper and focused attention as part of the creative process.

Come Prepared With:
Comfortable clothing that allows for ease of movement and relaxation.
A notebook or journal.
Your favourite pen.
One image that you're drawn to. It could be a photograph, postcard, magazine clipping, sketch or print. Don't overthink it—and don't worry about why. We'll take care of that together.