Silence Your Inner Bully

Silence Your Inner Bully is a creative workshop led by Jaclyn McCabe designed to overcome imposter syndrome and cultivate unshakeable confidence. McCabe writes, "In this workshop, I’ll guide artists through engaging, creative exercises designed to help them unlock their potential by silencing the inner critic, fostering artistic freedom, and building confidence in both their creative practice and the art world."

NOTE: This Workshop is in 2 sessions, Tuesday, 21 October 2025 and Thursday, 23 October 2025. Participants are expected to attend both sessions.

A version of this workshop, "Inner Bully to Inner Bestie", was popular and well-received at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2025.

Part 1: Teaching

While life is full of both positive and negative experiences, our minds tend to hold tightly to the negative ones. But here’s the good news: With a few simple tools and a little practice, you can retrain your brain to hold the positive. The teaching portion of this workshop will draw from the research on negativity bias by neuroscientist Rick Hanson. Ph.D., as well as Jaclyn McCabe's own anthropological observations and therapeutic training around cultural, emotional, and biological aspects of why the inner critic is the loudest voice in our heads. You’ll also leave with real tools to stop the negative thought pattern in real-time, allowing you to contribute more effectively in meetings and projects while stepping into leadership roles with authenticity and decisiveness.

In between these sessions, participants will work on collage on their own.

Part 2: Collage

The key to confidence is self-trust, and an intuitive artistic process like creating collages is a powerful way to cultivate it. In this exercise—which involves selecting and assembling images—participants will give a visual form to their inner critic, the voice that expresses self-doubt, criticism, or judgment. By externalizing this voice in a visual, tangible way, we’ll foster self-awareness and help participants recognize the origins and triggers of their inner criticism. The best part? No artistic skills required. If you can cut and glue, you can make something meaningful.

What You Will Need To Have On Hand for the Workshop

Participants will need collage making materials (from magazines, books, etc.), a favorite cutting tool, and glue.

Benefits

MORE CONFIDENCE, LESS OVERTHINKING: Quiet the inner critic. Learn to recognize and silence the negative self-talk that holds you back. Let go of perfectionism and self-criticism to embrace your true creative flow.

ENHANCED CREATIVITY AND RISK-TAKING: By silencing self-doubt, you’ll unlock a free-flowing, innovative mindset, empowering you to push creative boundaries and explore new artistic possibilities.

GREATER EASE IN SHARING YOUR WORK: With a stronger sense of self, you'll feel more comfortable presenting and promoting your work, whether at shows, online, or in professional settings.

STRENGTHEN YOUR ARTISTIC VOICE: Develop the self-assurance to stay true to your unique vision, allowing you to confidently navigate the art world without second-guessing your instincts.