teaching Archives

How to Offer Upgrades for Your Teaching

When you offer services, such as teaching, mentoring, or coaching, seize the opportunity to enhance the experience for your students and clients. This may also be a chance to create extra income for yourself.

I’m talking about offering upgrades to your services.

An upgrade is an offer that adds value to the service for an additional fee.

The most important reason to offer an upgrade is that it improves the experience for your students. The additional income is a bonus for you.

Upgrade Options

Your upgrade offer is limited only by your imagination. Here are some ideas to help get you started:

An additional, but different, workshop or class
Printed and bound copy of your notes
Audio recording of your notes
Video lessons
“Club” membership
A lifetime Facebook group that includes club-only email tips
A package of programs and bonuses, like the Art Career Success System
Personal coaching, mentoring, or critique sessions (live or via video conference)

If you are hosting a multi-day workshop, consider adding:

Private tours
30-minute coaching/critique sessions before or after instruction for the day or an additional coaching-only day at the end
Meals

What can you offer to a large number of people at a reasonable price?

How to Offer Upgrades for Your Teaching Read

The Art Biz ep. 4: Making a Living as a Teaching Artist with Elizabeth St. Hilaire

The secret to making a living as an artist is that there are no secrets. Artists find their own paths and each path is unique.

There are some qualities, however, that you must have:

– Stamina
– Ambition
– Motivation
– Talent
– Resilience
– Boundaries

And … a willingness to learn, adapt, and grow.

It also helps to have a positive outlook, people skills, and a grateful heart.

Elizabeth St. Hilaire has all of these – in spades. I have always admired her business savvy and work ethic.

I was delighted to spend 3 days with her recently. During a hike together, where we talked mostly about art and business, I blurted, Hey! We should do a podcast while you’re here.

So we did.

In this podcast, Elizabeth breaks down where she generates income (teaching, licensing, art sales, books, and DVDs). She also outlines the various teaching models that are available to artists today.

The Art Biz ep. 4: Making a Living as a Teaching Artist with Elizabeth St. Hilaire Read

5 Ways to Follow Up with Students in Your Art Classes

The follow-up process for students is different than that for buyers and collectors.

Once someone has studied with you, they are likely to take additional classes from you, which means it’s just as important to follow up with students as it is with your collectors – if you want to grow your class sizes and offerings.

You have to show students that you care before, during, and after the program they enroll in.

Here are five ways to do that.

1. Ask for Evaluations and Testimonials

Evaluations can help you improve your offerings while showing students that you care about the experiences they’ve had with you. You’re asking to hear their opinions.

Evaluations can also be a source of testimonials for your programs – if you ask the questions the right way.

Keep your evaluation short. I suggest some variation of these three questions:

What did you most enjoy about this class?

What was your

5 Ways to Follow Up with Students in Your Art Classes Read

How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off

If you want to teach, you need a pool of potential students.

You need a following. And a following suggests there is a leader. If you expect people to sign up for your classes or buy your how-to book, you must step up and be the leader.

You’ve got to position yourself as an expert.

Becoming known for your skills is not an overnight process. It’s a process that you must be dedicated to and in it for the long haul.

I built Art Biz Coach using all of the tactics I share below. I think it would be harder to start my business today because the market is much noisier than when I opened back in 2002.

Your market is also robust. There are more people seeking instruction, and there are a lot more artists who are teaching in their own studios, in art centers and supply stores, and online.

In business terms, this presents both a threat and an opportunity. The threat is that more people are competing for students. The opportunity is that you can differentiate yourself.

The distinguishing characteristics of a successful, independent art teacher are:

How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off Read

Notes From an Artist Lecture

As I was flipping through my notebook last week, I came across notes from a lecture by ceramic artist Doug Casebeer at the Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado on January 25, 2014. There is so much wisdom here that I’ve decided to share them in their raw form. Enough time has passed since I

Notes From an Artist Lecture Read

Teaching at the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas. Photo by Rafael Aguilera.

My Top Teaching Secrets

I have been teaching artists online and at live events since 2002. While students pay to get valuable content from me, I learn almost as much from them as they do from me. That’s one of the great joys of teaching, and why I will continue to offer live learning. I can’t possibly put all

My Top Teaching Secrets Read

Evaluating Your Art Instructors

Artists often go out of their way to learn new techniques from well-established instructors. You might drive a long distance, hop on a plane, or invest a good chunk of change. Today’s deep thought comes from a reader who thinks you probably have something to say about these classes.

Evaluating Your Art Instructors Read

©2008 Libby Hintz, Serenely Happy Energy Cells As Seen Under A Microscope. Stained glass, millefiori, glass, beads, chalcedony cabochons, and pearls, 16 x 16 inches. Used with permission.

Read Listen Watch Do Write Teach

Think you can take a few classes or attend a workshop and you’re suddenly a genius at business? Of course you don’t. Being an Art Biz Blog reader, you know better.There’s so much to learn, know, and do. Every step forward reveals even more options, and we only begin to understand the implications of an action after we have been implementing it consistently. Here’s how to immerse yourself and really learn how to promote your art effectively.

Read Listen Watch Do Write Teach Read

That’s me looking at Mel Ristau’s sculpture inside a locked building.

Empowering Art Viewers

One of the most valuable things you can do in your marketing is to teach people how to look at and appreciate your art. It’s not just good for you, but a gift that will last throughout the lives of those who experience it. I learned long ago when I worked in a museum that teaching people how to look at art empowers them and gives them confidence. Teaching people how to look at art empowers them and gives them confidence. Empowering them with skills is invaluable – to both you and them.

Empowering Art Viewers Read

My tracks at Nye Beach, OR. Photograph ©Alyson B. Stanfield

Track Your Business Growth

For years I’ve been tracking monthly numbers in my business. When I slack off on the tracking, my numbers decline. It’s the exact opposite of “Ignorance is bliss.” I believe that tracking numbers tells the Universe that you are committed to your business. And the Universe doesn’t give you more of something until you’re ready to accept more.

Track Your Business Growth Read

teaching

Upgrade Options

1. Ask for Evaluations and Testimonials

Your Artist Mailing List: Rethinking + Assessing