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Which Art Teaching Style Is Right For Your Art Biz?
So you’ve decided that you want to start teaching art lessons, eh? Yay for you!
The decision to start teaching art online was one of the best ones I ever made.
There are so many different ways to offer your skills as a teacher, potentially touching the lives of students around the globe.
Let’s break down some of the best ways to get started!
Things To Consider Before You Start Teaching Art
What are you looking to get out of it?
The best decisions always start from a place of intention.
If you’re looking for consistent monthly revenue, then things like memberships, eBooks and learning marketplaces like Skillshare and Udemy are great options for you.
If you’re able to weather major spikes in your income while not feeling strapped in the down months, then live workshops (in person or online) can be a great option for you.
What makes you feel good? What are you good at?
If you hate the idea of doing a live workshop online, then creating live workshops will be a nightmare.
If you have a consistent art practice and are able to produce high-quality monthly content, then a membership might be the option for you.
It is SO important to consider this because if you create something that you end up hating, you will abandon it quickly.
What are your fans already asking you for help with?
As you gain an audience, people will inevitably start flocking to you in order to learn, and this can be a beautiful thing.
Consider what you are already known for. Is there a certain style or subject that people are already hungry to learn from you about?
Ways To Teach Art
Membership
Creating my monthly painting membership with the platform Teachable was one of the BEST things I ever did for my art business.
I love working with the platform Teachable because it is incredibly easy to set up as the teacher, and offers a beautiful and effective system for students as well.
Even better is the fact that they have a free plan so you can get started without having to make a huge investment in a platform!
Workshops
These can be hosted and recorded live, or they can be pre-recorded and evergreen. Or both!
Host a workshop on a platform like Zoom, then take the recording and turn it into an evergreen workshop that you can sell for years.
Teachable again is a great way to turn your workshop into an asset that is available at any time to students around the globe. They’ve implemented so many incredible new things into the platform since I started using it, which is one of the reasons why I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to start offering art lessons online.
These workshops typically work best when there is a defined end goal, so offering a workshop where you teach someone how to paint a portrait of their dog or an abstract watercolor piece of a daisy will work better than something broad like learning how to work with pastels.
In-Person Events & Experiences
I used to dream about hosting intimate Pinterest-worthy painting experiences out of my home before the pandemic hit.
Whether this be small groups from the comfort of your house (or yard!), or renting professional spaces in locations around the globe, this can be a super fun and powerful way to start teaching.
Foundational Lessons
These differ from workshops in the way that they are typically longer, multi-part sessions that take the student through a process from beginning to end.
Foundational lessons usually attract beginners that are looking to start something new, and want to gain those skills in the most efficient way possible.
eBooks
Selling eBooks is actually how I got started teaching online – they were the precursor to my monthly painting membership that I host on the platform Teachable.
I would create them with software like Adobe InDesign or the site Canva and link to where they could be purchased.
Because they were digital files, I would create them once and sell them infinitely.
I eventually made the switch to my membership when I realized that I was able to teach more strongly through video, but I still dream of having a printed art lesson book of my own!
eBooks have a super low barrier for entry, making them an excellent option for artists to get started with.
Create the PDF files in a program like Adobe InDesign or a site like Canva, and offer them for sale through your website ecommerce platform, Etsy or a platform like Gumroad.
Learning Marketplaces (Skillshare, Udemy)
These sites are learning marketplaces that have a huge number of creators, teaching nearly every topic there is to learn.
These learning marketplaces are a great place to get started because they have a low barrier for entry for both the creator and the students.
Not to mention they can bring in a consistent stream of income – Skillshare (my affiliate link) even has a great referral system that can seriously boost your monthly revenue from the platform.
Teaching artwork, especially online, can be such a powerful way to not only impact others in a beautiful way, but to bring in a new revenue stream for your art business.
Starting your teaching practice for the first time can be daunting! So stay tuned, a blog post with a breakdown of how you can start teaching art is coming soon.
Want to take an even bigger flying leap towards your (inevitable) success as an artist?
Watch my FREE masterclass training, Scale Your Art Sales.
It’s the online class for beginner artists that are filled with a fiery creative passion, and want to grow an audience online that actually want to BUY their artwork