Help me hang out a shingle.
May 21, 2013 9:35 AM Subscribe
Following on from this question, I have decided to start offering private, custom arts & crafts workshops. I'm hoping to find people who need someone to help them plan an art activity, bring the materials, and run the workshop-- so, birthday parties, homeschool co-ops, scout groups and the like. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to find them.
Craigslist has way too dire a signal-to-noise ratio to get any notice, and besides I'm not offering something that's got easy search terms. I am able to provide a fairly flexible service-- I have enough experience with this that I can tailor an art activity to just about anything, and can teach a wide range of projects. But I don't know where the people who want this service are hiding, or even if they exist.
I'm also unsure about what my rates should be. I figure if I undersell myself a little at the start, it'll be good for word-of-mouth and I can always raise rates later, but I don't want to screw myself over by undercharging too badly.
Has anyone done anything like this? Any advice for how to get started would be really welcome. I'm in the DC area, if that helps.
Craigslist has way too dire a signal-to-noise ratio to get any notice, and besides I'm not offering something that's got easy search terms. I am able to provide a fairly flexible service-- I have enough experience with this that I can tailor an art activity to just about anything, and can teach a wide range of projects. But I don't know where the people who want this service are hiding, or even if they exist.
I'm also unsure about what my rates should be. I figure if I undersell myself a little at the start, it'll be good for word-of-mouth and I can always raise rates later, but I don't want to screw myself over by undercharging too badly.
Has anyone done anything like this? Any advice for how to get started would be really welcome. I'm in the DC area, if that helps.
Here you go - http://theskillery.com/. This will at least help with the admin of where people can go to sign up and all that. You can also look at similar classes to help you set rates.
Local private schools and daycares can be a good resource. My kids' school has The Art Lady come in a couple times of year to do stuff. You can offer packages around holidays - kids can make a Christmas ornament or decoration or Mother's Day gifts of whatever. The Art Lady also has day camps at her house during spring break and summer. She advertises through the schools she works in (she really keeps pretty busy there) and on her Facebook page.
Yeah, don't base your rates on getting new people. Start out being in the known range of prices. I would expect to pay anywhere from $10-$30 for a 1-2 hour session where all materials are provided.
Oh, just thought of one more thing. The Art Lady also offers Ladies Night at her house where you pay $30 and can basically use any of her materials (she does a lot of painting, collage and pottery work). Everyone brings wine and appetizers and we just hang out and create.
Good luck!
posted by dawkins_7 at 9:48 AM on May 21, 2013
Local private schools and daycares can be a good resource. My kids' school has The Art Lady come in a couple times of year to do stuff. You can offer packages around holidays - kids can make a Christmas ornament or decoration or Mother's Day gifts of whatever. The Art Lady also has day camps at her house during spring break and summer. She advertises through the schools she works in (she really keeps pretty busy there) and on her Facebook page.
Yeah, don't base your rates on getting new people. Start out being in the known range of prices. I would expect to pay anywhere from $10-$30 for a 1-2 hour session where all materials are provided.
Oh, just thought of one more thing. The Art Lady also offers Ladies Night at her house where you pay $30 and can basically use any of her materials (she does a lot of painting, collage and pottery work). Everyone brings wine and appetizers and we just hang out and create.
Good luck!
posted by dawkins_7 at 9:48 AM on May 21, 2013
Libraries!
We often hired people who were trying to start up a business (drawing lessons, cupcake decorating, "eco" crafting, even a Fantasy Football how-to) to run programs for our patrons - kids and adults. We loved it because it was a whole program we didn't have to plan. The crafters/decorators/teachers loved it because they got free publicity (we let them hand out business cards etc., put the info on our Facebook & website) and a whole bunch of people to talk about how great they were.
If you go this route, you may need to go cheap. At least in the Chicago area, library budgets are pretty slim. We were usually willing/able to pay $30-$60 for a one-hour session. For things that were really supply-intensive we'd pay a little more.
So yeah. Call up whoever coordinates programming at your local libraries, for kids or adults depending on what you want. We got loads of unsolicited mail and phone calls, and there was always somebody who looked through that stuff to see if there was anything interesting. You can even go in person if you're an outgoing type.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:52 AM on May 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
We often hired people who were trying to start up a business (drawing lessons, cupcake decorating, "eco" crafting, even a Fantasy Football how-to) to run programs for our patrons - kids and adults. We loved it because it was a whole program we didn't have to plan. The crafters/decorators/teachers loved it because they got free publicity (we let them hand out business cards etc., put the info on our Facebook & website) and a whole bunch of people to talk about how great they were.
If you go this route, you may need to go cheap. At least in the Chicago area, library budgets are pretty slim. We were usually willing/able to pay $30-$60 for a one-hour session. For things that were really supply-intensive we'd pay a little more.
So yeah. Call up whoever coordinates programming at your local libraries, for kids or adults depending on what you want. We got loads of unsolicited mail and phone calls, and there was always somebody who looked through that stuff to see if there was anything interesting. You can even go in person if you're an outgoing type.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:52 AM on May 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Option 1:
If you have many examples of your work and would want to sell some, a good place to start would be exhibiting at craft shows - that would be the audience for that type of work. There would be some upfront costs - table rental/display set up etc. A good place to start would be the Fall/Christmas season and look at local churches. There is a huge marketplace* in the Baltimore/DC suburbs and most of them are actively seeking actual craft vendors (as opposed to the home biz resale stuff like Avon)
Prominently display your class options, have flyers and business cards and it up. You would probably only need to do a couple of shows to get your name out there.
Note:
I live north of Baltimore & went to close to 80 craft shows from Mid-Oct to the first weekend in December and we didn't get to all the ones on my annual list; there is an audience in this area for arts & crafts.
Option 2:
If the above seems like a lot of work (and it is), another source is local parks & nature centers if your work fits into that area. There's a guy I see at craft shows with beautiful clay objects who also teaches a class on making clay leaves at the local nature center. He also does parties, groups. I believe he teaches the leaf class for free or at very low cost with the participants paying for materials but he enjoys working with the kids and "playing in the mud". Several of his full-paying groups have come out of that free class.
PS I wish you lived closer, I know a couple of people who would take the kind of class you describe in your other post.
posted by jaimystery at 10:09 AM on May 21, 2013
If you have many examples of your work and would want to sell some, a good place to start would be exhibiting at craft shows - that would be the audience for that type of work. There would be some upfront costs - table rental/display set up etc. A good place to start would be the Fall/Christmas season and look at local churches. There is a huge marketplace* in the Baltimore/DC suburbs and most of them are actively seeking actual craft vendors (as opposed to the home biz resale stuff like Avon)
Prominently display your class options, have flyers and business cards and it up. You would probably only need to do a couple of shows to get your name out there.
Note:
I live north of Baltimore & went to close to 80 craft shows from Mid-Oct to the first weekend in December and we didn't get to all the ones on my annual list; there is an audience in this area for arts & crafts.
Option 2:
If the above seems like a lot of work (and it is), another source is local parks & nature centers if your work fits into that area. There's a guy I see at craft shows with beautiful clay objects who also teaches a class on making clay leaves at the local nature center. He also does parties, groups. I believe he teaches the leaf class for free or at very low cost with the participants paying for materials but he enjoys working with the kids and "playing in the mud". Several of his full-paying groups have come out of that free class.
PS I wish you lived closer, I know a couple of people who would take the kind of class you describe in your other post.
posted by jaimystery at 10:09 AM on May 21, 2013
Girl scouts? Boy scouts? Assisted living facilities? Corporate team building?
posted by bleep at 10:09 AM on May 21, 2013
posted by bleep at 10:09 AM on May 21, 2013
Best answer: I run arts & crafts workshops through our school, and for a daycare on Spring Break and Summer Camp days. The afternoon program our daughter goes to also asked if I'd suggest or supervise projects from time-to-time. Our school also brings in outside programming of this nature. I'd suggest you create a brochure, a basic website/page or blog, and contact the Parent/School Council of your neighbourhood schools; community centres and daycares/drop-in programs. These often lead to parents hiring for birthday parties. Birthday parties here can run close to $300 for someone to come to your house and run a few hours worth of activities.
The last craft day I ran at the daycare was for about 40 kids, and I set up crafts that groups of five-ten kids could work on at one time, each spending as long as long as they like on their preferred activities. Table 1 was shadow puppets. Table 2 was shaving crayons onto wax and parchment paper and making sun-catchers. Table 3 was putting the two previous items together in frames so that they looked like little stained glass windows. Table 4 was making a shadow puppet show with the items and a projector, which we took little videos of (which was cool in another way, because many made Minecraft objects and so it was a great gender-neutral activity.) And Table 5 was using a large canvas and making wax-resist background and creating a scene with silhouettes to create something that could be auctioned off. It was great, because similar materials could be used for each craft, and it was really flexible as far as time went, and filled the day nicely. The daycare paid for the materials, and I was paid $200 for about 4 hours of supervising it (and 1 hour shopping/prep.) Every time I design a craft course, I create shopping lists and tutorials and such so that it's kind of a package, and so I don't have to count in designing and tutorial-writing time after the first session.
I've taken many one day craft courses through a neighbourhood shop that's an indie designer clothing and accessories boutique. Their back room was the perfect space for soap making, linocut, sewing 101 and other courses (served with tea and scones!) I've paid anywhere from $45 to $75 plus a materials fee for classes such as those. I viewed those as learning experiences too, figuring out what worked and how to give a good experience.
In Toronto we also have places like the Workroom - so if you have places like that, you could work out of those from time to time?
And on preview, yes - libraries! Another idea for that that could promote your business is something I thought was a lovely idea from the library we went to in Southhampton (Ontario) over the summer: Craft Kits! They offer little crafts, packaged in brown paper lunchbags, with photos of the finished craft glued on, for $2-5 with everything needed in the bag and the instructions, sorted by age. Parents pick it up there for rainy days at the cottage, and they're charming little things. If there's a mini-version of one of your projects you could package and offer inexpensively, it's a great taste of what you can provide! And great for loot bags for parties!
posted by peagood at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
The last craft day I ran at the daycare was for about 40 kids, and I set up crafts that groups of five-ten kids could work on at one time, each spending as long as long as they like on their preferred activities. Table 1 was shadow puppets. Table 2 was shaving crayons onto wax and parchment paper and making sun-catchers. Table 3 was putting the two previous items together in frames so that they looked like little stained glass windows. Table 4 was making a shadow puppet show with the items and a projector, which we took little videos of (which was cool in another way, because many made Minecraft objects and so it was a great gender-neutral activity.) And Table 5 was using a large canvas and making wax-resist background and creating a scene with silhouettes to create something that could be auctioned off. It was great, because similar materials could be used for each craft, and it was really flexible as far as time went, and filled the day nicely. The daycare paid for the materials, and I was paid $200 for about 4 hours of supervising it (and 1 hour shopping/prep.) Every time I design a craft course, I create shopping lists and tutorials and such so that it's kind of a package, and so I don't have to count in designing and tutorial-writing time after the first session.
I've taken many one day craft courses through a neighbourhood shop that's an indie designer clothing and accessories boutique. Their back room was the perfect space for soap making, linocut, sewing 101 and other courses (served with tea and scones!) I've paid anywhere from $45 to $75 plus a materials fee for classes such as those. I viewed those as learning experiences too, figuring out what worked and how to give a good experience.
In Toronto we also have places like the Workroom - so if you have places like that, you could work out of those from time to time?
And on preview, yes - libraries! Another idea for that that could promote your business is something I thought was a lovely idea from the library we went to in Southhampton (Ontario) over the summer: Craft Kits! They offer little crafts, packaged in brown paper lunchbags, with photos of the finished craft glued on, for $2-5 with everything needed in the bag and the instructions, sorted by age. Parents pick it up there for rainy days at the cottage, and they're charming little things. If there's a mini-version of one of your projects you could package and offer inexpensively, it's a great taste of what you can provide! And great for loot bags for parties!
posted by peagood at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
DC-specific options (I'm in Fairfax, so that's where most of my knowledge is from):
Look into exhibiting at Crafty Bastards (craft show in DC)
Michael's has teachers come in for various classes. I don't know if they're arranged at the corporate level.
Fairfax County has the libraries, schools, after-school programs (SACC), and rec centers. The rec centers have TONS of classes and there are also craft classes run through the adult education part of the school system.
My local yarn store sells crafts from local artists as well as yarn - maybe see about connecting with a local shop to advertise your classes?
posted by brilliantine at 10:21 AM on May 21, 2013
Look into exhibiting at Crafty Bastards (craft show in DC)
Michael's has teachers come in for various classes. I don't know if they're arranged at the corporate level.
Fairfax County has the libraries, schools, after-school programs (SACC), and rec centers. The rec centers have TONS of classes and there are also craft classes run through the adult education part of the school system.
My local yarn store sells crafts from local artists as well as yarn - maybe see about connecting with a local shop to advertise your classes?
posted by brilliantine at 10:21 AM on May 21, 2013
A friend of mine does this. She also gets grants to give classes and does guest spots in schools and such. Sometimes she also does organized small group days.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:25 AM on May 21, 2013
posted by cjorgensen at 10:25 AM on May 21, 2013
Best answer: There is a very, very active homeschooling community in the DC area-- I would google for listservs and blogs to get the word out, which is how a lot of museums advertise their workshops/camps.
If you're planning on working with Girl Scouts, it might be worth a call to a local troop leader or to the Council to see if there are any safety requirements that you must provide and also to work out which badge requirements you could cover. They're much more likely to be looking for a badge-specific workshop (sometimes you might have to discuss your business/your background if it's an older girl badge). We went to a caterer who works out of her house once and learned about her business model and how she prepares things (plus cooking!) for part of one badge, as an example.
Advertise in local bookstores, coffeeshops, and toy stores, as well as libraries and any other place with "storytime" or another kid-friendly event. If you're in DC, I would ask Politics and Prose if you can post flyers.
posted by jetlagaddict at 10:43 AM on May 21, 2013
If you're planning on working with Girl Scouts, it might be worth a call to a local troop leader or to the Council to see if there are any safety requirements that you must provide and also to work out which badge requirements you could cover. They're much more likely to be looking for a badge-specific workshop (sometimes you might have to discuss your business/your background if it's an older girl badge). We went to a caterer who works out of her house once and learned about her business model and how she prepares things (plus cooking!) for part of one badge, as an example.
Advertise in local bookstores, coffeeshops, and toy stores, as well as libraries and any other place with "storytime" or another kid-friendly event. If you're in DC, I would ask Politics and Prose if you can post flyers.
posted by jetlagaddict at 10:43 AM on May 21, 2013
I know it's old-fashioned, but stapling up signs/flyers in coffee shops, art stores, grocery stores, etc. can work - I became a customer of a local sewing studio because I saw their signs around town. Also maybe try offering to guest blog on a local craft blog or mommy blog?
Your flexibility is an asset, but make sure you are offering at least some clearly-defined, easy-to-understand workshops or classes. Like, "Saturday afternoon at the library, two hours, decorate a picnic basket" (that's not a particularly good idea - but you probably have some!). A big part of what you have to offer is that you understand what is reasonable to be able to accomplish. Make sure you're not just offering "let's do stuff with crafts!" That seems like something people can do on their own.
posted by mskyle at 10:47 AM on May 21, 2013
Your flexibility is an asset, but make sure you are offering at least some clearly-defined, easy-to-understand workshops or classes. Like, "Saturday afternoon at the library, two hours, decorate a picnic basket" (that's not a particularly good idea - but you probably have some!). A big part of what you have to offer is that you understand what is reasonable to be able to accomplish. Make sure you're not just offering "let's do stuff with crafts!" That seems like something people can do on their own.
posted by mskyle at 10:47 AM on May 21, 2013
One thing that can ensure you get repeat business in the area is to ensure you have a background check through the school system. Teachers can tell teachers, and so on.
posted by tilde at 12:04 PM on May 21, 2013
posted by tilde at 12:04 PM on May 21, 2013
Best answer: I participate in a homeschool co-op and instructors of various stripes show up to do single demonstration lessons for free. If they are a good fit that leads to their being incorporated as a regular instructor. Find the people in charge of the co-ops, propose a freebie. The co-op we attend runs for 2 or 3 months at a time and the classes are very rarely one-offs; instructors are hired to teach for the session, once a week -- your local co-ops may vary. Last time we went this fellow did a weekly thing that kids could opt in or out of each week with varying materials costs; some projects I remember were printing t-shirts and making candles. I would just ask what the going rates for instructors are; the co-ordinators will likely already have a good feeling for how many kids will sign up and what the parents will be willing to pay.
posted by kmennie at 12:18 PM on May 21, 2013
posted by kmennie at 12:18 PM on May 21, 2013
oops, my bad, I didn't realize the Skillery was only based in Nashville.
posted by dawkins_7 at 1:33 PM on May 21, 2013
posted by dawkins_7 at 1:33 PM on May 21, 2013
Know of any local mommy bloggers? You could offer to host a workshop for them and their friends in exchange for an article.
posted by hishtafel at 4:37 PM on May 21, 2013
posted by hishtafel at 4:37 PM on May 21, 2013
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posted by Wylla at 9:37 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]