How to Artist: Teaching Art to Supplement Your Income

An artist's creativity often has to extend beyond the canvas to the dilemma of how to earn a living.  One of the best ways for an artist to both earn extra money and to gain notariaty is to teach what they know.  This goes against the saying the people who can't do, teach.  In the case of art, people who can are the ones who teach.  It is pretty hard to teach art if you cannot create art.

You can teach either short term workshops, class series, or individually tutor in between your studio time, commissions, and art shows. Teaching someone else is different than just making artwork yourself, so here are some guidelines and resources if you choose to teach.

Make sure to provide your students with a very clear list of what to buy for your class.  Things you provide on the list should include brand names, how many of each item they need to buy, where to buy them, and approximate amount of money to pay.  Beginning students will not know any of this information.

Your other option is to provide the materials yourself, and just charge a materials cost.  If you do this, you can mark the items up a bit to make some profit on them.

You'd be surprised at how many places offer workshops and classes that you can participate in.  Many cities and suburbs have community programming that will welcome your class.  Community art centers, public schools, religious institutions, and art galleries and stores are all places that may offer classes.  You can go online and ask them if they are looking for teachers.  Some corporations also offer workshops for their employees. 

After calling all the places you can think of on your own, you can also ask your peer artists where they teach or if they know of any places that offer classes.  Another possibility is offering classes in someone's home.  Think outside the box for places to teach.  This is something that artists are good at.

A class is usually a minimum of four sessions of 2 or 3 hours each.  A workshop is a one time session for 2 to 4 hours.  Which one is better?

I think it depends on the situation.  If you are trying to attract new students, who have never done this type of artwork before, most likely a workshop is better.  It is less expensive, and they do not have to commit too much time.

If you have a group that is clearly looking to learn more about the topic, then a class is better because they can really focus their time with other interested people and learn something substantial.  This will allow them to work on their pieces at home and bring then back for critiique.

The right number of students is subjective and totally up to you.  You want to have as many students as possible, but not so many that you can't teach.  If I am teaching a workshop or class by myself, I like to cap the number of students at twelve.  But if I am teaching with a partner, I can teach up to twenty five.

Another question is if you have a minimum of students.  That number has to be configured by deciding how many students you need in your class to earn a profit.  Most teachers need a minimum of four.

Adults are easier to teach because you do not have to watch them every minute, and they are responsible for themselves. But there are more children around who will take classes.

If you do choose to teach children, you will need to get a signed release form from their parents, and make clear rules that they can understand. Check your insurance to make sure you are insured to teach children.  Other things to consider are to use non-toxic materials, and less costly materials than you would for adults.

Children also have shorter attention spans generally, and need more activity than adults. You will have to gear your projects towards what they will value. If you are teaching kids, make sure they finish a project at the end of each class. This will give them a sense of accomplishment.

People do take classes in a down economy. They may take more classes than usual, because many people are not sending kids to camp this year, and that means they are looking for things to do with them.

Look for classes that you can offer that do not cost a lot of money. Find materials that they might have at home. Another idea is to offer mother and child classes.

Find ways that you can add value to your classes.  Maybe you can offer simple refreshments or give them a flyer with instructions for them to continue at home.