Notes from Chris

Episode 1331

Margaret Blanchfield took up watercolor painting while she was a stay at home mom, and soon found herself quite adept at the practice.

As she honed her skills and began producing quality works, she wanted to share these talents with others. To do that, Margaret started teaching ‘Mommy and Me’ art classes in the makeshift studio she’d built in her garage. There, she offered a place where moms and their toddlers could learn together.

Through friends and word of mouth, this became a successful side gig that Margaret ran until the birth of her second child. That’s when she decided to brush things up and looked for a dedicated space outside her home.

After finding the ideal location, she called the space Sacramento Art Classes, and created a website to match at SacramentoArtClasses.com. She puts the choice of domain name down as her best business decision. By using such an obvious name, much of the marketing work was already done. The website naturally ranked high in Google searches, and parents and kids from all over the city came to learn how to paint.

The space was never a huge moneymaker, but it did bring in some side income which was helpful with two small children. It was even more important because, by now, Margaret had separated from her husband and was a single mom. Without the support of a dual income, she looked for additional ways to make more money.

While saddening, things weren’t all doom and gloom. Margaret loved teaching! It was a way for her to continue teaching art, without the high overheads and stress of having a dedicated space. Yet the change wasn’t over yet, as you might guess, something unexpected happened in the spring of 2020.

The shakeup meant Margaret started teaching remotely, which gave her new skills in technology she’d never been exposed to. She mastered Zoom and became an expert in remote teaching. She knew this wasn’t something to gloss over and, after thinking about it, began to paint a new picture in her life.

Margaret felt she could use her artistic, teaching, and technology skills to try something new. Specifically, she thought of offering art classes online via Zoom and Facebook Live. The lessons could be the same as the ones she used to offer in her old business. The only difference would be the method of delivery.

To test the waters, she wrote to an old email list of six hundred people she’d collected from her time running the studio. In addition, she posted a Facebook event and let her seven hundred Facebook friends know about it. To her astonishment, she amassed four hundred RSVPs!

Margaret is three months into this experiment turned legitimate side hustle and things have only improved. Her free classes now reach an average of three hundred attendees and, combined, she’s earning well over fifteen hundred dollars per month in addition to her teacher’s salary. She sees this is only the beginning and wants to keep growing.

What skillset do you have that you can rework and reposition during this strange, seemingly-never-ending year of 2020? I really believe there’s something out there for you, just like Margaret and so many others.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Maragret, her art, and her online classes at her website, SacramentoArtClasses.com.

SEE ALSO:

• Boston Friends Create Multicultural Masterpiece: When two training managers notice a lack of diversity in their local art scene, they launch a for-profit, multicultural space for paint parties.
• Art Teacher Draws Her Way Into Ceramic Shop: A single mom living on a high school art teacher’s salary pursues a series of creative projects to increase her income.
• Bring Your Own Cannabis to this “420-Friendly” Painting Class: Two Orange County artists set high expectations when they create the first bring-your-own-cannabis art studio, complete with Bob Ross classes and a welcoming vibe.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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