Start & Run an Art Teaching Business. Tanya Freedman
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on other business-related activities such as networking and mining for more prospective clients. Or I could spend that time recharging or being with my family.
Learning Styles
We are each unique and have individual learning styles based on our personalities, our life experiences, and our environment. There are three methods of interpreting everything and everyone around us:
• Visual
• Auditory
• Physical
Usually one method is predominant for a person, and this becomes his or her learning style; also, we sometimes adopt a different learning style according to circumstances. Another common way to categorize learning styles is by “left brain” (responsible for logic and fact processing) and “right brain” (responsible for creativity, imagination, and intuition). There is no right or wrong method to learning — it just depends on what works best for you. Although our preferred habits of learning and interacting with others are ingrained, we can develop other skills or hone existing ones.
So you may be a true artist at heart with the classic tendency to use the right (creative) side of your brain, or you may lean more toward using the left side (all about logic, facts, and details). And what about your students? You must learn how to match your teaching style to your students, and how best to stimulate them. This insight into your behavior and the behavior of those around you is invaluable for your life as a businessperson, teacher, and artist.
Studies show that when it comes to decision making, the right-brain-dominant people are guided and influenced by their emotions and their intuition while left-brain-dominant people depend on their logic and sequential thinking. Obviously this affects how we study and learn as well as how we conduct our business and personal lives. Knowing how your entrepreneurial brain works helps you make informed and confident decisions. Good decisions are made when you are aware of all your strengths and weaknesses, and of where your ideas come from (whether they are artistic ideas or business ideas).
Understanding your students’ learning styles will help you adjust your own teaching methods to get the best results from the students. But remember that each person is unique and has a mix of learning styles, and can adapt and use other techniques too. For more detailed information on the many different learning styles, visit www.learning-styles-online.com.
Other Things to Consider
Having a dream or passion to start a business and envisioning yourself thriving in it does not always guarantee success. Faced with unpredictable highs and lows and obstacles big and small, we have to be tenacious on our journey.
Your insights into your strengths and challenges may make you stand out in the crowd. But do you have staying power? That depends on whether or not you have a passion for your calling and a voracious hunger to succeed.
People start their own art businesses for a variety of reasons, which include the following:
• They love art and enjoy imparting their knowledge.
• They want to teach part time to supplement their current income.
• They want to work from home and be close to their children.
Some people are determined to sink every cent they earn back into their business for as long as it takes them to establish a large and healthy clientele. Some people persevere even when there is not much money coming in, and it is obviously stated in the accounts reports at the end of the quarter or year. Others concentrate their efforts on attracting as many new prospects as possible to ensure a strong foundation and a thriving business. And some start small by feeling their way toward growth and expansion. Others buy an existing start-up business.
You have to decide what you are prepared to do and what your level of commitment is. If you find yourself making too many excuses, and flopping down in front of the hypno-tube (aka the TV) to relax, wishing, in the back of your mind, that you had the guts or stamina for this project that really inspired you at one point, then you are ready for a reality check. You need to get off that sofa and get into a new routine, both for your business and your health! My first advice is to start exercising — try taking a 20-minute walk first thing in the morning — and you will soon have the energy to undertake the next exciting step in your business.
If you have a young and/or demanding family, support and time to devote to your business can be tricky to find. When your kids are involved in extracurricular activities, do you have time to yourself? Or do you have to stay and supervise your child the whole time he or she practices dance, yoga, or karate? Or if you are single, do you have parents or friends who pressure you to spend your weekends and evenings with them?
Maybe you can look for a support system from other members of the family. Or think about close friends, a social group you meet through your hobbies, or a support group (e.g., a parents network). If you are a single parent or a working mother trying to start your own business but have no spare time, look into bartering. A friend or relative with children can look after your kids in return for an agreed number of art classes. You get to spend a few uninterrupted hours developing or instigating your business ideas, and your friend is paid with art lessons he or she has always wanted, but could not otherwise afford. It is a win-win situation.
You must also have “me” time, personal time that has nothing to do with the business; otherwise your resource well will start to run dry. In extreme cases you may end up sacrificing your health and experience stress overload. (See the section Risks and Signs of Burnout in Chapter 10.)
With some help from others, I believe we are able to discover exactly what each of us needs in order to excel. There is no clear boundary that separates the business part of the brain from the creative part, although you may indeed be more of a left- or right-brained thinker (i.e., creative and artistic versus logical). Try the opposite to how you naturally respond to situations — using “all of your brain” is the most effective way to meet challenges. If we put our thoughts into action, we will quickly get feedback to confirm that we are on the right track. This in turn brings confidence. With time, you will learn to trust that positive gut feeling, and to just go for it.
Of course, I am not suggesting that you spontaneously kick the boss in the teeth and quit your job on the grounds that you are a born entrepreneur, and shock your spouse or family into catatonic stupor with your wish to “live your dream.” Discuss and expand on your ideas with those whose lives may be impacted by your plans. Communication is of the utmost importance at every stage of the process, especially at the conception and start-up phase of your art teaching business. Whatever your situation — whether you are a new entrepreneur, a single parent, or a seasoned businessperson — you need to set up an effective support system around you. The two goals of making a living and building your business have to be considered together. To secure the support of a spouse, mentor, or partner, in-depth communication and discussion need to take place.
The following example outlines a situation that can happen if you and your spouse are not open and honest with each other.
Elizabeth, a married mother of two teenagers, explained that although her husband had not stopped her in her endeavors to start her e-art business (having considered it her little project), he did not like the increasing amounts of time it was taking away from her household duties. He started subtly sabotaging her hours and made discouraging remarks that she found upsetting and unsettling.
“The more successful I became the more he resented my business,” Elizabeth explained. “When I tried to discuss what the real issue was he’d deny there was anything wrong — until I got my break to transfer my home business to a retail space.”
The marriage suffered to such an extent that it eventually ended in divorce. It took Elizabeth a few years before she realized that her business had not caused the rift, and that she had taken all the steps possible to remedy any marital problems as they surfaced. The underlying issues were that her husband had not liked her change from a dutiful wife and mother to a self-assured and independent businesswoman.
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