Love arts and crafts?
Maybe you own an arts and crafts supply shop. Maybe you’re an artist wanting to teach others or sell your work. Or maybe you sell arts and crafts as a consultant for a craft company.
Whether your goal is to teach, build an online art community, or make money crafting, you will benefit from hosting online arts workshops.
Here’s why:
So ready to host your first online arts workshop?
Read on for everything you need to get started.
Planning an arts and crafts workshop isn’t difficult, but you want to start from a place of knowledge and preparation.
Follow these six steps to begin.
First things first. Why do you want to host online art workshops? Is it because you want to teach arts and crafts? Establish a community for art lovers? Build an online crafts store?
Once you’ve determined your purpose, establish the outcome you want to achieve from your workshops. Is it to become a well-known art teacher? To grow the revenue of your arts and crafts shop? Something else?
Don’t skip over this step. Remember, your goals will affect every single aspect of your workshop.
Don’t just jump into your online arts workshop and expect everything to flow smoothly from start to finish. It’s best to come prepared — a detailed plan for your art workshop will save you heaps of trouble down the line.
Write an outline of your workshop, including how long each section will take. Here’s an example of a great outline:
Demonstration: Teach techniques, demonstrating how to use each one. If a step goes by too fast, Switcher’s Instant Replay can rerun the last 10, 20, or 30 seconds of the stream without you redoing it.
Of course, the flow of your lesson will depend on your goals. If you’re selling arts and crafts, your workshop can be a demonstration of how to use your products. The bottom line is to outline the structure of your workshop before you start.
The next step is selecting the streaming platform your viewers will be most comfortable using. Here are five to consider:
Streaming software with the right features can take your arts and crafts workshops to the next level. It can also save you money and spare you from a long learning curve.
So make sure you do careful research before making your selection. Here are five features to look for:
But if you want to skip the research, you can go straight to using Switcher Studio. With Switcher, you get all the features mentioned above, without having to pay for expensive equipment.
No need to buy streaming cameras — you can use the iPhones and iPads you already own as cameras (Android phones work too, with the Android Remote Camera app), connecting up to nine at once to capture multiple angles.
Is monetizing one of your workshop goals? If so, the first step is to determine your workshop prices, which, just like art prices themselves, can be calculated several different ways. Your prices will differ depending on whether you’re aiming to cover your costs, cover your time, or turn a profit.
Keep these tips in mind for smoothly monetizing your workshop:
Of course, you want as many participants in your workshop as possible! To make sure no one misses out, spend a few days before the workshop telling everyone about it.
Post about the workshop on social media. Send invites to your email list. Tell your friends to spread the word.
And, as mentioned, don’t forget to give participants a list of supplies (with links!) in advance. You want them to attend your workshop fully equipped to create a beautiful piece of art with you.
If you’re a consultant for a craft supply company like Chalk Couture, Creative Memories, or Close to My Heart and you’re looking for an alternative to in-person sales parties, online arts and crafts workshops are a great way to go. They allow you to:
If you’re into arts and crafts, you’ll have noticed that a ton of creators are taking their skills and passion online.
And you can do it too.
It’s not hard — you already have the talent and your own specific goals in mind. All you need to worry about is the tech, which Switcher Studio makes simple. With Switcher, you can skip the expensive equipment and go straight to livestreaming from your iPhone or iPad. The software is super easy to use and includes features like screensharing, streaming multiple angles from different devices, and graphics insertion.
After following all the steps mentioned above, you’ll be on your way to a profitable arts and crafts business, whether that means teaching lessons, selling artwork, or selling supplies.