You want to position yourself wider with your art, but are you unsure whether online courses are right for you? Then this article will definitely make the decision easier.
Before Corona changed our lives, I regularly gave live courses on site in my studio as an artist. With the pandemic it was suddenly over. The move to online courses initially seemed to me to be quite a risk. But I had to offer the first course three times, so big was the interest. This year I could actually double my sales!
Current statistics that e-learning also has a further future . You start from growth rates to 10%.
The interests of people are certainly spreading again with the end of the pandemic, which I find in the declining number of course bookings. But nowadays, I would only offer live courses in the studio in exceptional cases. Because online courses have a lot of undeniable advantages that I can open up here:
The advantages of online courses
You do not have to pay rent for price rooms if your studio should not be suitable for courses. For my online courses, an 80 x 60 cm, well-lit table is enough for me as a work surface. Instead of the room rents, which are now easy at € 150.00, I will pay a fee for the provider that I use for the course implementation - this is currently around € 180.00 a year.
If you have installed the setting of the camera and microphone (which would even be possible with the small area required in your studio) you hardly need time to prepare a course. Quite different with live courses: until all jobs are prepared, an hour goes by- if you have rented a room much more, since you have to do all the materials there, to break down and reduce it again.
What I am at the next point: online courses are much cheaper than live courses . Because you only need your own materials and don't have to hold up half a dozen additional color tubes, brush sets or canvases. And you can also save yourself drinks and snacks for the participants.
An advantage that gives you a lot more to you: You can market your courses worldwide and are no longer dependent on regional customers. In addition, annoying travel routes are eliminated for the participants.
And there is another advantage that many do not think about: During the ongoing course you can all data on your PC. This gives you the opportunity to react spontaneously to questions at any time and to be able to offer helpful examples.
Disadvantages
However, there are also some disadvantages compared to these advantages:
You initially have higher investment costs for the purchase of the equipment. However, you can deduct these as operating expenses.
The exchange between you and the participants and between the participants is limited. But here, too, I can say from my own experience that at least as much is laughed in online courses as in live workshops. It is crucial that you have a loose and authentic type of course management, then the spark jumps quickly on the web.
The lack of exchange with the participants also includes assistance that you can give in the event of problems. After three years of course I have to say: This has even turned out to be an advantage. In this way, the participants often find creative solutions and thus develop their style faster.
The last problem is your internet connection: If there is a connection , the course cannot be completed. There are alternatives here: You can offer a new appointment or free participation in another course. Perhaps you have already documented an earlier course with the same topic on video and offer this recording as a replacement. In the latter case, as the simplest solution, I recommend uploading the video on YouTube as "not listed" and sending the video link to the participants.
Equipment and equipment
If I was able to convince you now to include online courses in your creative portfolio, then I want to give you an overview of the technology that you need for such workshops:
your own website for marketing , because this is the only way to achieve a global audience. Alternatively, you can also build a social media presence at Instagram & Co. For both cases, the following applies: If you start with your courses, you always have the problem of missing reach - nobody outside of your place of residence knows you and your offers.
So I am at the second important and unfortunately very expensive point: If you want to market your courses really professionally and increase your visibility on the web, you have no choice but to catch up with competent help. This starts when the SEO improvement of your website, to the circulation of advertising via Googleads or on Instagram. Here you can quickly get into a four -position area! So it wants to be carefully considered whether this is the way of your choice.
As soon as you should have increasing course bookings, you need an administrative system for it. This should z. B. registrations, an overview of the paid or unpaid courses, a text template for response emails, the planning of all course dates and much more.
As already mentioned above, you have to choose a platform provider . Compare the offers here and be sure to use the free trial period for your decision. For example, there are still providers in whom the participants cannot blur the background and replace it with a photo - missing privacy can have a deterrent to customers: on the inside.
Technically, of course you need a PC or a laptop with sufficient computing power as well as stable and fast internet access. I myself use a tariff with 50 Mbit/s, which is sufficient for my courses. However, you should not go under the Internet speed.
To transfer a course, I recommend buying two cameras . A high -quality webcam is already sufficient to welcome the participants. To transfer the course content, a digital camera is then used, which can also be used as a webcam. This offers a more realistic representation of the colors, which of course is an indispensable property for art courses. It is best to get advice from specialist retailers.
wireless headset has proven itself for the sound . So I can move independently in the room and just get things out of the room corner without stumbling over the headphone cable every time.
So that a course transfer runs of high quality, you finally need lights that illuminate your workplace well. buying LED panels urgently Be sure to get soft boxes so that the light becomes more diffuse - you prevent hard and too dark shadows on your work surface.
Successfully design online courses: a guide for beginners
That all sounds like a lot of acquisition costs. But if you once argue the costs for a room rent, contain the high time required for live courses and that you finally make a lot more announced: online courses are worthwhile in any case.
And another tip at the end: If you already know which technical accessories you need, have a look at the classifieds, there you will always find very inexpensive used devices (I do this regularly!).
My name is Mustafa Jannan and I am an artist. I started writing and illustrating books at the age of 8, while I was also active in various creative areas, including song composition and dance theater. My artistic path started in 2011 with acrylic painting.
Despite the challenges of a late beginner, I discovered my untrained talent for painting and continued to train myself in techniques such as image composition and color theory. These experiences inspired me to create a German-language YouTube channel, write books for artists and offer online courses.
A fundamental need for every artistically creative person is likely to be the ability to live off their art.
To secure one's existence, it's essential to earn money with art. In fact, many artists can live well off their creative work today, contrary to the majority's perception. Nevertheless, a vast majority of freelance artists still rely on additional income sources (e.g., giving courses, commissioned work, side jobs, etc.).
Recognition as an artist often does not bring immediate financial security. Therefore, artists are often also life artists.
The opportunities to make a living from one's own art have, however, grown significantly due to the internet and social media. As an artist, however, you must be versatile and flexible to succeed. A certain degree of perseverance is also essential.
Customer care and self-marketing are also important pillars for success as an artist.
In this section, we compile numerous articles, information, tips, and advice to help you make a living from your art.
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