{Ask an Agent} Can teaching workshops benefit a commercial artist's career?
Even though the decision to start teaching my own workshops completely transformed me and my business, the number one question I get from other artists is, ‘Is it really worth the time and effort to put together and teach workshops? Are the benefits really worth it for my creative business?’
While I could wax poetic about the myriad of ways workshops have benefitted me (increased confidence, added revenue stream to combat slow freelance months, etc), I thought it would be powerful to hear from a different perspective: an artist agent.
Ryan Appleton has been my agent for the past three years, and as an agent, it’s his job to keep a close eye on the pulse of the creative industry. I asked him a few questions about workshops and why they might be beneficial to modern working artists. Here’s what he said:
Have you seen a rise in commercial artists starting to expand their businesses by teaching in addition to doing client work? If so, why do you think they're doing so?
Ryan: My perception is that while a reasonable number of artists in the commercial and advertising space have started to explore educational outlets (i.e. workshops or online courses), the vast majority have still yet to explore how beneficial the creative endeavor can be.
For those who have been brave or strategic enough to venture into what is still largely an unknown for most artists, they are able to reap the benefits of: alternative creative fulfillment, additional marketing impression, added business revenue stream, and satisfaction or fulfillment that comes by way of provided extremely valuable knowledge to the attendees. Lastly the setup of systems and routines for the workshops to course can provide an ideal supplemental income source for artists during the slower times of a commercial year.
When you like an artist's work and then see that they teach workshops too, what kind of impression does that make on you?
Ryan: As an agent I find myself immediately drawn to an artist who has established a diverse creative output and approach to their own business. The most important factor for myself when determining the potential success of any artist is to gauge the sense they have of their own brand and how they’ve worked to establish various entrepreneurial arms of the business. As an example, this could include traditional commercial/advertising work, workshops, podcasts, online courses, one-on-one coaching, speaking engagements, book publishing, influencer marketing, etc.
Q: What benefits can teaching workshops provide to an artist and their business?
Ryan: Beyond the obvious tangible benefits for an artist who chooses to host their own classes or workshops, I strongly believe that the intangible benefits can be of a larger impact to their future success. The first and foremost is how it can help to establish a stronger sense of one's own brand and a confidence of voice that can only come with practice and presenting yourself in the public eye. The next is through the practice of “writing on stage” or active refining of your message, core values, or the educational knowledge you have to provide through the repeated act of performing in-person in order to distill the essence- this practice will produce the most powerful results for both yourself and your audience.
And of course all of the above will help to establish you as an expert and leader in the field you are actively working/teaching within, The act of planting your flag in an industry, on a topic, a view-point, etc. can be a strategic move which allows you to be top of mind and the first point of contact when a brand of client is interested in exploring that hill in which your flag is now firmly planted.
Want to learn how to plan, promote and profit from teaching workshops without the stress of having to ‘figure it all it out as you go’?
I took the expertise I've garnered from teaching more than 35 workshops around the world and packed it into my brand new resource, The Creative Workshop Launch Kit!
It includes E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G I wish I had when I started teaching:
A step-by-step guidebook that covers every detail of hosting a workshop, all the way from how/where to find the perfect venue to WTF to do if someone who doesn't show up still asks for a refund (gasp!).
50 worksheets (like the ones you just completed) to make planning your workshop fun, not frustrating.
Time-saving templates for your workbook, presentation, and event release. Most creatives will want to design their own materials, but what I know they DO NOT want to do is think about the legal stuff associated with hosting a workshop.
This kit is like having me in your back pocket while you plan, promote, and produce your workshop. Don't just take a page from my book - take the whole book!
x Lauren
