Monday, October 5, 2009

Art Teacher???

Yesterday afternoon I had about 45 minutes to spare while I waited for my daughters to get out of girl scouts, so I figured Walmart was my best bet. After all, I needed to purchase coffee and it was blocks from the school. As I rounded the corner of the Walmart, another shop caught my attention.
It said something about coffee and art... and I figured since I had time, I might as well check it out.
As I walked into the store with Jack and Sophia, I was greeted by a fully-stocked coffee bar. Then, as I looked around, there was an eclectic mix of artwork ranging from wall art to ceramics to jewelry... etc. It was beautiful. I started talking to the owner and asking her questions about the store. Meanwhile, Jack and Sophia started looking at everything which was a little unnerving. We started talking about artwork and how hard it is to sell in this economy. I told her I was an artist and she said: "like, you are a working artist?" I smiled and thought about that statement. Although I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a working artist per-se. I have made money at it and have been featured at local coffee shops. So, does that make me working? I doubt that many artists can claim to be paying the bills solely on their art. The money in art is firmly planted in movies, advertising, marketing, and a small line of commercially available art pieces like Kinkaide (things that people want to put on their walls). Although I would venture that my artwork would also do well on many people's walls, I don't make a lot of money at my craft.
I answered her by telling her about my previous art shows and explaining that I do commissions, so yes I make money... sorta... sometimes...
She inquired about what type of art I did and I told her "watercolor and paper mache". I explained how my paper mache is a little different and suddenly she was quite interested. She asked if I had a website and I told her that I didn't, but everything was posted on facebook. So, she brought me over to her computer and I dialed in my account so that she could see my photo albums.
She asked if I could teach a class. They do art classes for the general public and she would pay me half the fee + materials (I have to figure out how much they cost). I explained my process and we figured that 2, 2 hour classes would do fine on different weeks. So, the class itself would be about $48 + materials. She told me to figure out how many people need to be signed up in order to make it worth my time.
I left the little shop with a post-it filled with details I need to figure out and information I need to gather.
*sigh*
It was a big boost, but now the work begins. It's so hard to figure out exactly how much my materials per person will cost. Sometime in November I will do this class, but I have so much work to do prior to actually committing to this project.
I'm all unsure of myself today and feeling inadequate.
I need to get a handle on this! Confidence in the midst of an ego boost seems to be my most difficult thing. I tend to fly high and then fall down to the "I'm not good enoughs" without much time to enjoy it. *sigh*

No comments:

Post a Comment