how teaching can help you build yourself a better day job as an artist or maker

When I was in graduate school, I taught beginner metalsmithing classes. I always loved teaching the intro class because I was a “pusher” – someone who identified talented students and encouraged them to become Metals and Jewelry majors.

I remember one such student. She had the full package. She mastered techniques quickly. Her craftsmanship was impeccable. And she had a great design sensibility.

“What’s your major?” I asked her.

“Art Ed.”

“You should switch.”

“I would love to,” she replied. “But my parents want me to do something practical.”

While disappointing, this wasn’t new. Parents were ok to let their kids major in art if it had a practical focus, like becoming a teacher.

This isn’t a contemporary concept. Whether it’s at the K-12 level or the university level, teaching has often been the stable career of choice for artists hoping to make a living.

Even some of my creative idols, like Georgia O’Keeffe and Hans Hofmann, spent years teaching before they became established professional artists.

But here’s the rub with this fallback plan.

That student I mentioned? She was one of 200 Art Ed majors at the school I was at.

200! At one school.

It was pretty easy to see what most of the parents didn’t want to admit. That most of these students would probably never get a teaching job. And that was before the major budget issues and program cuts that have become so common these days. Far from being a safe major, Art Ed was a false promise.

And the same holds true for that goal of many an MFA candidate – become a university professor. But these spots are just as hard to come by. It’s not unheard for there to be 200 or more applicants for a single opening.

So what should you do?

Give up teaching as a back-up plan and wait tables or work in an office until your business picks up?

Hardly. Teaching can still be a great additional revenue stream if you know how to do it right.

Here’s the secret that I learned after years of teaching as an adjunct:

Teaching can be a HUGE source of income (and an amazing “day job”) if you cut out the middle man and teach for yourself.

Since I started running my own e-courses, I’ve brought in more income from my classes alone than I did teaching adjunct at the university. I’ve brought in more income from teaching than my husband has at his “real job”. I’ve brought in more than my friends who are teachers.

In fact, I’ve brought in more from teaching my own e-courses in one year than I made the year I was a salaried college professor.

And, because I’m running classes on my terms, I have complete control and flexibility over my schedule.

And the students who take my classes? They are more engaged, more enthusiastic, and more willing to work than 90% of the students I’ve had teaching at universities.

Teaching can still be a fantastic safety net as you navigate the uncertain world of growing your studio-based business.

But the rules have changed. Institutions that once provided teachers with that safety net are struggling. Just like in other industries, the middle men are falling behind, leaving us, as creative individuals, with an amazing opportunity to take control and profit like never before.

Teaching can be a huge catalyst as you develop your art career. It can energize your studio practice, create raving fans, and give your income a boost.

If you take the leap and start teaching for yourself, it might just become the best “day job” you could ever imagine.

It has for me.

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Want to use teaching as a catalyst for your creative business? Would you love to create an e-course to boost your income but aren’t sure how? Have you tried running an e-course in the past but were disappointed with the results?

Registration is now open for Do/Teach Do/Teach, my online teacher training program.

This course walks you through everything you need to launch your first course, from developing a structure, creating lessons and projects that don’t just produce copycats, mastering the tools for running an online class (like video), and creating a marketing and launch strategy that gets students excited to register for your class.

Registration is open now! Click here for all the details!

Praise for Do/Teach:

“The course has helped me realize that I’ve spent so much time focusing on my business and growing it these last two years that I completely forgot about my passions and the reason why I had the business in the first place. Bringing the teaching element into my business has completely reinvigorated me. So many, many thanks!”

-Melissa Gruntosky, owner of Pressbound