Amelia Critchlow

This article will show you how you can start a business on the back of your blog. Amelia Critchlow ran her first, successful Experimental Art Course when her blog 101 Bird Tales had only about 200 subscribers.

How I Began

Three years ago, I retrained and obtained a degree in fine art, as I knew I wanted to live from my passion: art and creativity.

My Inspiration

Art and being creative have taken me through some really tough times in my life. I feel so grateful for this, and I’m passionate about sharing this with others.

When I started looking at art blogs, I decided to add a blog to my own art website and to write about my passion: sharing my art journey and art ideas with others.

When I was looking at art blogs I found a link to a big blogger who ran e-courses. I wanted to run an art course myself to take my person-to-person teaching experience online.

I immediately signed up for the course and also asked the blogger if I could take her out to lunch to chat about how she ran the course. I felt nervous asking, but she said YES!!! She was so generous and helpful, and I gathered so much helpful information that day.

During this time, I was finding it harder and harder to go out to work doing something I wasn’t passionate about, then coming home to look after the home and the kids. Plus I was exhausted looking after my son with Asperger’s Syndrome. I needed to do something that energized and inspired me.

I quit my job and began working from home, helping people write CVs. I was able to save up some money, but I felt disconnected from my passion.

Jumping In

A year later, it was time to start earning money from what I love the most: making art and sharing creative adventures with others. I put all my energies into updating my website and writing a six-week course in experimental art.

I wrote a task-by-task, detailed explanation for each lesson, as though I were in a real classroom instructing people. I filled the course with inspiring images – as I always do in real time, and I included extensive links to amazing artists and other websites and resources.

I was nervous, but also determined. I had spent six years studying art and teaching in various locations including galleries, museums, colleges, and getting funding for community art projects – so I felt confident in my ability to make this work.

What really helped me a lot was the support and knowledge I got here at A-List Blogging.

Promoting My Course

I then advertised my course on a couple of key art websites — big sites with lots of traffic. I paid a small fee for this but it was worth it. It brought people to my course, along with getting me some key interviews on a few big sites.

I also started to network online and since I am fortunate enough to love people, it was easy to build a network of online friends and supporters! (This was another great aspect of my membership in A-List Blogging Club.)

I asked a few blogging friends if they would put a badge linking to my course on their site, and they said yes. People have been so supportive. Swapping was another great way to spread the word. I swapped badges with a couple of people (for their course or product), and we also swapped interviews.

I also started telling people in my local community and at my son’s school about my art e-course. I carry my business card around with me at all times, and if the opportunity is right, I give out my card.

Building a Community

Once people signed up, some participants wanted to blog about my course and put my badge on their blog stating they were participating. As a result, new people began to approach me saying they were interested in my next course (and I hadn’t even actually started the first one yet!).

I used a contact form to keep track of people who were interested, and once there were enough, I knew I could release the dates for the first course.

I ran the first course when I had less than 200 subscribers!

The contact form allowed me to build up an email list – although this was inadvertent at first. It was really useful having the list. It meant I could email people to say the course was running and offer a freebie incentive. I gave collage packs to the first five people that signed up. I got ten people signed up straight away.

I had a target of 30 people for my first course, as I knew I would be giving individual feedback on their art work and didn’t know how much work it would be for me. In the end I got 35 participants, with each person paying $99 and I was really happy. Then I closed down the course, keeping up a signup form for interested people to be notified when the next course started.

Serving Your Customers Pays Off

The first course went well, and people gave me positive feedback. I offered everyone a chance to re-do the next course at a third off, and many took up this special offer. This was even more positive reinforcement that the course offered real value. I have packed it with all the great art info I have and knew that while some would love it, others may find it hard to keep up. I wanted to be sure people got their money’s worth.

I also sent out a survey form before the course started, asking people about their expectations. This helped me ensure I gave them what they wanted. Plus I gave them a feedback form at the end of the course to evaluate the value to them.

My Personal Journey

Over the past few years I have learned so many important things we can do to fulfill our dreams:

• Dream our dreams continuously.
• Write them down, journal them, collect images of them.
• Declare our dreams verbally, visually and in writing at all times.
• Have small achievable goals at all times.
• Take small physical steps every day/week/month toward those goals and dreams.
• Ask for help.
• Research and observe what others (who are making it work) do rigorously.
• Never take the first answer or ‘no’ for an answer – there is ALWAYS a way to make it work.
• Never, ever give up.
• Create an “ideas capture” book to gather ideas of how to make your life/business/art, work – it’s there to refer back to.
• Swap skills and favors wherever you can (especially if you don’t have a big start-up income).
• Talk to others about what you do.

My experience shows that any blogger with passion and determination can create a successful online course. I believe that every journey starts with a single step. Start and continue to dream until one day that dream begins to materialize . . . . I am still in the middle of this journey, and loving every step.

Author: Amelia Critchlow and A-List Team