3 Things That REALLY Helped Me With My Art Teaching Business | Liron’s Podcast Episode 103

In this episode I’m talking about a few things I think are a MUST in order to create a successful art teaching business!

These 3 things are probably heavily responsible for the relative success of my art teaching business.

Here’s a summary of what they are…

1. Proactiveness

Being self driven and motivated, working every day without needing any external influences to encourage me.

If you’re asking whether you should or should not do something, and you’ve been debating it for a while in your mind without taking action, this is already a warning sign that you perhaps need to improve your decisiveness.

I don’t think I’d be able to do all the things I have so far, had I debated everything in length.

And you have to realize – I’m not against contemplating or making plans. But at some point it’s execution time.

2. Free Communication

Freely sharing all my best advice, techniques and tactics for free, online, without asking for anything in return.

This is something many artists hate, and thing reduces our value. But i disagree.

I think providing free value is the KEY to getting more business.

The days of trade secrets are over, information has been commoditized.

Let’s see who’ll get more students and followers, the person who posts TONS of free and valuable content for free, or the person who doesn’t have any online presence…

3. Routine & Structure

Building your work day and learning to become your own boss.

This is mostly about structure. You have to be dedicated enough to figure out how to work effectively and efficiently, and get things done.

You have to be somewhat organized and know what you’re doing.

You have to research and decide on what products and services you offer. You need to develop a marketing plan, a content schedule and so much more.

This ingredient is important for anyone wanting to be self-employed, so perhaps a more general one (much like the first one too).

Conclusion

I hope this makes sense! Let me know your thoughts in a comment or by reaching out. Here’s where you can find me:

TikTok – @Liron.Yan

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

How to REALLY Grow on Social Media as an Artist | Tips for 2019 – Liron’s Podcast Episode 87

Art, creativity and the art business. In this episode we’ll talk about what it REALLY takes to grow on social media as an artist, and how to do it FAST!

This episode is actually based on a YouTube video I published a short while ago. Here it is!

As a quick note – I’m taking a very MACRO approach to this. I’m giving you the general guidelines I found work for me, and the overall approach and strategy.

Another note – For more specific tips on INSTAGRAM, be sure to check  out my LinkedIn or Medium post on the topic.

Here’s a quick summary of the tips:

How to REALLY Grow on Social Media – For Artists

1. Choose your platform.

Every type of art will better index on different platforms. As a visual artist, I’m focusing on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Different types of art will find different homes.

2. Learn the rules.

Every platform has its own rules and best practices. Doing them can really help you with local growth. Another distinction for some new insights I gained – don’t let the platform rules dictate your actions or truth. Do what’s right for you, while following the best practices as much as possible.

3. Put in the work

That’s the first, second and third most important part. Post A LOT. Interact with others. Live on the platform. Learn and constantly innovate. Gain inspiration from others. And post A LOT (;

Also – be consistent, that means a lot for the audience following you.

4. Be Patient

Growth takes time. It may sometimes seem like you are putting so much work, with zero results to show for it. You don’t want to be delusional – so make sure you put out good content that HELPS / ENTERTAINS your audience. But if you’re really doing that, all you have left to do is be patient.

That’s also the time to mention – be grateful for the following you DO have. Reply to comments and messages and be there for them.

Conclusion

I hope you found this one helpful! Trying to dip into some meta topics that will help not just in the artistic sense – but also in building a brand and a business around your art.

Let me know if there’s anything you want me to talk more about (art or non-art) or elaborate on.

Here’s where you can reach out…

Liron Yanconsky

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Separate Money From Your Time – Artist Advice | Liron’s Podcast Episode 83

Hi there, Liron here! In today’s episode we’re talking about the real way of increasing your income as an artist over the long haul.

This is one of the ideas I’ve been most fascinated with when I just got started in the art world – Separating your money from your time.

Hitting The Ceiling

If you spend time working for payment, you’ll inevitably reach a ceiling at some point. There are only so many hours you can work a day.

Your per-hour rate may increase, but there’s still a limited number of work hours during the day.

Being a Gatherer VS a Farmer

Gatherers have to actively look for income sources, while farmers build an eco-system for generating income.

Nothing’s easy, or “passive”, but a system works better.

My system is my online courses and books. These products are available online. I don’t have to spend any more time on them (other than marketing, which is an inherent part of what I do anyway).

They are ready to be consumed, there’s an unlimited amount of them and there’s nothing to produce – thus – low overhead.

Creating Systems that Deliver Value

A good system is one that delivers value as automatically as possible, and encourages future value generation.

When someone purchases my Draw Anything course, they are also added to my sales funnel. They are then offered super-relevant products in the future.

These are products that had a lot of thought put into them. It’s what people need. And by giving people what they need you create value (content that helps them improve in their art and craft, in this example).

And when you create said value, you can also get value back from the customer (in the form of payment).

And the most beautiful part of it all? It’s all automatic!

There’s A LOT of setup involved when getting started. A lot of research, testing and experimentation. But once you get going the process becomes much more automatic.

Automation Example – Selling Artwork

A normal process of selling paintings would be to, perhaps, reach out to people who may be interested, and try to sell to them.

But we can automate that too. If you can find, for example, a gallery that will work with you – you give them your artwork and they provide you with potential customers.

You give up some upside, of course, but for many – this is really worth it.

Another way of automating the selling of artwork is by creating prints. That way, a one time investment (a painting) can turn into a continuously value-generating item.

Quick System Examples for Artists

Courses & Books

If you have specialized knowledge in an art field, instead of only providing something like private lessons – you could create a paid digital product. I have multiple books and courses on a wide variety of topics.

Membership Sites

These are websites with exclusive content for your customers. It’s a similar concept to any other product. But in this example, it’s a recurring payment (usually cheaper per-month than a one-time product), and you provide an environment that is updated with new information.

Many news podcasts work with a subscription model. They are perfect for the job, as there’s always new information (NEWS!).

Your Platform VS Others’

As we discussed a moment ago, there are advantages and disadvantages to doing everything on your own, or leveraging other platforms.

Usually, what platforms provide is marketing – audience.

I sell MANY MORE courses on Udemy than on my website, but make a similar amount of income from both sources (as they take a large cut). The marketing prowess of Udemy still makes it worth it to have my courses there though.

On your own platform you have full control, but need to do EVERYTHING on your own.

Generally Speaking, I feel like it’s a MUST having your own platform. That way you’re managing your risks, and aren’t fully dependent on other platforms.

And that’s pretty much everything we talked about in this episode.

Artist Corner – Michal Suffczynski

Today we talked about Michal Suffczynski, a Russian architect and painter. He works in both pencil and watercolor, and his landscape paintings really impress me. You can check out his work here: Michal Suffczynski’s Website

And here’s where you can find me…

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

— Liron

Ask And Your Shall Receive – How to Get What You Want as Artists | Liron’s Podcast Episode 78

In today’s episode I wanted to talk about the ask – asking is the way to get what you want.

I’m providing an example of me.

I Branded Myself as a Teacher

I’ve branded myself as a teacher for so long, that people almost never ask about purchasing paintings.

Once I figured out this was the deal, I started “asking” for what I want.

I started mentioning when a painting’s for sale. I started saying what I want to happen.

And it worked! I’m already starting to get more of what I want.

The Market Will Tell You

Once you ask, the market will answer.

When what you want to have happen – happens – it means you are on the right track!

When what you want doesn’t happen, there may be something you need to work on.

In the example of selling art – maybe you need to improve your artwork, or perhaps your pricing isn’t optimized.

And that’s it for today’s ep! And now – artist corner.

Artist Corner – Tytus Brzozowski

Today I featured Tytus Brzozowski, an incredible Polish watercolor painter and architect.

His watercolor art is among the most unique and impressive I’ve seen. He works in a surrealistic style, and combines realistic stories with fantasy worlds.

His knowledge in architecture really serves his paintings, and adds an air of professionalism when it comes to his buildings and their details.

You can check out his work on his website: Tytus Brzozowski 

And Here’s where you can find me

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

— Liron