Hello Fiber Friends!
I hope this finds you all safe and well! I have not been going many places. The time at home in my studio has been spent working on creating a new class. It is not an easy task as there are many things to consider!
What do people want?
The first task of creating a new class is figuring out what people want. As a fiber artist, I don’t have just one thing I concentrate on. I have spent my fiber art career learning and teaching many different fiber related topics. So…the first thing I had to do was some research on what my followers might want. With covid-19 ever present, that meant no shows to talk to the customer in person. Everything must be done online! Facebook was my first place to start. However, there is no guarantee that my people would see the post. Facebook can be funny that way.
Instagram was next and then of course sending out emails to my list. Responses to these types of requests are not high so any response was exciting!
What did I feel I could offer?
While I was waiting for responses I considered what my skills I have and what I might be interested in offering to people. I want to teach something I enjoy too! I also spent some time on Pinterest to see what was trending.
Of course that can be time robber….LOL. There is so much on Pinterest to look at. I stuck to looking at what was current in the areas I am most interested in and would my followers also like what I was seeing. Instagram had so many options to look at! It was overwhelming. Several really inspired me:
Narrowing the choices.
My first Facebook questions about creating a New Class were very vague and did not provide any responses. So I narrowed it to Needle felting and Modern Weaving. I felt that would provide a better response and I was correct. Now I had something to go on. It became clear a new class for Weaving had the most interest but what to do next?
What type of offer to make?
Have you looked at weaving on Pinterest these days? Let me tell you it is not your Grandmothers weaving. There was also something called Macra-Weave. Now the choices were even greater! Do I have a beginner class, one with macrame & weaving, or one with techniques show casing all the great textures I was seeing in the posts? I spent some time trying out different types and techniques. Once I decided on which direction I wanted to go the next questions was how to deliver it?
What type of platform to use?
I think this was the most difficult part of creating a new class. How do I deliver it? With Covid-19 I knew it has to be online. Do I offer it live or pre-recorded. If I offer it live, I could not use Facebook. They only let you record up to 1 hour and after practicing the project it was clear I would need a little more time. I had to do some research to find out if there was another platform I could use. Everyone has been using Zoom for meetings maybe that would be a place to offer my new class. Once I decided on a platform do I use the free version or paid? Each have their ups and downs…OH MY! After deciding the platform where does is all reside so people can have easy access to it? More questions to answer.
Advertising next!
After the length of the New Class was decided and the platform and structure of the class set up, what’s next? I have to advertise and get the word out that I am offering a new class! It was going to be LIVE for the actual technique part with additional videos housed in a Facebook Group. That sounded pretty doable. Now I had to get the word out there. So back to Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest. Emails sent out and chatting it up. There is a time urgency because part of the class is going to be LIVE!
As if all of this hasn’t been challenging enough, now is the really tough part. Waiting to see if I am going to get anyone to sign up for the class. It is the time of second guessing! Did I pick the right subject, is the platform going to appeal to people, is my advertising about the class clear? Oh the stress of it all…LOL!
The New Class
Modern Weaving for Beginners with Anita Hotchkiss is the new class. It is October 29th from 6:30-8:30pm. You will have access to a Private Facebook Group with additional information and resources. After paying for the class you will be given a link to join the group and access to the LIVE portion. It is more of a technique class but I will be demonstrating the techniques in the making of a mini wall hanging. You can follow along LIVE or watch the replay and take your time. It is going to be a lot of fun and I hope to see you there!
Happy Creating! Anita
Other BLOG posts you may enjoy!
Step-by-step Needle felting Guide with Anita Hotchkiss