Review in Watercolour Gazette in March/April 2008 in Book Shelf
Start & Run An Art Teaching Business By Tanya Freedman
Review by Valerie Kent
Where was this book when I wanted to start my art teaching business? In fact, in those days, we slipped into the teaching of art without realizing it was a business, that it was a legal entity and that there was so much we needed to know and learn. Having this book at hand is a much better approach.
Tanya Freedman goes through the whole experience, from helping others visualize doing the work, to explaining how to set goals, how to get started, how and where to start learning about what aspects of the business world would be necessary to know. She also provides many options, such as the type of venue to select and takes us step by step through the entire gamut of setting up a legal business with a business name.
There is legwork to do, think work to do, to ready yourself to undertake and understand the challenges of going into business: these include looking at yourself as an entrepreneur and seeing what strengths you can enhance to make them work for you. Tanya helps you see what skills you already have and what skills might be acquired.
Her chapter headings really hit the mark, for example: Organizing Your Class, Class Prices and Materials, Your Business Plan, Identifying and Targeting Your Market, Creating Your Web Presence, Interviewing and Hiring Employees and Networking, among others.
One of Tanya’s strengths is her knowledge of public speaking and the reader benefits from her lucid handling of that section of the book. The book is laid out well, clear and easy to read. She has made a real effort to provide ample information for both American and Canadian artist entrepreneurs. Also there is a CD available at the back of the book which offers useful exercises, forms, and images.
The tone of the book is reader friendly, hands on, straightforward and presents excellent research and information that will be desirable for anyone considering setting up an art based business. Creating such a business for artists is often a labour of love because art is what they love to do. The book too, is a work of love. It talks about a subject that Tanya Freedman feels is very important to her and many other artists and she has made Start & Run an Art Teaching Business a well conceived, well thought out and informative book.