If you teach at paint and sip parties, chances are you have taught at parties where only a few guests showed up. Just out of curiosity, what did you do in this situation?
If you haven’t experienced this situation yet, know that it likely will happen someday. So, this is something that you need to be prepared for.
How will you react when this does eventually happen? What will you do if there are not enough people in the class?
Here’s my advice…
Don’t Panic!
First of all, do not panic when this happens, and it will happen! Sometimes emergencies happen, and people just can’t attend, even if they really want to.
When this happens, there isn’t much you can do about it, except to teach the students who did arrive at the painting party. Just do what you would normally do at any paint and sip event, which is teach those who are there how to paint.
Don’t Be Like Frank Sinatra!
Here is a true story for you, to bring home what I am talking about. I remember one time I was working for a gentleman, and I mentioned that I was going to an Alice Cooper concert the following week.
He began telling me about how he used to be such a huge fan of Frank Sinatra. Note, used to be.
While vacationing in Las Vegas, he was excited to discover that Sinatra was performing two different shows. So, this man bought tickets for both performances.
A Show to Beat All Shows
He said the first show was everything he ever expected, and then some. He was thrilled to be able to watch this man perform, as he had waited for most of his life to see Sinatra at a live show.
No Respect!
My former employer didn’t have such a great experience at the second show. Sinatra walked onto the stage, looked around, and said, “I refuse to play to an audience this small”, and walked off the stage.
As a musician myself, I have performed to audiences of less than 10, and I performed just as I would for a crowd of 300 or more. It’s all about respect for the people who took their time to come and watch the show.
When he told me this, I said that any true performer would perform for an audience of one. That is exactly how I feel about paint and sip classes.
1 or 40 Students…Respect Anyone Who Wants to Learn!
It doesn’t matter if I have one student or 40. I’m going to give the same lessons at all paint parties and teach in the same manner that I always do. It’s all about respect for the people who are paying to be at the sip and paint event, something that Sinatra did not display on that particular evening.
Remember, while paint and sip is all about having fun, it is also about learning. For the instructor, it is about the satisfaction of knowing that you were able to help someone develop a love of art and learn new skills.
Whether I help one student or many, I know I have done what I set out to do, and that is to ensure that the paint party guest(s) received the best instruction I can provide.
What About All Those Art Supplies You Brought for 20 or More Painters?
Okay, I get it. In most cases, as paint and sip instructors, we provide all of the necessary art supplies for each guest at the paint party. When only a handful of people show up, it can be quite disappointing to know that you spent all that money for nothing.
I try to look at it in a different light. Sure, I spent money on those supplies, but I will have them to use at the next paint party. That means I won’t have to spend a lot of money for that next group of sip and paint students.
But I Spent So Much Time and Energy Setting Everything Up For the Paint Party
So, you spent a lot of time preparing each painting station for the sip and paint party. Now, you have to put it all away.
Sure, it may be disappointing to know that you set up all of those painting stations for nothing. But, think about it this way: you would have to tear it all down and clean up at the end of the paint party if there were many guests.
So, you aren’t doing any extra work. It may seem that way at the time, but the setup and cleanup process will be the same for every painting party.
A Captive Audience
The way I look at it, if there are only a couple of painters at a painting party, I consider them to be a captive audience. In fact, I often find it much easier to teach one or two people as opposed to a large group.
When I used to teach guitar lessons, I was once offered a chance to teach a group class. I turned it down because I remembered how difficult it was for me to learn in a group setting.
Sometimes, one-on-one training is a lot better than learning with a large group of people. The art instructor has more time to spend with each student.
Sure, it is a lot more fun to have a large group but keep in mind that the painters who are at the paint party are going to learn a lot.
Conclusion
We are professionals, so we have to act like professionals, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if there are not a lot of people at a paint and sip event.
We are there to teach, and that is exactly what we are going to do, no matter how many people are at the paint party.
If you are a host and you want to avoid this situation, learn how to promote your paint and sip class better so you always have more people coming to your events.
*image by Krakenimages/depositphotos
Sari Green is a semi-professional artist and professional writer. She has been hosting paint & sip parties for the past couple of years, and truly enjoys helping other people to create their very own masterpieces. She loves to create, and you never know what she’s going to come up with next!