My Dream Business

Now that The Littlest Apple is three and in preschool 2 1/2 days a week, I’m starting to think about what kind of income-producing work I’d like to do. (We all know being a stay at home mom is lots of work-the never ending job-but the pay is less than stellar.)  I don’t think I want to practice law anymore.  There! I said it.  And I do feel guilty about wasting all of that money on a law degree that I only used for a few years.  We’ll be paying for my law degree forever and ever.  My sincere apologies, Mr. Picky Apple.

So what am I going to do if I’m not going to practice law?

My dream is to open an art studio for children.

I’ve always enjoyed arts and crafts, but sometime in college or law school, my more creative side got pushed to the sidelines for more “practical” things like charitable remainder trusts and Crummey letters and generation skipping transfer taxes.  As soon as The Littlest Apple was old enough for art, I dove right in to toddler art, loving every minute of it.

I started our Art Playgroup exactly one year ago (and we’re starting our Fall Semester next week, yay!).  It’s just a group of my mommy friends and their kids who come over to paint, play and have snacks.  I’ve had to limit the size of the Art Playgroup due to the size of my house, and I have to hold myself back from inviting more people to join our current group.   The Littlest Apple and I have done WAY more art than what I’ve shared on the blog.

So what does my dream art studio look like?

• There will be a large table where our classes will take place.
• Art stations around the room
• Chalkboard or dry erase walls
• I’ll offer small Mommy and Me art classes for children ages 2-4.
• There will also be classes for older children (probably 4-12).
• Special workshops featuring different themes or seasonal arts and crafts
• “Drop in” arts and crafts time
• Summer day camps
• Birthday party options

My inspiration include places like the beautiful studio space of  Collage Collage in Vancouver (which just celebrated it’s first anniversary!)…

image source: Collage Collage

and Moomah in New York City, a cafe and creative space for kids owned by Jon Stewart’s wife, Tracey…

image source: Moomah

image source: Moomah

And The Rare Hare Studio in San Diego…

image source: The Rare Hare Studio

And Little Birdie Art, Paint, Paper Scissors, Red Shoe Arts, and Small Hands Big Art, and so many more studios around the country!  The Artful Parent and Pink and Green Mama have also been a great source of inspiration for me.

So that’s my dream.  And there is absolutely no reason why I can’t make this dream a reality.

In fact, that’s EXACTLY what I intend to do.

The only thing stopping me right now is myself. (Okay, and it would be nice to have lots of extra money for that fabulous studio right from the very start, but I know that’s not realistic!)  I’ve had some self doubt about this dream of mine.  Who am I to be teaching art to little kids?  I don’t have a Masters of Fine Art, or any sort of art related business background.  Heck, I don’t even have a teaching background!   But what I do have is a passion for children’s arts and crafts, and the desire to share that passion with others.

I’ve been thinking about this dream of mine for months now.  It’s become one of those things I lay awake at night and think about….in a good way.  I’m excited about the possibilities of this, and I’m finally ready to take action.

In the spring, I plan to start teaching a couple of mommy and me art classes at our community center.  There is a brand new recreational space in our gigantic master planned community where yoga, cooking, dance, gardening and other community classes are held.  In order to host classes, you have to be a resident of the community and have your class curriculum approved by the Board of Directors. I’m hoping to have news on that front sometime soon.  This will be an amazing way for me to try out my curriculum and teaching skills with relatively low commitment up front.  Once I have a chance to “test the waters” so to speak, I’m planning on doing everything I can to make my dream of an art studio happen ASAP.

I’ve been a little hesitant to share much about my dream art studio on the blog.  What if it doesn’t work out?  What if I change my mind?  What if I go for it and fail?  This is a big scary unknown, and I am NOT a big risk taker.  But if this works out, it could be truly amazing and absolutely fulfilling.  A dream realized!  How fun to play with paint and glue and create art alongside preschoolers all day long!

What’s your dream business?  Have you taken any steps to make it a reality?