lots of good questions you all asked! here are a few to start…
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okay-so where in the heck did you find all those kids?

i have taught on and off since i moved to san diego 8 years ago, so i had a small mailing list. mainly though i had a super-mom-friend who hosted a camp for me a few years ago. i asked if she could host another one, and to send my flier to everyone she knew. (which turned out to be half of southern california) she picked the kids for her house, and i split the kids on the waiting list into different groups and went from there. word travels fast!
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what if you don’t have that kind of connection?

do you know one girl that would be interested in a camp like this? offer a class to her, and see if she wants to bring a friend. (if you are not comfortable asking for money upfront, offer a free intro class, then follow up with a second date if you think they are interested-chances are they will be!) you have to start somewhere, and i personally think the small groups are the best groups of all. the girls are going to like what they are doing and will tell their friends, as will their moms.

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what if you don’t have a cottage by the sea?
you don’t need a cottage by the sea to teach a mermaid class. my place is sooo tiny, you would laugh if you walked in and saw me making fairy jars with 6 girls. i threw down an old blanket and that was their “space” to work on. my point is work with what you have.

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also, i did not teach all my classes at the cottage. there were also moms who hosted camps in their homes. (it actually was not even my idea…they asked.) they emailed all their friends with my info and basically did the marketing aspect of it. in return, their kids got to go for free. it was a win win situation. as far as insurance goes, i had a disclaimer that all the parents filled out before their kids came to camp.
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not having to pay rent on a space is huge. for the moms who hosted, (i knew none of them previously) i invited them over to my home for an art date with their kids before summer started. that way they could get to know me (and vice-versa) and get an idea of what i do. plus, i was at ease because i was doing what i am most comfortable doing.

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how did you market yourself?
i did no formal advertising-7 camps full all from word of mouth. get a few moms to like you, and you could ask for no better marketing tool!

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why i know you can do this too…
here is the thing-camps are a big thing for kids in the summer, most of the kids i taught had already gone to several. i had so many moms (and kids) tell me it was the best camp their kids ever went to. this amazes me because they were attending camps that pulled out all the stops-sports camp, gymnastics camp, golf camp, surf camp-and on top of all that these camps included: waterslides, video games, movies, field trips, a circus probably…
i gave the kids a moleskin journal and some art supplies.
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but this is why i believe it worked-they started feeling really good about themselves in art. (even the perfectionists) it became so much more than painting or drawing. they learned about creativity and how important that is to a girl, how it can be used as a tool. they began calling themselves artists and would proudly display their “fat and messy!” books with huge smiles. they broke “art rules.” colored out of the lines. tore up pages in old books. they started to use the word inspire instead of “copy.” they became liberated. finally, they had a place where it was okay to mess up. they really thrived in the non-structure of an art journal. they were free!
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if you feel inspired to do this…if this sounds like something that would fill you to the brim with joy…think about why. did you feel limited as a child? do you wish you had a camp like this growing up? is there an empowered part of you that feels called onto share? are there little girl bits in you that need to heal? listen to that voice. this is what is going to make your camp work.
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there are more questions and i will try to answer as many as i can. in the meantime, here is my idea: i will continue to post ideas and inspiration here regarding teaching your own classes/workshops/camps. with the folks that want more input than i am blogging about, i will do an online class in january which could offer additional support, project ideas, how to deal with parents, organization, etc. (let me know if that is something you are interested in…)
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for now-here is my suggestion to anyone who wants to get rolling with this. homework assignment #1-find a student! just one. (or more, but you only need one to start) it could be your daughter and her friend, a friends child, your neighbor, anyone who you think would benefit from some art and love. have them bring a journal. you don’t even need to go out and get fancy art supplies yet if you don’t want to-you can totally work with what you have. once you have your first student, check back with me here and i will give you all a project to do. (or do our own!:))

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by beginning now, you are going to start attracting energy that will help you along. practice makes perfect-i think the biggest mistake folks sometimes make (myself included) is waiting until everthing is “perfect” or until you are ready. i say begin imperfectly right now! you can do this, i promise you that.

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now go find a little girl and lets do some art….