Why Aren’t You Already Teaching Your Art or Craft Online?

Why skilled artists aren’t teaching online yet and what actually holds creative teachers back from building a sustainable online teaching business.

If teaching your art or craft online is really so easy, why aren’t you already doing it?

I’m convinced that teaching online is learnable. Not effortless. Not instant. But absolutely within reach.

The technology might look intimidating at first. Zoom controls. Filming tutorials. Choosing platforms. Understanding how an online teaching business actually works. On the surface, it can feel like too much.

But here’s the reality.

You already know how to do hard things.

You are a creative. An artist, a crafter, a maker. That was not easy to become.

You know what it feels like to be bad at something and keep going anyway. You know how to practice, experiment, fail, adjust, and improve. You know how to stick with a process long enough to get good.

And I know you hear this all the time. People look at your work and say things like “I’m not creative” or “I could never do that,” as if skill appeared out of thin air. As if you waved a magic wand.

That is not how it happened.

You thought. You researched. You tried things that didn’t work. Your first paintings, quilts, scarves, or projects were rough. Some were downright embarrassing. And yet, you kept going. You learned what mattered. You developed taste, judgment, and confidence.

If you were lucky, you didn’t do it alone.

You learned from books, took classes, or found a mentor who knew exactly what you needed to learn next. Someone who shortened the learning curve, held you accountable, and believed in your capacity even when you doubted yourself. Someone who pushed you to do the work and celebrated when you got there.

So here is the real question.

Why would learning how to teach online and build a teaching business be any different?

Of course, filming tutorials feels awkward at first. Naturally, it takes three hours to record and edit four minutes the first time you try. And yes, by the tenth time, it takes under an hour and looks polished. That is how learning works.

Of course, running a live Zoom workshop feels clunky at first. Of course, the buttons are confusing until they are not. Of course, confidence comes after repetition, not before it.

The problem is not that teaching online is too hard.

The problem is that most creative teachers try to figure out an entire business by themselves, without a clear framework, without guidance, and without knowing what actually matters and what does not.

And that is not how you learned your art.

That is why the Academy for Virtual Teaching exists. To learn from peers. To ask real questions. To lift and support one another. Building a teaching business is far easier and far more sustainable when you are not doing it alone.

It is also exactly why the Virtual Teaching Business Builder exists.

Formerly known as the Virtual Teaching Masterclass, this program is not about hype, hustle, or forcing yourself onto camera. It is about learning the systems, structure, and decisions that turn your existing skills into a professional, sustainable online teaching business. With clarity. With support. With a path that makes sense.

You do not need to be convinced that you are capable.

You already are.

You just need the same kind of mentorship, structure, and encouragement that helped you become the artist you are today.

If you are serious about teaching your art or craft online, this is the moment to decide how long you want to keep circling the idea.

The Virtual Teaching Business Builder opens for registration February 2–4. This is where we move beyond curiosity and into building a real teaching business with intention, structure, and support.

If you missed the live sessions of Virtual Teaching 101, you can still watch the free recordings here: https://www.academyforvirtualt...

The Business Builder will not open again for months. You could wait. Or you could use the next four months to have courses designed, tested, and running with clarity and confidence.

Both choices are valid. One simply gets you there sooner.

Every Monday this month, members of the free Academy for Virtual Teaching community receive a prompt that sparks conversation and reflection around this topic. It is one more way to stay connected, supported, and moving forward. You are warmly invited to join us.

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