Turn Summer Down Time Into “Up Time”

As we know well, the transition to summer often interrupts the flow of our studio. There are issues around student/family vacation schedules, vacations for staff.

There’s even that ‘lack of dedication’ from students and others that’s common when warm whether and outdoor activities sing their siren song. After a year of hard work, it’s certainly understandable. Everybody needs a break.

Manage Summer To Your Benefit

Plan Something: Scheduling anything for summer is, of course, a key factor. Try to find times that don’t conflict with typical activities for your students. If soccer and baseball games are on Saturdays, then that’s not the time to do something involving your studio. Sunday nights? Tuesday evening?

Tip: Before your students “slip away,” try to get a sense of their availability and interest.

Idea #1:

Hold a studio “ice cream social” at a local park. Invite parents and students to bring along friends (can you say ‘marketing?’). That’s a relatively low budget activity compared to doing a cook-out, and it’s much easier to make a quick run for ice cream than to get “meat on the grill” to cook fast enough for serving.

Idea #2:

Plan a “community volunteer activity” for students and families. It needs to be something where everyone can be at a single location (to build a sense of the ‘studio team’). Think of the place to do the event first.

How about a nursing home? Perhaps an art studio could do paintings on the spot to give to residents. A music or ballet studio could organize a weekend performance. Martial arts students could use their physical skills to help play ‘balloon volleyball.’

Idea #3:

Think in terms of where community needs exist, then match that to skills your students possess. Even a car wash to raise funds for a worthy cause could feature student skills out front. Imagine “karate kicks” going on to attract attention! So much more eye-catching than “kids waving signs at passing cars.”

Be Thoughtful

If your project is an outdoor activity, plan for:

• A rain option – rain date, alternate indoor location.
• Excessive heat – it is summer, after all. Providing sunscreen, water and shade are critical.
• Windy conditions – mostly that affects signs, tarps and such.
• Short schedule – summer time is busy time. Don’t tie up families for more than a couple of hours or they won’t attend.

• Make any activity appealing. There needs to be a reason for families to get involved!

Provide summer reminders that your studio exists with periodic emails.

Consider sending a marketing promotion to each family during the summer. Reminders are a good thing.

Bumper stickers that say “My child is a student at Wetbrush Art Studio” only need to make it onto a few cars in order to gain significant visibility. If public schools can do this, why not your studio, right?

Admittedly, summer is a slow time for receivables. That means these projects sometimes involve cash outlay with no immediate return. That said, seeds need to go in the ground and stay for a while before they sprout and become crops.

Summer is the perfect time to plant seeds for success and growth next Fall.

Plan, Plant, Harvest Rewards!

While you’re at it, take some time off for yourself. You deserve it.

Happy Summer To You.