Membership groups and subscription memberships are here to stay. They make our lives easier (Think Netflix, Dollar Shave Club) and help us find a sense of community in any topic that interests us. (Paint Finish of the Month Club, Fabric of the Month Club, BBQ Seasoning of the Month)
More and more, we are able to narrow our interests down and have access to others who are willing to share their knowledge with us. We can find so much on You Tube these days, but not everything, and there is nothing like the camaraderie of finding another person, or even a group of people who love digging for amethyst crystals as much as you do.
I like to think of myself as a person who doesn’t get duped into things. I am cautious, and honestly, quite frugal with my money. I don’t like to be “sold” anything, although I do not mind paying for what I want. Convenience, knowledge, a community of like-minded folks that I can talk to in-depth, and learn from, on exactly the things that float my boat. When your boat floats elsewhere, you find a new group, right? That is pretty much how it works.
I am currently in a few paid membership groups, Sonia Miller’s Business Coaching (formerly Monkey Business Creative Coaching), The Member’s Club (Female Entrepreneur Association), Business Coaching by Rachel Hollis, and have been a member of many more. (The Turquoise Iris’ Creative Connection, Art by Amanda Hilburn, Brave Wings Business by Amanda Hilburn, Jennifer Allwood’s Inner Circle, $5 Paint Club).
Some I outgrew, some went in a different direction, and sometimes I lost interest. That’s the good thing about a membership group, you can leave just as easy as you joined. (If you change your mind and want back in, it won’t always be at the original price, though, prices seem to increase annually, for new members, until they get somewhere between $67 and $147. I seem to get in pretty early, when they are $27-$47 on average. I can’t say that I would pay much more than that for a group membership, but never say never, right?
I have so many “artist friends” that I can barely keep up with them all on social media. I want to support everyone that I can, and I am so fulfilled by sharing the techniques that I have learned over the years with the people who follow my page.
While it is a lot of fun, it is also a lot of work, I understand that, for sure. The free groups are not the same, either. They are free-for-all’s (no pun intended) and can get so crowded and overwhelming that they are not much of a joy to belong to anymore. I have been burnt out on more free groups than I can delete (leave) in a day! (on Facebook, of course!)
So, I am thinking about undertaking a new adventure and starting a membership group for painters. I am brainstorming names as we speak…it is happening! (think, thank, thunk?) I have furniture artists lined up to teach one technique a month, and canvas artists ready to teach us new art skills on canvas and other media. I am working out the details, but am very excited!
Our beta (name suggestions welcome!!) group opens August 12, for three days, and we will close until October, while our founding members and I get the kinks worked out, and enjoy the first few featured artists. ($7.99 month-once a member, you remain grandfathered in at that exclusive rate). In October, we will re-open with a true launch of the group ($17.99), and in April, 2020, we will have our final launch at $27.99.
If there are artists that you would like to see in our group, please let me (or them) know, so that we can get something set up, and hopefully they will join us, and teach us the secrets that only they know!
If you would like to be on our waiting list to join the Beta Group, please e-mail me at terri@sisterhoodofthetravelingbrush.com with Beta Group in the subject, and I will make sure to let you know when we are ready!
Woohoo!
Terri
