Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

Sarah Sewell grew a Facebook group to nearly 56,000 members. She ran a thriving paid membership of 2,500. She built a handmade business to multiple six figures on Etsy. And she has watched every one of those platforms change the rules on her. 

In episode 68 of Creatives on Camera, Sarah Sewell, founder of Flourish with Sarah and community manager for the Craft Industry Alliance, brings 25 years of hard-won experience to a conversation about what community actually means, why the platforms you built everything on will eventually let you down, and what the creative businesses that survive platform shifts have in common.

She is honest about what worked, what stopped working, and what she wishes she had done differently. If you are a maker, a creative teacher, or a product-based shop owner trying to figure out how to build something that lasts, this conversation will give you a lot to think about. If you are doing everything right online and still not getting traction, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why building a community is different from building an audience, and why that distinction changes everything 
How to revive a declining Facebook group using education, entertainment, and engagement What to do if you rely on one platform for most of your income or community 
How to build real connection into pre-recorded courses when you are not live 
Why what feels like failure in your creative business is often the most valuable thing that ever happened to you

Find Sarah Sewell at Flourish with Sarah: https://www.sarahsewell.com https://substack.com/@flourishwithsarah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishwithsarah Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flourishwithsarah Threads: https://www.threads.com/@flourishwithsarah

Book mentioned: Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles
https://amzn.to/3V9eQJM

If you are ready to stop relying on platforms and build your own email list, grab the free guide “Your First 100 Subscribers” at
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/your-first-100-subscribers

AVT Resources

Academy for Virtual Teaching: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com Join Campus Commons (free community): https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/campus-commons Virtual Teaching 101: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/vt101 Virtual Teaching Business Builder: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/vtbb YouTube for Audience Growth: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/youtube

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

In this episode, I'm talking with Lisa Ha of Get to Hooking Crochet — a crocheter who jumped onto social media three years ago just to see what would happen. In this episode, Lisa and I talk about what came next: a viral series, a Quarto Publishing book deal, a co-taught international online course, and a combined following of over 300,000. None of it was planned. All of it was built by being willing to be bad in public first.

This is one of the most honest conversations I've had about what building a creative business actually looks like. We talk about the metrics that matter, the doors worth walking through, and why your why has to be strong enough to carry you through the hard parts.

If you've ever wondered whether selling online is even worth it, or whether you're ready to teach yet — this episode is for you.

In this episode:
Why your sales content will always underperform by vanity metrics, and what to track instead
How Lisa went from "let's see what happens" to published author and course creator with no prior plan
What the "hat over the wall" philosophy looks like in real creative business decisions
Why being clear about who your content is for matters more than being the best at your craft
How Lisa and her collaborator built a pilot online course across a 6-hour time zone difference
Why your why has to be strong enough to carry you through failure and iteration

Want help figuring out what your why is? We have a fantastic little worksheet for that:
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/why-keep-going-when-the-going-gets-tough

Find Lisa Ha at Get to Hooking Crochet
https://gettohookingcrochet.com
https://www.gettohookingcrochet.com
https://www.youtube.com/@gettohookingcrochet/videos
https://www.instagram.com/gettohookingcrochet
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579133596909
https://www.tiktok.com/@gettohookingcrochet
Book: Snarky Crochet (Quarto Publishing)

H+H America's (fiber art conference): https://hh-americas.com/
Skool (course platform Lisa is evaluating): https://www.skool.com
Wix (Lisa's current website platform): https://www.wix.com
Mighty Networks (Lyric's community platform): https://www.mightynetworks.com
Zenler (Lyric's course platform): https://www.newzenler.com/invite/7iJFl1
Craftsy (mentioned by Lyric): https://www.craftsy.com

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

If you think YouTube only pays off once you hit monetization, this conversation with Beth Ann Williams will show you why that's backwards.

In this episode, Beth Ann Williams and I talk about what YouTube actually does for a creative teaching business, and why it has almost nothing to do with subscriber counts or ad revenue. Beth Ann holds one of a handful of invitation only seats inside YouTube's top tier Creator education program, which means she's learning how the platform really works straight from the people building it, then translating that into something the rest of us can actually use.

We get into why monetization is a bonus and never the goal, why giving your best content away for free brings in paying students instead of losing them, and the realistic, sustainable posting pace that grows a channel without taking over your life. I also share what happened when I used Beth Ann's framework to restart a channel I'd left dormant for years.

If you've been putting off YouTube because it feels confusing, overwhelming, or like it only rewards people chasing virality, this episode is for you.

In this episode:
Why monetization is a bonus, not the goal, of building a YouTube channel for your teaching business
Why giving valuable, complete content away for free brings in paying students instead of losing them
The realistic, sustainable posting pace that grows a channel without burning you out
How to set up your channel so YouTube finds your exact audience
Why your email list, not YouTube itself, should be the real engine of your business

Find Beth Ann Williams at Beth Ann Williams Quilts:
Website: https://bethannwilliams.com/
Shop: https://shop.bethannwilliams.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BethAnnWilliamsQuilts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-ann-williams-84928671
Instagram: [GUEST LINK PLACEHOLDER — confirm before publishing]
Facebook: [GUEST LINK PLACEHOLDER — confirm before publishing]

Links mentioned in this episode:
No additional outside tools, books, or resources were mentioned in this episode beyond what's listed above.

If you're ready to build a YouTube strategy that actually supports your teaching business, Beth Ann's YouTube for Audience Growth course is open for registration right now:
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/youtube

If registration has closed by the time you're listening, join the Academy for Virtual Teaching newsletter and you'll hear the moment it opens again:
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/teacher-funnel

Learn more about the Academy for Virtual Teaching: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com
Join Campus Commons (free!): https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/campus-commons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyrickinard/
Facebook: [LYRIC FACEBOOK LINK]

Never stop creating,
Lyric

00:00 Why YouTube feels confusing and unprofitable
01:37 Beth Ann's invitation-only YouTube Creator program
06:43 Why monetization isn't the real goal
07:55 What YouTube actually does for Beth Ann's business
10:56 Why Beth Ann left Instagram and Facebook for YouTube
12:54 Setting up your channel so YouTube finds your audience
14:56 A sustainable posting pace that won't burn you out
21:31 Lyric's own experience restarting her channel
27:47 Why giving content away for free brings in paying students
33:14 Join YouTube for Audience Growth

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

You know you should be teaching online. But every time you think about building a school, you get stuck. What platform? What do I charge? How do I even start?

In episode 65 of Creatives on Camera, Felicia Lo, the founder of SweetGeorgia Yarns and the School of SweetGeorgia, shares exactly how she went from dyeing yarn at her dining room table to running an online learning community with over 115 courses. Felicia's path wasn't polished. She started with a Patreon just to test whether anyone wanted an online school. She let her early supporters watch her learn how to make video. And she navigated four different platforms over ten years before finding what works.

What makes this conversation different is the specifics. Felicia shares her actual pricing structure, how she thinks about community versus content, and the mental hurdle of letting go of the things she built herself so she could focus on the work only she can do. Whether you're a fiber artist, quilter, maker, or creative teacher of any kind, this is a real look at what building a sustainable online teaching business actually takes.

If you're ready to start mapping out your own online teaching business, grab this free resource: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Build Your Course.
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/12-questions-before-you-build-your-course

In this episode, you'll learn
How Felicia used Patreon to validate her online school idea before building it
Why community is more important than content for student retention
How to structure pricing with multiple entry points (from $5/month to all-access)
The university/alumni model for keeping members connected even when they're not taking courses
Why letting go of doing everything yourself is the only way to scale
How reframing yourself as "the guide, not the hero" eliminates camera fear.

Find Felicia Lo at SweetGeorgia:
School of SweetGeorgia: https://www.schoolofsweetgeorgia.com
SweetGeorgia Community: https://hello.sweetgeorgia.co
SweetGeorgia Yarns: https://sweetgeorgiayarns.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetgeorgia/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sweetgeorgia


00:00 Introduction to Felicia’s yarn business
06:01 Book led to in-person teaching requests
08:30 Why filming herself felt terrifying
09:12 Testing an online school on Patreon
17:26 Community experience versus static information
28:29 Focus on the work only you can do
28:55 Why online teaching is more sustainable than in-person
29:29 Online access matters for teachers and students
35:20 Why being real matters more than ever
36:24 Live discussion turns content into experience

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

If you've ever held back your best free content because you were afraid it would kill your sales, this episode is going to change your mind.

Haley Hatcher is the founder of Heart Centered Podcasting, a done-for-you podcast strategy and production agency for established entrepreneurs. She is also the reason Creatives on Camera exists. In episode 64, Haley and Lyric talk about what actually happens behind the scenes of launching and running a podcast, and why so many creative business owners hold themselves back out of fear.

The core idea we come back to again and again is generosity. Haley believes in what she calls the law of compensation, the idea that whatever value you put into the world comes back to you. She also tackles the fear so many artists and makers carry, that giving away free tutorials means people won't buy their classes, and explains why the opposite is actually true.

This one is for you if you've been sitting on a podcast idea for years, or if you've ever second guessed sharing your best free content because you were worried it would cost you a sale.

In this episode:
Why a small, loyal podcast audience can lead to high ticket sales
The mindset behind Haley's "law of compensation"
Why teaching for free builds trust instead of losing you customers
How to batch and systematize your content so you never fall behind
What metrics are actually worth tracking, and which ones to ignore
What to plan for before you ever hit record on episode one

Find Haley Hatcher at Heart Centered Podcasting:
Haley's DIY podcasting course https://www.heartcenteredpodcasting.com/podcast-launch-course
Website https://www.heartcenteredpodcasting.com/
Free resources https://www.heartcenteredpodcasting.com/free-resources
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heartcenteredpodcasting
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-hatcher/

Links mentioned in this episode:
Buzzsprout  https://www.buzzsprout.com
Asana  https://asana.com
ClickUp  https://clickup.com
Notion  https://www.notion.com
Trello  https://trello.com
Bandcamp  https://bandcamp.com

If you're ready to put this into practice, grab my free guide, Your First 100 Subscribers, it's the exact, no-following-required roadmap to your first 100 real subscribers.

https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/your-first-100-subscribers 

This is an 18-page, step-by-step guide for starting a brand-new email list, including no-cost lead magnet delivery options for anyone with zero budget and zero tech experience. No following required, just a real plan to get your first 100 subscribers, people who actually want to hear from you.

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t start your creative business because you don’t have formal training ? 

In episode 63 of the Creatives on Camera Podcast, we talk with Carla Canonico about building an entire needlework media company with zero publishing background and how she still shows up twenty years later.

Carla is the co-founder, publisher, and editor in chief of A Needle Pulling Thread magazine, and she runs the online blogs Quilt Social and Knit Much with her husband. She grew up around sewing and knitting but came to publishing with no formal training at all, just a knack for photography, layout, and writing. 

What makes her perspective distinctive for creative teachers is that she built a sustainable online business model through sponsorships rather than direct sales, and she still has to coach her own designers through camera fear the exact same way many of you are working through it right now.

You will walk away from this conversation with a new way to think about starting before you feel ready, receiving feedback with grace instead of defensiveness, and giving yourself permission to be imperfect on camera the same way Carla gives her designers permission to be imperfect on video.

In this episode, you'll learn
How Carla built a needlework magazine with no formal publishing training
Why she says a stranger covering her first issue in post-it notes changed everything
How sponsorship-based revenue works for an online craft blog
What she tells reluctant designers who don't want to be on camera
Why she believes you cannot properly edit your own writing

Find Carla Canonico at
https://www.aneedlepullingthread.com
https://www.facebook.com/KNITmuch
https://quiltsocial.com
https://knitmuch.com

If Carla's story lit something up for you, grab our free 3-Step Promo Video Workshop and start your first video the same way her designers did, imperfectly, and improving from there. https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/3step-promo-vid
AVT Resources
Academy for Virtual Teaching: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com
Join Campus Commons (free community): https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/campus-commons
Free 3-Step Promotional Video Training: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/3step-promo-vid
Video Making Crash Course: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/vmcc

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

Every creative hits the moment when they realize that putting their work out there isn't the same as being found.

Chase Harpole is a knitwear designer, data scientist, and PhD in political science who came to knitting almost by accident and turned it into a creative business rooted in radical inclusivity. In episode 62, Chase and I talk honestly about what it takes to build a creative teaching business — including the moment he realized "if I build it, they will come" wasn't working, how a top-down camera transformed his in-person classes, and the very real tension of showing up authentically online when visibility doesn't feel equally safe for everyone.

If you've been wondering whether your creative perspective is distinct enough to build something around, Chase's story will give you a lot to think about.

In this episode:

• Chase shares how knitting emerged from frustration with abstract academic work — and immediately became a creative obsession
• Why passion alone doesn't fill a class roster, and what Chase is doing differently now
• How a top-down camera changed everything in his beginner knitting classes
  The data science approach Chase uses to design inclusive sizing across body types
• Why showing up on social media can feel like "a deal with the devil" — especially for creators from marginalized communities
• Chase's dream of building infotainment around knitting that appeals to people who don't even knit
• Why hiring people for what you can't do is the move that frees you to do the work only you can do

Find Chase Harpole:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaseharpole/
Ravelry: [https://www.ravelry.com/designers/chase-harpole-2
Latest pattern, Paladin Tank: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paladin-tank 

Links mentioned in this episode:
Ravelry — knitting pattern database: https://www.ravelry.com
Handcrafts and Hobbies Convention: https://hh-americas.com/
This Old House (PBS): https://www.thisoldhouse.com
Gardener's World (BBC): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mw1h
American Society for Testing Materials (sizing standards): https://www.astm.org

If you're wondering whether your creative perspective is ready to become a teaching business, start with the right questions:
12 Questions Before You Build Your Course:
https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/12-questions-before-you-build-your-course

If you need to start an email list from scratch, grab my free guide, Your First 100 Subscribers, it's the exact, no-following-required roadmap to your first 100 real subscribers.

https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/f/your-first-100-subscribers 

This is an 18-page, step-by-step guide for starting a brand-new email list, including no-cost lead magnet delivery options for anyone with zero budget and zero tech experience. No following required, just a real plan to get your first 100 subscribers, people who actually want to hear from you.

Join the Academy for Virtual Teaching's Free Community: https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com
Instagram: http://Instagram.com/theAcademyforVirtualTeaching
Facebook: http://facebook.com/theAcademyforVirtualTeaching

Never stop creating,
Lyric

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

What if good marketing isn't about being clever — it's about listening?

Dawn Prickett started Twice Sheared Sheep at her kitchen table, unraveling thrift-store sweaters to recycle the yarn because she couldn't afford new skeins. Today it's a multi-million-dollar knitting-notions company with around fifty employees — most of them stay-at-home moms. 

In this episode, Dawn and I dig into the marketing wisdom behind that growth: how to find messaging that makes people feel seen by using their own exact words, why you only need to talk to five people instead of a thousand, and the "pyramid of marketing" that explains why features fall flat and transformation sells.

We also get into the real business stuff: building a brand-ambassador program that feels natural instead of pushy, knowing when it's finally time to hire, and why "I just need to buy groceries" is a perfectly good reason to run a business.

If you've ever frozen up trying to make your offer perfect, felt gross about promoting your own work, or wondered how you're supposed to market without a big audience yet, this conversation will help.

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

Graphics are one of my favorite things, and also one of the biggest time traps I see creative teachers fall into. 

In this episode of the Creatives on Camera podcast, I'm breaking down the one question that changed everything about how I approach making images: what is the single job this image needs to do? Once you know that, the font tweaking, color obsessing, and hours in Canva start to disappear. I walk through the hierarchy of image purposes (from stop-the-scroll to bridge to teach-and-tell) and show how understanding where an image lives can completely change the decisions you make about it. I also share how I build out Canva template files so that every new course or product launch already has every image size ready to go, and how that system has cut my graphic-making time from hours down to 40 minutes or less. 

We also talk about our new course, Canva Made Simple, which is now available in the Academy for Virtual Teaching.

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

What frustrated you as a beginner? That might be your most valuable teaching asset.

Sonia Pal spent a year trying to learn modern brush pen calligraphy and couldn't find anything structured enough, sequenced enough, or beginner-friendly enough to get her from point A to point C. So she built it herself. Now, through ASquareWatermelon, she teaches calligraphy to people who are serious about learning it, and shows them exactly how to get there, step by step, without overwhelm. In this episode, Sonia and I talk through her founding member launch model, her deliberate use of low-ticket lead magnets over freebies, and the data that proved her instinct right. We also get into the real business stuff: her tech stack, her marketing approach, and why her 20 years of leading global clinical research teams makes her a better teacher, not a less credible one.

If you're thinking about moving from in-person to online teaching, or wondering whether you're qualified enough to start, this conversation will help.

Topics:

• The founding member launch model: why teaching live first builds a better recorded course
• Low-ticket vs. free lead magnets: what the completion rate data showed
• Structuring lessons around quick wins so beginners see real progress early
• Simple, permanent recording setups, and why they matter more than fancy gear
• Marketing by meeting people where they are and showing them a solution exists
• Transferable skills: why your previous career makes you a stronger teacher
• The commitment principle: students who pay show up differently than those who don't

About Sonia Pal:

Sonia is a calligraphy artist and educator behind ASquareWatermelon, where she focuses on helping beginners learn modern brush pen calligraphy without overwhelm. After struggling through tutorials and scattered practice herself, she developed a structured, beginner-first approach that prioritizes clarity, sequence, and real progress over perfection. Her work combines calligraphy, design, and intentional creative practice, with a focus on helping learners build both skill and confidence from the ground up.

Connect with Sonia:

• Website
• Modern Calligraphy Waitlist
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

Episode Resources:

• North Carolina Museum of Art
• Circle - The Complete Community Platform

Tutorials, Systems, Templates, Understanding of which of your images go where!

You can find Canva Made Simple at https://www.academyforvirtualteaching.com/courses/canva-made-simple

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!