Pop Up Art School

Mobile art lesson business or brick and mortar studio?

May 20, 2019

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Have you ever dreamt of having your own art studio? If you are creative and you like to teach I’m willing to bet you have.

Today we’ll compare owning a brick and mortar art studio to the Pop up Art School model of a mobile art school.

To do that we talked to our friend Liz Boston of Liz Boston Art Studio in Weymouth MA. Liz has been in business for over four years. She gave us the pros and cons of having a brick and mortar art studio.

Pros

1. Supplies are stored where you teach.

2. People sign up because they drive by every day.

3. Ultimate control of your own environment (music, heat, A/C, lighting, etc)

4. People perceive you as established.

5. Bring your dog to work.(Liz’s dog is Kona – check out his Instagram account!)

Cons

1. Rent, bills like heat and electric, insurance.

2. Random weird people (not customers) looking to use your bathroom.

3. Loud neighbors (band practicing downstairs etc.)

4. Monotony of every day. Not much change.

Our business, Pop up Art School is a mobile art school. We drive to the site, usually a library or school, to teach art and STEAM classes.

Pros

1. Low start up cost

To start our business all we had to do was purchase project supplies, business cards and a domain.

No brick-and-mortar means no rent, electricity bills or headaches related to the upkeep of a store front. Having storefront business means you have to build out and decorate the space.Although, I have to admit that it would be a lot of fun to plan and decorate a retail space!

2. Flexibility

Our schedule is flexible. We schedule classes when we can teach them and we don’t have regular hours we have to keep. I also like that we’re not “on” all day long; we go to the site, set up, teach the class and clean up. I tend to be introverted, so a full day in front of people can be draining.

Business tasks such as invoicing, promotion and blogging are done at home which means I can be home with my kids when they need me.

3. Lower insurance cost

Our liability insurance is lower than if we had a brick and mortar studio.

4. Variety

It’s exciting to meet and interact with different people. It’s hard to be bored when every day is a new location.

Cons

1. Driving to every job.

We live south of Boston, MA which has some of the worst traffic in the nation. The year that our business started to takeoff we did not charge a driving fee. That summer, we spent a lot of unpaid time in traffic. As a result, we now charge a $50 travel fee when we have to go outside of our driving zone or drive through Boston.

2. Storage

Teaching art is a supply-centric business. Janell stores all the supplies in her basement. There are stacks of canvases and containers of paint, brushes, glue and scissors. As we expand the business, we are teaching in different locations at the same time, which means we need doubles of the basics like scissors and glue.

3. Packing and Unpacking

For every workshop we print out a checklist of supplies. We carefully double check to make sure nothing is missing. Once we get to the workshop site, there’s no turning back!

4. We can’t control our environment.

Every library is different. When we book a workshop, we send a room set chart to the organizer, but we always bring extra tablecloths because table sizes aren’t standard. Sometimes we are in cavernous rooms and other times we are in teeny tiny spaces.

Not being able to control the environment requires flexibility on our part. Usually, the workshop we teach in a room that is self-contained. A few times we’ve had to teach the workshop in a public area of the library.

Every business has its pros and cons. One person’s idea of heaven is another person’s hell. For Janell and I, the flexibility and variety our business model affords us, is a big plus. Having low start-up costs makes starting a mobile art business affordable for most people. The key, is teaching in places that already have an audience, such as libraries and schools. That has saved us lot of time and money that would have been spent trying to build an audience for our classes.

Want to learn more about Liz? You can find her at LizBostonArtstudio.com. Follow her on Instagram.

To find out more about the Pop up Art School business model read our blog post: https://popupartschool.com/2019/04/28/yes-you-can-make-extra-cash-at-your-public-library/

Do you own an art studio or a mobile art business? Tell us what the pros and cons are for you!

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Ideas to Make Hanging a School Art Show Easier

May 12, 2019

Ideas

It‘s art fair season for art teachers. Time to hang hundreds of pieces of art made by the children we teach. It‘s the culmination of an entire year’s work. The prep is tedious and detail oriented but the result is glorious! It’s exciting to see everything displayed and observe the student’s, staff and family’s reactions.

Last year was the first school wide art fair I hung. For weeks ahead of time I prepped by mounting all the artwork on paper banners. The night before the art fair I hung 50 banners. It wasn’t a fun night: my husband and son had to come and help me and I was cranky. On the positive side, the beautiful artwork lining the halls surprised everyone. The school secretary told me it was like Christmas morning when she arrived. So, you could say I was a grumpy Santa on Christmas Eve.

This year, I hung the banners gradually over two weeks which so much less stressful. I’ve discovered three products that are making my second time around the block better. The first is Outus ceiling hook clips for suspended ceilings. Last year, I hung the banners using paperclips—I know, what was I thinking!? Every time I came to school, I’d rehang a banner that hadn’t made it through the night.

I searched high and low for a hook that would stay put. Most of the hooks I found were too expensive, after all, I have to hang 400 pieces of art. That’s a lot of banners and hooks! I finally found one that costs less than $.10 each. It’s a vast improvement over the paperclips. Not a single banner has fallen!

I still use paperclips; I insert them through the holes at the top of the banner, then I tie fishing line to them.The other end of the fishing line is tied to the Outus hooks.

Another item on my list was a tape that sticks to ANY surface. A couple months ago, I hung a semi-permanent display of painted and collaged buildings that the art club made. I hung them in the cafeteria on a bumpy plaster surface. Within a few days, they fell like leaves in the autumn. That’s when I ramped my search. I finally found the perfect tape. It’s called XFasten. It’s a clear, double-sided acrylic tape that can be used indoors and outdoors. To test the tape, I attached a piece of paper to a rough patch on the ceiling of my art room. Two months later it’s still there!

This year I made some banners out of chipboard covered in construction paper. They are heavier and bow out from the wall after I have hung them. A couple pieces of XFasten takes care of it!

Last year, I used blue sticky tack and another adhesive to hang the artwork on the banners, both of which were fails. This year I purchased a 6 pack of Scotch permanent double-sided tape dispensers. The 6 pack has gotten me through the entire year and has been enough to hang 400 pieces of art.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s still a lot of work to hang the art fair, but at least I can sleep well at night knowing that the artwork isn’t falling on the floor.

What about you? Tell us about your successes and fails during art fair season. Want more ideas for the art room? Join our email list to receive our weekly blog.

Pop Up Art School is a mobile art school that teaches art & STEAM workshops in public libraries and afterschool enrichment classes. Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries and learn how you can make extra cash teaching what you love!

End of year games to play in the art room

May 5, 2019

End of Year Games to Play in the Art Room

What do you do at the end of the school year when you’re feeling burned out, low on supplies and the kids want to be anywhere but a classroom? We’ve got two ideas for end-of-the-year games to play in the art room. The first is a drawing game for kids in grades 1-12 and the second is an art history game for middle and high school.

1-Sketch Artist

Download our free game sketch artist; it’s a guaranteed hit! We’ve used it extensively in our workshops and in the schools where we teach. You can use it in your classes with first grade through 12th.

You’ll need copies from our free download, paper, pencils and envelopes. The premise of the game is that a crime has been committed. The witness to the crime describes the criminal to the police sketch artist. Play the game with one person as the witness and one or several people pretending to be a police sketch artist.

Game time!

In the envelope is a photo of a “criminal.” The witness describes the criminal with as much detail as possible to the sketch artist(s).

Once the artist(s) finish drawing the criminal the witness reveals the photo. These aren’t the criminals from central casting. They are quirky folks from all walks of life. The kids love looking at the pictures and are always excited to take another turn.

2-Art Bingo

How about an art history game that reinforces the learning that’s happened in the art room? We’ve got that too! Art bingo is perfect for middle and high school kids.

You’ll need are copies from our download, bingo pieces such as cut paper or pennies, and candy or dollar store pencils for prizes.

Game time!

Cut the names of the artists into small strips and put them into a container. Each kid gets a bingo sheet and bingo markers. Choose a name from the container and call it out. Play for at least 20 minutes to allow for plenty of chances to win. Art bingo is available in our shop for $4.00.

For $4 and the use of a copy machine you can have an entire days worth of classes filled with fun and engaging games. End of the year stress? You got this!

Want more ideas for the art room? Join our email list to receive our weekly blog.

Yes, You Can Make Extra Cash At Your Public Library

April 28, 2019

I recently spoke to someone from our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. She wanted to know how she should promote her classes to the libraries where she lives.

The conversation brought me back to the early days of Pop up Art School. I had forgotten the questions I had at the start of our business and the points of discovery as we grew.

Libraries offer our workshops to the public for free, so many people assume that we teach for free. In fact, we charge anywhere from $200-$425 per workshop, depending on how long the workshop is, how far we travel and if there are one or two teachers.

When I told our FB group member how much we charge per workshop, she asked, “Is that the price for a six-week class?” Nope! Those are the prices for a 1 to 2 hour—one time workshop!

It also surprised her to learn that a librarian’s job involves hiring performers/vendors for their event calendar. If you have a talent or passion — you have something you can offer to libraries in your area.

Here’s how…

Our first year, we promoted ourselves by sending a mailing to the children’s librarians in Eastern Massachusetts. We had a modest WordPress site with five or six workshops listed. From that mailing we booked 12 workshops. One librarians out of the 12 recommended us on an online forum. From a shout-out from one librarian we booked 24 workshops the following year. We are now in our sixth year of business and we have booked 46 workshops for 2019, and it’s only April!

If you think you want to offer your skills to the public libraries near you, brainstorm a list of your skills. Here are some examples to get the juices flowing:

A history teacher, passionate about the Revolutionary War, can create a lecture and a slideshow for adults.
A creative hobbyist can teach the basics of their craft to teens and adults.
A yoga or meditation teacher can teach others how to balance the stresses of everyday life.

I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to speak to our Facebook group member because it opened my eyes to how we can explain our business model to others.

Yes, YOU can earn money using your skills and passions at your local library. Stay tuned, for more blog posts with tips for marketing yourself to public libraries.

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Next week: how we are scaling our business with afterschool enrichment classes and blogging

Simple 3D Anamorphic Drawing Tutorial

April 20, 2019

Want to know how to make a 3D drawing that appears to float? Of course you do! Today we are sharing a PDF drawing tutorial on anamorphic drawing. Your tween and teen students will love this project!

Anamorphic drawing is a 3D drawing using forced perspective. You can only see the correct image from a certain angle or when using a special mirror or lens.

There are two types of anamorphosis: mirror and perspective. Mirror anamorphosis requires a cylindrical mirror to view the image in its correct state. Perspective anamorphosis requires the viewer to look at the image from a specific angle.

A well-known painting that uses perspective anamorphosis is Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors, painted in 1533 during the Renaissance. The viewer must place their head near the lower right-hand corner of the painting, and look to the left, to see the skull in its correct proportions. Viewed from any other angle it looks like a skull that’s stretched and tipped on an angle. A link to The Ambassadors is listed in the resources below as well as contemporary examples of anamorphic art.

Download our FREE Anamorphic Floating Puzzle Cube PDF and follow the directions for a lesson that will be a hit with your students. Librarians can use the PDF as a passive project for teens.

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

DOWNLOAD YOUR PDF HERE:

Anamorphic freebie

Resources

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors

TRULY design is a visual communication studio founded in 2007 and directed by urban artists active in the graffiti scene since 1996

http://truly-design.com/

Check out their portfolio of anamorphic and optical illusion public art https://truly-design.myportfolio.com/street-art-3d-street-optical-illusion

Perspective anamorphic art by Felice Varini

http://www.partfaliaz.com/artists/projected-anamorphosis-by-felice-varini/

Anamorphic sculptures by Jonty Hurwitz

https://mymodernmet.com/anamorphic-sculptures-jonty-hurwitz/

Mirror anamorphosis by István Orosz

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/04/anamorphic-art-by-istvan-orosz.html

Successful Ways to Pack for Art Workshops on the Go

April 7, 2019

A mobile art school requires mobile art supplies. As the owners of Pop up Art School we don’t have the cost and headaches of a brick and mortar location, but we’ve had to master the art of packing for art lessons on the go. If you’ve ever camped or traveled with children you know that a forgotten item can ruin your day.

Here’s a breakdown of our fails and 11 ways you can pack for a successful art class.

Fails:

Rolling Cart

Recently, we tested ROYI cart. A three-foot stack of canvases made this cart unstable; it rocked back-and-forth almost pitching the canvases onto the ground. Plus, the plastic hook broke within two weeks!

Cheap tablecloths

DON’T buy dollar store tablecloths. They slide around the table and the kids like to rip holes in them. I don’t blame them, it’s fun. Do yourself a favor and buy flannel backed tablecloths. We get them for five dollars apiece and they last for years.

No charger

It makes us look unprofessional if we ask the client for a charger.

Rolled Paper

For workshops where we use 12×18 pieces of paper it takes up less room to roll the paper, but then you have to wrestle with it to get it flat. Better to carry it flat sandwiched in between two pieces of cardboard.

Small Bottles of Glue

They get clogged and they are hard to refill, and it’s cheaper to buy a gallon of glue.

Forgotten Supplies

If the brushes are left behind for a canvas painting workshop the workshop is going to bomb. Always use a checklist.

Location Mishaps

Google maps is only as good as the address that you enter. A few times we’ve gone to the wrong library. Some towns have more than one.

White Shirts

Our first official T-shirts with our logo were white. What were we thinking?! White is not a smart choice when working with messy art supplies.

Successes:

Room Set up Chart

After we book a workshop, we send a room set up chart. When we arrive the room is just the way we like it and it gives us more time to get the supplies out.

Supply List

For every workshop we print out the project supply list and cross it off as we pack.

New Cart

A sturdy box cart holds the paints and loose supplies much better. It’s wider at the bottom which makes it more stable.

Red T-shirts

The bright red offsets our logo nicely and the dark color helps hide splotches of paint. We spent more to get a feminine cut, but it’s worth it during the summer, when we teach 5 or 6 days a week.

Thumb drive

We keep our slideshows are on Google slides, but sometimes the Wi-Fi is unpredictable. Slideshows converted to PowerPoint on a thumb drive to the rescue!

Paint Crates

Packs away neatly and makes it easy for students to choose colors.

Stickers With Instagram Info

If we put stickers on canvases before the class students have the info when they leave. We post a photo of every piece of art made in our workshops on Instagram. The sticker makes it easier for them to find the post.

Portable Photo Studio

Our Instagram Photo Booth is inexpensive and easy to carry. It makes our photos look professional.

Glue in Condiment Cups

Easy to pour and pack. Clogs are a thing of the past!

Extras of Everything

Life happens, spills and perfectionistic students who want to redo their work.

Early Finishers

Sketch Artist Game is easy to carry and it’s always a hit. It comes in handy for early finishers.

If you’re taking the show on the road, we hope you’ll learn from our mistakes. What’s your favorite hack for packing art supplies? Have you had a packing fail? Tell us about it in the comments.

Tame the Glitter Beast

March 31, 2019

Art teachers hate glitter; there’s even a blog called Art Teachers Hate Glitter. Glitter is easy to hate on, it sticks to everything and no matter how well you clean you’ll find flecks of glitter mocking you for months afterwards.

Here’s another reason to loathe glitter; it’s a micro plastic that contributes to water pollution. Those little bits of plastic make their way into the ocean and into the bellies of fishes. Imagine trying to digest glitter! Companies like Bioglitter are now producing glitter made from plant derivatives. Biodegradable glitter has a softer texture compared to plastic glitter and is used for cosmetic, craft and educational purposes.

I did an art lesson with kindergarten and I knew it needed something else—something sparkly—yes glitter! The lesson introduced printmaking and radial symmetry. Kindergarten made snowflakes with cardboard dipped in white paint. When the snowflakes were complete, they looked dry and lifeless. But, there was no way I’d give the little people of kindergarten bottles of glue and sparkle rain. No way not in my art room!

I’m not a total glitter snob. When my kids were little, I allowed them to use glitter, and we called the errant flakes fairy dust. But, if you have 20 little ones sprinkling glitter, it will get nasty.

In my art supply stash, I have a large container of glitter with a variety of colors and types. I think it’s better to use it than tossing it in the landfill. Whether it’s plastic or natural, it will be messy.

Determined to conquer this menace, I experimented with making glue skins impregnated with glitter. I poured white glue onto plexiglass, in a thin layer. While it was wet, I sprinkled glitter on it to encase the glitter in the glue. I thought they would be pliable sheets of glitter that the kids could cut into shapes to glue on their snowflakes. When I peeled the glue skins off of the plexiglass they were flexible, so I cut them into squares. While I was prepping for the lesson I realized that the glitter squares had turned brittle. Not what I was expecting, but the glitter pieces looked like ice shards which went with our wintry snowflakes.

My experiment didn’t eradicate the glitter mess, but the glue encased about 80% of the glitter and I contained it to the area where I poured the glue skins. Best of all, the printed snowflakes came to life by adding the glitter shards!

Palaces for the People

March 25, 2019

I love podcasts. A new one I’ve been listening to is 99% Invisible. The host Roman Mars has a sultry voice that’s easy on the ears. I recently listened to his interview of sociologist Eric Klinenberg the author of the book Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.

Klinenberg coined the term social infrastructure while he was researching the deadly heat wave in Chicago in 1995. During this catastrophic event, over 700 people died, and overall, death rates were higher in poor neighborhoods. However, some poor neighborhoods had lower death rates. What was the difference that saved lives? Better physical and social infrastructure that brought people together. During the scorching heat wave neighbors knew who would be at risk.

Klinenberg asserts that libraries are the most effective social infrastructure. In his research for the book, he visited libraries around the country to see what they were up to. Many people believe libraries are relics of the past, but he found many libraries are offering innovative programs that help vulnerable populations including:

Early literacy
Job search services for former convicts
Resume help
ESL instruction
Citizenship classes
Rooms for teens to socialize in after school

This list is proof that libraries are no longer book mausoleums with hushed voices. In the podcast he describes a program offered by the Brooklyn Public Library which runs Library Lanes, a virtual bowling league. Teams of senior citizens compete against teams at other branches. The teams play using Xbox game systems. They even wear bowling jerseys!

Pop up Art School, has taught art workshops in over 40 libraries in Massachusetts. In our travels, we’ve visited teeny-tiny and dilapidated libraries and architectural beauties that are brand-spanking-new. This weekend, we taught at the Scituate Public Library rebuilt in 2017. The building elegantly balances large open spaces with comfort and warmth. It has a variety of public and private spaces including a fireplace flanked with easy chairs, an art gallery, and a dedicated table for playing chess. Patrons can even sit on the balcony and relax on the white rocking chairs.

In my town, we are lucky enough to have a mayor who advocated to rebuild the main library. The new building will have 2- story windows facing a playground and park. The landscaping plan includes butterfly and sensory gardens with an amphitheater and picnic areas. There will be an auditorium with a separate entrance for groups to use the auditorium after hours. Our town has historical artifacts they housed in a basement room that was difficult to find. The new building will have a local history room with glass walls and doors. In addition, the building will be LEED certified. I hope the town will continue to fund the new library when it opens, so it can offer a diverse range of programs to contribute to the social infrastructure of the town.

What homeschools are looking for in an art class.

March 18, 2019

To learn more about what it’s like to teach art when homeschooling and what a homeschool parent looks for in an art program, we reached out to Krysten Lynch Callina.

Krysten has homeschooled her two sons for nine years and she’s the moderator of the Massachusetts Homeschoolers Connection Facebook group which helps facilitate support and fellowship among Massachusetts homeschool parents.

What is your favorite thing about homeschooling?

The opportunity for kids to learn at their own pace and with their own learning style, and the freedom parents have to find what works for their children.

When planning an art lesson what resources do you use?

Library books, Pinterest, formal classes, YouTube, DIY.org

When you plan art lessons, do you teach them at home, gather a group of homeschooled kids or sign up for a lesson?

We have done both

If you could ask an art teacher to help you with your art curriculum what kind of help would you ask for?

Higher level lessons beyond arts & crafts that is connected to other subjects (history, English, mathematics)

How much importance do you place on visual arts in your homeschool curriculum? Do you try to incorporate art with other subjects such as science, English or math?

Our children were very interested in aspects of art including portrait drawing and anime style drawing, so we tried to incorporate that as its own subject. However, we love museums, so we spent a lot of time at different museums discussing art through the ages and across cultures. My kids are very experiential / hands-on focused learners, so that is what worked for us.

Do you use your public library? What resources do you use the most?

We did more when my kids were smaller…for books, videos, books on tape, planned social activities.

What kinds of programming do you wish your library would offer?

I’m happy with their offerings.

I appreciate that she’s exposed her children to art museums. The act of looking at a piece of art only scratches the surface. There’s so much information there about world history, art history and cultural history. A painting or sculpture is a snapshot of the time and place in which someone created it.

Krysten has taught visual arts to her children through lessons at home and outside classes. I’m most interested in her response to what kind of help she would request from an art teacher:

“Higher level lessons beyond arts & crafts that is connected to other subjects (history, English, mathematics)”

If you’re like me, you’re a walking encyclopedia of art techniques, art mediums and art history. Art teachers bring unique skills to the table that can be used to enrich subjects like math and English. Furthermore, our lessons appeal to hands-on learners who might otherwise struggle with rote learning.

Many thanks to Krysten for sharing her thoughts and experience with us!

Do you homeschool your kids? Are you a librarian who serves homeschool families? Or, are you an art teacher who would like to provide art experiences for homeschooled kids? If so, leave us a comment.

Thinking about an MLM company? Here’s what I learned.

March 11, 2019

MLM or multilevel marketing is a business model in which there are two ways to make money. The first is selling products to the consumer. The second is recruiting team members. When a team member buys inventory the recruiter earns a percentage.

I’ve always wanted to have my own business, but I knew I didn’t want to go it alone, so when the opportunity came along to sell skincare and makeup with Mary Kay I signed on the dotted line. That was 18 years ago, and I consider it one of my self-employment experiments. Here are some lessons I learned along the way.

It’s all about the numbers

One thing I heard and experienced for myself is this: The more people you talk to, the more appointments you will book. For example, if I made 20 cold calls and six people answered my call, I probably booked one or two parties. The goal was to get as many names as possible, so that I could find the people who would say yes.

Rejection is part of the process

To get to yes you have to plow through a lot of no’s. Once you realize that rejections are part of the experience it’s easier to handle them because you know the next yes is just around the corner.

A support system is vital

I joined Mary Kay because I was a stay at home mom who felt isolated. A Mary Kay consultant came to my home and gave me a makeover and the pitch to become a consultant, so I agreed to go to a meeting with her. The meeting was fun and there was a lot of energy in the room. I had always wanted to have my own business, yet I didn’t want to do it alone. My Mary Kay experience fulfilled my desire to have a business and provided me with a social outlet with adults.

Teaching and sales are close companions

In both teaching and sales, you must present an idea or product in a way that engages your audience and brings them to an expected outcome whether it is a sale or a test score. Either way, there is a measurable result of success.

I always approached my makeovers and parties with the attitude of teaching people how to use their skin care regimen and how to apply make-up. The more I focused on providing useful information the better my sales were. My demeanor wasn’t sales-y it was helpful and reassuring.

In the end, Mary Kay wasn’t for me. Did I lose money? No, but I can’t say I made much either. Recruiting team members is fundamental to making a profit, and that was my weak point; I was not comfortable asking individuals to fork over several thousand dollars for inventory. I’m glad I didn’t. I ended up with a shelf full of products I couldn’t unload.

I’m now a co-owner of a successful teaching side gig and I’ve found what I was looking for all along: entrepreneurship with a friend. Drawing upon my art skills to conduct workshops and using creativity in marketing is fulfilling. Providing art experiences for kids, teens and adults is a wonderful way to make a living.

If you are considering starting a business, you don’t need a pre-made template like an MLM company. Instead, join a Facebook group for entrepreneurs or listen to a side hustle podcast. Your community of like-minded people is out there—keep searching, you’ll be glad you did.