Creatives on Camera: Artists and Crafters Using Video to Teach, Sell and Inspire Online

Lyric Kinard
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  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Creatives on Camera explores how artists, makers, and creative educators turn what they know into workshops, courses, and income. Host Lyric Montgomery Kinard shares real conversations about teaching online, finding students, pricing, simple tech, and building a business that works in the real world. If you want to teach your craft but feel stuck on where to start—or how to make it sustainable—this podcast shows you what’s actually involved.

  1. 3d ago

    Your poorest-performing videos might be doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  2. Sep 1

    Why Monetization Isn't the Point of YouTube (with Beth Ann Williams)

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  3. Aug 25

    The Real Cost of Teaching Craft In Person (and What to Build Instead)

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  4. Aug 11

    The Fear of Giving Away Too Much for Free (And Why It's Wrong)

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  5. Jul 28

    The Value of Honest Feedback and an Introvert on Social Media, with Carla Canonico

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  6. Jul 15

    "If I Build It, They Will Come" and What Happened When It Didn't

    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 obsessionWhy passion alone doesn't fill a class roster, and what Chase is doing differently nowHow a top-down camera changed everything in his beginner knitting classes The data science approach Chase uses to design inclusive sizing across body typesWhy showing up on social media can feel like "a deal with the devil" — especially for creators from marginalized communitiesChase's dream of building infotainment around knitting that appeals to people who don't even knitWhy hiring people for what you can't do is the move that frees you to do the work only you can doFind 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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  7. Season 2, Episode 61 Trailer

    How to Market Your Craft Business Without Feeling Salesy (Knitting Case Study)

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

  8. Jun 16

    Smarter Graphics in Less Time: A Visual Hierarchy Guide for Creative Teachers

    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 TeachingInstagramFacebook >> 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!

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Creatives on Camera explores how artists, makers, and creative educators turn what they know into workshops, courses, and income. Host Lyric Montgomery Kinard shares real conversations about teaching online, finding students, pricing, simple tech, and building a business that works in the real world. If you want to teach your craft but feel stuck on where to start—or how to make it sustainable—this podcast shows you what’s actually involved.

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