How Sally Grew Her Art Teaching Income 10x — From Norwich to the World
The Backstory
Sally Hirst is a mixed-media artist and printmaker based in Norwich, UK, with over 40 years of teaching experience. When the pandemic shut down her in-person workshops in 2020, she started posting free lessons on YouTube as a lifeline for her students. Within six weeks, her channel went from zero to 5,000 viewers, with 3,000 people on her mailing list. She had an audience — now she needed a way to turn that into a real teaching business.
What Was Getting in the Way
- The pandemic stopped her in-person workshops overnight
- Forty years of teaching expertise was reaching only the people who could drive to Norwich
- Her YouTube audience wanted structured courses, not just free one-off videos
- She needed a platform that could handle payments from students around the world
What They Were Hoping For
- Turn her YouTube audience into a sustainable online teaching business
- Offer structured, self-paced courses that students could access for life
- Teach students worldwide from her Norwich studio
- Build a catalog covering printmaking, collage, and mixed media
How Ruzuku Fit In
What Clicked
Sally found Ruzuku through a recommendation from fellow art educator Alyson Stansfield. She was drawn in by the simplicity and the responsive support team. After a brief orientation, she was so convinced that she paid the full annual fee on day one — she could see exactly where this was going.
What They Built
Sally built a comprehensive catalog covering her specialties: collagraphy printmaking, monotype, collage, mixed-media painting, and composition. Her flagship Complete Creative Collagraphy course spans three progressive parts with 12+ hours of video. She also offers affordable mini-courses at just £10 each — a low-commitment way for new students to experience her teaching before diving deeper.
The Tools That Helped Most
What Changed
Sally has gone from a local art tutor in Norwich to an international educator with 5,000+ students worldwide. Her income is 10x what it was before she went online. She runs everything from her studio, teaching printmaking, collage, and mixed-media to people across the globe.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Income | Local workshop fees | 10x growth |
| Student Reach | Norwich area | 5,000+ worldwide |
| Course Catalog | In-person workshops | 10+ online courses |
| Teaching Capacity | Limited by studio space | No limits |
Timeline: From first YouTube lesson to 5,000+ students and 10x income in under four years
"I just want to say Ruzuku has changed my life. There is no way I could have managed running my courses, taking payments, etc. without you....my income is 10x what it was in 2019!"
Lessons Worth Sharing
Free YouTube content can be a powerful way to build an audience for paid courses
Decades of in-person teaching experience translates beautifully to online with the right platform
Offering different price points — from mini-courses to deep dives — lets you meet students where they are
Hands-on, tactile art like printmaking absolutely works online with good video and community