When textile artist Nicola couldn't travel internationally to teach workshops anymore, she turned to online courses — and sold out her first offering in 36 hours. Here's how a creative professional in rural Ireland built a global teaching business from her farmhouse studio.
The Challenge: A Global Craft, A Local Ceiling
For seven years, Nicola traveled across Europe and beyond to teach felting and eco printing workshops. She'd built a reputation in the textile arts community for her innovative techniques combining wool, silk, and linen with natural materials gathered from the hedgerows surrounding her rural Irish farmhouse.
But the travel was unsustainable. Expenses ate into her teaching fees, time away from her studio limited her creative work, and the physical demands of constant travel were wearing her down. She needed to stay home — but her income depended on reaching students far beyond rural Ireland.
There was another obstacle: her rural internet connection was too unreliable for live video teaching. She needed a solution that didn't depend on real-time streaming.
The Solution: Pre-Recorded, Community-Driven Courses
Instead of trying to replicate her in-person workshops as live video sessions, Nicola designed her courses around pre-recorded video modules that students could watch at their own pace. Each module included detailed demonstrations of her techniques, shot in her natural studio environment.
The key insight was that her students didn't need live instruction for most of the learning — they needed to be able to pause, rewind, and rewatch complex techniques. What they did need live interaction for was feedback on their work and community with fellow textile artists. So Nicola built her courses with:
- Pre-recorded demonstrations — Detailed, well-lit videos of each technique, filmed over multiple angles
- Step-by-step written guides — Supplementing the video with materials lists and process documentation
- Community discussions — A space where students shared their work, asked questions, and supported each other
- Personal feedback — Nicola reviewed student work and provided individualized guidance
The Launch: 50 Students in 36 Hours
Nicola's first online course — a comprehensive foundation in eco printing — sold 50 spots at $160 each within 36 hours of opening enrollment. Her second course attracted 48 students at the full price of $220.
These weren't large audience launches with paid ads and complex funnels. Nicola had built her audience over seven years of in-person teaching, social media sharing of her work, and genuine community building. When she announced her online course, her audience was ready.
"Financially this has been life changing. It's very difficult to make a living wage as an artist or maker in a small country such as Ireland, and offering online courses opens up the world for me without ever having to leave my doorstep."
Lessons for Creative Professionals
Nicola's experience illustrates several principles that apply to any creative professional considering online courses:
Your In-Person Teaching Is Your Prototype
If you've been teaching workshops, classes, or coaching in person, you already have a validated curriculum. Your online course doesn't need to be invented from scratch — it needs to be adapted. The content that works in person will work online with the right delivery format.
Visual Crafts Translate Beautifully to Video
For artists, makers, and other visual creators, the demonstration format is natural. Students actually get a better view of techniques on video than they do from the back of a crowded workshop. Multi-angle filming, close-ups, and the ability to rewatch are genuine advantages.
In 2026, you don't need professional equipment to start. A smartphone with good lighting produces video quality that would have required a professional crew a decade ago. Use natural light from a window, a simple phone tripod, and your existing workspace.
Price Reflects Commitment, Not Just Content
Nicola priced her courses at $160–$220 — significantly more than many online courses, but far less than her in-person workshops (which included travel, venue, and materials costs). This price point attracted serious students who were committed to learning, not bargain hunters who would never finish.
Read our complete pricing guide for frameworks on finding the right price for creative courses.
Community Is the Differentiator
YouTube tutorials teach techniques. Courses with community create artists. The discussion space where students shared their eco printing experiments became as valuable as the instructional content itself. Students learned from each other's successes and mistakes, creating a peer network that extended well beyond the course dates.
Build Your Audience Before You Build Your Course
Nicola didn't launch to an empty room. Years of sharing her work on social media, teaching in person, and building genuine connections created an audience that was primed to buy when she offered an online option. If you're starting from zero, focus on sharing your work and teaching in any format first. The course comes after the audience.
Applying This to Your Creative Practice
Whether you're a painter, photographer, musician, chef, woodworker, or any other creative professional, the path Nicola followed is replicable:
- Start with what you teach in person — Adapt your best workshop into a course structure
- Film in your natural environment — Authenticity matters more than production polish
- Build community into the experience — Don't just deliver content; facilitate connection
- Price for commitment — Students who invest are students who finish
- Use short-form video for marketing — Share quick technique snippets on social media to attract students to your full course
Ready to turn your creative expertise into an online course? Start with our step-by-step guide to creating your first online course, or explore how other creative professionals teach on our artists and creatives page.