I Started a Cult

I had a crazy idea and it worked

Okay, I didn’t actually start a cult,
but I did start something that I think will be big for me–

Story Time!
This is my tenth year working as a graphic designer for a marketing group serving the wine and food industries in Santa Barbara County, California.

A year or two ago, my boss started something at his wine bar that inspired my art cult. He can seat eight people at the countertop bar in their restaurant, so he had the idea to start a dinner club that only seats eight people. We marketed this intimate food and wine pairing almost as if it were a cult, that if you didn’t join, you were definitely missing out.

The branding on this dinner club was inspired by Ed Gorey

I have a pretty good-sized studio to work in, and I have taught private one-on-one lessons there before without any issues. When I moved into the space a year ago, I wanted to teach classes, but I found the space a little too small to accomplish that.

photo taken by Valera, @valeraartwork on IG

Cut to a little over a month ago– I was in my usual state of reorganizing the whole studio (I do this maybe three to four times a year), and I put two long tables in the middle of the room. Everything seemed to line up just right, like Tetris. There was finally enough space to host a class. Five people + me.

Instead of falling into the trap of “there’s not enough space,” I made the space. And then the thoughts of “how do I market this?” came about. San Antonio is an art-centric city, and art events and classes are always happening. So, how do I differentiate my class and get people to pay me money to come to my studio in an old warehouse with just okay AC and some spiderwebs?

Instead of this feeling like a regular art class or education series, I wanted something different. No one else in the city (to my knowledge) has an art cult. I wanted this to feel just like my boss’ dinner club, where if you didn’t join my art cult, then you were missing out.

I also wanted these to feel more like labs than classes. I didn’t want to teach the rules of art because I like breaking them. Rather than it being a class and I’m the teacher, I wanted people to feel the freedom that comes with being in an art studio. I want them to come to a new environment and play. I wanted to create a space where they can use my tools, make a mess, and hang out with others in a small, intimate setting.

I announced my first session a few weeks ago, and it sold out in the first 24 hours. The idea worked, and now I can’t wait to do it again.

Here are my pieces from the first meeting

---

The next cult meeting is now on sale.

Unconventional Drawing Tools
July 5th, 1-3 PM

The second art lab of many, as part of The Fifth Seat Art Cult workshop series. Join us for a Sunday afternoon of the most important part of making art: play.