The Little Art School 2020 story of reaching out with YouTube
The nightmare day – Lockdown and a leap into the unknown
On the 23rd March this year we closed our Little Art School Studio doors, with no idea when we would be able to re-open them. Like businesses across the world we could only sit back with horror as our income stream stopped overnight. What did we do? We reached out. We offered free daily art classes, every single weekday of lockdown. We embraced the unknown, set up a YouTube channel and started filming; and thousands of children from around the world joined us.
Changing Direction
After months of living with the Pandemic it is hard to remember just what a shock the March Lockdown came as. Just two weeks before the Prime Minister’s announcements rang out across the nation, we had been with our Franchising consultant and legal team, signing all the paperwork, ready to launch the UK wide franchise of the Little Art School. The timing was devastating. We had spent over 6 years building a start-up and growing a brand. Our classes, teaching children how to draw and paint following our unique structured course, were designed to be taught anywhere and after all the planning and anticipation, pressing pause felt very hard.
Changing Direction
After months of living with the Pandemic it is hard to remember just what a shock the March Lockdown came as. Just two weeks before the Prime Minister’s announcements rang out across the nation, we had been with our Franchising consultant and legal team, signing all the paperwork, ready to launch the UK wide franchise of the Little Art School. The timing was devastating. We had spent over 6 years building a start-up and growing a brand. Our classes, teaching children how to draw and paint following our unique structured course, were designed to be taught anywhere and after all the planning and anticipation, pressing pause felt very hard.
What could we do to help?
We are both parents. We knew that we had something to offer that could help families as we all grappled with the many difficulties of home schooling. We did not agonise or overthink, we simply looked at our company values and the spirit of the Little Art School we had built. It was pretty simple for both of us; we wanted to use art to keep helping children to feel good about themselves. We emailed all our customers and said that although our studios had to close, we wanted to keep the children drawing. We announced that every weekday that the schools were closed we would release a ‘Daily Draw’. At 11am we would have two art lessons, a Junior and a Senior. All everyone needed to do was to grab a pencil and join us. We promised to be there, every day for as long as they needed us.
Feeling the love
The response from our customers was overwhelming. We had so many emails of support and such an influx of kind words that we knew we had made the right decision. Here is one of our favourites:
‘Well ladies, thank you so much. That caused me to shed a tear or two. I am so grateful to you for restoring my faith in the spirit of kindness and empathy. We will all look forward to 11 o’clock !’
At 11am on March 27th, just 4 days after the Lockdown announcement, we released the first of what turned out to be 136 Daily Draw videos, ‘How to draw and paint a Frog’.
We had no idea whether anyone would watch it or if they did whether they would like it. Our idea wasn’t to reach everyone, just to reach our Little Art School artists.
At time of writing the video has almost 3,000 views so we think we can safely say that it worked! Our Facebook page was inundated with people sending us their Frog drawings. Families told us that they had all sat and drawn together for the first time ever. Frogs were appearing from all over Scotland then all over the UK and then from around the world. Our plan to give our artists something to help them through Lockdown had gone global!
We had no idea whether anyone would watch it or if they did whether they would like it. Our idea wasn’t to reach everyone, just to reach our Little Art School artists.
At time of writing the video has almost 3,000 views so we think we can safely say that it worked! Our Facebook page was inundated with people sending us their Frog drawings. Families told us that they had all sat and drawn together for the first time ever. Frogs were appearing from all over Scotland then all over the UK and then from around the world. Our plan to give our artists something to help them through Lockdown had gone global!
Draw with the grandparents
One of the most lovely things about the Daily Draw was that from the very first lesson it was appealing across the generations. We realised that one of the challenges many families were facing was being separated from grandparents. We quickly put together a plan and on Thursday we released a ‘Draw with the Grandparents’ with Elizabeth, Joanne’s eldest daughter and an experienced Little Art School teacher, giving a special class which encouraged grandparents to draw at the same time as their grandchildren. Again, in came the stories that touched our hearts. One family tuned in at 11am every Thursday morning, parents and children in Scotland, grandparents in Germany; all linked by technology, all drawing together, chatting together, brought together by art.
Draw with the grandparents
One of the most lovely things about the Daily Draw was that from the very first lesson it was appealing across the generations. We realised that one of the challenges many families were facing was being separated from grandparents. We quickly put together a plan and on Thursday we released a ‘Draw with the Grandparents’ with Elizabeth, Joanne’s eldest daughter and an experienced Little Art School teacher, giving a special class which encouraged grandparents to draw at the same time as their grandchildren. Again, in came the stories that touched our hearts. One family tuned in at 11am every Thursday morning, parents and children in Scotland, grandparents in Germany; all linked by technology, all drawing together, chatting together, brought together by art.
Not all plain sailing
We continued the Daily Draw, with two lessons every weekday, right through April, May and until the end of June. We soon ran out of designs and worked to create new ones. Filming in a busy house was not without its challenges. Shouts of ‘What’s for lunch, mum?!’ had to frequently be edited out and Cooper the dog could occaisionally be heard barking or even force himself into the picture when he felt he was being left out. There was a joy to it too though. The feeling of being part of something bigger, of watching people realise that they could draw, of hearing about children feeling good about themselves because their drawing was improving.
Leaping into the new, living with our values
The Daily Draw began as a way for us to reach out and help our young artists. But it soon opened doors to alternative ways forward for us as a business. We launched our online shop selling Daily Draw Materials in April and in August we sold our first Adult Online Course. This course was created in response to the many messages we received from adults who had picked up a pencil for the first time since school and realised that drawing and painting were taught skills; that they were learning and they loved it!
This has been a year with many unexpected challenges, but we feel that the Little Art School faced these challenges head on. As the year comes to a close we can look to 2021 with optimism for what is to come. You might notice that we have not used the word ‘pivot’. That is because we are still focused on our goal: we have a franchise to launch, we paused for Covid, but we are ready to go, and now there are thousands of Daily Drawers out there waiting for a Little Art School to come to a town near them!
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In the next Blog we’ll chat about how our YouTube Channel led to a demand for art materials and the birth of the Little Art School Online Shop and a whole new world of retail for the ever-adaptable Little Art School team!
This approach is to be applauded – obviously know one would have wanted to have been in this position, but what an exemplar on how to continue delivering value to your audience and gaining a new (Digital) one at that. The franchise stages will come and you will have an eager group ready and waiting to grab their place and… pencil!
Massive well done Melissa, Joanne and the awesome team!