🎨 The Business Side of an Art Studio (AKA How I Accidentally Became an Accountant in Paint-Splattered Pants

Lori Snelling
Jul 8
3 min read

By Lori Snelling – Creative Ringmaster at Lori’s Creative Gatherings

Let’s talk about the part of running an art studio that nobody warns you about: the business side. You know, the unsexy stuff. The spreadsheets, scheduling apps, receipts crumpled in the bottom of your tote bag, and that one client who thinks "Friday at 3:00" means "surprise me."

When I opened my art studio, I pictured joyful chaos: kids with glitter in their hair, grown women sipping coffee while painting sunflowers, and the smell of fresh acrylics in the air. What I didn’t picture was sitting up at midnight trying to remember if I paid the Wi-Fi bill or just thought really hard about paying it.

Welcome to the glamorous world of small business ownership.

📊 Budgeting: The Art of “Creative” Accounting

If you think budgeting means “making a detailed plan,” you’re adorable. Around here, budgeting looks more like this:

Studio rent: A predictable monster.
Supplies: Somehow both “cheap in bulk” and “we’re out of everything again.”
Impulse glitter purchases: Non-negotiable.
Miscellaneous expenses: AKA the category where I pretend I didn’t just spend $47 on novelty aprons.

Oh, and don't forget marketing. Because Facebook won’t show your $30 paint party to anyone unless you also hand over your blood type and the name of your first pet.

📆 Scheduling: Like Herding Cats… Covered in Paint

Running an art studio means your calendar becomes a chaotic game of Tetris. You’ve got paint parties, private lessons, vendor events, and one kid’s birthday party where the theme suddenly changed from unicorns to dinosaurs, and now everything is on fire (figuratively... hopefully).

Pro tip? Invest in a scheduling system. Or at the very least, a really good wall calendar and some color-coded dry erase markers. My favorite color is panic red.

📦 Inventory: So Many Brushes, Still Not the Right One

Inventory is the glamorous process of realizing you’re out of canvas panels five minutes before a class of 12 arrives. Running a studio means you get very good at MacGyvering art projects from the weird corner of leftover supplies.

No, sweetie, that’s not the wrong paint color—it’s “a creative twist.”

💻 SEO, Social Media, and Other Things That Make You Cry

Remember when you thought running an art studio meant painting all day? Yeah, me too.

Turns out, if no one knows you exist, you’re just sitting in a pretty room full of paint hoping someone stumbles in. That’s where SEO (search engine optimization, for my fellow “I’m-just-an-artist” folks) comes in. You’ve got to make friends with Google. Use phrases like:

“Art studio in Jackson TN”
“Creative paint parties for adults”
“Best DIY crafting classes near me”
“Where to drink coffee and throw paint legally” (okay, maybe not that last one)

Also, social media is your new BFF whether you like it or not. You don’t have to do TikTok dances (please don’t), but consistent posting, time-lapse videos, and the occasional “hot mess behind the scenes” photo will go a long way.

🧼 Cleaning: The Real Never-Ending Project

There is no mess like a “we tried paint pouring and someone got too enthusiastic” mess. And cleaning up after an art party is like playing a game of What’s That Smell meets Is That Glitter or a Rash?

But hey—nothing says “I’m a real business owner” like mopping paint water while on a call with your insurance agent.

💰 Profit vs Passion: Can You Have Both?

Running an art studio is a delicate dance between doing what you love and, you know, paying your bills. Some days it’s magical. Some days you’re calculating how many paint parties you need to book just to afford next month’s electricity.

But here’s the thing: when you see someone light up because they painted something they didn’t think they could? When your studio becomes the happy place for a group of friends or a stressed-out mom who just needed a night to create?

That’s the payoff.And it’s worth every glitter bomb, last-minute supply run, and late-night email you forgot to reply to.

Final Thought: Running an art studio isn’t easy.But it is beautiful, messy, chaotic, and meaningful.Just like art itself.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a party to prep, a budget to revise, and a suspicious paint stain to scrub out of the floor.

Want to book a private party, kids' night out, or creative event that supports a very tired small business owner?👉 Visit Lori’s Creative Gatherings and make magic with us.