Why is sand painting on a light table becoming so popular all over the world?
Currently, the need for new, non-standard ways of thinking has become increasingly felt in the world. The ability to find unexpected solutions and accept any situation as an opportunity to solve an interesting problem is becoming increasingly valuable. Companies spare no expense on training their employees; they conduct trainings to teach people to think creatively. But, unfortunately, teaching adults this ability is quite a difficult task.
No one doubts that the development of creative potential should begin from a very early age, when the child is just beginning to discover the world around him. Thus, one of the most important tasks for teachers, psychologists and parents at the present stage is an individual approach to the development of a child’s creative potential. In solving this urgent problem, the course “Art Therapy: Drawing on the Sand” can help you.
What impact does sand painting have on children?
Creating drawings in the sand opens up amazing opportunities for teachers, educators, speech therapists, psychologists, as well as parents who want to diversify their child’s leisure time and spend it usefully. Rich in tactile experience, such activities help children better understand the material being studied and significantly improve fine motor skills. They also stimulate the development of speech and spatial thinking.
In addition, a backlit table is an amazing canvas that can change as the little creator creates fancy curlicues or magical paintings. Perhaps no other form of fine art provides so much creative freedom for self-expression.
Sand drawing classes with children using a light table and sand drawing games are an immersion into the world of a fairy tale, into the world of emotions. Drawing with sand on glass has a great influence on the development of children, namely it helps:
develop:
- cognitive processes (perception, attention, memory, figurative and logical thinking, spatial imagination);
- self-regulation processes;
- sensory-perceptual sphere;
- creative potential;
form:
- communication skills;
- positive attitude towards the environment;
train:
- fine motor skills of hands;
harmonize:
- psycho-emotional state.
How to make money by sand painting
Creating an interesting and colorful show is more suitable directly for the artists themselves, who can, having purchased equipment, offer their services on a freelance basis, decorating any event - from weddings to children's matinees.
We are more interested in another direction. More complex, requiring a thorough approach, but allowing you to create a real business with good indicators of stable earnings. We are talking about organizing a development studio where children and adults can try themselves as sand artists.
Why a sand painting studio is a great option for starting a business
Firstly, what is important for any beginning entrepreneur is that this type of business does not require huge financial investments at the start. The equipment is not expensive, and you don’t have to look for premises in the city center (we’ll return to this issue a little later).
Secondly, the potential audience for this type of business is the largest. There are no restrictions on sand painting. In fact, even the youngest children will enjoy the process. After all, this is not only drawing, it is also tactile exercises, but also simply a pleasant and entertaining activity.
Thirdly, this business option is easily scalable. If you open a sand painting studio, no one forbids filling the range of services with numerous related leisure options.
Why can it be difficult to start a business like this?
Despite the fact that the investment in starting your own sand painting studio is small by business standards, it is still money. The money that you, as an entrepreneur, invest with the goal of getting back more than you invested. And ideally, receive it stably and constantly.
But no one will give you any guarantees. And if you are starting a business from scratch on your own, you should definitely think through everything carefully. By the way, we are now hinting at drawing up a business plan - the main document for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to analyze risks and opportunities before starting.
But now the question is different. What difficulties can a novice entrepreneur encounter if he wants to launch his own sand painting studio?
We will be helped to understand this by a person who not only figured it out himself and achieved success, but knows the industry from the inside, knows what entrepreneurs face in different regions, knows what pitfalls can be stepped on, and most importantly, can effectively help bypass these pitfalls.
Founder of SandLand sand painting studio Tatyana Kozhukhar
Reference:
SandLand is an international network of developmental studios for adults and children. It was founded in St. Petersburg in 2013. The franchise direction was launched in 2014. Since then, more than 29 franchise branches have been opened in different cities of Russia and neighboring countries.
Tatyana, you not only yourself went from an idea to a full-fledged sand painting studio, but also helped many entrepreneurs who are now part of your franchise network to effectively launch. Tell me, what is the most difficult thing in this matter? What a novice businessman will have to face and why he may not succeed.
Tatiana:
“In fact, not only a novice entrepreneur, but also a seasoned one can face problems. Because there are a number of subtleties in this matter that you can only guess about without practice.
The first nuance is technical support. A sand painting studio is a business format where technology plays an important role. It is important to comply with all parameters, from the quality of the tables to the quality of optical equipment, camera and projector. There are many nuances, but they become noticeable only when used. That is, an entrepreneur can simply order equipment for a certain amount, and after some time realize that what he ordered was not what he needed.
The second nuance is methodology. And if the first problem can be dealt with if you have additional money and time, then at first there is no understanding of what to do with all this equipment, and indeed, what to do in this business, how to develop, what exactly to do with children.
I had an example when a person initially refused to buy a franchise and, after negotiations, tried to open a studio on his own. I purchased equipment and began to develop. As a result, he came to me again and said that without our manuals and training manuals nothing would work out. Became a franchisee.
It is very important for those who open a studio to understand that the methodological component here is no less important than the technological one. SandLand has a number of benefits that are designed for two years of work, there are special programs designed for individual services, such as birthdays, family master classes, group classes, classes for adults.
By the way, some beginners don’t even realize before they meet that adults can and love to play with sand too. All this solves the main question - what to do and in fact is a step-by-step instruction that, in principle, is almost impossible to compose on the fly yourself.
Well, the third nuance is now the most important. We live in a time when there is a lot of competition in the children's services industry. And every year it becomes more and more. And so, in order to attract the attention of mothers who are considering some courses for their child, you need to be able to very competently describe what you do , very competently and unpersistently convey it to the parents and show the importance of this art for their child.”
Tatyana drew our attention to the three most important components of this business, which can be the pitfall for an entrepreneur who decides that he can open his own sand painting studio.
And for this we thank her very much, otherwise our readers would be left with a standard list of needs - to register a business activity, rent premises, purchase equipment, hire staff and launch an advertising company.
And the devil is in the details. And the biggest problem for an independent businessman is that you find out about the existence of these details already in the process. That is, when money is put into circulation.
That is why franchising is popular in modern business, which provides an undeniable advantage in the form of the experience of a senior partner. Although this also has its own nuances, which we will return to a little later. Now let’s fully determine what tasks will be faced by an entrepreneur who opens his own sand painting studio.
What is needed for sand painting classes with children on a light table?
To practice drawing with sand on a light table with children, you will need:
1. Light table with impact-resistant glass on legs with small sides and with or without a compartment. A compartment may be needed for auxiliary materials. The size of the table directly depends on the age of the children you will be teaching. We recommend the following light table sizes:
- 2.0 - 3.5 years: 24cm x 50cm
- 4.0 – 10 years: 50cm x 65cm
- Over 10 years: 60cm x 80cm
2. LED lighting with a control panel, with which you can choose any lighting for your sand painting.
3. Pure quartz sand . To obtain beautiful stains that form a pattern, only fine sand is needed. Any inclusion of larger grains of sand can spoil the result of creativity. To create a greater effect of sand paintings, you can use colored sand.
Why you should consider buying a franchise
In the end, what we get. On the one hand, organizing your own sand painting studio is an easy business to start because it does not require large investments and is easily scalable from minimum to infinity. On the other hand, there are so many nuances in it that are not visible at first glance that a beginner can fall into a trap and burn out without even breaking even.
Two things can save you from this. The first is a thorough development of a business plan with all the details and development options, with an analysis of the market and competitors, with positive and negative scenarios.
The second is buying a franchise from an experienced company that has been in this market for many years and knows not only where and what to find, but also how to turn it into profit.
Let’s say right away that a franchise is not a panacea. If you pay a lump sum fee in addition to the opening costs, this does not mean that everything will be done for you and presented to you on a silver platter. No. But the experience that a senior partner will give you will actually help you save a lot.
Actually, since we started talking about buying a franchise, let’s look at this option a little more carefully and with examples.
And Tatiana Kozhukhar, the founder and owner of the franchising network of development studios SandLand, will help us again. Still, learning the details from practical experience is much more interesting and useful than speculating about benefits.
Sand painting courses for teachers
In order to use any innovation in the field of child development, you must first become familiar with it yourself. Courses with sand will allow you to master a new tool, thanks to which the children will be able to practice more effectively. You can learn how to use this technique online. Thanks to Internet technologies, students study in Moscow without attending face-to-face classes. This is extremely convenient, because you can study at any convenient Internet access point: in a cafe with a laptop, with a tablet in a sunny park, or at a desktop computer at home.
After completing distance learning courses for teachers, the graduate will receive a certificate of completion of the CPC, as well as the knowledge and skills necessary for further work. Experts are pleased to note the extraordinary ability of this type of creativity to calm, give a feeling of security, and at the same time allow you to express the most vivid emotions. We invite you to master and successfully use this wonderful technique in your work.
