Meet Rebecca Picker of Studio Sprout!
Rebecca Picker is a mother of 3, performer, costume designer, and founder of Studio Sprout, a children’s art studio and discovery garden in Santa Cruz, California. Rebecca and I have been friends since first meeting in college at UC Santa Cruz. When we re-connected at a college reunion a few years ago, she was super excited to hear about how I had started a toddler art studio out of my back cottage. This got her thinking…
With a little encouragement from me and a lot of talent and drive on her part, she too was able to start a successful children’s art studio at home. I recently spent a morning at her art studio enjoying her amazing program and finding out a little more about how she managed to follow her passions and create a fulfilling business as a stay at home mom.
Megan: How has art played a role in your life?
Rebecca: I’m lucky cause I grew up in an artistic family. Both my grandparents on my mother’s side were active artists. My grandfather was an art teacher and my grandmother was a kindergarten teacher. They were both educators and artists all through their lives. My mother has always been super duper crafty, lives artfully, was always really into fashion and into decorating the house!
When I came to UCSC for collage I didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew I wanted to go to a four-year college, but when I had to pick my major I was really stuck. I didn’t want to be a scientist, I wasn’t very good at math or astronomy and things like that! Also writing wasn’t really my forte. I just kinda followed what felt natural to me and majored in art. Then I found my second home in the printmaking studio because it was a combination of community and art.
After college I worked in a non-profit doing after school art classes, mainly for girl empowerment groups.
[Here are some photos from my visit where the kids worked on painting and printmaking on the wall, and a collage project at the table]
Megan: Tell me a little about how you got started with your business.
Rebecca: Well, when my son was a year and half, I was a full stay at home mom and I had tapped out my savings! We had bills to pay and needed some more income. That’s when I saw you and we had a conversation about what you were doing [running a kids art studio out of my home] and you gave me this really clear platform and encouraged me not to feel guilty about doing something similar.
Once I started doing this, I loved the autonomy- of running my own business and giving something back to the community. It’s fueling my creativity! I really needed this as a project in my life.
Megan: What were the hurdles in starting this business and what advice would you give to someone who wants to do something similar but doesn’t know where to begin?
Rebecca: Marketing is huge. You have to completely throw yourself out there with confidence. You can never take anything for granted and never stop marketing. Facebook has been invaluable for that. I created a page with pictures of the projects to share what we were doing, from a beautiful and authentic place, but I would tag families so that they could share with their communities. You have to create a buzz. I try to be very generous with my business model. I keep my classes affordable, I give sibling discounts, I give the first class free. I know what its like being a mom and not being sure if you want to sign up for something. I now have kids who have been coming consistently for over a year, it’s so fabulous.
Megan: What’s the hardest aspect about running your own business?
Rebecca: When you run a business out of your home, you are creating a relaxed environment. I have had people unintentionally take advantage by asking me to extend beyond my published policies. It’s a dance between being flexible and generous, and holding boundaries. It can be hard to say no. There have been some awkward moments, but most of the time it’s well received and they understand. My goal is to keep Studio Sprout sustainable which means I have to treat it as a business as well as a fun art activity for families.
Megan: What’s the best thing about running this business?
Rebecca: Definitely the flexibility in my life. Even though I’m pretty much working full time and my son does go to preschool while I work, I can still tweak my schedule. This summer I cut back a class so that I could do swim lessons with my son twice a week.
I can keep it simple and work to my capacity. Although I’m not a non-profit, I still get the feeling of giving something to the community that is needed. There’s not a lot of toddler activities here in Santa Cruz, believe it or not! Especially in art. People must think toddlers aren’t capable or interested, but they’re so into it!
[After class, the kids excitedly headed out to the discovery garden” to play with the chickens]
Tips for the home:
Megan: Do you have any tips on keeping art spaces organized?
Rebecca: Definitely the clear bins- I use mason jars and plastic shoe boxes.
Megan: What art activities would you suggest to families with young children who don’t know where to start.
Rebecca: Play dough is fabulous. I use Mary Ann Kohl’s recipe- it’s tried and true! I think clay is another valuable medium, not with the expectation to fire and glaze it, but just to explore it. I’ve never seen kids sit for longer with anything else. If you keep adding new tools and water, paint, etc. -that has the most focus factor.
And cutting. I think kids can start cutting around 18 months with a two handed approach. They will naturally move to a one-handed grip when they are ready. And drawing- with anything! I don’t love crayons, they are very difficult to make a mark with. I much prefer oil pastels or markers. And of course paint! I could just keep going. I feel like it has to be well rounded. It all has its benefits and different mediums will speak to different kids. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what they really like. I think it’s worth trying it all!
Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!
To learn more about Studio Sprout visit Rebecca’s site here. Or check out her blog for some really great art projects you can try at home!
