2. Becoming a trainer
True motivation
We could try to sugar-coat it in various ways and concentrate on how different artists phrase it. However, that does not change the essence of most people's motivation - it is related to making more money, increasing income, gaining significance, and boosting one's earnings simultaneously.
The real problem
Wanting to supplement income is not inherently problematic, but it becomes a concern when artists view training as a quick solution to compensate for decreasing earnings in their primary role. Although it's rare for an artist who has failed in their field to seek a career as a trainer, it's common for many aspiring trainers to have a significant portion of their potential working hours available. This often indicates that they have a lower demand for services than their local competitors - other artists offering similar services. Such a situation can be problematic, as it suggests that training is being pursued in a position of strength and success in their craft, but rather as a response to a lack of client demand.
Long and slow failures
Research conducted with over 200 artists from 2017 to 2022, part of which is still ongoing, reveals a concerning trend. In most of these cases, artists transitioning into trainers without a solid foundation in their original craft tend to fail. The data shows that over 87% of such trainers only attract a marginal number of students year after year, eventually conceding to having "failed their initial expectations" in training.
However, this failure is not typically a sudden, dramatic crash. To the frustration of many trainers who began their careers amidst genuine service demand, the decline of self-proclaimed trainers is often a prolonged and winding process. It can span months or even years. This gradual decline is frequently due to attempts to balance slow periods in their artistic careers with finding students for their training programs, and vice versa. This cycle of trying to offset dips in one area with increased effort in the other ultimately leads to a slow yet inevitable failure.
A distorted perspective on the starting point
A common issue for artists aspiring to become brow trainers is a distorted perspective on their starting point in the industry. Often, an artist may observe an established trainer and attempt to "bridge the gap" by emulating their methods. This approach typically involves comparing oneself with the attributes of an experienced trainer, viewing the transition from artist to trainer as a logical next step under current circumstances.
The problem with this mindset is that such comparisons significantly misrepresent the development timeline of successful trainers, who often have many years, sometimes over a decade, of experience in both training and maintaining a parallel career as artists. Their transition to trainers occurred years or even a decade or more ago. This journey encompasses layers of experience that have significantly shaped their approach and skills as trainers. Therefore, the belief that merely mimicking the current status of a trainer will enable an artist to achieve similar training potential is profoundly misguided. A successful transition requires acknowledging the time, effort, and evolution of becoming a seasoned trainer, which cannot be bypassed or rushed.