Five Questions to Ask an Art Coach

Written By Stephanie Broder

The first session with an art coach is important as it can help assess whether the partnership will be a good fit.

Don’t be shy to ask questions! Here are five questions you might want to ask your art coach when you start working together:

  1. I am looking to improve on X skill. What type of timeline would be reasonable for seeing improvement?

    This is a great question if you seek an art coach specifically to help build a skill or technique or learn something new. Not only will it help you get a sense of the time commitment you’ll need for homework and meetings, but it’ll also help you set a timeframe for check-ins with your progress. Setting reasonable timelines is also a great skill to learn for your creative life!

  2. How do you assess an artist's strengths and areas for improvement?

    I think this question really gets to the heart of art mentorship. Regardless of your art mentor’s skills and whether or not they draw in a style you aim for, they should be able to view your work through a critical lens that isn’t aiming to make you into a clone of them. It’s hard to have this type of semi-objective distance from art, so it’s a good sign if they can really help you analyze your strengths and areas of improvement! Guidance of this sort is key to help you develop a strategy for your own creative journey.

  3. Can you share techniques for overcoming creative blocks?

    Since this is such a ubiquitous problem for creatives, knowing you have someone in your corner who can help you work through those tough times will be a major plus. Since you’re paying for an art mentor’s services, knowing they can help you even when it gets tough is really encouraging. Tag-teaming these types of inevitable hurdles in your creative practice will put you a step ahead of the game.

  4. What are some effective ways to set and achieve artistic goals?

    I would also add to this question by having your art coach help you set a goal right at the start. And this is the opportunity for them to ask you a bunch of questions, too! A good art coach will help you set meaningful and realistic goals for your timelines. They will think about your unique creative journey and any time constraints or deadlines you may have. Whether you are looking toward an art career or just an art practice, realistic and supportive goal setting can help you improve your creativity and enjoy your art journey.

  5. How will I be able to let you know if something is not working for me in our partnership?

    Hey, you’re making yourself vulnerable by sharing your art practice with your art coach. The feedback street should go both ways! A good art coach will have suggestions for how you can give them feedback if you need a change in direction, have further questions about a session, or don’t feel like something in a session was working for you. For example, you might be able to bring up your feedback on the spot in a session, but for the more shy participants, maybe your art coach accepts emails for feedback or can prepare a check-in form for you.

Stephanie Broder
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