I believe a truly happy life comes from listening to your intuition, exploring your curiosity and forging your own path...
Are you ready to turn your creative mosaic practice into a successful business?
I'm here to tell you that you can do it...
in your own way, aligned with your values and lifestyle.
When starting out it's so important to understand what you're getting into and what you're agreeing to with clients.
Let me walk you through the world of contracts and proposals...
Be a Contracts and Proposals Boss.
The best way to protect yourself and your bottom line.
Do you want to feel free to do what you love? Who doesn't? Especially in these changing times, many of us are more drawn to working on our own terms, prioritizing work-life balance and focusing on what helps us thrive as humans.
Building out some part of a fulfilling creative practice into a business is a way to author your own story. Being a creative person does not mean you can't be a boss at business.
Having clear proposals and tight contracts, establishing solid working methods, and confidently navigating client relations will help you stay happy, balanced and paid.
You can do it in your own way!
I've been doing it for 30 years.
I'd love to teach you how.
What You'll Learn in the Course...
You may be interested in developing or growing a professional practice around commissioned work, architectural applications, public art, community projects or some combination of these.
The Creating Contracts and Proposals course will help you understand just what you're getting into and what you're agreeing to (or not).
I will take you through contracts and proposals, and share my solid working methods (I'll show you how). I'll also demonstrate how having clear boundaries and professional client relations will help you stay clear, sane and well paid for your ideas, time and effort!
Plus, I share actual examples of sample proposals, and design and production contracts from commissioned, architectural and community-based work and offer sample wording and templates for you to use (well worth the investment alone).
Whatever your goals and interest, I have created this course so that you can use the information as you launch or develop a business that works for YOU.
Course topics include:
• Establishing solid working methods
• Working with clients
• Boundary Ninja
• Partnerships, collaborations and acknowledgement of roles
• Anatomy of a Commission
• Creating proposals for commissions and community projects
• Design contracts
• Production contracts
• Credit and copyrights and more...
Imagine...
Imagine being able to write professional contracts and proposals like a boss.
Imagine understanding exactly what you're agreeing to in your contracts... and feeling confident about it.
Imagine being able to navigate the process of creating architectural commissioned work for clients and customers in a way that feels natural and professional.
Imagine being able to establish your own go-to systems that streamline your work, your process and your communications.
Imagine being able to create a business from your mosaic practice that is enjoyable, manageable and profitable.
This is possible!
Please join me for:
Creating Contracts and Proposals
Content from Business of Mosaics Masterclass
Everything you need to create clear proposals, tight contracts and solid working methods for your professional mosaic practice.
Having this knowledge can help you Stay Happy, Balanced and Paid.
Get ready to:
Transform your creative practice into a professional practice.
Protect yourself and your bottom line.
Learn from actual sample proposals, and design and production contracts from a variety of projects.
Establish clear boundaries and successfully navigate client relations.
Learn how to build a mosaic business
in a way that works for you!
I am really enjoying your course! I took this photo this morning and wanted to share it with you, as I am happy to tell you I had a new commission inquiry yesterday! Thank you for being so generous and organized with information on moving forward with turning my love of mosaics into a profitable business.
-Jennifer K, Student
Course Benefits
Your investment includes:
+ 20 instructional videos, organized in easily digestible lengths, delivered in accessible, real world language
+ 28 pdfs including course handouts, extensive resources, sample proposals and design and production contracts from multiple types of projects, sample wording and contract templates
+ Access to a private online forum to connect with Business of Mosaics Masterclass learners and alumni
If you have more questions about the course, please feel free to reach out.
Note: In order to successfully contextualize the information presented, it is recommended that students have a working knowledge of mosaic making. Technical mosaic making or designing is not part of this course.
In this course, we investigate these questions and more…
How do we value our ideas, protect our boundaries and bottom line, and specifically outline what we’re signing up for in a professional way?
How can we use contracts to educate, protect and clearly state our scope of work?
How do we successfully advocate for our terms when presented with someone else's contract?
This course provides essential information for anyone doing commissioned, architectural or community-based work.
Having clear proposals and tight contracts help you stay clear, sane, and well paid for your ideas, time and effort!
Establishing solid working methods, having clear boundaries, and navigating client relations in a professional way help you to stay happy, balanced and paid.
This course offers actual sample proposals, and design and production contracts from multiple types of projects, and contract templates for you to use.
Online Learning That Fits Your Schedule
Since the course is online you can access it from anywhere. And because it’s recorded, it’s accessible to you at your own pace. Perfect for all schedules.
Course content is available as soon as you register.
Course content is evergreen - meaning you can access it at your own pace and come back to it later. You don't have to finish the course in four weeks. You can take as much time as you need to absorb the material.
You may also enjoy the connectivity of other learners and alumni in our private online forum.
We all learn differently and our schedules vary. That's why I've created digestible, manageable bites of information that offer you freedom and flexibility. I want you to learn in a way that works for you!
What Students Have to Say...
The templates and business practices helped me realize how valuable having sample proposals and contacts to look at and discuss can be for the nuts and bolts of your business. The first contract I wrote for a commission piece after Laurel's class was a real eye opener for me. I felt so empowered when I had no anxiety with my client; I just knew we were on the same page, thanks to Laurel's guidance.
- Susan M, Course Graduate
****
There is a lot of value in just the handouts... Because I work closely with attorneys, I recognize a lot of attorney work product here ($$$). So nice to have it all laid out and we just have to pick it up! This course will save me SO MUCH time, effort, frustration and overheated brain cells. I really appreciate being the beneficiary of your extensive experience.
-Kathy S, Course Graduate
****
I feel many artists undervalue themselves and their work. Many have issues with unmet client expectations, and the straightforward way Laurel presents handling consultation and contracts seems like it would take some of the unmet expectations out of that.
-Kathy S, Course Graduate
****
Having your "voice" made the worksheets so digestible, friendly and easy to trust. I was delighted with all the supplemental resource pages and templates, especially the legal and financial ones. Instead of merely saying "get a lawyer for copyright stuff" you taught step-by-step how to apply and use them. The pages of resources and "go to" references were a goldmine of valuable information that I will use for a long time.
- Katie W, Course Graduate
****
The course is an official MBA for artists - I mean, wow. Epic. You answered all the questions that I secretly had but didn't know how to address... Hoe to show up in a really professional way, how to protect my art and business in a public sphere. Knowing how to own yourself and your artwork is the key to managing it.
- Katie W, Course Graduate
****
Enrolling in the course was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
- Monica F, Course Graduate
****
I can't thank you enough for putting this all together in a big format... I especially like having it in both print and in video format, so I can go back and review -- and feel assured that I'm not forgetting something important in the planning or execution of my projects. I'm convinced that the money spent on the class was absolutely more than worth it!
- Barbara B, Course Graduate
****
The course structure and platform were perfect for me. I was able to do (the lessons) at my own pace. The platform was very easy to use and I appreciated all the downloadable PDFs.
- Kathy S, Course Graduate
****
There was so much information that was valuable and helpful in this course!
- Nadia K, Course Graduate
****
The course handouts are exactly what I need as a reference at this point! The knowledge in them is thorough and spot-on in every module. The information was easy to digest and it is the BEST info I could get for my situation.
This course is a huge asset for an artist wanting to make a business out of their creative practice! I would absolutely recommend this course to others!
The course was concise and full of pertinent information. It was well-organized in timing and topics, with a boat load of info! All presented by a beautiful, witty and wise woman.
- Ippy F, Course Graduate
****
I'm soaking in all the wonderful information. I found this course so helpful. I can totally scale the information for myself, someone who isn't interested in public art of large scale projects. I've so enjoyed the class!
- Shelley B, Course Graduate
Course Curriculum
I invite you to watch the welcome video.
The video lectures in this module range between a few minutes - 20 minutes.
All lectures are broken down into sections that are easy to digest.
There is a lot of valuable content in this complete course.
- 9.1 Establishing Solid Working Methods (11:12)
- 9.2 Working with Clients (4:35)
- 9.3 Boundary Ninja (2:53)
- 9.4 Partnerships, Collaborations and Acknowledgement of Roles (6:30)
- 9.5 Anatomy of a Commission (9:54)
- 9.6 Creating Proposals for Commissions and Community Projects (22:08)
- 9.7 Design Contracts (13:00)
- 9.8 Production Contracts (28:43)
- 9.9 Credit and Copyrights (18:33)
How “Creating Proposals and Contracts" came to be...
Inspired by in-person weekend seminars I'd offered over the past fifteen years in the Business of Mosaics, in 2021 I greatly expanded the content and created a new, in-depth, online Business of Mosaics Masterclass.
This one-of-a-kind professional development course focuses on the multiple facets of launching, managing and growing a successful mosaic business… while maintaining a mindful work-life balance.
After launching the Business of Mosaics course, I learned that many of my students really wanted the chance to dive in deep on contracts, proposals and establishing working methods for their professional work.
By popular demand I'm thrilled to offer "Creating Contracts and Proposals" (content from the Business of Mosaics Masterclass) as a stand-alone course.
This rich-format course, complete with sample proposals and contracts is asynchronous so you can do it at your own pace, in your own space.
Become a contract boss and learn to create solid working systems that provide a strong foundation for your mosaic business.
Ready to take the leap?
Investing in your own success can be transformational!
I hope you'll join me!
What you’re doing for this industry is unprecedented.
- Lillian Sizemore, Mosaic Artist and Scholar
This is the best online class I have ever taken!
- Kathy S, Course Graduate
This is not just another business course. It’s specific to mosaic artists and artisans.
- Christy P, Course Graduate
You were born with potential...
You were born with greatness...
You were born with wings...
Learn to use them and fly.
-Rumi
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About Laurel True
Laurel True is an artist, teacher and advocate of creative expression. Through her studio, True Mosaics Studio, she has specialized in creative placemaking, public art and architectural mosaics for the past 30 years. She has created architectural installations, mosaic murals and sculptural forms for parks, transit systems, streetscapes, hospitals, social and education centers, and commercial and residential spaces across the US and in Haiti, Europe, Mexico, South and Central America and Africa.
She has an active studio practice through which she explores concepts of beauty, identity and perception using juxtapositions of materials and iterative processes.
Laurel co-founded the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, California and has fostered education in the mosaic arts through teaching and speaking around the world. She is Founding Director of Global Mosaic Project, which provides art education and entrepreneurial training to underserved communities in urban and developing areas through socially engaged art. True has trained thousands of students, volunteers, artists, teachers and community members in the creation of over 200 projects globally that contribute to environmental beautification, economic and community development, well-being and social justice.
Laurel apprenticed with artist Isaiah Zagar after receiving a degree in African Studies from University of Wisconsin. She has studied at Studio Arte del Mosaico in Ravenna, Italy; Universite Chiek Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal; Parsons School of Design in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. She participated in/partnered with TEDWomen, International Urban Mosaic Intervention in Chile, International Community Mural Arts Program in Turkey through the US State Department, Partners In Health, Build Health International, and the United Nations. She has self-published two books about her work with communities in Haiti.
With a keen interest in mindfulness practices, mind-body connection, and investing in the success of others, Laurel has helped countless people get in touch with their creativity, launch or strengthen their creative practice, spearhead mosaic projects, and launch their own businesses. She believes that we are all creative being and that creative expression is inextricably linked to well-being.
Laurel teaches workshops online and in person around the world. She teaches yearly retreats and training workshops in France and Mexico.