•  

    If you're an artist, maker, or creator, you don't want to 'sell to a market': you want to gather and serve a growing and loyal audience of real people who love what you make and want more of it. So you can make more impact. Make more art. And yes—make a beautiful living.

     

    Your Audience Is Waiting.

  • You put your soul into what you make.

    Is it missing from your marketing?

    Hate Marketing? Wish There Was a Better Way?

    Give me 8 minutes and watch this video.

  • You didn't follow your heart into this to "sell your art" or "market yourself." You want to make what you make and to put it out into the world. You believed your art (whether you're a photographer, painter, musician, writer, or otherwise) would speak for itself. The problem is, everyone else's art is speaking for itself and it's getting really noisy. The pressure has never been greater to turn up the volume, jump onto every social media bandwagon before others do, and get your work out into the world in hopes that someone—anyone!—is listening. I think we can do better: not louder, but deeper.

     

    I'm David duChemin. I'm a writer, humanitarian photographer, podcaster, speaker, and before all that, I made my living as a professional comedian for a dozen years. I've been learning to gather audiences around my creative work for 30 years. I don't think I need to "sell" my audiences on anything. Rather, I get to delight them. Connect with them. And invite them to experience more of what I make for them.

     

    Standing Room Only is an online course designed to teach you to gather an audience around your work and invite them to experience it more deeply. To see it, listen to it, learn from it, and yes, to buy it. I created this course to give you hope and the tools and strategies to make a living as beautifully as you make your art.

     

  •  

    “This course was everything I didn't know I needed! Standing Room Only has drastically changed my thinking and my sales; my first efforts have already doubled my mailing list!”

     

    - Linsey Davis, Florida

     

  • Standing Room Only was made to help artists, makers, and creators get more comfortable & competent with putting themselves and their work into the world.


    For too many artists and creators, marketing is just posting stuff to social media and waiting for the world to show up to experience it. 

     

    I want to help you stop waiting.

     

    You can learn a very human and simple way of drawing your ideal audience to yourself and serving them relentlessly with what you make.

     

    You can learn how to use every point of contact (whether that's on social media, blogs, podcasts, magazines, or whichever platform is coming next) to engage your audience and invite them to experience more of what you make in the most powerful, scalable, and personal means possible, so they can then experience and support your work in other ways, whether that's as a book, a piece of pottery, a painting, a course or workshop, your new album or your next cross-country tour.

     

    And you can learn how to gather that growing audience to a platform that is more intimate, personal, and within your control than all the others combined, and from there to give them as much of you and what you make as they want. That platform is the humble email.

     

    When's the last time your audience thanked you for "marketing" to them?

     

    Every two weeks, I send emails to an audience of true fans who get the best of me delivered straight to them: thoughtful articles, stories, and first glimpses of my new work, beautifully presented. In return, I get dozens and dozens of letters thanking me not only for offering more of what I make, but more of myself.

     

    Why? Because I'm not "marketing" to them but connecting, serving, and even loving them. Part of that is offering them more of what I make for them, and giving them a chance to buy my latest art, newest book, or to enroll in a course I made just for them: a chance to participate in the same kind of exchange of value that has kept artists and creators not only alive but thriving and making greater impact for centuries. You can thrive like this and have the kind of impact you want.

     

  •  

    "I wish I'd had access to this amazing resource years ago. David's ideas have made a massive difference to my income."


    - Helen Hooker, England

     

  • Stop "Marketing."
    Start Gathering An Audience.

     

    Learn to build an engaged & growing audience of real people who love what you do and want more of it.

    • Learn to identify your audience and better understand your relationship with them.
       

    • Learn what role you play in the life of your audience so you can more powerfully speak to their needs & desires, and how you meet those.
       

    • Identify what makes you different and what difference you make so you can stand out from the crowd and be the signal in all the noise.
       

    • Learn  to use exclusive value, exclusive access & exclusive content as an invitation to build and better connect with your audience.
       

    • Understand the difference between borrowed, collaborative, and owned platforms and how to use each to their strongest advantage.
       

    • Stop relying solely on social media and learn to share your work with a larger world.
       

    • Explore the ways a platform of your own and thoughtful gifts of your work can be a powerful way to grow a mailing list that serves your audience.

    • Discover the one reason so few people sign up for your "newsletter" and how to change that forever.
       

    • Learn how to make your emails gifts that get anticipated, opened, and shared, and acted upon.
       

    • Change your thinking and the way you offer your audience more of you, and increase the impact and sales of your work.
       

    • Understand the incredible opportunities available in automating many of the ways you can serve an audience so you can get back to making your art.
       

    • Learn to audit your own audience-building and audience-serving efforts and how to identify missed opportunities.
       

    • Use powerful worksheets to get yourself unstuck in your audience-building efforts and begin to make regular connections with an audience that's been eagerly waiting for you and wanting more of what you make.

  •  

    “David, I’m so excited about everything that I have learnt. This is a game changer. I still can’t get over how it has changed my mindset about interacting with my audience. Massive, massive, massive thanks!"

     

    - Jenn Duguay, Alberta

     

  • 12 Powerful Modules

     

    This is not a course for the curious or those looking for the magic bullet. Your audience deserves better than that, and building an audience of real people and serving them without relying on gimmicks takes time and work. It takes a change in the way you think about yourself and others, and how those fit together. It takes a change in the way you use the incredible tools you have, especially if you've been relying on social media to do the heavy lifting for you.

     

    Standing Room Only is a 12-module course (+ 2 bonus modules), each of which begins with an audio lesson (including easy-to-print transcripts) and robust worksheets. Each module will be released a week apart to give you time to do the work without being overwhelmed.

    Module 01

    The Hope: An Audience That Wants More

    A powerful, achievable paradigm for artists & creatives to create more impact and earn a living.

    Module 02

    What Makes You Different?

    What sets you apart? Being clear about what differentiates you is where it begins. This is the foundation on which every great brand was ever built.

     

    Module 03

    What Difference Do You Make?

     
    Knowing what impact you make and how you meet needs and longings for your audience allows you to speak to them more compellingly.

     

    Module 04

    The Avatar: Your Ideal Audience

    The better you understand your ideal audience the more you will be to serve them and give them more of what you make in a language they understand.

     

    Module 05

    The Borrowed Platforms

    Using social media to gather a crowd and bring them to a platform of your own where you connect & engage with them on your terms, and to their benefit.

     

    Module 06

    Collaborative Platforms

    Learn to find and use the platforms of others to find your ideal audience among theirs, and invite them to experience more of you on a platform of your own.

     

    Module 07

    A Platform of Your Own

     

    Every point of contact on other platforms is a chance to invite your growing audience to your own website or online home and give them more of what you make. Here's how.

     

    Module 08

    Building The VIP Room: The List

    Begin to build a list of truly loyal and invested people who you can reach out and offer more of your work to whenever you want.

     

    Module 09

    Filling The VIP Room: Invitations

     

    Learn the practical steps for getting people who want more of you onto your email list in ways that are not only honest, but truly more productive.

     

    Module 10

    What's The Gift?
    Emails That Engage

     

    If you're not getting thank-you notes for your emails, you're missing the most powerful benefit of engaging your audience by email. We'll change that.

     

    Module 11

    Writing Emails That Get Opened

     

    The best emails in the world accomplish nothing for you or your audience if they aren't opened. Here's how to get them not only opened, but acted on.

     

    Module 12

    Sharing & Engaging

    You're communicating compellingly with an audience that loves you. Now it's time to make it easy for them to engage with you, be your greatest advocates, and share you with their world.

     

     

  • +2 Great Bonus Modules

    Bonus Module 01

    DIY Audience-Building Audit

    Putting yourself and your work into the world is an ongoing effort. This do-it-yourself audit is a powerful way to stay on track with your marketing and keep yourself motivated and moving forward for years to come.

     

    Bonus Module 02

    Selling: Value for Value

    I know, you hate "selling." What if you could change the way you look at how you offer what you make to the people who love it? You'd do it more easily, more often, and with much stronger results.

     

  • "David teaches you how to deserve your followers. I wish I’d had this information and insight ten years ago. After driving around in circles for years, this course was a welcome GPS."
     

    ~ Patrick LaMontagne, Alberta

  • Here's What's Included

     

    Hosted on its own dedicated online platform, a new module of Standing Room Only will be released every week for 12 weeks, with a one-week break every 4 weeks so you can absorb the lessons, complete the exercises, and implement the ideas you're discovering. Once the course is completed, the content will always be yours and can be revisited as often as you like. Every audio lesson, transcript, and worksheet is downloadable, and if it's the personal touch you're hoping for, there will be 4 Office Hours sessions, held for 2 hours each over Zoom, where I'll answer questions and discuss specific challenges with those who attend. Those sessions will be recorded and also available to download.

     

     

    12 Powerful Modules

    Finally, a course that talks about identifying, locating, gathering, and engaging audiences of real human beings rather than "tactics" and "target markets."

    Insightful Worksheets

    Every lesson comes with practical exercises designed to help you clarify your thoughts, and nudge you into new territory as you grow and serve your audience.

    +2 Bonus Modules

    The DIY Audience-Building Audit and Selling: Value for Value bonus modules will give momentum to your ongoing efforts and help you create stronger calls to action.

    4 x Office Hours

    Four times (roughly every 4 weeks for the duration of the course), we will get together as a class for a 2-hour Zoom call (recorded) to discuss ideas & answer questions.

  • Standing Ovations for Standing Room Only

    Everything I didn't know I needed!

    "This course was everything I didn't know I needed! Finally having the confidence to show up as my authentic self has been a total game-changer, my audience is happily sharing my emails with their friends & engaging with me on social media. Implementing the methods that David teaches in Standing Room Only has drastically changed my thinking and my sales; my first efforts have already doubled my mailing list! 5 stars!"
    ~Linsey Davis, Florida
     

    Gave me so much more confidence.

    "Standing Room Only is so valuable, supportive and encouraging. It gave me so much more confidence in building real connections with my audience and in sharing my creative work in an authentic way. This is a wonderful course for creators who have difficulties sharing, marketing and selling their work. Five stars from me!"

    ~ Sandra Rohde, Germany

     

    This course was a welcome GPS.

    "David teaches you how to deserve your followers. This is a realistic and genuine education on how to better serve your audience, to learn to get out of your own way and recognize the potential for your creative work to reach the people who want to follow and support you. I wish I’d had this information and insight ten years ago. It would have prevented so many mistakes and wrong turns. But I’m grateful I have it now. After driving around in circles for years, this course was a welcome GPS."

    ~ Patrick LaMontagne, Alberta

     

    Ridiculously good value.

    "Standing Room Only gave me the confidence to lean hard into my own niche, to express myself as fully and authentically as possible, and to shift my focus from what makes me different to understanding the value my work has to my audience. Within the first few modules I began fundamentally redesigning my online presence and marketing plans. David has done a tremendous amount of work to bring this course to us, and has the business creds to back it up. This course is ridiculously good value for the knowledge he’s offering. Highly recommended."

    -Jeremy Johnson, Washington

     

    A massive difference to my income.

    "I absolutely love this course. Standing Room Only has altered my whole outlook on sharing my creative work with others. There are no cheesy gimmicks here, but heaps of inspirational, practical and friendly advice - I wish I'd had access to this amazing resource years ago. It's helped me build stronger and new connections with my audience and inspired me to try new things. David's ideas have made a massive difference to my income. I can't wait to build on everything David has taught me to create an even deeper relationship between my audience and the creativity I want to share with them."
    -Helen Hooker, England
     

    Like having a personal business coach.

    "Standing Room Only is like having a personal business coach at a fraction of the cost. The course content is detailed and practical. I will return to the worksheets again and again to keep on tailoring my work to serve my audience. As a visual storyteller a year into launching my own business, this course came at a perfect time. I’ve already incorporated several of the lessons and upped the engagement with my readers. Integrity and generosity are important values to me. SRO taught me tips, strategies and tools to help me get my work out into to the world in a manner that is respectful and successful. Five stars!"

    - Kathy Karn, Ontario

     

     

  • This Might Not Be For You

     

    I'm a big fan of making things to solve a specific problem for a very specific audience. So in that spirit, Standing Room Only is for you if:

    • You're frustrated by your efforts to put your work into the world and to gather a growing, engaged audience around that work. You know you could be having greater impact; you're certain there's a piece of the puzzle you're missing.
       
    • You know there's got to be more to all this than just posting to social media and hoping you get discovered. You're tired of the tactics and wish you had an actual strategy.
       
    • You get excited about the human part of this, the engagement and the connection, and the idea of building something that lasts in a way that feels true.
     
    But it really might not be for you. Standing Room Only probably isn't a good fit for you if:
     
    • You're looking for a quick-fix, or you're hoping to learn "the secret" or to finally discover that one missing piece of information that'll make it all so much easier.
       
    • You're hoping to learn how to get your first followers and fans. Standing Room Only assumes you're already making something that others want.
       
    • You're not open to the idea that, like building anything worthwhile, building an audience and creating impact—and from that, making a living—takes work. Sustained, thoughtful, soul-felt work. Not just for the 12 weeks in which this course takes place, but for the long haul.
       
    • You don't believe your audience deserves your very best, every day, and not just your good-enough once in a while.
       
    • You're happy with occasional posts to social media and have no interest in taking the relationship with your audience deeper, specifically by email. If you have no interest in learning to build and serve your audience by email, or you're not willing to be convinced that email is the most powerful and personal platform from which to engage that audience, then SRO is not for you.
     

    Standing Room Only is not for you if you don't get excited about connecting with your fans and serving them with everything you've got, not only in your art-making but in the relationship you are building with them.

     
    Standing Room Only is an investment. Part of that is obviously financial. But more than that, it is an investment of time and effort. Change isn't easy. But stagnation is even harder. Not seeing the impact you know is possible is also hard, and emotionally costly. And giving up on your dreams? That's harder (and the price is higher) than any artist, creator, or maker should have to pay.
     
     

    If something inside you is saying it's time to stop dabbling and time to start building something astonishing and you're not scared of the kind of work it takes to make anything that comes from the soul, I'd love for you to join us. Your audience is waiting.

  • Some Good Questions

    What if I have no audience at all yet?

     

    If you have no audience at all, I'd be very surprised, but if that's truly the case, Standing Room might not be for you yet. I didn't design this course for people who are so new to this that they're still trying to figure out what they offer to the world and find their very first fan, follower, or customer.
     
    To get the most out of this course you should probably already have some sense of what you do, and what value you offer to the world with what you make. You should already know that there is a small group of people who resonate with what you make. You should already be experimenting with showing your work, and finding your voice. Is there an advantage in taking this course sooner than later? Absolutely!
     
    Standing Room Only was made to help you become really focused on a strategy that encompasses all your efforts to get your work in front of a growing audience, and the sooner you begin to embrace and adapt this strategy to your own way of doing things, the sooner you'll lay the foundations for which there are no shortcuts. Having said that, this course will probably not help you get your very first followers.
     

    How is this course different? What difference will it make?

     

    These might just be the two most important questions you could ask. It's true, there is no shortage of material out there about marketing, though there is less of it specifically for artists and creators. What many of them share is a focus on the geek stuff: how to optimize SEO, how to beat the algorithms on social platforms, post more content, and sell harder. I made Standing Room Only to focus on the longer journey of building a sustainable, ethical, soul-felt way for people like you to get your work into the world. That's the first thing. It's different because artists and creators have different needs, different time constraints, and different budgets than the folks out there that want to be full-time marketers which, I'm guessing, you do not. Neither do I.

     

    It's different because it focuses on people and the relationship between your eventual ideal audience, and you and what you make.

     

    It's different because it was made by someone who cares deeply about the artists and creators he knows and loves. I know how much the ideas and practices in this course can change your life because they have changed mine, taking me from being a bankrupt juggler to a photographer and writer with a very healthy six-figure income that is earned in way that I am proud of and doesn't require that I compromise my values, my integrity, or my art. You can make a living as beautifully as you make your art. I made Standing Room Only to help you do that.

     

    My hope is that this course will change the way you think and feel about marketing. If you felt differently about it, if you didn't feel a little piece of yourself die when you thought about "promotion" or "selling," wouldn't your efforts be more enthusiastic, more creative, more "you"? Wouldn't they become more frequent, more personal, and more compelling? I believe so. They did for me. This course is different because while it is extremely pragmatic and full of great ideas and actionable steps, it is also full of heart, because if we can't engage with our audiences whole-heartedly, they won't engage that way with us or what we make.

     

    Is it worth it?

     

    That's a hard one for me to answer for you. I wouldn't offer this course at this price if I didn't think it was worth much more to you. But we all measure value differently. When I think about how long it took me to learn many of the principles and practices in this course, and how much I would have paid to get straight to what I know now, then the answer is yes. Resoundingly. Your time is worth something. The sooner you lay a strong foundation, and get comfortable with growing and engaging an audience, the sooner that audience can take you up on your invitations to experience more of that work, and share you with their world.

     

    One of my first students, Helen Hooker, is a musician in England. When I asked her about the value of this course, this was her reply: "My initial reaction was "That's a lot of money!" However, having worked through the course, it's absolutely worth every penny." Helen also added, "David's ideas have made a massive difference to my income."

     

    I think if you found just one or two great ideas in Standing Room Only, ideas that changed how you put your work into the world and offered it to your audience, and these ideas allowed you to be more compelling in what you offered, and command higher prices, this course would pay for itself many times over.

     

    But the best way to know this is to enroll, put your back into it, and if you're still not convinced, just let me know within 60 days and I'll happily refund your tuition. I believe the ideas in Standing Room Only can change your life because they have changed mine.

     

    Is this a course about email marketing?


    No. It's about a much larger strategy that uses email as a foundation. I believe email is the most powerful, and effective means of engaging an audience, short of being face to face with them, and is one of the best means for inviting that audience to experience more of what you make.

     

    Social media reach is plummeting and converts poorly to action. That doesn't mean it can't be used effectively, but Standing Room Only is first a course about changing your mindset about how you build and engage with a growing audience, and second about using various platforms to draw that audience to your work (and ultimately, to your website) and then your mailing list, so you can connect with that audience on your terms, when you like, how you like, and with dramatically more effective results.

     

    This is a course about using every tool you care to use to get your audience onto the most powerful and personal platform possible for the relationship between that audience and you, so they can experience more of you and what you make for them. If you are not open to the possibilities created by building an email list and using that list to serve your audience, Standing Room Only will be of much less use to you.

     

    When are the Office Hours Zoom Calls and what if I'm away for a week or two?

     

    Great question. First, the Office Hours Zoom Calls for the 2023 course are scheduled as follows: February 11, March 25, April 15, and May 06. Created with time zones in mind as best as possible, all of them scheduled during the weekend, the Office Hours Zoom Calls will be at 12pm Pacific Time (GMT -7) That's 3pm in New York, 7pm in London, 6am in Sydney (+1 day), and 8am in Wellington (+1 day). Office Hours calls will be recorded and made available immediately after the call.

     

    The course will be released as one new module per week with a one-week break after the 4th and 8th weeks to allow you to catch your breath a little. Once it’s over the materials are all yours, and access will never be revoked. So the only thing you might lose by going at your own pace or being away for a week or two are the 4 two-hour Zoom conference calls. Otherwise you’ll always have the full course available to you (and the recordings of those Office Hours sessions on Zoom). The only thing you can’t do is fast forward through the course because of the weekly lesson release, which I did to encourage a more thoughtful approach and discourage skipping the parts that are more foundational or more challenging.

     

    How long will the Standing Room Only Course take?

     
    The course modules are released once a week for 12 weeks, with 2 one-week breaks to give you time to catch up, and to implement the many principles and practices. The audio lessons in each module average about 20-25 minutes, and the worksheets should take an average of a couple hours every week depending on how deeply you choose to go.
     

    Will Standing Room Only be offered again?

     
    It won't. This is the last chance to enroll. In the second half of 2023 I'll be shfting my focus to other things and I've made the difficult decision to focus on my primary audience and prioritize my teaching for photographers. If you've been on the fence about this course and have that gut feeling that it will help you make some needed changes and gain some momentum, this is the last chance to make Standing Room Only a part of that.

    How do I access this course?

     
    On your laptop, tablet, or mobile device, you'll sign in to the course platform with login credentials you create.
     
    The moment you enroll, you will have access to the Introduction and Module One, with consecutive modules being released every week for 12 weeks, with a one week break after Module 04 and Module 08. Once a module is released you can stream or download (MP3) the audio content, and download all transcripts and worksheets (PDF) to your computer for safe-keeping. The materials are always yours. Office Hours sessions (there are 4 of them, each lasting about 2 hours) will be conducted using Zoom according to the schedule given to you once you enroll.

    Is there any fine-print on your money-back guarantee?

     

    None. If you give this course a fair shake, and enroll in good faith, and it just isn't for you, talk to me within 60 days and I'll happily refund your tuition. No awkward questions, and no refund-shaming.

     

    How do I pay? Are there options? Is it secure?

     
    I want to make this as easy as possible as I can for you. We use both Stripe and PayPal to accept payments. Both are globally-trusted payment gateways that give us access to none of your personal information.
     
    When you click the Enroll Now button, you'll be taken to one single payment page that gives you options for Stripe and PayPal. Super easy and totally secure.

    Wait, aren't you Canadian? Why are prices in USD?

     

    Indeed I am. Sorry. Because the majority of my audience comes from around the world, USD is more easily understood by more people. Also, when I charge in CAD, people start asking if they can just pay with maple syrup, beaver pelts, or canoes instead, and my wife says if I bring one more rack of moose antlers into the igloo there's going to be trouble, eh?

    Anything else I should know?

     

    There sure is. I hate small print. But with anything related to money, I need to remind you that while I make every effort to accurately represent this course and the value I believe it represents to you, there is no guarantee that you will earn any money using the ideas, principles, or techniques in this course. Where I have presented revenue and sales figures I am showcasing exceptional results, which do not necessarily reflect the average experience. You should not rely on any revenue, sales, or earnings information I present as any kind of promise, guarantee, or expectation of any level of success or earnings. Your results will be determined by a number of factors over which I have no control, such as your financial condition, skills, experiences, level of effort, education, or changes within the economy. Running a business of any kind carries risks, and your use of any information contained in this course is at your own risk. Subject to my 60-day money-back refund policy, I provide content without any express or implied warranties. By enrolling in this course, you agree that my company and I are not responsible for any decision you might make about your own business.

     

    Do you have other questions?

     

    If there's something I haven't explained well, or there's something I can clear up for you, please don't hesitate to ask. Hit the big red button below where it says "More Questions?" and my team or I will do whatever we can to help.

     

  •  

    More Questions? Need Help?

    Send me an email here. My team and I have got your back.

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