Pros
- getting paid to paint and teach others how to paint - fun, energetic working atmosphere that is laid back and more casual - Solid work environment. Most co-workers at my location were kind, funny, and willing to help out when needed. In the beginning, there was a great sense of camaraderie and a lot of us would come in early to work to have paint sessions and hangout. -Opportunity to display/sell your own work and keep 100% of the profits
Cons
-The disconnect between studio employees and upper management was some of the worst I've ever seen. Every suggestion that came down the pipe was not essential to the day-to-day workings. Over time, they expected employees to complete more and more tasks with the same amount of pay. We saw a lot of incentives go out the window and upper management expected us to be happy about the loss of money. -Worked there for almost two years without a pay raise or any true appreciation. I came in early to help co-workers setup for sessions, picked up shifts when I could fit it in my schedule, and always worked really hard to be professional and provide a good, entertaining environment for customers yet was not a "favorite" of upper management so most of what I did was overlooked. My job was threatened on several accounts when I had a scheduling conflict. Upper management expects you to have full time availability (without full time pay) and expects you to participate in the most obnoxious group chat 24/7. The group chat is petty and vindictive, allowing upper management to berate employees verbally from miles away without actually knowing the inner workings of that particular studio. - I did not get paid on time or correctly on several occasions and was not the only employee. At a time during my employment, this was my primary income so the lack of funds impacted me severely. When I tried to address this with my senior management, I was told to be patient. When I didn't hear anything for several days, my senior management would direct message me and tell me to stop complaining on the group chat and there wasn't anything they could do about the pay mishap. Gross and accusatory conduct from management when they should have worked to fix the problem. -Favoritism is a huge thing at Muse. If you don't get in with the right people, you will never get the best sessions or get promoted. They promoted "friends" over more qualified candidates and upper management positions were never promoted as openings so employees didn't even have the opportunity to submit an application.