Have you tried online classes?

Through learning the basics of Adobe Illustrator from Nicole’s Classes online, I was able to utilize the skills to create our our 2013 infographic Christmas card. Alma Loveland is an incredible artist and teacher.

One of the things I have come to realize about myself in recent years is that I love to learn and consume new information. It may be a little obsessive, but I can’t help it. In fact, one of the reasons this blog exists is to serve as an outlet for what I learn.

Books, podcasts, blogs and online classes are my information sources of choice. You probably have gathered I love books based on the amount of posts about books I am reading or recently finished.  I already blogged about my addiction to podcasts HERE, so I won’t elaborate much more. As for blogs, I must say, I learn so much from them, but often find they suck the productivity out of me, so I am trying to create some limits there as I posted about HERE. Today, I wanted to touch on online classes a bit.

Living in a small town, online learning has really been an invaluable experience for me. Having access to working, thriving professionals who are the best in their fields as my teachers? No brick and mortar university (at least not one I can afford or know of) would be able to offer me that.

When you talk about taking online classes, most people will assume you are going for some kind of degree. Probably because the traditional model of education is set up in a way that offers the classes as a means to an end (a degree). But for those of us who are passionately curious or have specific skills we want to gain, the online classroom is where it’s at!

Over the past few years, I have tried several online learning platforms that I have enjoyed, which I thought I’d summarize for you.

Here are the places I have taken classes from and a little bit about what makes them unique:

Nicole’s Classes – This was my first experience with online classes. I took 10 of their classes in 2013.  Some of my favorites were Photography 101& 102, Illustrator 101, Photoshop 101 & 102, Principles of Good Design and Typography. The classes are 4 weeks in length and each week you can watch on your own schedule. Homework for each week is due on Sunday evenings. One of the reasons Nicole’s Classes is so good is the quality of their instructors and the fact that they actually review your homework. Sound scary? It’s not! They are super positive, give great tips, excellent feedback, and will answer specific questions when you have them. To be able to have a talented professional in their area of expertise critique your work and be there to answer questions is so helpful. At the time I took the classes, you only had access for the month you purchased the class for, but now they allow you lifetime access to the class modules which is very handy so you can go back and rewatch sections as you need or want.

Skillshare -Skillshare is a self-paced option with phenomenal quality instructors, and countless categories of classes. Anything from cooking to how to write your own illustrated book, and many more. I’ve taken Intro to Hand Lettering and Photoshop Fundamentals on Skillshare and really enjoyed them. This is more of a “watch and learn”, unless you participate in the end of course project. If you would like to share your project when you finish, you can upload them onto site to share with the community of students also taking the class. For some people, this might sound dreadful. However, there is something about knowing you want to upload your finished product that will make you really retain the knowledge. Skillshare is set up where you can purchase the classes individually, or for a low monthly subscription ($8/month), you can have access to all of the classes you want.

Creative Live – Creative Live is another really cool concept for online learning. The breadth and depth of the content will blow your socks off. It probably has the highest caliber instructors and production of any of the online learning options I have listed today. Here’s how it works: they source the best of the best in a creative field. I am talking icons here (Anne Geddes, anyone?) They post the dates that they will be filming the class. If it is a class you want to watch, you RSVP. That way they can send you reminders as it gets closer. So while they are filming the first class live, you can watch it for FREE as it is happening. After that point, you can purchase the class at any point to watch and have lifelong access to. The only negative to watching it live, is that the free live classes can be several hours long, so you have to be ready to be in a dedicated space to watch the class. They do take breaks though, which is good.

Atly – Atly is newer than the others, however another really good choice. They have the essential offerings like DSLR Photography, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc., but also some unique classes like , Creative Children’s Spaces and How to Create an Interior Fabric and Color Scheme, both of which I took last week. I plan on taking Kirsten’s other two interior design courses as well. Atly has very good prices for their classes if you just want to watch and learn. If you want to have access to instructor feedback on your class assignments, there is an upgrade charge for that. With only two classes under my belt, I would say that my initial take is that the class content seems a little “lighter” than the other classes I have taken. However, I think that would probably be a good thing if you are someone who wants to dip their toe in the online learning arena. You will not be overwhelmed. Also, they have just announced a brand new Freshly Picked Biz School series that looks phenomenal.

I highly recommend that if you are looking to expand your skills or knowledge in any area you can imagine, look into these options or even others that are out there. You might get the “bug” too.

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