Currently: Creative Learning on Skillshare + Discount Code

So many things I want to learn, and such little time! I balance my full time job with the blog and a few other things, and find it challenging to learn new things in limited time. So Skillshare , an online catalog of e-courses, seemed like a great way to have learning “on demand” (like Netflix lol!) and strengthen my skills in lettering, blogging, and watercolor. Today I’m sharing my review of the Skillshare online platform and snagged you a discount code to try it free for two months! Skillshare is usually $15 a month, so this might be a great trial run if you’ve been interested in trying it out.

Note: this is a sponsored post, and my thoughts are my own.  Honesty is important to me, and I will always share what I believe.

Creative Learning On SkillShare + Discount Code

First, of course I had to make a spread for all of my Skillshare  classes I wanted to take, with space for the page number of my notes!  Skillshare lets you save classes you’re interested in, but there’s something comforting about going through it in paper.

Digitizing Calligraphy From Sketch to Vector, Molly Suber Thorpe

This was the first Skillshare class I took, because I wanted to understand how to digitize lettering the “pre-iPad” way and further understand things like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I was drawn to the class because I have Molly’s Modern Calligraphy book and loved the breakdowns in the book, so trusted her as a teacher.

She is so clear about her instruction, and she articulates detailed instructions in a way that 1) helps you understand what you’re doing and 2) demonstrates that she is a bad ass at this professionally. This class walked through all of the different steps to use Photoshop and Illustrator for calligraphy in concise ways and there was a section she seemed to have added later to address a gap she noticed with her students, which means a lot to me.

Watercolor Textures for Graphic Design, Teela Cunningham

Although I’ve been able to practice calligraphy and lettering, watercolor is something I want to get better at, and getting it into digital form is something that seems so magical to me.  Teela Cunningham is another popular artist I’ve followed on Instagram for a while so I was compelled to take two of her Skillshare classes.

Teela values being concise, and she fast forwards through the working parts, or cuts out extra words so you have just the instructions you need. She gives two different options of paint which helps give me options depending on what I already have on hand.  It’s so helpful to see something like art demonstrated to you in this way (and longer

Intro to iPad Lettering, Teela Cunningham

Teela also was one of the first artists I knew to teach others about the iPad Pro for lettering – and I had yet to take time to learn the subtle tricks on my newest tech purchase.  It does feel fast at times, but again it’s because she has made the videos super concise. I would pause, play, practice, play, and picked up a lot of fun new tricks to use in my own lettering like using different layers to add color or textures.  It inspired me to think about creating my own color and textures next, to add more personal flair and versatility to my own work!

Unlock Your Creativity: Learn to Think Like a Designer, Faye Brown

As a teacher myself I appreciate classes that focus on teaching a set of principles and skills rather than just imitation of a specific project. Since I want to make my custom pieces more robust, I was drawn to the title of the course.  Creativity is a tough and abstract muscle to flex, but Faye had a lot of tangible and concrete activities to help exercise my artistic skills in new ways.  She is direct but encouraging and it’s clear that I’ll need to come back to these exercises again and again to get the full learning over time.

Overall Thoughts:

The feature I love about the Skillshare platform  is honestly the way the course is split up into smaller pieces.  That makes it easier for me to go back and digest all the information in each clip and makes it all seem much less overwhelming.  And, if you have inconsistent internet it helps to load in short increments at a time.  For me, following along any video using software is tricky and I found myself pausing and rewinding a LOT – so I could pace it and not feel silly for needing to hear it a 5th time.

The internet makes it so easy for us to access new knowledge or skills and Skillshare has a lot of options to start from.  If you are a self paced learner or appreciate the flexibility of learning at any time or season, or want to revisit lessons again and again, this is definitely worth checking out.  

If you want to browse through classes for your next hobby or to deepen a current passion, try it out for free for two months! Save the $15 per month by trying out the free offer, especially if you’re interested in expanding your creative skills. Let me know what you end up trying!

Jessica