Online Learning

Learning new things

Lately I’ve been thinking about how I am inspired and how I learn new things. I think written classes can be fun, but I am most inspired with IRL teaching or videos online. I love love love watching other people create! My favorite kind of classes is not posted daily but the kind where you get everything at once and can choose when and how you want to watch it. I guess it is because I don’t like to wait and I don’t have time daily to log into a class and check it. I want and prefer instant access.

Though I also thought the way Darrah Parker did her photography class was neat: a weekly email to remind me to log into the workshop online, and get the weekly prompt. The text was presented in a long lovely blog post with lots of photo examples. Words are inspiring too, especially when “wordy” and full of inspirational ideas to try. That inspires me too. I also am really appreciative when I can download something that I’ve paid for and use it when ever I like! If the videos are not down-loadable I will consider it twice if I’ll pay for it.

Video material as workshops

Video workshops that you can download are just awesome! I have watched Alisa Burke’s Creating Vivid Mixed-Media Fabric several times and put it on the laptop while I painted with acrylics on fabric, both as inspiration and company! I recently bought (and downloaded) Lyric Kindard’s video Surface design but I haven’t had time to watch it yet because the sun’s been out all Easter and I’ve been doing what Pam is telling her daughter Sister Diane to do: Go outside and craft!

Learning from Julie would be fun

Congratulations to Julie Prichard and her art companion Chris for having sold 2000 spots to their awesome mixed media workshops online! That is quite an accomplishment! I hope you don’t mind that I am promoting something Julie is doing, since I don’t do these things very often. I’ve been a fan of Julie’s blog/work for a long time (though now she does not have much time for her blog anymore). I think that you will learn a lot + have a lot of fun if you buy one of their classes – and if you do it now you’ll be entered into the “classes for life” drawing! I would really love to win a free place in their workshops; I am über curious and imagine they are super fun to watch and follow along with.

With mixed media you can never learn everything, and there is always something new to learn. Each new page (or canvas) is a new learning experience if you let it be.