All the Pretty Courses
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
Chinese Proverb
Nelly and Isobel fabrics sitting on a side table that I French Polished many years ago
I do love learning. Always have. Show me a course on a subject I am interested in and I am eager to enrol. Sometimes a little too eager.
Apart from my time in formal education, I have enrolled in and completed several courses over the years. All simply to keep my brain and hands busy and because they interested me. Some of my favourites from the years before the internet are -
a Proofreading and Editing course via correspondence (do correspondence courses even exist anymore?)
learning how to French Polish furniture
a Patchwork & Quilting course
and Piano lessons
An eclectic mix but they all piqued my curiosity and satiated my yearning for learning. (Despite the rhyme, poetic writing is not something I have learned…yet…) Apart from the correspondence course, they each involved me driving (usually at night) to a venue and committing my focus for the allotted time. Once they came to an end I had - a restored piece of furniture, a (almost finished) handmade quilt, newfound skills, and expanded knowledge. Most importantly, there was a feeling of accomplishment, a rewarding sense of ‘I did that’.
These days all of the above can be learnt and experienced through the marvels of the internet. With online courses, we have the flexibility and accessibility to so many opportunities, and the options are endless. Want to learn how to use watercolours? There are courses and YouTube classes for that. Want to learn how to put together your self-published book? Yep, go to Google and pick from the pages of tutorials. Does embroidery interest you? Detailed videos await. No matter your lifestyle or schedule, you can fit an online course into your week at a time that suits you. Working at your own pace, often having lifetime access to your classes. It was through an online course that I, someone without a professional design qualification, learned how to create Surface Pattern Designs. (Taking that course was by far the best course decision I have ever made.)
Studying through your computer, laptop, or whatever device you like, can feel isolating. A way around this has been the introduction of ‘communities’ attached to the various courses. Often held within a social media platform or similar, these spaces offer a place to interact and collaborate with instructors and fellow students, helping us to gain different perspectives and make new connections.
Connections. I’ve made many through the courses I have taken and now have online pals from all around the world with whom I chat regularly. The feedback, advice and encouragement I have received from this network of connections have been reassuring and often invaluable. I will forever be grateful for the support from my online classmates.
Online learning over the last couple of years has experienced an explosion of offerings. The pandemic has played a huge role in how the world now operates. During lockdowns and restrictions on movement, the internet became the funnel for our communication, work, and learning. Advancements in technology have now made it easier for anyone to create an online course. Some say that everyone has a course in them, a skill others want to learn. ‘Teach it’ you hear. But sometimes… just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Teaching is an expert skill, and watching a professional educator at work is inspiring. Anyone who has taken an online course will testify to the power of a ‘great teacher’ and your learning. The ability to deliver content that engages and educates is an art, whether you are teaching in a conventional classroom or online, there is still the theatre of performing. And those who can perform well in conjunction with an extensive knowledge of their subject will always do well.
I recently read these words relating to all the online courses on offer these days - ‘It’s essential to keep in mind that some teachers are in the business of selling people back their own dreams.’ Boom. That hit me. As someone who is constantly enrolling in the next course, what am I searching for? I know there is no magic method or lesson that makes everything easy and all my dreams come true. Why do I feel the need to keep learning a new way to do something I already know? Why the uncertainty in my capabilities?
“You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
Richard Branson
It has taken some time but finding confidence in my abilities has helped me realise that for my Surface Pattern journey, I need to find my individual organic way, make my mistakes, and grow as a creative. And be more discerning with the classes I choose! Because there is absolutely NO doubt I will be taking more online courses…. I just need to make sure they offer value to me and the path I’m travelling.
Have you taken an online course that changed the way you create or think? Or are you an ‘I’ll work this out on my own’ person? Let me know!
