E-Course Envy

If there is one thing I am sure about, it's that you should never, ever stop learning.  I've taken several e-courses and several in person classes since I have graduated from college, and they have been some of the most valuable ways I could have spent my time and money.  

This post is about how much I would love, love, love to take the following e-courses, but I most likely will not be able to since money is so tight right now...  Oh, and there is one amazing in person class I'd love to take on the list too.

*Mindy Lacefield's "Paint Your Story" Class: I've been a huge fan of Mindy's artwork ever since I first stumbled upon her shop a few years ago while trolling around on Etsy.  Her paintings are so honest and raw, and the way she uses color is so sophisticated and simply breathtaking.  I don't think I've ever seen a painting or a print of Mindy's that I didn't want to own and proudly display on my walls.  I've purchased a few little things from her over the years, and I cherish each work so much!  You can check out her Etsy shop by going here.  I am so thrilled that she is offering a class to show you how she goes about telling stories with her paintings and how she is able to make marks so fearlessly.  If I could choose just one e-course to take this year, it would surely be this one...  Even just the promo video alone gives me goosebumps and makes me want to start making things immediately!

*Art Journal All Year with Elsie and Rachel of Red Velvet.  I recently found Elsie's blog, A Beautiful Mess, while looking through the photos of my Flickr contacts.  Elsie has been a contact of mine for a long time, and I always admired her lovely photos, but I didn't realize she had a blog until a few months ago.  I'm probably the last one on the planet to discover her blog, ha ha!  Anyway, this e-course looks wonderful, and it will keep you occupied and full of new writing and art ideas for your journal for the whole year!  I'd love to take this class.

*Mondo Beyondo.  I took this last year, and it was amazing!  I'd love to take it again this year, especially now that I am self employed and could spend more time truly absorbing each lesson!  So great.  I have already crossed two things off my Mondo Beyondo list that I made last year... I quit my day job and met my favorite artist, Sabrina Ward Harrison.

*Kelly Rae Roberts' Class, Hello Soul, Hello Business.  I took Kelly Rae's Flying Lessons course the first time it was offered, and I loved it.  It was so inspirational, motivating, and informative, and I can only imagine how great this new class will be!  The roster of people contributing to the class is amazing in and of itself!  You can check out the list and see for yourself by going here.

*Six Weeks to a Creative Business by Apri Bowles-Olin of The Blacksburg Belle.  I first found out about April's site from the Etsy Success Symposium, and I couldn't believe all of the great information April offers on her site to help artists succeed in their businesses.  She is a gifted and knowledgeable speaker, as you can clearly see in the videos she puts up on her site.  I can only imagine how wonderful and inspiring this class would be!  She also has another great class available online, ARTrepreneur, and you can check it out here.

*Angela Ritchie's Ace Camps with Camilla Engman in Sweden!  This is the one in-person class I'd love to take this year, especially because I'd love to go to Sweden!  Oh, how I wish I could afford to travel more this year in general...  Whining aside, Camilla Engman makes beautiful things, and I am sure she would be an amazing and inspiring teacher.  Have you seen her Suitcase Series book put out by Uppercase?  It's SO fantastic - one of my very favorite books in the whole world.  And I cannot say enough wonderful things about Angela Ritchie's Ace Camps.  I had the privilege of attending Sabrina Ward Harrison's Ace Camp last year, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime.  The instruction, the accommodations, the connections I made there, the food....well, everything was pitch perfect, and I couldn't have imagined a better trip.  It is seriously one of the best things I have ever done for myself - right up there with getting a dog (and if you know how much I love my dog, that's saying a lot!).  I long to go on another one, and I hope that I will be able to again at some point in my life.

If I could take ALL of the above classes, it would be a dream come true!  Hopefully I will be able to take some of them in the near future.  I'll keep you posted.

And in case you are curious, the photo at the top of the post is a picture of the book you will make in my PDF Tutorial Class, The Tiny Book of Memories.  It's a work-at-your-own-pace class full of art and writing prompts that will inspire you and get you creating!  You can learn more about the class by going here.

If you are like me and can't afford to take a paid class but still want to learn some creative stuff, check out my free tutorial videos here or pop in every Friday for a free drawing lesson.

What classes are you taking online right now?  What classes do you wish you could take?  Leave a comment below and tell me what your dream class list would be...