Earlier this summer, I received an email asking me to pay around 130 USD to keep access to an art class that I had paid hundreds for the year before.
I had gifted myself this class for my birthday last year, so I could dive deeper into abstract expressionism and try different mediums.
The class was good, but I cannot say it was worth what I spent on it, so you can imagine how I felt when I was being asked to dish out even more money for content I already paid for.
This led me to really think about my own art learning experiences. The fact of the matter is, I learned more watching YouTube videos than anything else. The last time I checked, YouTube was absolutely free.
There are thousands of incredible artists who share on free platforms and and encourage you to learn.
A lot of those artists do go on and create classes on places such as Skillshare and still make it very accessible to the masses that way.
I am not knocking artists who teach and make money, I am looking to one day hold some fun workshops, and maybe even do some Skillshare classes myself. But charging exorbitant amounts and not even allowing you to keep access is a bit much. Or having you pay for a class only to lose access in a set time is also problematic.
Especially when so much is available for free.
Almost all of the techniques that I paid for, I subsequently found on YouTube and Instagram as well.
Art is meant to be for everyone, it’s meant to be inclusive.
If I could do it over again, I wouldn’t have paid for that class, I would’ve stuck to YouTube or other learning platforms if I wanted to support other artists.
I encourage you to do the same if you are looking into learning, especially if you are just starting. Please don’t think you have to spend hundreds on courses to get good at something, art supplies are expensive enough, (that’s a whole other matter).
The most important thing I have found is practice, be light-hearted, experiment, and above all else, enjoy yourself.