#HTE

Skillshare Classes to Keep Your Creative Energy Flowing All Winter Long

In preparation for both winter and the need to pull ourselves away from the news, we’ve gathered a selection of Skillshare courses that we’re loving here at Colossal. This new grouping features multi-lesson courses focused on various mediums to channel your creative energy, whether through portraiture, personal essays, or visual storytelling. For even more art, design, and illustration lessons, check out our previous recommendations from the popular online platform, too.

Artist Chris Hong is adept at sketching whimsical scenes and rich portraits, a skill she shares in a 12-part course. Aimed at those with some drawing experience, the class explores the basics of light, shadow, and structure and how to infuse renderings with life-like qualities.

Writer and editor Roxane Gay is known for crafting nuanced essays that expertly connect personal moments with larger conversations about race, gender, and identity. Through 11 lessons, Gay offers practical advice about generating ideas, research, and prepping for publication for writers of all backgrounds: “Whether you want to finish your memoir, develop your writing craft, or explore putting pen to paper for the first time, your voice matters. This class is a jumpstart to finding your voice, your story, and sharing it with the world.”

There’s a bleak outlook for travel in the next few months, but Chicago-based photographer trashhand teaches students how to find the otherwise unseen beauty in our immediate surroundings. You’ll want to have some basic photography knowledge prior to joining either his street or cityscape classes, which dive into techniques for taking candids, conveying motion, and shooting upward to capture abstract architectural shots.

Writer, educator, and designer Debbie Millman chats with four renowned creatives—Giorgia Lupi, Adam J. Kurtz, Pam Butler, and Paul Sahre—in a series of exclusive interviews about the art of visual storytelling. Learn to combine art and narrative in a compelling, personal way through seven lessons.

There’s no shortage of articles laying out the ever-elusive ideal routine for creatives, complete with varying rituals and habits. Despite their diverse approaches, the single throughline seems to be that we all need to find what works best for us, a notion that founder and CEO of Skillshare Michael Karnjanaprakorn adopts. Designed for workers of all stripes, the quick 35-minute course teaches students to map out their weeks and shares strategies for prioritizing, scheduling, and crafting “short-term systems for long-term success.”