Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
We couldn’t agree more with Thomas Huxley’s saying, “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.”
It’s especially important for professional artists who juggle being entrepreneurs, marketing gurus, and more.
Maybe you’re yearning to explore social media marketing more in-depth, want to earn a certificate in photography or graphic design, or would love some extra advice on personal development. Learning a new skill online is a great way to boost your expertise and sell more art, but where do you find these classes?
Whether you choose a university course, a class you can listen to while working in the studio, or a five-minute video lesson each morning, we’ve rounded up eight expert sites for artists to learn new skills that can help turn creating art into a thriving career.
1. Highbrow
Want to gain some skills but don’t have time for a full-blown class in the midst of running an art business? Highbrow might be the answer. With Highbrow, you can sign up to have free five minute lessons sent daily to your email where you can learn anything from business tips to personal development.
Quickly learn tricks about active listening, productivity, or even finding your niche as an artist in Highbrow’s mini-lessons each morning.
2. Udemy
Learn new skills at your own pace with online courses from Udemy. With more than 40,000 courses to choose from that start at $13.99, you're sure to find a class that can aid your efforts in running an art business.
Need a refresher on social media? Or maybe you are better at handling visuals in your art marketing strategy than writing? Take a look at these classes on social media marketing and copywriting.
3. Skillshare
This site features hundreds of free and premium videos offering a wide range of creative and business courses. This makes it a popular choice for artists looking to expand their skill sets.
Learning a new trade on Skillshare in design, photography, business, technology, writing, and more could help take your art career to the next step.
Find video lessons on everything from better storytelling to how to start an art business.
Add to your art business repertoire and display your expertise by even teaching your own classes on Skillshare.
4. Coursera
Looking for something more substantial? Try Coursera, a popular site to take online courses developed and taught by some of the best universities and learning institutions.
Dive into a single class to sharpen your soft skills like the University of Virginia’s “Introduction to Personal Branding.” Or, pay to learn an entire specialization that will allow you to take multiple courses on a certain subject. You can even earn a certificate when finished!
Perhaps you want to gain some design experience to enhance your art marketing or add another element to your art business? California Institute of the Arts offers beginners a four-course specialization in graphic design on Coursera.
Because these classes are taught and certified by some impressive educational institutions, you may have to pay for Coursera’s classes. It’s all up to you and what you want to learn.
5. The Futur
The Futur is dedicated to providing education and resources for creative professionals, including artists, on topics like branding and entrepreneurship. Their mission is to equip creatives with the skills and insights needed to make a living doing what they love.
With topics like Brand Strategy, Lead Generation, and Content Creation, artists can browse videos and articles full of tips, tricks, and strategies that can help navigate the creative industry with confidence.
6. edX
Another great site to take classes from respected universities all over the world is edX. Like Coursera, these esteemed classes can range from being free to paying a fee. At the successful completion of some classes, you can pay to receive a certification in that area that you can add to your resume
Need a suggestion of what to take? Enhance your art marketing strategy with this introductory course on marketing, a free class offered by the University of British Columbia.
5. CreativeLive
With course categories like Art and Design or Money and Life, CreativeLive is a great place for creatives like you to learn something new. Search through their list of free or paid video lessons taught by experts to find something that will complement your art business needs.
Dabble in a free class about boosting trust and online sales or pay more to gain some insight on negotiation techniques for creatives.
7. The Art Business Institute
The Art Business Institue (ABI) is a non-profit educational organization established by the Rosen Group.
8. Artwork Archive Blog
With topics ranging from selling art and social media marketing to business tips and resources for artists, you are going to want to keep up with our blog posts. Signing up for Artwork Archive puts you on the email list for our Weekly Digest where you can have our newest art business blogs sent directly to you each week.
The Artwork Archive blog can help artists learn how to manage their art careers.
Ready to learn?
It’s no surprise that learning new skills can help you run a more successful art business. But, it can be hard to know where to find the right place to learn these skills.
Whether you want go all in with a structured class or specialization, a video you can listen to in the studio, or a five minute lesson in your inbox, our list has a place for any artist to grow and help his or her art business flourish.
