Amazing Online Classes for Creatives

1. Alt Channel Classes from Altitude Summit–I have wanted to go to Alt Summit since it debuted in early 2010, but it just didn’t seem like a possibility for me for a long time. It’s far away, I have young kids, my husband has a job that he doesn’t get a lot of time off from. So when Alt Summit started offering some of their most popular conference panels as online classes last year, I jumped at the chance to learn from some of the bloggers I admire most, and I signed up for classes like they were going out of style. With offerings as varied as “Expanding Your Audience” and “Brand Protection Through Trademarks”, these 1 hour, $15 classes are the very best bang for your buck when it comes to online learning. Right now, the Alt Channel is holding registration for its second all-online conference, Alt for Everyone, which will take place the last weekend in September. For $135, you get to take 7 online classes, tune in to a keynote address from someone amazing, attend a virtual blogger meet-up, and get a goodie bag full of fun items delivered to your door. And it is so much fun!

2. The Style Lab by Confetti Pop–Confetti Pop co-founders Shauna and Maddie have style and industry experience to spare, and they are generous enough to share their photo styling expertise with all of us! The Style Lab is a 4-week crash course in photo styling, covering basics like vocabulary, budgeting, and simple food and floral styling tips, as well as more advanced topics like creating dynamic photos and building a brand through prop use. I took their course in the Spring, and it has made a huge difference in the way I style photos! And a little bird told me that they have a few spots open in their session that starts next week, so hurry and sign up now!

3. Floral Arranging 101 by Chelsea Fuss for Nicole’s Classes–Arranging flowers has been at the top of my list of things to master for so long now. I’ve always dreamed of owning a flower shop someday–feel free to call me Eliza Doolittle next time we chat! But I don’t have a natural talent for it, which is where Chelsea Fuss comes in! Chelsea, of the captivating blog, {frolic!}, is extraordinarily gifted in the flower department; she has a knack for making arrangements that look enchanting and wild and effortless. And now, she’s sharing a little bit of her magic with us through her Floral Arranging 101 class for Nicole’s Classes. In this 4-week course, you’ll learn how to create a hand-tied bouquet, make a show-stopping wild English-garden arrangement, form a simple but elegant flower crown, and make an entire set of wedding flowers, from bouquet to boutonniere. There are videos to watch, lists of supplies, a gallery where you can upload pictures of your homework, and generous but instructive feedback from Chelsea.

4. I Still Love Calligraphy by Melissa Esplin–I’m slowly but surely checking things off of my “Someday I’ll Learn How To” list, and Melissa Esplin’s online calligraphy course is up next. My little box of materials is literally sitting on the floor next to my desk as I type. Melissa, who is talented in just about every way imaginable, has been inspiring the web with her unique style for years, doing calligraphy work for brands, blogs, and the occasional stylish bash. She teaches live calligraphy workshops regularly across the country, and now, thanks to the magic of the world wide web, she teaches an online workshop too! The I Still Love Calligraphy course is designed for individuals to work at their own pace over the course of a month, so you can sign up whenever you want and work on it in the evenings, on the weekends, or whenever you can squeeze it into your hectic schedule. And as generous as she is talented, Melissa is offering a discount to Lulu the Baker readers! Just use the code LULU at checkout to save $5 on the I Still Love Calligraphy course before the end of September!

5. Mastering the Art of Paper Flower Making by Brittany Jepsen on Skillshare–This class is the next one I plan to cross off my list! Have I already said that? OK, then the one after that. Brittany is the undisputed queen of paper flowers, her work having been featured on the Today Show, at the Royal Danish Embassy, and on the pages of Vogue! She has taught paper flower workshops all over the country (were you lucky enough to attend one this summer?), and is bringing her talent online with a new Skillshare class. Her Paper Flowers course is a self-paced workshop that will teach you how to create 3 different kinds of paper flowers plus greenery (templates included!), and the basics of flower arranging. And the lovely Brittany is offering a discount to Lulu the Baker readers!! Click HERE and use the code LULU at checkout to save 15% on the Paper Flowers class–Hooray for generosity!