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As technology has advanced over the past several years, online classes have exploded. In fact, we bring you dozens of the best creative classes each month over a wide variety of platforms where you can expand your learning. But have you ever considered teaching?

Teaching your own online class (or classes) can be a great way to share your knowledge and create a new side hustle that could even turn into something full-time with the right amount of effort. And if you think there may not be a lot of money in the industry, think again. Forbes estimates that the e-learning market will grow 5% over the next 6 years, exceeding $240 billion.

The nice thing is that these days there are plenty of platforms where you can get started with teaching. While some, like Lynda or CreativeLive, put out calls for teachers, others—like Skillshare—allow you to get started immediately, for free. And with tools like Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and Google Hangouts, you can even transform your following into a training ground and gauge interest in courses.

Let’s take a look at what you should consider before getting started, what platforms are available, and how to set yourself up for success.

Is teaching online classes right for me?

Whether you’re into embroidery art or photo manipulation, hand lettering or watercolor illustrations, chances are your creative skill could make the perfect online class. But how do you know if teaching is right for you? Here are some things to consider.

Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge?

Are you a good communicator?

Are you able to pull apart your creative process step by step?

Do you like answering questions about your work?

Do you like working with technology?

Do you have time to properly plan and engage with your students?

If you’ve answered yes to the majority of those questions, it’s time to think about what you’ll teach and how it will be structured.

If you want to learn more about why people teach online, check out this interesting video from one of Skillshare’s top instructors.

Getting started with online teaching

Enthusiasm is fantastic, but what are the practical things you should consider when getting started with teaching online? If you’ve never had any formal teaching experience, it will be vital to get organized. Here are some things to consider when brainstorming for your classes and pulling together your lessons.

When thinking about what to teach, select your subject carefully. Too wide a theme can make it difficult to go in-depth into any one area and too niche a theme can alienate your student base. Spend some time doing a bit of keyword research and find out what people are looking for. Answer The Public allows you to type in any keyword and see questions people are asking, as well as the search volume.

Another great way to discover what people are looking for—or what is missing in the online teaching world—is to search some of the top platforms. What subjects seems to be the most popular? How can you differentiate yourself enough to attract students without competing against an oversaturated field? If you have a strong following, you may also want to survey your fans using Facebook, Instagram, or a newsletter. Remember, these people may be some of your first students, so understanding why they love your art and what they’d like to learn from you is key.

The next step is thinking about your course structure. It can take weeks to pull together a successful, well thought out lesson plan. This initial time investment is well worth it, as a clear plan will give you confidence and ensure your students have the proper expectations and get the most out of the course. And as you’ll be running the class on an ongoing basis, you’ll gain this time back in the long run.

Watch this video from CreativeLive as Ashley Nickels explains why creating a lesson plan is important.

The post How to Get Started Teaching Online Creative Classes appeared first on My Modern Met.

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Rock art is one of the most primitive visual forms used to express the rites, rituals, and religions of early cultures. A global phenomenon, different types of rock art are found around the world and now, for the first time, researchers have discovered dateable cave art in the Caribbean.

Surveys of around 70 cave systems on the now-uninhabited Puerto Rican island of Mona revealed a stunning quantity of cave art from the 14th century. As the work of the Tainos people, who once lived there, these visual records demonstrate life on the island well before Columbus discovered the island in 1493. Drawings were discovered in 30 caves, and with 100 more left in the survey, there will surely be more revealed.

This fascinating glimpse into the Tainos culture is the first opportunity for researchers to date rock art in the Caribbean. The breakthrough work was led by a team of academics from the universities of Leicester and Cambridge, the British Museum, and the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico. The full findings were recently published in a paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

“For the millions of indigenous peoples living in the Caribbean before European arrival, caves represented portals into a spiritual realm, and therefore these new discoveries of the artists at work within them captures, the essence of their belief systems and the building blocks of their cultural identity,” shares Dr. Jago Cooper of the British Museum.

The rock art sites are filled with iconography containing human, animal, and abstract forms. Interestingly, it seems that the Tainos people also experimented with their artistic execution methods. In some instances, they scratched the surface of the soft rocks with their fingers, revealing the lighter layer below. This is similar to a technique called finger-fluting found in Palaeolithic rock art in southern Europe.

In other cases, the images were painted or drawn on with bat excrement. After absorbing minerals on the cave floor, the excrement would turn yellow, red, or brown. Plant resin was sometimes used as a binder to help the paint stick to the wall, and there are occasional instances where charcoal was applied.

The wealth of art helps us understand more about Mona’s role as an island and enforces the importance of caves to Tainos culture. Not only were they a place where the first humans came from, according to Tainos mythology, they were also the birthplaces of the sun and moon. The Tainos people also frequently used caves as burial sites, as they were seen as a place where humans and deities could commune. Altogether, the Caribbean rock art certainly demonstrates the influence and importance of this now abandoned area.

“As a Puerto Rican these groups of people that visited and lived in Mona Island are my ancestors, and their story is of utmost importance,” shared Ph.D. student Victor Serrano, who was a member of the student team. “Working in those caves, as part of the Corazon del Caribe archaeological project, is hard but fun work.”

Researchers have discovered a wealth of rock art on the uninhabited Puerto Rican island of Mona.

The cave art is the first to be dated in the Caribbean, with scientific tests placing it as pre-Columbian art from the 14th century.

h/t: [IFL Science!, Independent]

All images via the University of Leicester.

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The ancient art of hand lettering has thrived even in the age of typing and texting. Its quirks and flourishes infuse the written word with personality and offer a graphic way to express its meaning. My Modern Met Co-Founder Alice Yoo fell in love with this facet of graphic design, and it was part of the inspiration behind her new company, Skylar Yoo. Finding strength from empowering phrases like “Girls to the Front,” artists from around the world have hand-lettered these inspirational quotes. Skylar Yoo has placed them on apparel, art prints, and accessories that are specially designed for women.

“The inspiration for [Skylar Yoo’s] first collection came from witnessing a historical day, January 21, 2017,” Alice writes. “In the single largest protest march in human history, women and men came together to ask for governmental change. The Women’s March brought out five million people in 700 marches worldwide to advocate for women’s rights.” Skylar Yoo encourages ladies to be bold, shatter the glass ceiling, and work to create a life they love.

Skylar Yoo’s first collection of hand lettering quotes are visually striking and exciting to see. Clad in bright colors and a variety of graphic styles, the words come alive on t-shirts, enamel pins, and museum-quality prints. They are meant to be proudly displayed on yourself or in your home. They are also intended for you to spread the positive messages, making them the perfect gift for the hard-working woman in your life.

We spoke with Alice about her journey to creating Skylar Yoo, her love of hand lettering, and where she wants to go from here. Read our interview with her, below.

My Modern Met Co-Founder Alice Yoo started the company Skylar Yoo that uses beautiful hand lettering to illustrate empowering quotes for women.

Here’s a peek into how “Believe in Yourself” was created:

Scroll down to learn more about Skylar Yoo!

How did you decide on the phrases that were hand-lettered? Which one (or ones) resonate with you the most and why?

I deliberately chose words and phrases that would resonate with the modern woman. I quickly learned that phrases like “Girls to the Front” and “Fearless Girl” applies not just to women but to young girls as well. I’m already getting requests to create a toddlers and youth line so those are in the works. The phrase that resonates with me the most is “Bold is the New Beautiful.” I created that myself but it was inspired by photographer Kate T. Parker’s “Strong is the new pretty.” I think today’s definition of beauty has changed. We now admire women for their boldness, their strength, their determination, and their resilience.

In the process of creating Skylar Yoo, what did you learn about the hand lettering process?

After I stumbled upon hand lettering on Instagram, I bought every book I could on it. I was immediately fascinated by the fact that it took hand lettering artists several different skill sets to produce a piece of art. Tobias Saul, one of our featured artists explained it this way:

“You have to know a lot of different type styles and how they are constructed. Additionally, you need drawing skills to bring them to paper. And you have to be able to create different layouts, work with colors, etc. I think this symbiosis of different graphics fields makes hand lettering so fascinating to me. And that maybe differs it from other art forms.”

You share some very personal things on Skylar Yoo. What led to your decision to do that? Does that speak to your larger mission?

In the Skylar Yoo About Us page, I opened up about my personal life and shared one of the hardest times in my life, being locked up in a psychiatric hospital for six weeks. I also shared that I am bipolar. Our motto at Skylar Yoo is, “Be Bold.” If I can’t embody that phrase, how could I ask others to? Also, 10% of all of our profit will go to two charities. 5% will go to fighting for women’s rights and 5% will go to raising awareness of mental health. Both causes are near and dear to my heart.

What was it like to go from writing about artists to playing art director? How much input did you put into the style of the hand lettering? 

Writing about artists for My Modern Met and exposing new art to people was always a thrill. I’d often get these “thank you” emails from artists telling us that, by giving them exposure, we helped change their lives. However, with Skylar Yoo I actually got the chance to choose phrases and pick artists who I thought could bring certain words to life. Then, if something didn’t feel right I could ask an artist to “go back to the drawing board” or just make minor tweaks. It was also fun playing with colors. (I never knew how much I loved the color red!) The fourteen artists I worked with let me be part of their creative process. That was more fun than I could have ever imagined.

Which lettering artist surprised you the most with their work?

I would say that artist Tobias Saul constantly surprised me with his talent. I’d give him a phrase and he’d just turn it into this incredible work of art. When I asked him to create a time-lapse video he didn’t hesitate, he was totally game. Maddy Nye is another artist who really sticks out in my mind. She’s behind “Girls to the Front.” When I told her about my mission, to inspire and empower women, she gave me a huge discount, telling me she believed in what I was doing. That gave me a lot of confidence that I was on the right track.

Where do you intend to take Skylar Yoo from here?

I call this company Skylar Yoo because Skylar is what I would have named my daughter if I had had one. I have big dreams for her. One day, I’d like to create an online and offline magazine featuring bold women, especially women entrepreneurs. I subscribe to Inc., Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and Forbes and whenever I read an article on a successful woman entrepreneur, I immediately get chills.

Skylar Yoo: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to use images by Alice Yoo.

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The post Interview: ‘Skylar Yoo’ Inspires All Women to Be Bold with Powerful Hand-Lettered Quotes appeared first on My Modern Met.

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Argentinian embroidery artist Sol Kesseler creates detailed portraits with colorful thread and impressive needle work. Kesseler uses a variety of techniques that work together to create a distinctive style. Often starting from pencil drawings—which are impressive in their own right—Kesseler uses fine black thread to establish outlines, leaving much of the white fabric exposed to create high contrast portraits. She then adds textured details with colored threads and a variety of stitches.

Cross-hatched thread lines create the illusion of hand-drawn shading, while heavier yarns are used to create chunky textures. Kesseler incorporates thicker, more elaborate embroidery stitches to mimic wooly facial hair, cozy knitwear, colorful florals, and mountainous landscapes. Sometimes beads are even added as pretty details that achieve even more depth of color.

Kesseler holds embroidery workshops in her studio in Argentina, where you can learn to create your own textile art. You can also purchase Kesseler’s crafty creations on her website.

Embroidery artist Sol Kesseler creates detailed thread portraits that look hand-drawn.

She uses fine, black thread to establish outlines and sketch-like details.

Elaborate stitches are used to add texture to clothing, facial hair, and backgrounds.

Bugambilo: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
h/t: [Brown Paper Bag]

All images via Bugambilo.

Related Articles:

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