While all those lockdowns are said to ruin entire economies, they have also fueled a quite predictable rise in demand for online courses of all kinds. In the new normal, the online learning industry is projected to reach $370 billion by 2026, and we may expect that art education will also get its part of the boost. We can prove this forecast with the fact that online art courses like Modern Art and Ideas, Fundamental of Graphic Design, and Seeing through Photographs are listed among the most popular MOOCs ever. Don’t you want to join? Here are weighty reasons to keep up with the trend and enroll in art education online.
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Improving the Self and the World through Culture
The Power Of Beauty To Change Us and Our Planet, Exploring Gender through Art, Feminist Art — these all are topics listed in the Today’s Events section of the Different-level online platform. It was created to challenge stereotypes and prejudices still existing in the modern world. The point is that by learning more about different cultures and the ways art influences public awareness we can level up our own tolerant attitudes towards many hard social issues and contribute to bridging gaps in race relations, generation wars, gender roles, and other pressing challenges. A culture talk hosted by an inspired art-wise educator can give us knowledge, understanding, and tools to get prepared for a better tomorrow.
Finding New Ways in Life
Haven’t you ever felt that you are stuck in routine having no idea where to move further? It doesn’t matter whether you are already in art or your main activities have nothing to do with it — online art classes have the power to unlock curiosity in different people, even those who don’t know they have this potential. Art is inspiring and boundary-expanding; one day, learning art history online, you may understand that you want to study Chinese for the country’s ancient culture or visit Tahiti following Gauguin. Many sides of art are related to philosophy, history, politics, economics, and a bunch of other fields you might be interested in. We can never know where art is going to lead us, but it is sure to be something new and exciting.
Learning to Understand Art
Speaking of Gauguin, many people think that they don’t like Impressionism while the truth is that they just don’t understand it. Like everything in our world, appreciating art requires not only the innate ability to perceive some nonmaterial things but also a bit of knowledge, which can be acquired through books, courses, and seminars explaining the basics. Obviously, it will be only the first step towards your art literacy since you also need to back theory with skills, for example, by attending offline or virtual events and participating in follow-up discussions. Step by step, you will grow into a person who may still not like Gauguin yet can draw inspiration from various art styles and forms.
Boosting Creativity
Well, this one is obvious, but it does work. There are thousands of art-related classes, from old-school dawning to virtual art, to unleash our creativity in thousands of unexpected ways. You are exploring Claude Monet’s masterpieces today to borrow his pastel colors for your outfit tomorrow. Peeping into an online webinar on digital art may result in creating your own graphic novel. By the way, with the growth of social media, you have plenty of opportunities to gain recognition and even some profit from your creative works. However, if it all ends with a couple of projects praised only by your close ones, it is still an achievement you can be proud of.
Promoting Collaboration Skills
Many art classes for adults involve some kind of teamwork, and it’s great for several reasons. The first one is socializing, as we are often too busy to search for like-minded people, which makes us feel lonely and unappreciated in the end. Engaging in art programs online will give you an opportunity to communicate with kindred souls, including outside the program. Sure, many of us would prefer face-to-face contact, but the pandemic has dramatically changed our view on online communication. Moreover, while expanding your social circle, you will be required to share responsibility, respect your team members’ diversity, reach compromises, and make contributions to achieving a common goal. It goes without saying that these skills will come in handy in any area of activity where humans are involved.
Relieving Stress
Do you know that an art lesson can be used as part of therapy? For instance, it has been found that there are many benefits of art therapy for veterans, creating an emotional outlet for those suffering from PTSD. Actually, art therapy deals with many health issues other than distress, including cancer diagnosis, dementia, autism, posttraumatic stress disorder, and more. But major health concerns require professional advice, while minor problems can be addressed with less hassle. Be it watercolor painting or studying contemporary art, it’s a nice way to get distracted from your everyday burdens and outpour your inner worries into something less painful. Want some proof? A study by the American Art Therapy Association says that you need only 45 minutes of creative activities to significantly mitigate stress.
Enhancing Brain Work
You are sure to know about two parts of our brain, where the left hemisphere is responsible for logic, sequencing, and reasoning, while the right side is all about creativity, imagination, and intuition. To keep your brain sharp, you need to get both parts stimulated, which might be tricky if your main activity is mostly associated with repetitive tasks, analytics, writing, or math. And here is a way-out — switch to a creative environment with art courses and make the other part of your brain work properly. By encouraging your brain activity, you boost the production of new cells and lessen the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Obviously, these are by no means all benefits you can get if enrolling in art courses, both online and offline. The main thing is to decide on what appeals to you most and find courses good enough to engage you. With the current abundance of offers, it might be a challenging task itself, but, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
