Whether it’s singing or sewing, learning a new skill isn’t only entertaining, but it’s hugely rewarding and can help boost your mood and wellbeing.
With so many e-learning opportunities available, you'll be inundated with options if you're considering learning a new skill from home but would like some help getting started.
We've compiled a list of nine creative skills you can learn at home, from baking and drawing to photography and creative writing. Here are some useful tips for getting started, whether you're serious about learning or just looking for something enjoyable to do in your free time.
Creative writing
For many people, writing a book is a dream, and often the hardest part is just getting started. Even though right now might be the ideal time to start working on a story, what if you first need some assistance or inspiration?
Thankfully, there are many different online writing courses available to help you brush up on your abilities, but why not start with an enjoyable creative writing exercise? While performing writing exercises, you may find them to be silly, but afterward, you'll have a fresh perspective on the craft of writing and frequently some newfound inspiration. Check out some more compelling creative writing prompts from Bookfox here.
Additionally, Reedsy Learning provides a variety of free online writing courses that you can take at your convenience. These courses are a light and enjoyable way to learn and are taught by qualified authors. You'll receive a five-minute lesson on a topic of your choice in your inbox every morning. The only challenging part will be deciding which course to take first. There are more than 50 writing topics available, including how to write dialogue, how to write an irresistible romance, and how to edit your story.
The free online creative writing courses offered by the Open University are also well-liked choices for beginners. For those who have always wanted to write but lacked the initial courage to start, the Start Writing Fiction course, for instance, covers characters, settings, and genre.
Check out Margaret Atwood's masterclass if you're a fan of her renowned writing. Although it isn't the most affordable course available, it is incredibly thorough and provides access to 23 video lessons taught by Atwood herself. This is an opportunity to learn from one of the best writers of our time about important aspects of creative writing, such as story and plot, novel structure, and developing likeable characters.
As an alternative, you can browse our website's extensive selection of creative writing courses. For instance, taking this Knowledge Door course will give you the groundwork you need to develop into a competent creative writer. You could also read our guide on how to publish a book, which is based on my own experience of getting published, if you're ready to start writing.
Painting
No matter if you've always had a creative streak or haven't picked up a paintbrush since elementary school, developing your artistic abilities is both rewarding and soothing.
There are numerous additional benefits to painting, as there are to many creative endeavours. For instance, it can foster emotional development while honing fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, memory, and concentration. And if that weren't enough, it is incredibly meditative and can help with stress relief. Do you need any more justifications to pull out that easel?
Why not visit YouTube channel WowArt's YouTube Channel and try their entertaining daily challenges, which don't call for any specialised equipment or abilities, if you want to paint but aren't sure where to begin?
You can create paintings using a toothbrush, aluminium foil, and cotton swabs. Many tasks will require acrylic paint, but you can get it online for a reasonable price, along with oil paints, watercolours, brushes, and any other supplies you'll need to hone your abilities.
Learn how to paint watercolour flowers and paint with layered washes in two of the most well-liked free classes on Skillshare if you want to try your hand at watercolour painting.
You can learn other painting techniques for free by watching a tonne of videos on YouTube. For instance, you can brush up on your watercolour techniques with Mr Otter Art Studio, learn the fundamentals of oil painting from artist Lena Danya, and get instructions on how to mix acrylic paints from the Will Kemp Art School channel.
If none of these classes appeal to you, you can also browse the extensive selection of painting courses we offer on our website, including the Start Watercolor Painting course from the International Open Academy and Knowledge Door's Ultimate Acrylic Painting course.
You can find a thorough explanation of how to get started in our article, Learn to paint.
Needlework
Making cosy hats, scarves, and sweaters for loved ones (as well as for yourself) is just one of the many powerful advantages of needlework. It has been demonstrated to lower stress, assist with addiction, and may even prevent memory loss.
Nobody needs special abilities or dexterity to learn to sew or knit; all you need is patience and a willingness to learn.
All Free Knitting is a good place to start if you're a beginner. You can download the beginner's knitting booklet to get acquainted with the tools you need to get started, knitting jargon, and a quick rundown of the actual knitting process and technique.
The tutorials can then be completed at your own pace. Casting on, the knit stitch, binding off, the purl stitch, correcting errors, and your first knitting pattern are all covered in the classes. And this course is totally free, just like the website's name suggests.
There are 11 free, highly rated knitting classes on Instructables as well. These classes will teach you how to knit a stretchy ribbed scarf, a striped hat, and a pair of mittens regardless of your level of knitting experience. You can also pay a small fee on Skillshare to access tutorials on how to make specific items, like a clutch bag or a slouchy hat. Even making a blanket by hand crochet is possible.
The Center of Excellence also provides a fantastic knitting diploma course that starts by laying the groundwork and offering advice on how to start practising right away. After you master the fundamentals, this course will show you how to create your own hand knit designs and, if you're interested, will offer advice on how to launch a knitting business and market your creations.
You may also want to read our article, Learn how to knit, for a general overview of how to begin your knitting journey.
If sewing is more your style and knitting isn't, YouTube has some excellent free tutorial series from Made To Sew and a comprehensive beginner video tutorial from Good Housekeeping.
Baking
The aroma of freshly baked bread is one of the few things that can make us feel at ease, and learning how to make your own bread is a great way to save money and pick up some new skills while having fun. Being able to whip up cakes, muffins, brownies, and macaroons whenever you want will also be a lifetime investment if you have a sweet tooth.
The renowned cooking website Bon Appétit has a fantastic series of cake baking YouTube tutorials if you're primarily interested in baking cakes and sweet treats. Pastry chef Claire Saffitz teaches you the fundamentals of baking, the finer points of cake filling and frosting, how to assemble cakes, and everything you need to know about cake decoration in this five-part video series.
There are a tonne of free bread-making tutorials on YouTube as well. See if you can make any of the following recipes, depending on the type of bread you want to make:
- Baking with Paul Hollywood, where The Great British Bake Off judge shows you how to make a white bloomer.
- An easy guide to making simple wholewheat bread.
- How to make French bread with Mary’s Test Kitchen.
- A quick and general bread-making overview from Jamie Oliver.
Udemy also offers a good selection of artisan bread-making courses* if you're serious about honing your baking abilities and want to make more difficult loaves like sourdough.
These in-depth courses will teach you everything you need to know about fermentation, hydration, and autolysis—technical terms that any baker worth their salt should be familiar with—as well as how to make sourdough loaves that are delicious and crusty.
Check out the baking courses we have available on our website for more learning options. These courses range from general ones like Baking - Mother Dough from the Knowledge Door to more specialised ones like French Croissant - Baking.
Drawing
Why not visit Drawspace, where there are lessons for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels, to improve your drawing and sketching abilities?
Getting Started with Drawing, Traditional Drawing (a five-week course), and Drawing People are three examples of free guided drawing classes (a three-week course). Additionally, Drawspace offers more than 500 self-guided drawing tutorials, which are perfect for those who prefer to go their own way and establish their own objectives.
You might want to take a look at the Skillshare Visual Thinking course, which is all about using data to communicate ideas, for something different or to add something distinctive to your resume. This kind of functional drawing is perfect for anyone who wants to share stories in a visual way, communicate and collaborate more quickly, or add a little extra to a pitch because it can help you communicate ideas faster, better, and stronger. And best of all, it's completely free.
The Ultimate Drawing Course from Udemy promises to take you from beginner to advanced if you're willing to pay to improve your abilities. You'll discover how to depict perspective, accurate light and shadow, the human face, and the human figure. You'll comprehend the foundations of drawing by the end of the course. Paper, a pencil, an eraser, and a ruler are all you need. of course, a healthy dose of motivation.
Or, if none of these courses appeal to you, why not check out some of the other drawing courses we have on our website, like Drawing and Illustration for Beginners from the International Open Academy or Drawing Nature, Science, and Culture from edX?
Photography
There's never been a better time to dust off that old camera and start snapping, whether you're new to photography or think of yourself as somewhat of a natural.
Alison's Introduction to Digital Photography is a respectable free course. This course introduces you to the most crucial aspects of digital photography in less than three hours. You'll discover how to make the most of your digital camera and how to capture the ideal image for any situation. This course will enlighten you if you don't know what your digital camera's features actually do.
For a fee, you can enrol in Annie Leibovitz's photography masterclass to learn from one of the best and most well-known photographers in the world. You can learn about subjects like portrait photography, working with light, studio vs. location, and the technical aspects of photography over the course of 15 video lessons. This course might be for you if you've ever wanted to capture your friends and loved ones in polished portraits.
You can still work on improving your photography abilities even if you only use your phone to take pictures. The iPhone Photography course on Udemy will teach you how to take photos on your phone that look like they were taken by a professional photographer, how to use shot composition, how to optimise your iPhone's settings to get the best shots, and how to edit your photos afterward.
On our website, you can look through more photography courses. Why not read our articles about 8 entertaining photography projects you can start right now to learn more about photography? A beginner's guide to photography and tips for taking better phone photos?
Cooking
You can always improve your cooking abilities. Cooking is one of those skills that requires very little investment, regardless of your level of proficiency in the kitchen. There are dozens of ways you can improve your cooking abilities at home, regardless of your taste preferences, spending limit, or diet.
Of course, the simplest approach is to follow a cookbook, as we have done for hundreds of years. But with so many free videos at your disposal, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're looking for some more useful advice.
The ones on Skillshare are excellent. Learn how to make the ideal thin crust pizza, brush up on your chopping skills with their free knife skills video tutorial, or take your time and discover the secrets of slow cooking.
Gordon Ramsay's Cooking Masterclass will teach you how to prepare 13 dishes that are modelled after restaurants if you want to learn from the experts and are willing to pay for it. You can watch eight different videos to learn how to prepare a variety of delicious appetisers, entrées, and desserts.
Pasta lovers should visit Nonna Live, where 84-year-old Italian grandmother Nonna Nerina, offers virtual cooking lessons. You will learn how to prepare traditional Italian dishes like lasagne, ravioli, fettuccine, and gnocchi during these live, two-hour cooking classes, as well as which wines to pair with each dish.
Visit the food and drink section of our website if you're looking for some fresh recipes to try. And if you're looking for more chances to learn about cooking, you might be interested in our article on the top 9 cooking schools in the UK or the variety of courses we offer on our website.
Music
Research has demonstrated that music, like art, can help you forget about your problems and improve your mood. Learning a musical instrument or even honing your singing voice is never too late.
On YouTube, there are countless musical tutorials. There are too many free online tutorials for every instrument—from the drums to the cello and violin—to even attempt to list them all, but you can find 21 of the best on Acadoceo's website.
Of course, even though learning to play an instrument is undoubtedly something you can do on your own, a teacher is often beneficial.
Yousician combines teaching with award-winning technology to provide you with immediate feedback as you learn to sing or play the guitar, bass, ukulele, or piano. You might want to give it a try. By signing up, you have access to more than 1,500 well-known songs, lessons, and exercises from a variety of musical genres. The extensive video collection is suitable for all skill levels, from absolute beginner to expert. Although it isn't free, you can test it out for seven days without cost to see if you like it.
You can also learn to play 12 instruments, such as the harmonica, flute, drums, and clarinet, on iMusic-School, and you'll be paired with an experienced teacher to help you along the way. However, you will have unrestricted access to all lessons and instruments, wherever and whenever you like, once you sign up, which is once again not free. With experienced teachers at your disposal, you can learn at your own pace and be confident that you're in good hands.
Why not check out the many music courses we have available on our website for more chances to learn music? You may find additional inspiration in our website's general music section.
Learn a language
A language education has many advantages. Among the obvious ones are meeting new people from different cultures and exchanging stories with them. Learning a new language can greatly enhance your employment prospects as well as aid in the development of cognitive abilities like mental flexibility, multitasking, listening, and problem-solving. But how can you learn a completely new language if you don't attend a class?
The free language learning app Duolingo lets you learn more than 30 languages, including Latin for the history buffs among us. If you have a smartphone, you might want to give it a try. You can practise your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills for as little as 10 minutes a day, and these bite-sized lessons are seriously effective; you'll be surprised at how quickly you improve.
Lessons are fun and personalised; you can compete against the clock and score points for each accurate response. You might even start to feel a little bit addicted.
Why not think about joining Rosetta Stone for something more in-depth? On your desktop or through their award-winning app, you can access online lessons, audio stories, and a phrasebook with their interactive programme. After the first three days are free, you can decide if you want to sign up for a paid subscription for a specific number of months.
Alternately, you can browse through the extensive list of paid and unpaid courses on the Rest Less website below. Courses are a very flexible way to learn a language because you only take them when it works for you, making them ideal if you're serious about learning.
Check out our article on the advantages of learning a new language if you'd like more advice on how to begin your language learning journey. For additional language programmes, you can also search our website. For beginners, Knowledge Door has some excellent ones in French, Spanish, Italian, and many other languages.
If you're unsure of what language to learn first, you might find some inspiration in our articles on the 9 most popular languages that are useful to learn and the 6 languages that are simpler for English speakers to learn.
Final thoughts...
It is true that learning new things requires motivation, perseverance, and effort. But the benefits and outcomes will be yours to keep for a very long time. Another thing to look forward to is showing off your new skills to friends, family, and coworkers.
If you're eager to learn but nothing above appeals to you, you might try visiting our website's courses section. There are 80,000 courses available right now, with a mix of free and paid learning options.
