Week 1 - Back to Basics and a Disclaimer

Here we go, today is the start of the project proper. I've decided to start each of these on a Sunday. My thinking is that gives me a chance to go through some or all of the course materials on a 'non-work' day (not that I think they exist any longer) so I can plan the activity out for the week.

Outline

The first course I'm doing is about trying to find my illustration style. The premise of this course is to try a range of different mediums and techniques to discover what works and doesn't work for my individual style. It's based on basic design elements, which seems interesting.

It might seem like I don't need to do this, since I obviously have a bit of an illustration style. But that is all the more reason to start here. There is a very good chance that my style has evolved without consideration of other ways of doing things. Either because the mediums weren't available to me earlier, or because I have a bias against them that may not be rational.

This week is about trying some new ways of doing things and reflecting on what I learned, what I like and how I might continue to experiment with it all. I'm looking forward to trying some different things, although it does look like we're using bugs and other insects as our subjects so ick!

The disclaimer

I've thought a lot about the possible issues of using a paid resource for this project. It is not a decision I've made lightly, for many different reasons. So, I thought I should outline some of the considerations and let you know a couple of things.

• I did consider Sketchbook Skool and Domestika for this as well, since I have purchased good courses through both of these platforms. I settled on Skillshare because of their premium access and the range of topics - creating will not be restricted to art.
• I have not told Skillshare I am doing this - although I tagged them in the LinkedIn and Twitter launch posts yesterday. So, this is not a paid activity. I purchased the premium account for 12 months and I am the only person deciding what I will and won't do during the year.
• I've thought long and hard about whether to name the courses in the launch post and I've decided against it. I want the opportunity to get one or two videos in and decide it's not for me without any negative repercussions on what might otherwise be a good course.
  So, I will outline my focus in the launch post and include the course(s) I ended up using in the reflection post at the end of the week. This is not to say every review will be glowing. I'm happy to say what else I would have liked or if I felt something could have been done a little better - but I want a bit of flexibility if it turns out not to work for me.
• Skillshare courses have discussion boards where you can upload your projects, comment and ask questions. I will be taking the opportunity to let the instructors know what I am doing when I upload my work in the system. Like contacting the TED speakers when I used their talks.

No affiliation

One last point I want to make about affiliation and referrals. I chose Skillshare independent of any benefits - I like the platform and I do recommend their courses to people. So, this is my thoughts on the matter:

• Skillshare has an affiliate program where you can earn money when people you refer sign up for the free trial or premium membership. I will not be part of this program.
• Skillshare allows you to use a referral link to invite people to the platform for a free two month trial. I would get free additional months of access to the platform for each registration. I may use this one, but I will always provide a non-referral link as well.

You will always be able to tell if I am getting any benefits from links AND I will continue to keep this blog unmonitised and advertising-free. This is not about promoting a product or encouraging you to join a platform, it's about acquiring skills and being more systematic to make sure I create more. But, if a course is great then I will naturally recommend it - just like the TED Talks.

I know that might seem like a lot of justification on my behalf - and maybe it is. I want to reassure you that this is an independent project with no hidden agenda in decision making or opinion sharing. The platform is irrelevant to the actions and experimentation.