Resources

I shared a variety of resources for you to get started creating online courses or coaching/ mentoring artists online. Where appropriate, I noted if something was optional. Even though something may not have “optional” next to it doesn’t mean that you need it to get started. The key is that you get started. Don’t feel like you need to buy everything at once. Keep it simple and add bit by bit.

To create my videos I use a combination of my smartphone (iPhone X), WebinarNinja and Zoom (when using my computer I use the Logitech webcam). You can use a video camera or your video on a DSLR. It is up to you with what works best. You can get going with just a smartphone and your computer and I really recommend this.

Sure there are more sophisticated graphic design software options within the Adobe Creative Cloud but I tried to provide options that are quick and easy to use. I often use them over InDesign, Illustrator or Premiere because I can execute what I need quickly in VideoShop and Canva because of the preset templates. And I would rather spend more time in the studio than on my computer. The goal is completion not perfection.

Once you have your classes done and on your teaching platform, you can always go back and make them better. But Perfection is the enemy of done.

As you begin using different platforms (Zoom, WebinarNinja, Teachable, MightyNeworks, etc.) don’t feel like you have to stick with the first one you choose. While it is cheaper to pay for the annual subscriptions, when you are first starting out consider the month-by-month plans until you are sure you really like a service. This applies to apps, video hosting, teaching platforms, etc. Yes, there will be sunk costs but it is better to switch to a platform or service that is easier for you (and possibly your students) to use than to stick with something that isn’t really working for you. That being said, don’t make life harder by second guessing your choices and jumping around a lot.

Keep me posted on your progress and reach out if you have any questions. You can email me at hello@jennifecvigil.com

About Jennifer

Jennifer C. Vigil is passionate about art, travel, creating, and teaching. From a very early age, she began reflecting on what makes an effective teacher (perhaps it was because of her third-grade teacher, Sister Edwardina’s soul-crushing teaching style with an emphasis on public shaming).

Her studio and study interests are too numerous to mention, but they did result in a Ph.D. in art history and over twenty years of teaching, ten of which as a professor.

Jennifer was hired by the University of Arizona to develop Native American art history and museum studies programs, spending two years creating new courses for these programs. She laughs when she recounts this story:

I had to submit sample syllabi as part of my various job applications. During one of my campus interviews, several faculty members commented on how impressed they were with my syllabi and how they planned on “taking” huge sections of my course policy statement, “Oh, if you are ok with that.”

Now she’s using her course creating expertise to teach artists how to develop their own theft-worthy curriculum.