An online education is unavoidable. When we browse, we learn. Online education is as much a passive process as it is an active one. The internet is full of information, a lot of it is written by people with a certain idea and not much care for whether it is true. These articles are easy to spot, highly opinionated and stitched with emotive stepping stones down one particular dialectic of thought. Although we can all enjoy something written in this way; when the information is accurate, a little drama adds spice and sparks an interest. But what if it isn't quite true, or maybe it is incomplete. Then the work is serving to polarise individual readers and students into a narrow corridor, one which may blind them to future skills and learning.


We can all benefit from an online education, the resources are readily available. The odd YouTube video doesn't hurt anyone and yet for the real business, actual informative education, then it is best to go to the experts.


Here's a list of top educational centres that can provide skills, certification, and build futures all around the world.


Coursera – Here students can find many courses from over one hundred top international universities. Anyone can apply and many have funding available. This is the professionals' choice.


Udemy - This is a campus like coursea, only they specialise more in what I'd term "microskills"


Online Learning College – Students can find all sorts of relevant qualifications they can gain at home.


Shaw Academy – Hone skills online and gain a certified diploma in the process


The Distance Learning Academy – This is pretty much self explanatory. They do a range of subjects at many levels of ability.


UK Open College – Gain vital skills for an ever changing climate..


The Blackford Centre - Home study courses for many professional self employment skills


​For IT and Computing courses, take a look at this list. 

If you're an artist, or you want to be, then check out these great hand picked creative arts courses.

You may want to check out this list of educational resources for children.

And finally (for now),
Intellipaat specialise in education that involves big data, project management and other number crunching techniques.


Please share this page with work, friends and family. We all deserve a lifelong education.  

Look at the bands that are huge but don't get on the TV or radio. How do they do it? You've heard of them, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and so on for the heavy metal market alone, these are all household names but get only a fraction of the airtime. How on Earth do they do it? Open your perspective a little. TV and Radio are not the only way to get something across. Where have you seen that name before? On a T-Shirt. That's right, by dominating the alternative clothing market, non-pop but still excellent quality bands are able to promote themselves via imagery that rewards the wearer. They know that their music is enjoyed because of the animal instinct in us alongside the hypnotic rhythms of rock n roll, it literally calls to our inner animal. So produce art with this in it, and it instantly hits that same chord. We listen to the music, we wear the art, we feel good. It's very simple. So if you're in a band or are an artist then you will be pleased to know that anyone can produce their own T-shirts to promote what ever they like. You may as well be a plumber, they don't mind. But this is a site for artists so get those killer images on your clothes.  

The Common Perception


How we interpret the world around us for ourselves is up to us, and for some this can be pretty different to the main view. For example, the various religious doctrines available to us for study and participate in result in completely different reasons for life itself and the actions in which we go about in honour of our given principles. It's time to take a look at this and how our behaviour can appear to others, and how our decisions can affect others, particularly if they do not share or even appreciate the particular world view in which the action is manifested from.

The common perception is a phrase I'd like to use in order to represent the median across all people within a given area of influence. So when we make decisions, when we present information, when we communicate with our group, not only do we consider the perception of our own world view but we consider the common perception also. By linking the two with a network of truth which guides the mind from one angle to another without the need of emotional influence, we are able to educate and inform to the maximum degree. This means that when we turn a blind eye to the actions of the masses due to our own differences in perception on life, we are in fact cutting a notch away from that bridge which allows us to work together for progress.

Because we become emotionally attached to our ideas, knowledge and beliefs, it can be very difficult to find the right cause of action for a given set of people. In order to not create a discordance with our fellows, the communication must incorporate all points of view or at least the median point within them.

This can go as a rule of thumb for most communications, and if we continue to remember this act of speaking truth to truth via pathways pointing from the common perception to our own, getting our ideas across will be a lot easier for those who are willing to listen. For those who do not wish to hear, all we can do is continue with the network of truth from the perception that they inform us is not allowing them to appreciate our sayings.
To follow this point, the shadow side to this is that we are not entitled to be correct, we are only entitled to make our case. If it comes to name calling, emotionally charged statements of aggression, or other forms of mal-intended direction of personal energy, then it has come to a close for your truths. When it is possible to bring the truth back into the light and speak bridges of wisdom that span from the common perception to our own, then it is safe for others to walk, if they wish to.  

The world of professional art can be a cold shoulder on a winter's night. After we pour our life itself into our latest creation, it can sometimes feel like our project has become one of those aliens in Toy Story, rammed together in a lucky dip machine. We know it's worthwhile, we know what we're doing is good work and yet we are left to our own devices when it comes to putting it on the shelves.


With any kind of end product, promotion is paramount to even having it heard about. In this world of glossy magazines and shouty television marketeers, a humble work of art can be misconceived as a pamphlet, propaganda or some other time wasting piece of nonsense that we don't really need. And this, ladies and gentleman, is a real shame. Those of us who are generally awake half of the time notice bits and bobs around us that are inspiring and we make an effort to follow them through. We notice nuggets of wisdom and we pick them up along the way. This is how anyone gets anywhere, by making use of and remaining focused on what is directly around them. Speculations of 'over the hill' are not going to provide provable information for anyone.


On the ladder to personal success (what ever your goals may be), the rungs are in random order. No path is the same as another as we are all on our own unique journeys. I won't profess to have a miracle method that you all must follow in order to get somewhere with life but if you're an artist and you want to get your work onto a new level, another rung on your own slippery ladder to the top of the mountain, then here are some suggestions you may wish to follow. These are in no particular order!


Self Publishing Online


More and more writers and artists are using online publishing tools to get their work into major channels. By producing a document at home on the computer, comprised of images, words, or a mixture of the two, artists can put their hard work into print and have it purchased anywhere in the world. The revenues are fair and for the most, works are manufactured on a print to order basis so there's no concern about wasting trees. Blurb are a great company with many ways of helping authors and aspiring writers alike to put their work on the shelf without having to brown nose their way into mainstream publishing. Everything is done for you apart from the art, and if you want more control, you've got it. With free ISBNs and direct access to major book stores, it's a one way ticket to authorship. Many photographers and artists have images uploaded to their social networks. Blurb understand this and so have integrated a Facebook and Instagram photo book making tool on their site, making it easy to move images across and have them printed professionally in perfect bound books. Of course, it doesn't have to be art. Many people use Blurb to make a keepsake book of memories, like travel, wedding or baby photos.


Get A Free Blog


Many websites offer free blog hosting and yet I continually find Weebly to be the best. Their platform is simple, streamlined, mobile friendly and allows bloggers total freedom. There are no upload limits to posts, pictures or anything even with the free plan. When customers commit to a professional site, they're given a free domain name for a year of their choosing, web commerce, extra support and a lot more bandwidth. It's really worth taking some time to see what this powerful web designing site can offer. It doesn't just stop at blogging, their pages are fully customisable and the platform speaks the majority of international languages so it's not just reserved for English speakers. Some of us don't need a wizard website for making a website, and a domain name will do. 1-2-3 Reg will do a great deal on any kind of website domain.


Invest in Better Tools


A good tradesman never blames their tools (in public). We all know a cheap tool or piece of equipment is about as good for a career as a natural fur coat yet sometimes, its not that our tools are bad but they could be better. To run with the fastest horses, we need a good horse. It's that simple. So try to find the best deals for the best stuff that is available at the time. CreateforLess will help artists in the USA get the proper stuff while saving them money. For UK artists, GreatArt is one of the places to go to get any kind of artist material or range of stock. Cameras and peripherals are probably the one thing that quality makes the most difference with. The image capture and quality is instantly recognisable by anyone with an eye for photography. Investing in proper lenses and devices is seriously important. On the other side of the equation, many creatives are now finding uses for the so called 'flaws' of older technology. Utilising them to produce unique and inspiring images, quality vintage cameras are still worth the effort. For artists who use Windows software, try going straight to the source, and for the professional edge on creative software, try Sony. And then of course, not to forget them, musicians. Hyson Music specialise in quality instruments and first time customers get 10% off with the code: CJAF2016FTC


Educate Yourself at Home


The internet is jam packed with self help educational resources. Sometimes, it's hard to tell which is helpful information and which is just grooming the reader into sharing the page. It's therefore sometimes wiser to go where the professionals are. Learn and Master for example are one company that specialise in empowering artists with real life applicable wisdom, focusing on music, that actually benefits them. They're very generous and provide excellent skills based courses for extremely low costs which are designed and administered by people with professional experience, qualifications and care for artists. Shaw Academy also offer many skills courses, particularly for those of us who work with computers and run small businesses.


List Yourself on Databases


If you have a skill and you want people to know about it, then putting your name down on the list is the first step to getting seen. Make an appointment with your next client, sign up to client databases so that employers can find you in the first place! It may feel like your twitter page is doing well but even with thousands of contacts, it's unlikely the right person will find you. Sign up and sell yourself all over the web. Whether it's fashion, advertising, PR, music or something else entirely, Creative Jobs Central is a great place to start. Fivrr is a database of skilled individuals who sell small services for £5 (or $5 etc.) and it's a wonderful way to get talents on the market, and also locate them. Many people sell multiple rounds of the same service there, to fulfil a larger request so sell your segments carefully, bearing this in mind. I suppose the ultimate goal for any entrepreneurship is to become a proper company, where the work is making real profits and requires extra legislation to protect the artist's interests. If you feel you're ready, or will be at some point, take a look here.


Monetise Your Website


So you're already online and you get hits, people like what you do but the product sales don't match up to the hard work you're putting in. Welcome to the world of being an artist! Unless you're popular, well known and also have a large following then it will be an uphill struggle to sell single units let alone thousands. Fear not, it's the same for all of us. Persevere and always relearn your basics then your art will take off in the end. It may not be the next world wide phenomenon however with hard work, continual self criticism and confidence to carry on, art will get noticed. In the mean time, art can be used to attract attention to things that people want. If your fans look at your work and they tend to drink tea, then why not sell tea by your work? You don't even have to be a tea shop, just link to one. To get in touch with companies who want to pay artists for shared websales via simple links, sign up for free with Rakuten


Tell The Media


Sometimes, a letter or two from an individual will get read and followed up on, artists get lucky all the time, but also it's wise to remember there are services out there to help. With a bit of funding, a project can reach levels that shoe string work just wont touch without divine intervention. To get the best in current and up to date media attention for art, press release and SEO services are a must.  

This is great, as soon as I found out about this – I had to tell you.


Let's get personal. Lingerie, it's sumptuous. Nothing says sex on legs better than a well fitted, sleek and revealing outfit, often partially hidden under something else and to be presented later. It's vital for that ideal moment to have everything perfect, and there's no better way to do this than by making it yourself. Getting your hands into your love life in a whole new way is not that difficult, Interweave have just unleashed the beast with their Lingerie 2.0 Kit.


So what exactly is it? I'll tell you.


Interweave have included 6 lingerie patterns including the trending Bra and Panty Sloper (plus size also available). You’ll also get 5 video downloads that go over lingerie fabrics, sewing undergarments, and drafting and sewing your own slip with their fitted dress sloper (also included!). Furthermore, customers will receive a coupon code inside the kit awarding 20% off registration into their in depth Lingerie Course on BurdaStyle Academy!


It's very creative, very sexy, and a skill for grown-ups that could even start a new line or two. To get in on the action, here's the special link.