It’s not a secret that we are in an information overload. There is so much data and resources on pretty much any topic you could ever wish to learn about. Expelling your Chihuahua’s glands? There’s a YouTube video for that. Are you figuring out how to make a graph of your toddler’s performance in pee-wee soccer in Excel? Oh, there are tons of online articles on how to do that.

A lot of us want to learn and grow our skills & knowledge, and what better place to do that than on the Internet? But have you ever felt completely overwhelmed?

Today, I’m going to talk about how I learn using the internet, and why I give my focused attention for some portion of the day to learning something new. Most of the time, I try to learn about my creative business, and/or ways to make my art better. For example, I might need to brush up on email marketing techniques for my business, or I might research a new acrylic technique. In fact, I discipline myself to spend twenty whole minutes each day in concentrated learning. Let's talk about why I do this, and how to make it possible in your life!

One of the things we've been talking about inside my private coaching community, Art Revenue Coaching, is how we can make the time to learn practical information that helps us reach our goals.  I have found that just searching in Google is not an effective way to get the information I need. There’s simply too much information out there, and much of it is low-quality or irrelevant.

So, here are four tips for learning the information you need to support your artwork and creative business!

Tip number one: Devote twenty minutes a day to learning

I actually have a walking desk, so I turn on my treadmill, pick a video and watch it for twenty minutes. Sometimes I choose to take notes, too. I find that this helps me accumulate a lot of information over time, and honestly, twenty minutes a day isn’t that long. I definitely spend twenty minutes a day scrolling Instagram, so I feel like I can make the sacrifice to spend twenty minutes a day learning something that will actually help my life.  You could make this commitment work with just five minutes a day, or even ten minutes a week!  In fact, in my Art Revenue Coaching program, I tell members how they can get outstanding, helpful information in just ten minutes a week from my program.  The point is to commit to a time period that you can easily sustain.

 “Every action you take is a vote towards the person that you want to be.” That’s a quote from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits and I love it so much! When you spend twenty minutes a day learning about something you care about, that is a vote for the person that you are becoming. After a year of spending twenty minutes a day learning something, you will likely be a decent expert in that category. People overestimate what they can do in a day, but underestimate what they can do in a year.  That ten minutes you can spare today could accumulate into something significant after a year!

Tip number two: Find trusted advisers and dive deep into their content

There are a lot of coaches and gurus out there. Some of them have perfectly great information, but they just aren’t my style. Some of them have horrible information and are not worth listening to. It takes a bit of vetting to know what types of people you want to listen to.

The good news is you can search the category of what you’re trying to learn in podcast directories, and there are many different folks on YouTube teaching niche information.  When you’re looking for someone that can help you, check their reviews, how long they’ve been producing content, and, of course, check to see if you like their style and have high-quality information.

A provider who creates regular and consistent content is better than someone who is sporadic.  There are people who are very popular on Youtube, but sometimes those folks are too fluffy and don’t give actionable steps. When I learn, I don’t want to hear them promoting their paid programs. I want to get actionable advice. It's fine if they're inviting me deeper, but sometimes all their content is just an ad.

Tip number three: There are LOTS of different ways to learn

You can listen to podcasts, watch videos, get emails, read blogs, or even read books! (gasp). You can attend real-life lectures, networking events, and conferences.  You can take online or real-life courses. You can attend workshops, or even go to college to get a degree in something you’re interested in! Figure out your preferred style and make it a habit.

Tip number four: Be the world’s biggest fan of multitasking

Especially when it comes to moving and consuming content! I will walk on my treadmill and watch a video, or go for a walk outside and listen to a podcast. I also listen to a lot of content in the car, but usually, I find that walking while learning helps me assimilate more information.

Tip number five: Join someone’s paid course or membership

You’d want to do this when you find a coach or teacher that provides information in your niche, inspires you, makes you feel capable, gives you hope and ambition to achieve your goals, is authentic and fun, and gives you actionable information to help you reach your goals.

Once you have vetted a person by listening to their free stuff for a while, you might want to join their paid program or buy their course. I have purchased literally thousands of dollars worth of courses, and at the moment, I belong to six or seven memberships! Now, that might be a bit more than you’re willing to do at this point, but for me, I find it essential to maintain all of that learning in different categories. I find it so helpful to my business development.

Start with one course, one workshop, or one membership. By the by, I happen to have an Art Revenue Coaching membership where I offer private training, coaching, and a community to artists who wish to grow their art practice and art business. I actually think that you can get a lot of value out of my coaching program with just ten minutes a week! I won’t even ask you to do twenty minutes a day. If you are an artist exploring ways to sell your art, this membership is likely a great fit for you. We open the doors to the membership twice a year, and we will be opening again soon! Visit HERE or click the button below to add your name to the waiting list and hear more!