Shortly after my mother was diagnosed with dementia (I wrote about that here and here), I read that one practical way to slow cognitive decline is to keep your brain active by learning new things.
I decided to act on that immediately.
I began exploring topics that might interest me, and soon discovered a number of beautiful, inspiring home décor blogs. Before that moment I didn’t really understand what a blog was, but with gentle encouragement from my friend Kim (thank you, Kim!), I started one of my own.
Blogging quickly became my “learn-something-new” project. What started as a hobby turned into a creative practice that pushed me to finish projects, learn new skills, and enjoy the process of discovery. I found myself curious about photography, layout, graphic design, and technical aspects of websites I had never heard of before.
Source
I now enjoy learning technical and creative skills. At first I turned to Google for every small question and watched tutorial after tutorial until I figured things out. I even switched my Blogger site to WordPress with the help of an e-book (you can read about that learning curve here and here).
Now I actively look for courses, guides, and posts that help me grow. Below are some of the learning resources I’ve found most useful. Many are paid, but they often go on sale—so keep an eye out.
1. Shoot Fly Shoot’s Photography 101 and 201 — I’ve recommended these courses before. Great photography is one of the fastest ways to draw attention on a blog, and these classes focus on fundamentals and practical techniques to improve your images.
Shoot Fly Shoot
2. Shoot Fly Shoot’s Room Makeovers with Photoshop — I picked up this course when it was available at a discount. I haven’t completed every lesson yet, but what I’ve watched has been valuable for learning how to present room makeovers and edit images for blog-ready visuals.
3. Emily’s Simplified Graphic Design — If you want to learn graphic design basics and get comfortable with tools like Illustrator, this course is a thoughtful place to start. It brings a clear structure to what can otherwise feel overwhelming, and it saves a lot of time by collecting key lessons in one place rather than hunting down individual tutorials.
I personally worked through each lesson and practiced as I went; having a course that lays out a progression of topics saved me frustration and made learning efficient.
4. Debi’s “Improve Your Blog in 10 Minutes a Day” 31-day series — I’m taking this series right now and enjoying it. It’s structured to give short, actionable tasks each day so you can steadily improve your blog without becoming overwhelmed.
Improve Your Blog in 10 Minutes a Day
If you’re interested in Debi’s series, check her site soon: after November 1st it becomes an e-book and will no longer be offered as a free blog series.
Beyond specific courses, my best advice for learning new skills is to pick one small project, commit to finishing it, and then seek tutorials or a short course that addresses the skills needed for that project. Free tutorials can be very helpful, but a well-structured class can accelerate learning and reduce time spent searching for answers.
Learning has helped me stay engaged, creative, and purposeful while caring for a loved one. Whether your goal is to improve photos, create better graphics, or simply feel more confident with a website, there are courses and resources that can guide your progress.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.