D Is For… Demos and Discussions!
Contributed by Laura Rios.
Photo: Pixabay (CC0)
“When you open YouTube for ‘one quick tutorial’ and suddenly it’s three hours later.”
In most creative endeavors, one of the challenges most of us face at times is finding inspiration. What to paint/sew/knit/weave/write? Beyond your favorite website, supportive Facebook group, Pinterest, magazines, and other media, YouTube has thousands of ways to get ideas flowing.
As an artist, I turn to YouTube repeatedly. There are tutorials and demos for every medium, from acrylic paint to watercolors. If you enjoy calligraphy, you will find practical demonstrations as well as discussions on supplies, complete with product reviews. In addition to helping you get ideas, demos are great instructional tools. If, for example, you want to practice your “wet in wet” technique in watercolor, or you’d like to work on painting more loosely, simply search the term you like, and hundreds of demonstration videos will emerge for your consideration. I like to use tutorials as a stepping-off point; I can easily change things up to make the final painting or drawing my own. Using a demo is not copying, it’s a fantastic way to get you motivated and on your way to making masterpieces.
Not an artist? Let’s say you enjoy needlework. A quick search on YouTube will provide you with endless ideas for cross stitch and embroidery pieces, crochet or knitting projects, and garment making. Demos can teach you to make French knots, knit cables, set-in sleeves or operate a loom. Choose your fabric, fiber, and colors to create a fabulous original!
Writers will also find inspiration and assistance on YouTube. YouTube offers videos to help with grammar, style, crafting a riveting story, writing clearly and effectively on the job, and any number of other topics. You will find book discussions and reviews. You can listen to Pulitzer winners discuss their techniques and find all sorts of how-to-do-whatever it is you may be struggling with so you can create again. When a slump of any kind has you feeling hopeless or sluggish, demos and discussions can be your best friends.
I’m not a big YouTube watcher. Sometimes I need clarification on doing something computer related, and find one there.
YouTube = a bunch of peeps have probably done what I am trying to do and at least one of them is a capable teacher 🙂 When I am totally slumped, a discussion with a human works best for me.
Thanks for reading my blog post. While YouTube may not be be your cup of tea, I find it’s especially helpful in the “how-to” category so it seems there is something for everyone at one time or another.