I am not sure what motivates everyone but I can tell you that most people are motivated to get smarter.  They just don’t carve out the time and they can’t always conceptualize the benefits.

Think about where we have come in such a short period of time.  Remember when the fax machine changed our lives…now it is virtually obsolete.  When we think of obsolescence we often think about things and technology.  What about skills and know-how?

A few years ago I transitioned my career and was fortunate to reset my professional life.  Along the way I have studied digital tools and online marketing to develop new professional skills and knowledge that have helped me grow and prosper.  I also committed to creating a fresh perspective for teaching art and digital design while building the skills to curate art exhibitions and advise people on investing in art.

Lifelong Learning is a phrase that is growing in popularity.  It is defined as the “ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.  For me, Lifelong Creative Learning is at the center of what I care about and helping people gain access to new skills or cool creative experiences drives our business at One River.

While we are developing our core customer base of kids, I am so excited to see the growth in expression and the fun our students are having.  What is equally inspiring and in some ways more exciting is seeing how many adults are recommitting to themselves by taking a cool class or a series of them.  Now we have launched a six-course Certificate Program in four digital areas that will help transform adults and prepare them for the next twenty years.

Get smarter…get better…become more relevant…relax and just have some fun.  Everyone thinks about exercise in terms of physical benefits.  I think of it in terms of creative and emotional growth that comes with learning and investing in yourself.

Monday, January 21, 2013