It’s great to know how to do something useful, impressive, or fancy, such as chopping onions like Ina Garten or playing the piano on the spot at a dinner party like Yuja Wang. However, it could be equally impressive to be a pro at something a little more, say, random, such as being a master at making the perfect grilled cheese.
From Skillshare to MasterClass, online course providers are going beyond the basics to teach niche skills that can surprise and delight. With the click of a button, you can be taught by experts how to do just about anything. Go ahead. Try learning an unexpected new party trick or simply take pleasure in an activity that makes you smile.
Sing your heart out
The powerhouse class Singing Like a Star: 5 Steps to Discover Your Voice is taught by celebrity vocal coach Valerie Morehouse. From her studio in Los Angeles, Morehouse’s course helps build the confidence needed to sing your heart out — in the car, in the shower, or onstage.
By the end of the 12 lessons, students will be able to identify their vocal personality, understand sound-producing anatomy, learn basic vocal techniques and scales, create a sustainable singing practice, and learn a bit about the music industry. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been performing on stage for years or have never sung outside of your own home. This class is for anyone looking to comprehend their singing style and improve their voice.
Refresh duds with natural dyes
What do onion peels and T-shirts have in common? Environmentally friendly fashion, of course. In Natural Dyeing: Transform Cloth Using Food Dyes, taught by Liz Spencer of The Dogwood Dyer, unleash your inner child and crafty side. With 11 lessons at 52 minutes total, learn how to upcycle old fabrics with natural dyes from common food scraps.
In these hands-on lessons, take one unused garment, linen, sock, towel, or canvas bag, and give it an exciting second life with organic color derived from common food byproducts like onion skins, avocado pits, and more. After gathering textiles and the provided checklist of items, practice methods of shibori-folding, tying, and binding to play with color and style in a more sustainable way.
Grow fresh food
Ron Finley sparked a movement when he turned a Los Angeles curbside into a vegetable garden. The community activist and self-proclaimed “gangster gardener” from South Central L.A. didn’t realize that the act would lead to a warrant for his arrest. It also paved the way for meaningful community changes.
Through Finley’s self-taught techniques, participants of Ron Finley Teaches Gardening will learn how to create a garden and grow their own food no matter where they live. Finley teaches that it’s possible to start with what’s already at home (like making planters with common household items) and that you — yes, you — can actually keep houseplants alive and thriving.
Draw your own comic
Looking for a new way to journal or capture the humor or effervescence in everyday life? You have full permission to doodle away in Writing for Slice of Life Comics: How to Make the Day-to-Day Funny, taught by comic creator and interior designer Kassandra McMullen. The seven lesson, 30-minute class delves into the moving parts of effectively creating a four-panel comic.
Students will learn how to create a script based on a story from their life utilizing McMullen’s rules of comedy to take stories from cute to funny. Progress is documented at each step, and wannabe comic artists will receive examples and have the opportunity to present their work to the class. By the time this course is completed, the comics will be ready for social media or can be kept secret for a little chuckle.
Make artisanal pickles
The Brine Time: Pickle Like a Pro class could be the delicious summertime pick-me-up you never knew you craved. Travis Grillo of the pickle brand Grillo’s Pickles walks students through the art of pickling in a short, three-lesson class. Walk away with the confidence to add fun and creative flavors to your pickling process and the techniques to do so.
Nuggets of knowledge, such as brine types, vegetable characteristics, and necessary supplies, are dispensed by an expert boasting a 100-year-old family pickle recipe. Lucky students will have the opportunity to have their recipes featured in the Grillo’s store in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Write a rom-com
If you’re ever dreamed of writing your own You’ve Got Mail or Crazy Rich Asians, Nina Harrington’s course How to Write a Romantic Comedy can make it a reality. Participants piece together the perfect rom-com through lessons on character arc, story structure, themes, and tropes.
Class takers will also learn how to avoid clichés with powerful plots and can apply their learning to short stories, novellas, novels, and screenplays. From story beats to dramatic questions, students will leave with a framework for a hit romance. Whether the work is shopped around or kept under wraps, it’ll be a fun exercise in fictional storytelling.
Refresh your space
Sometimes, you don’t need breakup bangs. You just need to refresh your room. The playful design class Transform Your Personal Space for Well-Being teaches its takers that physical space is tied to mental space. Lessons include comprehensive rundowns on holistic design principles like sense, comfort, focal point, materials, biophilia, and care.
Participants will also take away techniques on how to space plan and arrange (or rearrange) a room for optimal color and light. The organization and placement of furniture and plants can support well-being, resulting in a home that not only looks nice but also feels nice.
Become a wine snob
Impress friends and family with newfound vino knowledge after taking James Suckling Teaches Wine Appreciation taught by the renowned wine critic. From Suckling's perch in the Tuscan countryside, he leads viewers with step-by-step directions on topics like tasting essentials, pairing basics, and curation tips.
Flavor and aroma will be your forte in no time. With 11 video lessons running more than two hours, there’s a great deal to learn about the process and power of wine. The ultimate goal is for students to graduate with the confidence to choose, order, and pair wines at any occasion.
Mia Brabham is a staff writer at Shondaland. Follow her on Twitter at @hotmessmia.
Get Shondaland directly in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TODAY
