Design, like most things worth doing, is something you start practicing and never really stop.

If you want to be better at design, the only way to get there is to practice regularly. Making the most of your practice time means knowing what to practice and knowing if you're doing it right. That's the hard part and that's where design lessons come in. Unlike YouTube videos or video courses the focus here is learning by doing with real feedback. Unlike formal classes, the experience is personalized to your skill level, progress, and schedule.

What is it?

tldr; Design Lessons are structured practice guidance and feedback customized for you.

I was inspired to start teaching Design Lessons after I started playing music again as an adult and took my first music lesson. What I saw almost immediately was how the structure of music lessons could be useful in learning design. I had only ever learned music by teaching my self or taking classes in school, so this structure seemed totally new. But it's already in the world of visual art, like the drop-in pottery studios or the life-drawing drop-ins with an expert in the room to help if you get stuck. Why not graphic and interactive design?

How does it work?

The only way to get better is to practice and the best way to practice is consistently and with purpose. The thing that makes lessons so powerful is they make the hardest part of regular, consistent practice easy. What do you practice? For how long? How do you know if you're doing it right? How do you know if you're getting better? How do you keep up the motivation to keep a regular practice schedule? Working with a teacher in the lesson format solves all those problems. The process looks like this:

1. Set a goal
2. Assess where you are now
3. Get exercises and assignments to get you to that goal
4. Review the results of your practice every session until you reach your goal
5. Reach your goal and repeat.

You never have to figure out what to practice or for how long. You get regular feedback to help you stay motivated and to understand the progress you're making. You have an incentive to practice because you are expected to show up every to session with something.

How much does it cost?

We start with a free 30-minute lesson to discuss your goals and come up with a plan to reach them. Lesson plans are offered on a sliding-scale basis.

FAQs

• How do I know which price I should pay?

  We're working on the honor system here. There is no background check to make sure you're telling the truth. However, it's gonna be pretty easy to figure out if you're pretending to be something you're not since each session is a one-on-one meeting. We have a limited number of slots for students and more people paying the full price means we can afford to offer more total spots including at the lower price tiers (we have to buy food and shelter too). That means if you're paying less than you know you can, you're taking a spot away from someone else who can't afford it. So just be honest and don't be a dick.
• What if I get a job while doing the lessons on a reduced price?

  That's awesome! First of all, you should celebrate. When you can afford it, please change to the "I'm employed full-time" tier to pay it forward to other people who are in the situation you just left. We won't do this automatically, we don't know your situation, but we have a limited number of slots for students. More people paying the full price means we can afford to offer more total spots, including at the lower price tiers (we have to buy food and shelter too). That means if you're paying less than you know you can, you're taking a spot away from someone else who can't afford it. So just be honest and don't be a dick.
• Can I use my lessons to collab on stuff I'm doing at work?

  No. For a lot of reasons: it's unethical to pass off the work of others as your own, you'd probably be violating your NDA if you told me everything we needed to know, and also your boss is welcome to hire We Beasties if they want design work from us.
• Can my lessons focus on my idea for a startup?

  Your lessons are focused on design and becoming a better designer. If you have a startup/side project idea that you want to use as a basis for things you practice in your lessons, we can absolutely do that. We won't be designing anything for you and all the feedback you get will be about your progress in your study of design, not how viable your ideas are.
• I'm going through some things, can I use my time to talk through it?

  No. We are not therapists or counselors. While we will certainly talk about a lot of stuff, including things that are going on in your life, if you need to talk to someone to deal with them, we strongly encourage you to find a qualified professional to talk to (which, again, is not us.)
• Why are you charging for mentorship?

  We aren't. This isn't a mentor-mentee relationship, it's a teacher-student relationship. While the lessons don't have a one-size fits all structure, they are still structured education. You'll be doing exercises outside of each lesson to bring back and gauge your progress. Our time together will be focused on improving your existing skills or learning new ones. That's very different than a mentorship.