What if you could offer your clients the chance to pose in front of the Eiffel Tower, run with the bulls of Pamplona, or trek through the Amazon rainforest? With green screen photography, you can. In this course, Ben Shirk will teach you how to use this magical process of adding in various backgrounds to your images, giving you the power to provide eye-popping photography services to your clientele.

Are you interested in working with watercolor and/or gouache paints but not sure how to get started? In this course artist and illustrator, Mary Jane Begin will introduce you to the world of watercolor and gouache paints. This class is perfect for beginners looking to learn the basics of the medium in order to begin a painting practice. By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the know-how to pick up a brush and start experimenting with watercolors and gouache!

The power and reach of Instagram is undeniable. Entirely new careers have emerged as a result of it. Being a career "Instagrammer" isn't a calling that everyone has, but there's no disputing the career advantages that come with having a substantial following, particularly if you're a photographer. Join Pei Ketron, photographer and well-known Instagrammer as she teaches you how to stand out from the crowd.

Being a boss is more than just sitting behind a desk and telling people what to do. As a leader, you’re asked to be a coach, teacher, parent, cheerleader, psychologist, confidant, shoulder to cry on, rock to push up against, and, of course—a businessperson.

Work can be full of slights and stresses, irritants and indignities. Are you working long hours but constantly being skipped over for promotions? Does someone in the office hate you no matter how hard you try to be liked? Do you get nervous before a presentation and feel awkward during meetings?

One way to keep your podcast fresh, informative, and entertaining is by booking interesting, knowledgeable guests. But how do you go about reaching out to potential guests and convincing them to be on your show? And once you do nab a great guest, how can you make sure you get the best interview possible?

Say the word “budget” and most people instantly feel a sense of dread—as if the walls are closing in on them. Most of us don’t like the idea of restricting our spending and feeling deprived of the things and experiences that we believe will make our lives better and more fulfilled.

With all of the many platforms, tools, and resources available to help you publish and distribute your first podcast, it’s hard to know which to choose. It’s important to make an informed decision about the services you use so you can be confident that you’re putting your best foot forward as a new podcaster.

As a communications professional, you want your clients to see you as indispensable. When they’ve got a make-or-break speech to deliver and the chips are down, they should count on you to give them the coaching they need to perform to their highest potential and truly shine.

Every time we buy a piece of clothing and choose an outfit to wear, we’re saying something about who we are. Our dressing behaviors are like windows into our psyches, exposing our deepest feelings, desires, conflicts, and problems.

Why are we drawn to stories? What is it that makes us want to listen, read, or watch a story unfold? And what are our expectations when we begin any story? These are big, complex questions. But as a writer, it’s essential that you tackle them in order to truly give your readers what they want and expect from a great story.

What’s the one key ingredient of a story that really draws people in? Emotion. It isn’t plot or dramatic situations that drive a story forward, it’s the internal, emotional struggle of the protagonist and other characters that make the reader care and need to know what’s going to happen next.

If you go to all the trouble of creating a great podcast, you’d probably like to have an audience hear it. But how does a new podcast gain listeners? And how do you get your hard work in front of the right people?

You might have an incredible story to tell, but if your first three pages aren’t amazing, you’re likely to lose your reader. Those first words are what grab the reader’s attention, stoke their curiosity, and make them eager to know what happens next. So if you want to hook your reader and make them stay for the long haul, you have to get those pages right.

So you’ve bought, borrowed, or bartered all of your podcasting gear. Congratulations! Now it’s time to figure out how to use it. In this comprehensive technical course, Ray Ortega will show you the ins and outs of how to record audio and process it for publication.

One of the worst parts of carrying debt is the shame it induces. Too many people feel embarrassment and guilt about their debt, as if they’ve failed in some profound way. But the facts are that the average American adult has $4,717 in credit card debt, and more than 44 million Americans hold nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt, so there’s no reason to feel burdened by this unfair stigma.

Producing a podcast week after week can be a challenging and exhausting undertaking. Coming up with new ideas, creating a sustainable workflow, and keeping up with a hectic production schedule can suck all the fun out of your podcasting venture.

According to the experts, millennials won’t be able to retire until they’re about 75 years old, and that’s if they’re lucky! And some data shows that three-quarters of Americans are not ready for retirement at all. No question about it, people of all ages and backgrounds are woefully unprepared for their golden years.

Are you afraid to raise your prices but you’re not making ends meet? Are you worried that you’ll lose clients because they’ll think you’re overpriced? Join photographer and educator Tomayia Colvin as she talks you through the process of identifying what your photography skills are worth and how to charge for them.

Despite the surge in popularity of messaging tools like Slack, HipChat, and Basecamp, email remains the single most important means of communication in corporate America. And yet, people love to bash email, most likely because they’re simply not good at writing them.

When it comes to image composition, street photography poses unique challenges. There are usually several things going on at once, and you never know when something or somebody will jump into the frame when you least expect it. Renowned street photographer Dave Krugman will show you to take control of your images and create a well-constructed composition on the fly.

No matter who you are, where you live, how old you are, or what your background is, your story matters. National Novel Writing Month encourages people to explore the meanderings of their imagination so they can transform a blank page into a launching pad for the discovery of new universes.

You don’t have to be a famous celebrity to have a story worth sharing. And you don’t need to have a long life full of significant events and intriguing encounters. To write a compelling memoir, you just need to highlight your most unique, interesting or transformative experiences—the moments in your life that really matter.

CreativeLive is honored to welcome Ami Vitale. Ami will be part of our In Focus series and will present her insights into the world of photography. Please join us for this insightful discussion followed by a Q & A.