Skills I am learning during Lockdown

Anyone else already feeling the strain from self-isolation? I know I am… but that’s ok, because there are thousands of other people in the same position as I am. 

Within the first two weeks of the UK being in lockdown, I have lost my job, worried over money, worried even more about rent, had to think about the different potential possibilities when it comes to university and most of all; keep myself calm with the fact I am in my hometown living out of a suitcase as opposed to the comfort of my own bedroom with all of my belongings.

Times are hard, and they are hard for everyone. But there are a couple of things that I am doing to keep my brain busy and avoid slipping into an existential crisis on a daily basis. I’ve signed up to two online courses, alongside developing my current skill set!

1. British Sign Language- I signed up to an introductory sign language course within the first couple of days of self-isolation and I am feeling so proud of myself for the small amount of signs I have learnt. I never knew that Introductory BSL had SO MUCH INVOLVED! I honestly have looked at the content of the course and thought to myself “this can’t just be introductory can it?” but when you consider the vast amount of words there are out there… it makes sense. The course was promoted to me as being £3 for the entire introductory course from its usual £25, I am unsure whether this is still the case so I shall leave the link for the course I’m taking here for you to check out yourself. It is truly a rewarding skill already, and one I’m looking forward to developing. AND it is CPD certified! Another great reason to take it up!

2. Coding- I know… I’m not 100% sure why I picked this class to take during self-isolation… but thankfully the teacher on this edX course keeps the content simple to understand and engaging to make me want to know more. I chose coding because I have a friend who is a coder, and after having a somewhat breakdown to him within the first few days of official lockdown he suggested I start a course. And with that he sent me the link to edX and what makes it better is that it is FREE when you Audit the course! You don’t get  certificate by the end of it but you DO get to listen to the content and there are opportunities in the class/video aspect where you can practice your coding. And as a photographer/editor I have found that these skills are some that can be transferred to my work- WHICH IS AMAZING. If this is something you’re interested in I have left the link to the course I’m taking here

3. Blogging- This seems like a weird one to write because technically I am a blogger, albeit a super small blogger, but I have been a part of the Grow and Glow network for a few months now and think it is now the best time to go through their content to improve my blogging skills. For those who don’t know, Grow and Glow is a ‘Hub for Creators and Creatives, Vix Meldrew created the Grow and Glow network with the intention to teach passionate bloggers just what they need to be able to hone down their niche to be able to pitch it to potential brands for collaborations, so they can hopefully earn a living from their blog content. Which lets face it, living off writing a blog is every bloggers ambition. I am sat in my living room in my dressing gown on a Thursday morning, cup of coffee in hand and typing away what I hope is good content that will be helpful to others. And for me, Grow and Glow has been just that. If you want to be a part of a community that will help you develop your blogging skills, I definitely recommend Grow and Glow. You can find out more by following this link

4. Editing/photography- Finally, I am going to be spending this time developing my editing a photography skills. Sounds obvious, because I am a photographer/filmmaker, but you’d be surprised by how hard it can be to find motivation to be creative when you’re mental health is being affected by this lockdown. Thankfully, every now and then I am able to find that burst of motivation to actually do something. For this morning, it is blogging. Later today, it might be editing. Or perhaps I should get on to my university coursework… WHO KNOWS! I am structuring my content slowly to follow some kind of theme (?) so if you want to go support my photography page, then feel free to follow me on Instagram here

I have mentioned a couple of times in this post about my mental health being affected by the lockdown, and while I know that there are MILLIONS of others out there who are dealing with the same thing as I am, I find this to be my safe space to be able to express myself. And I shouldn’t feel like I need to hide my feelings. But by taking these classes and continuing to develop skills I already have, it is keeping my brain and time occupied and HOPEFULLY by the time this is over I will have two new skills that I can promote to the world! 

It’s a scary world out there right now, so keep yourself safe and healthy. That goes for both physically and mentally. Look out for each other.

Until next time,

R xoxo