Podcast Summary: The Good Ship Illustration
Episode: The Joy of Not Finishing (All) Your Online Courses
Release Date: June 6, 2025

In this insightful episode of The Good Ship Illustration, hosts Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell, and Tania Willis dive deep into a common experience among creatives: subscribing to online art courses and not completing them. Drawing inspiration from a Substack article titled "Why Creative Women Don't Finish or Even Start the Art Courses They Bought Online," the trio explores the underlying reasons, benefits, and community aspects associated with this behavior.

1. Introduction to the Topic

Helen sets the stage by referencing the Substack article and highlighting the universal experience of beginning but not finishing online courses:

"I just read a really good Substack and it's called why Creative Women Don't Finish or Even Start the Art Courses They Bought online. I thought this would be brilliant because we've all bought courses and not finished them, haven't we?"
([00:27])

2. Commonality of Unfinished Courses

Both Tania and Leonie resonate with Helen's observation, sharing their personal struggles with incomplete courses:

"I've got cupboards full of them."
([00:39] Tanya)

"I'm still buying courses and not finishing them. And, you know, I'm not even sorry about it."
([00:40] Leonie)

3. Reasons for Not Completing Courses

The discussion delves into why creatives often fail to finish courses:

• Initial Excitement vs. Life Distractions:
  Leonie explains that initial enthusiasm often wanes due to life's unpredictable nature.

  "I'm really excited about something... and then I'll do a bit of the course and then life happens or I get distracted."
  ([00:55] Leonie)

• Affirmation of Commitment:
  Tania suggests that even starting a course serves as a reinforcement of one's dedication.

  "It affirms your commitment to an idea... it's a really expensive way sometimes of affirming your commitment."
  ([01:25] Tania)

4. Benefits of Partial Completion

Despite not finishing, participants derive value from engaging with parts of the course:

• Selective Learning:
  Helen shares her approach of skimming through courses to extract actionable insights.

  "I watched it quite quickly, just taking off the stuff that was quick and easy for me to understand... I put it into action. Seems to be working good."
  ([01:47] Helen)

• Action Over Completion:
  Leonie emphasizes that implementing learned concepts can be more beneficial than merely completing the course.

  "That's all you need."
  ([02:12] Leonie)

5. Community and Lifetime Access

A significant advantage of their courses is the sense of community and the provision of lifetime access:

• Building Connections:
  Helen highlights the friendships formed through their courses.

  "It's a nice recommendation for us that someone says, I will keep coming back to you."
  ([03:23] Tanya)

• Lifetime Access Benefits:
  Leonie explains their commitment to providing lifetime access, contrasting it with other courses that have restricted access.

  "Because we'd all done courses and had that experience where you... you have to pay another 600 pounds to see the thing."
  ([04:13] Leonie)

6. Mentoring and Showcasing Work

The hosts discuss their mentoring programs and the selection process for participants:

• Selecting Mentors:
  Helen describes the difficulty in choosing participants, ultimately selecting four to maximize impact.

  "We didn't pick because perhaps they just weren't at the right stage... we chose four very different questions with four very different types of work."
  ([05:18] Helen)

• Showcasing Success:
  They plan to highlight both winners and runner-ups, fostering a supportive community atmosphere.

  "If you're in the find your creative voice, fly your freak flag course, you'll get to see the actual one to one session."
  ([07:37] Leonie)

7. Gender Dynamics in Illustration Courses

The episode explores why illustration courses attract predominantly women and the implications thereof:

• Confidence Boost and Career Gaps:
  Helen speculates that women might seek courses to regain confidence after career interruptions, such as motherhood.

  "Maybe women take time out of their career more often than men do... it's a perfect moment to reconsider."
  ([08:30] Tania)

• Male Participation:
  Initially, few men joined their courses, but there's a gradual increase.

  "Hardly had any men sign up for the course in the beginning."
  ([09:51] Helen)

8. Challenges in Editorial Illustration

The hosts discuss the shifting landscape of editorial illustration:

• Declining Opportunities and Visibility:
  Tanya points out that editorial fees have decreased, making it less viable as a sole income source.

  "The fees in editorial are a lot lower now. It's not a living wage kind of activity."
  ([12:24] Tanya)

• Rise of AI in Illustration:
  Leonie shares an unsettling experience with AI-generated illustrations replacing traditional artwork.

  "People's Friend... the illustrations were all AI. I felt a bit sick for like a week after that."
  ([12:48] Leonie)

9. Looking Ahead

Concluding the episode, the hosts tease the next episode's focus on how illustrators can find clients, inspired by listener questions.

"This would lead us to our next podcast with the question sent in from Emily, who said, where do you... How do you find clients?"
([14:30] Tanya)

Notable Quotes

• Leonie: "Sometimes it's like, you know, they're a cheerleader..."
  ([02:20])

• Helen: "It's a good place to meet other people who want to do what you're doing as well."
  ([05:07])

• Tania: "It's a really expensive way sometimes of affirming your commitment to an idea."
  ([01:25])

Conclusion

This episode of The Good Ship Illustration offers a candid exploration of the challenges and benefits associated with online art courses. By acknowledging the common struggle of not finishing courses, the hosts emphasize the importance of community, selective learning, and continuous engagement over mere completion. Additionally, they shed light on the gender dynamics within the illustration industry and the evolving challenges posed by digital advancements like AI. For illustrators navigating their creative careers, the insights shared provide both relatability and actionable advice.