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Wondering what CreativeLive is, how it works and if it’s worth paying for?
Then this indepth CreativeLive review is here to help.
Given CreativeLive is nothing less than a treasure trove of courses, I spent three weeks taking some of the most popular classes on the platform in order to be able to give you a thorough and honest review.
But if you’ve got limited time, here’s the short version!
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Quick summary
Pros
- You will learn highly effective tips and tricks from top performers
- Great variety of courses and over 1500 classes to choose from
- Learn hands-on specific skills like photography or entrepreneurial skills like making the most of your money
- Clear, step-by-step guidance
- Courses are accessible to everyone with transcripts for each lesson
- Courses often offer extra downloadable material to help students make the most of their learning
- Teachers are really engaging and make the classes fun
- You will rapidly improve your technique
- It’s clear that the platform was created by passionate creatives who encourage others to invest in their art and skills
Cons
- No accreditation offered, however this is common for e-learning platforms
- You can’t ask a teacher a question directly, although you can learn from CreativeLive’s community of like minded individuals
- You might find some of the older courses outdated despite the constant addition of new content
Best for: CreativeLive is geared towards freelancers and creative professionals who want to take their business to the next level. There’s plenty of content for those who wish to learn new skills.
Overall: CreativeLive offers a range of courses from cake decorating, to guitar recording, to social media management, all under the guidance of world-class creatives, cultural icons, and even Pulitzer Prize winners. I was blown away by the variety and quality of the content as well as the superb organisation. For a small investment you get access to a range of courses in all sorts of fields where you get to hear experts share their secrets to success.
-> Click here to check latest prices for CreativeLive
In this review you’ll find:
- What CreativeLive is
- Who the instructors are
- Available categories and classes
- How the platform works and what a lesson is like
- How much CreativeLive costs
- What I liked about CreativeLive and what could be improved
- Who the platform is for
- My review of 3 classes
- Tips to finding the best courses on CreativeLive
- If it’s trustworthy and what others have said about it
- If CreativeLive is really worth it
- FAQs
So, let’s jump right into the review.
What is Creative Live?
Creative Live was founded in 2009 by creatives Chase Jarvis and Craig Swanson who wanted to provide access to creative education and workshops for a community of passionate and ambitious individuals.
Today they have over 1500 classes, more than 650 worldwide instructors, and a growing 10 million students.
CreativeLive believes everyone can achieve their full potential as a creative freelancer or entrepreneur, no matter what skills you start out with. They push you and encourage you to chase your dreams and to maximize your skill set with their superb courses.
Currently the platform provides a range of services from free live-streamed masterclasses to longer and more comprehensive courses. You can choose to improve the skills you already have or learn something completely new!
The focus of the platform is on helping creative professionals succeed in their industries by instilling confidence and equipping them with practical skills. All courses are related to the creative industries whether it be a course on Building a Successful Blog or one on Recording Rock Guitars.
Who are the instructors?
CreativeLive has assembled leading experts in their respective fields to teach you what they know.
They include:
- Aaron Nace, renowned Photoshop instructor
- Ramit Sethi, Author of New York Times Bestseller “I Will Teach You To Be Rich”
- Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group
- Tim Ferriss, tech-investor and advisor and owner of the #1 Business Podcast The Tim Ferriss Show
Creative Live classes
There are over 2000 classes available on CreativeLive and they fall into five major channels:
- Photo & Video
- Art & Design
- Music & Audio
- Craft & Maker
- Money & Life
Within each of these categories you can then find a number of sub-categories that can help you narrow down your search.
CreativeLive also offers collections which can provide users with certain benefits such as bundles which help save money, or learning paths that can help guide a learner who wishes to focus on a certain topic.
The five most popular courses right now are:
- How to Break the Habit of Self-Doubt and Build Real Confidence with Mel Robbins
- Fundamentals of Photography with John Greengo
- Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life with Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
- Adobe Photoshop CC: The Complete Guide with Ben Wilmore
- Posing 101 with Lindsay Adler
And their class, Adobe Premier Pro Fundamentals, features in our Best Video Editing Course review.
How does Creative Live work?
CreativeLive is available as a monthly or annual subscription service.
Once you have selected one of the three Creator Passes available you will have access to:
- Courses taught by top-class instructors
- 24/7 use of the platform on any device
- Downloadable lessons and extra content
- Exclusive conferences and livestreams
- Fresh content that is updated monthly
- Goal setting and learning paths
As the name might suggest, CreativeLive focuses on creative skills but includes a wide range of courses from floral design to time management – so there’s something in it for everyone including:
- Communication Skills
- Podcasting
- Leadership and Management
- Online Business
- Knitting and Crochet
- Upcycling
- Fashion Design
- Cake Decorating
- Songwriting
- Live Sound Mixing
- InDesign, Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop (#1 in our Best Photoshop Course review)
- WordPress
- Documentary making
- Mobile Photography
Among many many others!
What is a CreativeLive lesson like?
CreativeLive’s classes are more engaging and interactive than many other online classes, and here’s why.
Each class is live-streamed and recorded in a studio with a live audience. While you watch a class you will not have the option to interact or ask questions, but the students in the studio, or those who are watching live online, do contribute and participate. So the questions you have will likely be asked by one of them.
This also makes classes more dynamic as whole, as teachers are bouncing off the students’ questions rather than just addressing the camera.
Usually there is an introductory lecture that will help you get a sense of the course and set your goals. This will help you stay motivated throughout the course and confirm whether or not it’s really the class you were looking for. Then it’s time to get down to business (or baking).
The teacher then shares their expertise with you while also taking questions from the students in the studio as well as those online. You might also be set some exercises to do, and usually these will be exemplified by an in-studio student too, making the class feel like a workshop as well as a theory lesson.
The teaching style varies from subject to subject and teacher to teacher, but it’s abundantly clear that the CreativeLive team believe that learning should be an interactive process. Across the board, teachers use case studies and accessible analogies that help students grasp and remember concepts.
This hybrid model is really engaging when compared to classic online classes where the teacher online addresses the camera. By having students in the studio, you get to learn from their questions and mistakes, and it makes it feel like an in-person class. In addition, each class builds on the previous one so you feel like you’re gradually learning and improving class by class.
How much does Creative Live cost?
There are two distinct paths you can take with CreativeLive. You can either:
- Buy individual courses which each have a specific set price
- Purchase one of the three Creator Pass subscriptions
The three available passes all grant users access to the exact same content and benefits, they just differ in payment.
The annual Creator Pass subscription costs $149 which is the equivalent of paying $12.42 each month.
Alternatively, users can choose to get a monthly Creator Pass subscription with an annual commitment. This means that you commit to subscribing to the platform for 12 months, but you pay every month rather than all at once. For this choice the price is $15 per month.
Finally, students might prefer to have some flexibility and more power over their subscription. In this case, you can opt to get a monthly Creator Pass subscription with no commitments for the price of $39 per month.
Naturally, the cheapest and most worthwhile option is to get an annual Creator Pass subscription as you will be paying approximately $12 per course if you take one course every month.
Creative Live free trial
CreativeLive doesn’t offer a free trial, however the site is very easy to navigate and offers a ton of information on their content and instructors. You can also consult their FAQ page to find out more about the platform as well as any exclusions you might be concerned about.
The platform has a series of trailers and video content that describe their work and some classes offer short previews you can browse through before deciding whether or not to invest.
If you’re still not sure you can find out more with this review or even check out the individual course reviews to see what users have said.
Finally, if you are really interested in the platform but worried it won’t meet your requirements there is a refund policy.
Creative Live refund
CreativeLive offers a 7-day period in which users can request a refund if they are not satisfied. If you purchase annual passes or monthly passes with annual commitments then you cannot get a refund after 7 days. However, if you have a monthly pass you can always cancel your renewal.
What I liked about Creative Live
Incredible variety and quality of courses
While there are other learning platforms that offer a variety of courses and categories, CreativeLive seems to be one of the most diverse e-learning sites out there.
It’s a great opportunity to first improve on your skills, such as photography, and then through the same platform learn how to market your business and make a profit.
You may think that if the platform doesn’t specialize in a single subject the quality of the classes isn’t so good. This is not the case with CreativeLive. Every class I sampled was fun and met the same high level of quality teaching and material.
Professional instructors
The platform feels very cohesive and well put together because of the focus on creative learners and making the most of students’ talents.
The fact that users can expect the highest quality and quantity of material makes them trustworthy.
The teachers are professional and very open and interactive with students. They are confident in their expertise and abilities to help students improve and exude passion, helping students feel motivated and keen to learn.
