At-Home Creative Outlets

Need a new creative outlet? Don’t let the cold keep you from being creatively active—check out some of Lincoln Square’s virtual classes to sharpen your artistic skills.

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a wonderful resource for free online events and currently has a number of craft events coming up in February and March for adults. Join a Crochet and Conversations event on Saturday, February 20 where the hosts will help you start crochet projects at home or participate in Virtual Craft Circle events and a Craft ‘n Chat on Wednesday, February 17. Click here to view a list of craft events for adults with NYPL.

For those who want to start writing or work on writing skills, check out some free writing workshops also online at NYPL. Looking for a community of writers and a spark to write creatively again? Sign up for the Mulberry Street Writers’ Workshop on Wednesday, February 17. Or, join in an Introduction to Writing Life Stories (Memoir Writing) event on Tuesday, March 2, specifically meant to help non-writers jump into the art of memoir writing. There are a number of virtual writing group opportunities with NYPL—search them all here.

The Marlene Meyerson JCC is also offering a few online writing workshop sessions for anyone interested in more structured writing courses. Consider a series of classes from Sunday, February 14 through Sunday, March 21 titled The Write Prescription: Telling Your Stories Through Hard Times or one titled Poetry and Its Forms: Learn the Rules, Then Break Them from Thursday, February 11 through Thursday March 18. Check out more and register for workshops here.

Paper Source, a newer edition to The Shops at Columbus Circle, offers virtual workshops with four great options coming up in February. For $30 each, try a class for creative journaling on Wednesday, February 17; a creative hand lettering workshop on Sunday, February 21 or Wednesday, February 24; and a brush lettering workshop on Sunday, February 28.

Start an easy and fun painting project with Color Me Mine (177 Amsterdam Avenue), a local paint-your-own pottery studio that offers project kits and online tips to make crafting from home as easy as sitting at the studio. Pick a fun figurine to paint or try styling a new planter or coffee mug for your home, and much more. Just select a project, add a Pottery To-Go Kit so you have your paint and tools ready for your project, and once you’re done, you can return your new piece to the studio to be glazed and fired-up safely. Contact the studio for more details about how to complete your at-home projects.

Make art with real artists online through MAD Museum’s Online Learning Lab. Coming up on Wednesday, February 24, join a one-hour workshop and learn how to sustainably design and assemble a customized kite at home. Click here to learn about the event and purchase tickets. Check in regularly with MAD’s website for more upcoming workshops.

Keep the creative juices flowing and put your artistic abilities to the test with these fun online and at-home workshops.

Photo credit: Mollie Johanson