Almost all growth starts with desire. Sometimes even with desire there is resistance. And, sometimes, the season is not right. Patience is required. Learning is preparing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and nourishing.
I enrolled in this class last May or June, during the busiest season of my work. As a fund developer, I had not predicted that this season would include a harvest of generosity. I prioritized the donors for the greater good. This class lay fallow.
Fortunately, I was given an opportunity to try again in another season. This autumn season, while fruitful in many ways, also included a job change, a location change, and a move. I found myself working two jobs, managing two homes, driving thousands of miles, onboarding in a new role, helping my husband apply for several new jobs, and supporting a daughter through a health scare and surgery.
But the soil was ready, even if the planting was late.
Learning often comes with some resistance. Some storms to weather, even if only in your mind.
I thought Adobe Express would be too hard.
I thought an online course wouldn't be that interesting.
I lost the email with the link to start.
I was busy.
I was starting late, again!
And yet ...
It was time to learn.
Time to try new skills. Time to think. Time to practice.
To everything there is a season. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
I was able to cultivate the skills learned in Canva and other digital design experiences such as video and audio editing, and AI prompt design and apply it to this course.
I wish I had realized sooner how many of my friends and colleagues were in the course. I saw that Kim, Sara, Janelle, Kari, and Shelby were in the course, to name a few.
When I learn, I like to learn together. It may have helped me to know who was in the course to establish some work times with others rather than the solitary learning. As we think of design (and learning) it is to share and communicate with others.
Knowing who you are and where you come from is an important part of getting where you are going.
Through the prompts, this course offered me ample opportunity to reflect on the past, even as I look toward the future.
Learning is meant to be expansive. To stretch you. To light the way to more learning.
I have created videos previously. Adobe Express had a few new features, some were intuitive for me based on my experiences and a few frustrated me. Video creation is time consuming, so some of the frustration for me is about my own impatience with myself and my impatience with my ability to estimate the time projects take.
While I normally do not like being fenced in, I truly appreciated the boundaries that each assignment had. There was clarity and given all the opportunities in the design realm, it was nice to know where the edges were for each assignment.
I tend to roam around too much without clear guidelines. With all the possibilities in Adobe Express, it was great to know how to stay in the lines.
The path for learning more has been laid out in front of me. So much more to learn. Excited for the progress on the journey so far.
Ready to grow my skills and my business.
Ready to serve rural youth and adults on their way to a mindset for learning, a path to ease of mind, and a road to empowerment.
Learning by Jane Wolery in Digital Literacy and Design Adobe Express Class 2025.
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Credits:
Background photos all original photography by Jane Wolery. Photo of Jane Wolery by Jason Larson.