Online learning platform Skillshare is embracing the surge in people identifying as creators—either as a full-time career or as a secondary, part-time gig—in its latest campaign. It’s a move to appeal to those in the creative and tech industries who may have recently been laid off or are seeking a career change. 

Leveraging the network of illustrators, animators, designers and other creators that teach courses on the platform, Skillshare is encouraging those who are contemplating turning a creative pursuit into an income source to take the plunge and become creators themselves. 

“I think a lot of them are at a point right now where maybe they’re freshly laid-off and defining that next chapter of their career,” said Emma Brooks, VP of brand and social at Skillshare, referring to those impacted by the recent spate of layoffs across companies such as Spotify, Amazon and Disney. “They’re feeling unfulfilled or maybe lacking purpose in their life—looking for something that's inspiring and allows them to tap into their creativity.” 

Skillshare put nine creators at the core of its “Subscribe To Something Better” campaign, ranging from fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff; to animator and producer Ian Jones-Quartey, who created and worked on various Cartoon Network series; to Joy Cho, founder and creative director of design studio Oh Joy. Many of these creators teach classes on the platform relevant to those interested in entering the creator economy—such as how to establish a healthy work-life balance or launch a business. 

These creators are the center of Skillshare’s campaign and will star in several video series across Skillshare’s social media channels. The series include “day in the life” videos, in which a few of these creators film clips of themselves going through a typical workday; a collection of “pro tips” from several of the creators offering advice about breaking into the creative industry; and brief narrations from the creators about the moment in their lives that made them pivot to making a career out of their creativity, she said. 

The creator-led videos will primarily reside on Skillshare’s Instagram, which is where Brooks said the target audience—so-called “creative millennials"—spend the majority of their time. But the content will also be shared across the brand’s social channels, with the brand aiming to drive potential creators to try out classes on Skillshare’s website. 

Over 300 million people around the globe comprise the booming creator economy, more than half of whom have joined the market of people turning content creation into a source of income within the past two years, according to a recent study from Adobe.

Along with recent layoffs, the COVID-19 pandemic led many workers to reevaluate their careers, with thousands choosing to quit their existing jobs and seek out new opportunities as part of the “Great Resignation.” In the wake of this cultural movement, people are realizing they can establish greater autonomy and flexibility in their careers by “earning diversified income,” turning their creative skills into a source of revenue alongside—or in place of—a more-traditional, nine-to-five job, Brooks said. 

One of the creators featured in Skillshare’s campaign, Mimi Chao, began her career as a lawyer before transitioning to her current role as a freelance illustrator. But when Chao first decided she wanted to turn her passion for illustration into her full-time career, she didn’t realize being a freelance illustrator was a possible career path, partially because she didn’t have role models to look to who had made a similar career pivot. 

“I really relate to that feeling of, ‘This isn’t for me. I know that there's something else out there that's just truer to who I am and what I want to spend my life doing,” Chao said. “Seeing someone else who’s done it—someone that’s relatable and doesn’t seem that different from you—makes such a huge difference in believing that you can do it, too.”

Beyond social media videos spotlighting creators, which will run on the brand’s various social channels through the end of March, Skillshare’s campaign also includes a quiz that aims to help people determine which classes on its platform might best align with their career goals. And Skillshare is also partnering with e-commerce platform Shopify for an in-person event that will offer workshops to creators hoping to reshape their careers to incorporate their creative skills. 

In parallel to this campaign, Skillshare conducted a study of over 1,000 people who identify as “creators,” whether professionally or as a hobby. The platform’s “2023 Trendshare” report revealed that, as of late January, 60% of participants are seeking to change companies or fully switch to a new career “in light of the current state of the economy.” Additionally, 57% of respondents said they plan to emphasize their creative “side hustles” this year in hopes of bringing in more income through that source. 

“In 2023, we will start to see the broader adoption of a new kind of worker—those who are pursuing professions as if they are gig economy workers,” Matt Cooper, Skillshare CEO, writes in the report. “It’s essentially the model we see already working for those who have adopted the creator economy, where multiple revenue streams allow workers to pursue their paychecks and passions, without devoting all of their time and investment to one job.”