I recently read that Bill Gates is constantly expanding his knowledge by watching things like TED Talks and MIT astrophysics lectures online. That's the thing—even if you're crazy busy (and at the top of your field like Bill Gates), making the time to ask questions and get curious is critical to staying energized and inspired. Every new skill we pick up makes us better thinkers and more creative people.

xoxo,

Sukey

If you resolved to learn something new in 2012 but haven't quite gotten around to it yet, now's the perfect time to get proactive. Turning the idea of education on its head and charging into the brave new world of community-based learning is a brilliant young company called Skillshare, and class is most definitely in session.

Skillshare is on a visionary quest to help you learn anything from anyone. Running on insatiable curiosity and a conviction that everyone has something to teach, the site functions as an online hookup for real life learning. Search for upcoming classes near you and within hours you could be venturing into a computer lab to conquer Excel or meeting at your local park for an intro to outdoor photography.

The price of each class is set by its teacher, but they average out around $20 and we've seen classes for as little as $1 as well as a few freebies. For Skillshare, the main objective is educational democracy and a world where anyone can gain valuable skills—without astronomical student loans.

So what can you learn? A quick search of our local offerings turns up workshops like Art Collecting 101, Dairy-Free Ice Cream, Hip-Hop Dance for Beginners and iPhoneography 101. In Washington D.C., Skillsharers are learning how to knit and make classic French sauces. In San Francisco, they're baking pies and making terrariums. And if we lived in NOLA, we'd be pretty pumped to take a class called Let's Get Pickled...

And now that the world is our university, everyone's a teacher. Got a skill? Don't keep it to yourself! Whether you make a killer kombucha, are an expert soapmaker or have some great advice on how to deliver a speech, now's your chance to impart your wisdom and make some cash doing it. What are you waiting for? The world needs teachers (and students) like you.

Watch Skillshare's video manifesto, then get learning and teaching.