Open Mic Sessions & Creative Challenges
Your once-a-month creative fix β a live webinar with our founders, built to keep you creating.
New Here? Start This Way
Already a Member?
Head to your library to catch up on this month's Creative Brief and connect with fellow photographic artists in training. (Session recordings can also be accessed in your library)
Go to Your LibraryReady to Join?
Become part of the Inspire Community for $29/month (or save with an annual plan) and get Open Mic sessions, Creative Challenges, and our Creative Advisors.
Join the Inspire CommunityNew to the Academy?
Never done a course with us? Start with a $1 taste of what we teach before you commit to anything.
Explore Our CoursesWhat Is an Open Mic Session?
Once a month, the Inspire Community comes together for a live webinar hosted by our founders β Ralf ArmbrΓΌster, Martin Osner, and Samantha Lee Osner. It's open to every member of the community: course students with community access built in, subscribers who've joined the Inspire Community directly, and our 20 Creative Advisors.
We used to run these as small Zoom sessions inside the Academy β but there's only so much personal feedback you can give in a room that size. Moving to a webinar let us open the doors to far more photographic artists in training, without losing the personal touch.
Think of it as your once-a-month creative fix.
Inside a Session
Each Open Mic session runs about an hour and a half, broken into three parts:
Q&A β questions submitted at registration or dropped into chat live, covering photography, art photography, and fine art photography.
Previous Creative Brief Feedback β a look back at the previous Creative Challenge, with guidance on composition and craft across photography, mixed media, and fine art.
The Next Creative Challenge BriefΒ β a full theme and brief for the month ahead.
Some months swap the Q&A for a guest discussion (20β25 minutes) on a specific aspect of photography or art, followed by a shorter Q&A (15β20 minutes) before moving into the same Creative Brief segment.
How the Creative Challenge Works
- Watch the replay or download the full brief as a PDF in your library.
- Accept the challenge on the community platform β on desktop or in the app.
- Share your works-in-progress in the Inspire Community feed as you create.
- Get feedback and encouragement from our Creative Advisors along the way.
- Submit your final entry into the Creative Challenge section once you're happy with it.
Why We Do This
We believe there's an artist in everyone. Most people who stop creating don't stop because they run out of talent β they stop because they run out of motivation, or the tools to keep going.
We don't teach a course and walk away. The real work happens in the community and the journey that follows β session after session, challenge after challenge, as your work keeps getting better.
That's why we talk about the art of photography β not just photography as a technical skill, but as a more artistic, spirited form, where the camera is just one part of a much bigger creative process. It's why we call our members photographic artists in training, not just students.
Meet Our Creative Advisors
Our 20 Creative Advisors have walked this journey themselves β from their first course to creating work they're proud to share. Now they're here to motivate, inspire, and mentor the next wave of talent in the Art Photography Academy community.
We don't believe in creating in isolation. See their work and their journeys for yourself.
Meet the Creative AdvisorsNew to the Art Photography Academy?
If you've never done a course with us, here's the path most photographic artists in training follow:
- Essentials Photography Class β the photographic system and terminology, pay what you can from $1.
- Getting Started in Art Photography (8 weeks) or Advanced Photography with Martin Osner (6 weeks, essentials through to advanced fundamentals).
- Going Further in Art Photography β the next step after Getting Started.
- Photoshop for the Artist with Samantha Lee Osner β runs alongside Getting Started.
All self-paced, all online, all working directly out of your library. Advanced Photography, Getting Started, and Going Further all include a complimentary Inspire Community subscription.
Curious first? Try the Abstract Image Fragmentation technique for $1.
Become a Member of the Inspire Community
There are two ways in:
Subscribe directly β $29/month, or save two months with an annual plan.
Enroll in a bundled course β Advanced Photography, Getting Started in Art Photography, and Going Further in Art Photography all include a complimentary Inspire Community subscription.
Join the Inspire Community β $29/moFrequently Asked Questions
How do I become a member of the Inspire Community?
Subscribe directly from $29/month, or enroll in Advanced Photography, Getting Started in Art Photography, or Going Further in Art Photography β each includes a complimentary subscription.
Do I need to be enrolled in a course to join an Open Mic session?
No β any Inspire Community member can join, whether you got there through a course or a direct subscription.
What if I can't attend live?
Every session is recorded and will be added to your library, along with the full Creative Challenge brief as a downloadable PDF.
How do I enter a Creative Challenge?
Accept the challenge from the community platform (web or app), share your progress in the Inspire Community feed, then submit your final entry in the Creative Challenge section once you're ready.
Who are the Creative Advisors?
Twenty members who've walked this journey themselves and now help mentor, motivate, and inspire the rest of the community.
