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5 classes starting in 2016 that will make your New Year’s Resolutions a reality

The hat is the window to the soul, after all.

In the dusky twilight of 2015, there’s a light ahead. And that light promises all sorts of positive changes you’re going to make to your eating habits, your physical well-being and your outlook on life. Whether it’s breaking a sweat, sharpening your kitchen skills or just taking in a new experience, Brokelyn’s got you covered with a roundup of awesome courses you can take in the new year.

And while you’re taking something for yourself, don’t forget that signing up for these classes through us helps keep the batteries in the Broke-a-tron. So check out one of these opportunities for self-betterment today, and thank us next year (i.e. tomorrow). 

You promised yourself you’d be classier this year. Well, nothing screams “I’m attending a winter derby!” like a good hat, and why buy bowlers at fancy shops when you could learn to make your own? This millinery class, courtesy of Craftsman Avenue, provides the materials and instruction necessary to create your own “cocktail” headpiece, sure to wow guests at even the foppiest New Years’ soirée. $160 for the first hat, and mere pennies for the ones you’ll make yourself for years to come!

If working at a keyboard or doing anything remotely intensive with your hands is part of your daily routine, then how about a stretching course designed specifically for makers? Brooklyn Metal Works hosts this very cool 2-hour workshops that teaches hand, forearm, wrist, eye and shoulder stretches, so you can protect the parts of you that perform your talent. $30 gets you the stretched both orally and hard-copy: booklets will be distributed so you can remember the stretches at home.

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It doesn’t get more authentic than a manual photography darkroom

2016 is the year of authenticity, so don’t be a Mast Brother in the darkroom: learn to develop your own black-and-white camera film with the folks of BKC Brooklyn Central! The $85 price tag gets you a 4-hour intensive with the professionals, where you’ll learn to load a reel and development talk, process your film, and wash/dry the negatives so they can be kept for your archives. Bring a fully-shot roll of black-and-white film.

You want to stay healthy this season, and that means not getting sick. Enter this evening miso fermentation intensive with Pioneer Works. A mere $40 will break down the science of miso, including its myriad gut health benefits, ways to prepare it, and how best to enjoy it in your favorite recipes.

Or, if next year is just about building your brand, be it business or personal, take advantage of this Excel for Creatives class with Gowanus Furniture. This 2-session, $195 intensive will give you some serious spreadsheet know-how, and you’ll know every available function in Microsoft Excel when it comes time to balance the books, do your taxes, and most importantly, turn a profit on your endeavors.

Sam Corbin :Writer and performer based in Brooklyn. Made in Canada.