For folks with artistic aspirations, finding arts-related classes in this week’s Stay Classy cover package is less obvious than you might think. Arts and Crafts and Performance, sure, but Travel and Culture? Technology? Yep, you just may find the class of your dreams in those categories, too. Below, some places to check out.

Arts and Crafts
Think arts classes and drawing and painting probably come to mind. Which is all well and good, but it’s a bit common, no? Art Whino in National Harbor is upping the ante by offering a more specialized variety of classes in subjects like comic painting and narrative illustration. Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass to get to, but the classes sound cool.

Remember the Bedazzler, the “amazing gem and rhinestone setter?” I think I wanted one when I was about seven, around the same time I was into decorating sweatshirts with puff-paint. So Bedazzled isn’t really doing itself any favors with its name, but it does offer some pretty neat-sounding classes that have nothing to do with rhinestones. Who knew you could learn to make your own chain mail?

Want to use power tools while you make art? Look no farther than the Washington Glass School, which offers classes in welding and sculptural flameworking. Pyromaniacs finally have a healthy outlet for their obsession.

Performance
So maybe D.C. doesn’t have a place to study comedy that’s as famous as Second City or Groundlings, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any places at all. The Comedy Spot, D.C. Improv, and Washington Improv Theater all host improv classes for students of all levels.

If you’ve got serious acting aspirations, the Acting Conservatory at Studio Theatre is the place to go. It features a three-year, sequential curriculum with classes in subjects like realism, voice, and classics.

Travel and Culture
Fine, this category ended up serving as kind of a catch-all. Where else would we have put the writing workshops at the Writer’s Center? Turns out the Bethesda non-profit’s pretty much the only place around that offers writing classes for adults. Cool ones, too, in vast array of subjects including rock journalism, screenplays, fantasy, and songwriting.

Technology
Always dreamed of becoming a music producer or film editor?  With classes in field production, studio production, and Final Cut Pro, Arlington Independent Media can help make that happen.

One of my favorite things to do when I’m bored is to tool around in Photoshop or Illustrator. Classes at Ledetinclude not only instruction on the Creative Suite but also other Adobe programs like Captivate and After Effects.