One of the most daunting aspects of pursing a creative or artistic career for many aspiring artists is not knowing how to learn the craft. So, we asked some very talented artists and creatives to talk to us about how they learned their crafts and we hope their stories will help you in your journey.

Josiah Wolf

Always had a knack for it. Started young and kept working at it. Went through time of more serious practice and time of less. I wish I had prioritized some advanced techniques at a younger age but I’m pretty happy with where I’m at. Most essential skill is learning how to play and listen at the same time. Read more>>

Thaddeus Jones

I started in high school as a photography assistant. Later I came back to college and started putting together what I learned in high school with filmmaking. If I had it to do over I don’t think I could do it any differently because when I came out of high school digital filmmaking was not a thing. So it was all God’s timing. Maybe the thing I could have done to speed up my process was focus on lighting and finding people that were just as interested in the craft of filmmaking and telling stories as I was. Read more>>

Megan Jade

As cliché as it sounds, I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. Somewhere in my dad’s garage, there are dozens of VHS tapes of me as a toddler putting on “concerts” as Britney Spears in our living room. When I was really young, my parents noticed how passionate I was about singing and started encouraging me to perform. I spent a lot of my childhood performing in church and school choirs before receiving classical voice training in high school. Read more>>

Edwin Vargas

I didn’t just learn photography, I lived it. My journey started at a Small Art University in Panama City, where I built a strong foundation. But my real growth came from my mentors. They didn’t just teach me how to take pictures, they showed me how to use light, control mood, and tell a story through images. Read more>>

Alexandre Tolipan

My journey into photography started way back in 1995 when I took a photography course at my university. That was my first introduction to using a camera, developing film, and getting the basics of composition. But honestly, after that, photography was just a hobby for me. From then until I moved to New York in 2018, I didn’t formally study it again. I just took photos for fun. Read more>>

Shayla Phan

Something that I’m constantly learning is that your career is never linear. As you explore all the facets of being creative you may find new paths that intrigue you entirely uprooting you from what you believed you once always wanted. Starting out my journey I was in love with ballet and contemporary that lead me into hiphop which lead me to choreographing and creating until now ultimately my psychology career of discovering the connection with the mind and body. Read more>>

Howard Williams

Honestly, when it comes to anything music-wise, whether it’s singing, rapping, writing, producing, recording, mixing, and playing instruments; Im self taught. to learn piano i asked someone to show me the chords to a gospel song when i was 14 and from there i figured it out the rest of the way. For guitar, i locked myself in my room for a week until i learn some basic chords and fingering. Read more>>

Casson Tate

When it comes to learning how to do music, the biggest hurdle I had was understanding that a professional approach to music is non-linear. I mean this in the sense that a professional approach to a creative path will not look the same as every other artist’s journey. I spent a lot of my childhood approaching music in an academic sense. Upon graduating high school in 2019, I got my own DAW (digital audio workstation), Logic Pro X, and began teaching myself. I’ve always found that learning by doing is the best for me. No amount of reading music theory or watching tutorials alone was enough. Eventually, I made the switch to the DAW, Ableton, and began learning alongside my bandmate, Trent. Read more>>

Giorgio Haddad

As an actor, I’ve learned what I do through a combination of training, experience, and sheer passion. My journey started in childhood when I realized how much joy I felt entertaining people and stepping into the shoes of different characters. Over the years, I took every opportunity to perform, whether it was in school plays, community theater, or small film projects. Each role taught me something new—how to embody emotions, connect with an audience, and make my characters feel real. Read more>>

Victoria Seguritan

As a child, I was always attracted to photography & the arts. I guess you could say I’m very “left brained”. My very first experience with photography was with a disposable camera I got for Christmas as a child. I remember lining up all of my dolls and posing them for pictures. As I got older and got an actual camera, I dove into YouTube and learned from other creatives who shared tips online. A lot of what I have learned has been from trial and error as well. I don’t think there’s any right way to necessarily speed up the learning process, because I think it’s super important to learn as you go and learn from your mistakes. I think the most essential skills for photography are simply having the passion and love for it deep down so that you stay engaged. Read more>>