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.

Jabubu .

Starting my rap journey as an 11 year old kid the first thing i did was learn how to rhyme and flow. Listening to an abundance of different songs and artists helped me learn my idols cadences as well as develop my own original sound. Next came song structure and learning how to write hooks. Read More>>

Terri Sunflower

I’ve learned the craft of songwriting by attending the Rocky Mountain Song School and various online and in-person songwriting groups. Certainly the Song School has had the greatest impact, learning from so many gifted writers, and getting the opportunity to bring my songs to them for live workshopping. The best way to write one great song is to write a whole bunch of good/bad/meh ones! Read More>>

BJ Sloan

I first got serious about being an author seven years ago. That’s when I started attending the weekly DFW Writer’s Workshop. It was there I first began to soak up every bit of advice and critique-no matter how painful. It was necessary, I wanted to be successful. At first I was still working long hours in my real estate company. Read More>>

Eddie Atom

I come from a family of musicians. My dad was a drummer in the 1980s and through the early 90s for a Spanish rock group and I remember always having drums in the house growing up. I specifically remember my dad owning the clear maple orange Ludwig John Bonham set. Read More>>

Cool Water The Digital Dopeman

In the early two thousands, I received and email from Jack HUmphrey about blogging for success, I opened it. As I began to delve into the email I became attracted to the content that was presented before me and decided to dive in. As the months progress I started seeing blogging/content marketing as a viable way to build a brand and become an authority online. Read More>>

Justin Franklin

so I originally started DJing back in 2013 when I first watch Ultra music festival in Miami. I had already been musically trained for some years at that point through being in band since the 5th grade, so I had a little bit of a head start in terms of understanding the musicality of djing. Read More>>

Greg ‘Funk Daddy’ Buren

Learning how to produce music, DJ, and rap can be structured or not structured. For me, mostly it was not structured. To put it in the simplest terms, I loved music and I started learning by trying to emulate what I heard. Read More>>

Jeremy Little

Music is a life-long study; you will never finish, you will never learn enough, and that’s what I like about it. With that in mind, I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t learned my craft yet, but I’m in the process. I’ve never taken a break from music, so I’m skeptical that I could have sped up the process via another route. Read More>>

Flannery Cowan

Ever since childhood, I’ve had a strong affinity towards photography and digital artistry. Growing up in the early 2000s, I would play with my parents’ film cameras, shooting anything and everything I could, even though at times there wasn’t even film in the camera. Read More>>

Andrea Roccasalvo

I learned by studying a lot, but everything started when I was very young, with a small toy piano my parents gave me. From that moment on, my curiosity for music and sounds never faded, it only grew stronger. For many years, I taught myself how to play the piano and compose music. Read More>>

Tyler Weitz

My path to where I am today was anything but linear. If I were to sketch it out, it would look more like a looping scribble than a straight line. After high school, I started at community college with plans to become an architect. I loved the symmetry, process, and precision of it. Read More>>

Erin Spain

I learned a lot through a combination of trial and error and online resources. I’m not sure if I could have sped up my learning but at the same time I still feel like there’s so much left to learn and there always will be. Read More>>

Hunter Callahan

It all started when I was about 14, I started taking guitar lessons. It was something that came pretty naturally to me, technically speaking. But I knew very early on that I wanted to more than just ‘play guitar.’ I wanted to be able to create music; to write, to improvise, to be able to speak through it. Read More>>

Linus Pawlowski

I think I began to learn stuff way before I was consciously aware of doing it. I remember that my mum kept some of the drawings I made from monster creatures when I was 3-5 years old. Read More>>

TJ Prater

I pursued a BFA in Design as an undergraduate, where I was trained in a highly competitive environment alongside other talented students. At the time, I didn’t have a strong passion for design, and I particularly struggled with typography, which made the process feel more like obligation than exploration. Read More>>

Jamir Smith

I’ve learned what I do through a blend of curiosity, consistency, and immersion. Much of my growth has come from being deeply involved in the creative, retail, and media spaces—observing leaders, experimenting with my own ideas, and constantly seeking feedback. Every experience, from managing luxury retail teams to producing interviews and media content, has been part of a continuous learning process where strategy meets creativity. Read More>>

Jaylawn Dukes

As a music artist, there are so many things that go into mastering the craft. While I have not reached mastery, I am well on my way and I continue to work towards mastering my craft everyday. As a younging, I took a lot of music classes in school. I learned to play instruments such as the flute and even the piano. Read More>>

Maegan Howard

How did I learn? What a small question that spans so many years of my life. I learned by watching my mom and Nana — they were doers in every sense of the word. From event planning and floral design to Christmas lights and holiday décor, they did it all. Read More>>

Jonathan Pitts-Wiley

Once I made space for my interest in photography and realized I had an incredible passion for it, I committed myself to being a sponge, seeking out advice from veteran practitioners and immersing myself in consuming as much instruction as I could via YouTube. I also gave myself permission to practice and experiment and gain hands-on experience by making photographs as much as I could. Read More>>

Olivia Wilson

Once I had children, I started planning extravagant parties for them — from custom cupcakes and moon bounces to face painting, magic shows, and custom backdrops. I’ve always loved enhancing parties and creating memorable experiences, and that’s really where my passion started and grew into what I do today with Libby Kraftz. Looking back, I would’ve just started sooner and not overthought things so much. Read More>>

Matea Hutsko

I first dipped my toes into the world of photography at only 11 years old, thanks to my older cousin who often shot film photos of my little sister and I, and the photography teacher at the school my mom taught at – who lent me my first DSLR. Read More>>

Larry Watts

Man, I don’t even remember a time when music wasn’t part of me. Since a lil’ toddler, I been singing songs, makin’ noise anything that sound like rhythm. Music was an escape for me when I just needed it to breathe. I always loved the art of DJing. Read More>>

Arn Krebs

I learned to make mokume gane after exploring similar processes in other materials like blown glass and ceramics. I explored layering of various colors of glass which was stacked and fused and then cut to reveal patterns, similar to millefiori. I also explored layering and stacking with stained porcelain and then working the materials to create patterns and forms. Read More>>

Todd Dring

I took my first photography class many years ago, a film course at a local college, but most of what I’ve learned has come from years of trial and error. Early on, I was constantly experimenting, making mistakes, and figuring things out the hard way. Later, I started attending workshops led by experienced photographers. Read More>>

Jamie Olah

The greatest lessons I have learned as an artist and educator occurred when I stepped out of my comfort zone. David Bowie said, “Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. Read More>>

Grace Noel

How did you learn to do what you do? – I learned through consistent dedication and thousands of hours of practice. They say 10,000 hours makes you a master, and in art, I believe that level of commitment is essential…especially when you want to express intricate details and reach a certain depth. Read More>>

Alice Trahant Phillips

I learned my craft through a mix of instinct, hands-on experience, and years of immersion in the creative world. Growing up surrounded by art, design, and culture in New Orleans gave me a natural foundation in aesthetics and storytelling. Read More>>

Matthew Reid

I’ve been studying hip hop since I was about 15. The first time I saw “Kick, Push” by Lupe Fiasco, I was drawn in — the glasses, swagger, skateboarding, etc. Curioisty of the genre led me into discovering artists suh as, A Tribe Called Quest, Biggie, Outkast. Read More>>

Kameron Sampson

Learning photography is about understanding how to capture light, emotion, and perspective through a balance of technical skill and creativity. It begins with mastering the exposure triangle—aperture, shutter speed, and ISO—which control how light enters the camera and affects the image. Read More>>

Maurizio Bortolussi

I learned through a mix of hands-on experience, mentorship, and pure curiosity. My foundation came from studying fashion at Savannah College of Art and Design, and immersing myself in design, but a lot of what I do today—especially working with exotic leathers—came from trial, error, and observation. My time interning at House of Fleming was key. Read More>>

David Jarvis

My music, X610chil’s music, shows the frontiers of a landscape which continues attempting to outgrow Jupiter by expressing unbridled emotion in a single song, joy in a single breath — a soulful treasure that can only be present in proportion to the beautiful absence of limits. We must hail the great hero who is doomed in a world of fear and beauty. Read More>>

Rachel George

I started my Belly Dance journey in 1994 with the simple idea of wearing a specific Halloween costume — a belly dancer — to show off my abs, which at the time were very toned… LOL! I figured if I went out in that costume, someone would probably ask me to show them some moves. Read More>>

Jonah Troxel

When it comes to developing my expertise in this field, the majority of my knowledge has been gained through direct, hands-on experience. I began my career at a catering company and Read More>>

Ryan Murtha

I started as an actor at The Dinner Detective, just me a few actors, a room full of strangers, and the rush of improv-driven fun. I learned on my feet, one table at a time, figuring out how to balance comedy, suspicion, and storytelling while staying locked into the moment, and learning to read people faster than I ever had before. If I could go back, I would’ve put myself in front of audiences even sooner. Read More>>