Wanting to be an artist or creative is step one. Following through means investing in learning your craft, but we’ve heard from so many aspiring artists and creatives who feel unsure about where to start and so we’re incredibly grateful to the artists and creatives who’ve agreed to share their stories of how they learned their craft.

Kadiz

I can’t really recall how or when I learned to Sing/Rap, seems like something I’ve always done. My mother and father both loved music, and my father was a writer/poet, so I believe, unintentionally, through their love of music my talent was birthed. Read more>>

Jasmyn Styles

Just having the passion alone for natural hair came to me when I cut my own hair. I wore a perm or relaxer all my life until I decided to cut it all off. I wouldn’t do anything different knowing what I know now… Read more>>

Alissa Feudo

Singing and songwriting began as a self-taught creative outlet I kept mostly to myself. I spent a long time working towards those first ten thousand hours on my own, creating what intuitively felt right to me, and melding together elemental bits and pieces from music I loved. I built my initial music foundation without much external guidance, and while it felt a bit like shooting in the dark, I appreciate that it gave me plenty of room to find and develop my own unique sound. I think no matter where you are in the process, allowing yourself the space and time necessary to find your own individuality within your art is an essential skill. Read more>>

Courtney Shilo

I learned to sing from listening and studying and trying to imitate the artists I would hear on the radio. I was able to further develop my singing skills once I joined choir. Singing in choir helped me to become a stronger vocalist and really trained my ear. I learned to write music by studying other songwriters like Prince Cannon and 12Til who helped me to develop my own musical style. Read more>>

Preslie Hirsch

As a journalist, I can see how I’ve been pouring into this skill both directly and indirectly my whole life. Growing up, my mom was a freelance journalist and would let me tag along on interviews. Just by watching, I learned early on that making connections, asking good questions and being curious about the community around me led to interesting opportunities. Read more>>

DJ Swig

I’ve been able to DJ since I was 9 years old. I was self-taught with some YouTube videos and older equipment that belonged to a family member. Today, I know DJing as a form of art. Just like a painter, or a rapper. Knowing then what I know now, I would have broken the “rules” a long time ago! Art is all about bending the norms and using your creativity. My skills of persistence and multitasking were most helpful amongst my existing learning and practice journey. Read more>>

Ollie Crain

I learned to tuft rugs mainly from watching YouTube tutorials. I’m a firm believer in teaching yourself if you really want to do something since there is so much information online. However, I completely understand that this can be overwhelming at times. Read more>>

Olga Cher

I grew up with a father who was a full-time artist and jeweler. Throughout my childhood, my father always gave me different artsy projects and taught me many ways to be creative. I was so lucky to be exposed to many mediums and tools as a kid and try different methods of expressing my creativity, including painting, metal work, and photography. Read more>>

Miki Lansdowne

am a self-taught photographer. Around the age of seven, I became interested in cameras and photography. It started off as a hobby and with several different subjects. I became more passionate about it throughout the years and decided to cross over from hobby to professional. I started my first business, Live Wire Locals. Read more>>

Shannon Moxie

If you decide to sink your teeth into a career of passion, you will want to constantly evolve. If it’s a creative endeavor, you often spend time ruminating over what you are doing, and how to do the next thing even better. Be honest with yourself, reasonable, and receptive to critiques. Listening and paying attention to what you are doing saves you from communication errors and occupational hazards. Read more>>

Meghan NutMeg

“I’m an artist.” Wow. A statement that has gone from something I say shyly, almost embarrassed, to now something I say proudly. I am self-taught. Which means I didn’t get a traditional art education. I didn’t even take classes at the local community college. Sure, a few classes in high school but really, I just sat down and got my hands dirty. And I mean dirty. Read more>>

Casey Cheuvront

One of the difficulties in being a fine artist is defining what that means. It’s popular, and generally accepted these days, to say things like “Art is anything that you say it is!” and “If you made it, you’re an artist!” I believe that denigrates the efforts of those who genuinely want to learn and elevate their craft – and I do discriminate between craft and art, having been (and being) both an artist and an artisan. Early on I knew I wanted not only to make things, but to make them well. Read more>>

William Alston

Well I have always had musical talents since a young age so that helps but specifically in being a A&R I studied some of the greats, read books, panels etc so I could absorb that knowledge & then apply it. It’s a process but I think I’m doing pretty good so far. Well knowing what I know now, I would have surrounded myself with like minded people who have the same type of goals. “Elevate” Skills I think we’re most essential? Read more>>

Shariffa Nyan

Because I wear several hats, my path to gaining a deeper understanding of each niche project came in many different forms. As a recording artist, I had to learn the art of being comfortable hearing my own voice back in headphones. My first experience in the studio was at 17 years old! I had to learn how to differentiate between singing for a live performance versus singing on a recorded track. Read more>>

Scott Hopkins

I first picked up the electric guitar in college exactly 25 years ago. However, I found learning traditional chords difficult and it sat in the corner for a few weeks. It was only after a friend (and future bandmate) showed me a few easy bar chords that something clicked. Almost immediately, I was playing my favorite Ramones songs and making overdubbed recordings with a boom box and tape deck. From there, I progressed to a four-track and ultimately to computer recording…which continues to this day. So I’ve always just learned by doing, with a little help from my friends! Read more>>

Ann Vollum

As a child I used to stitch my own stuffed animal toys, I don’t recall ever owning a bought one. For many years I stitched stuffed “Beasties” of my own design of varying sizes, they inhabit the chairs in our living room. I also remember sewing my own clothes though I can’t say I was ever very good at it! At boarding school, we learnt how to machine stitch and make French seams, neatness was key, though not my forte. These days, I rarely sew for practical reasons and certainly don’t make my own clothes or touch my sewing machine! Read more>>

Tifanee Gladney

It started as an elective class in high school. I took black and white photography where we learned various ways to shoot on film. That sparked my interest and made me want to continue to purse the craft, so I studied photography officially. I studied Visual Arts and Fine Arts in college, with a concentration in photography, and learned the craft from the beginning to now. The history, the film photography process, the digital processes, I wanted to make sure I had a real understanding of the art form. Read more>>

London Lewis

It happened to be that my dad was an avid hobby photographer, and being a curious lad I found myself spending time with him in his darkroom starting all the way back in the late 1970’s. Watching images appear on film as if by magic was a marvelous thing to behold. I would continue to shoot off and on during my adult years, and gained a new enthusiasm when it became apparent that digital photography was truly viable. Read more>>

Kelsey Archbold

I’ve always had an interest in the arts. As a child my mom signed me up for art camps and lessons, and I always knew that I wanted to go to an art school. In 2005 I went to Kansas City Art Institute. The first two years of my degree I spent learning the basics of making art: color and form, doing artist studies, drawing and painting from life. The next two years I spent experimenting. One year I did almost no painting at all! I did installations and what I called memory maps, using words to make a drawing. Read more>>

Neil Newcomb

How did you learn to do what you do? I learned instrument repair informally through my work as a freelance musician and educator. I cannot begin to describe the panic and frustration I had as a young, broke musician showing up to a gig when one of my instruments would not function as it should. Read more>>

Quandra Hightower, M.Ed

The most essential skill that I utilize is social media marketing. I learned most of that I know in school. I actually have a bachelors degree in public relations. As part of my degree program, I took a lot of writing and design courses. I also studied social media management and marketing. Read more>>

Christina Khiev

I learned to be the nail artist I am by continuing to perfect my craft and not being afraid to try something new. Knowing what I know now, I could have speed up my learning process by not being afraid to suggest ideas to my clients. I also could have just practiced on myself if I wanted to try out any designs or techniques. The skills that I think were most essential are being consistent and clean, and also never giving up even when I made mistakes. Read more>>

Eli Yenskii

I’ve always been naturally skilled at singing and songwriting. A lot of that came from being in church and watching my mom in the choir. I also watched a lot of musicals growing up, so I was always musically inclined; though I did have a little help when it came to mixing and mastering my songs. I don’t think I could’ve done anything to “speed up” my process because I was taught that it takes 10,000 hours to truly master a skill. There’s no getting around that. Read more>>

Brianna James

Over the years I have invested a lot of time and resources into my education in various facets of my career. Having a niche that is not extremely common in the industry can definitely be an obstacle, somewhat of a blessing and a curse. Luckily, we live in an age where information is very readily available. Specializing in vintage cuts and styling, I have harnessed my knowledge through all sorts of media, books, online forums, etc., and I have been very fortunate to have been able to take in person classes from a few amazing celebrity stylists who also specialize in this sort of aesthetic. Read more>>

La’Don Batiste

You hear so many horrible stories when it comes to the music business! Automatically the first thing I wanted to understand was the business so that force me to learn more about it. This book was recommended to me from a fellow artist called “All about the music business” big part of why I am here today! Literally the first chapter title spoke out to me “Build your team” because My ego I was a one man army. Knowing what I know now that wasn’t going to work. I would exhausted my creativity out just by all the little things adding up Read more>>