Often there is no book or course to learn how to do what you want to do – so how artists and creatives overcome such challenges? How have some of the most talented artists and creatives in the community managed to learn their craft?

Dora Patin

From a young age I loved drawing but I never thought that becoming an artist was an option. I grew up in Budapest, Hungary and then studied and worked in Vienna, Austria. After getting married I moved to the US with my husband, and we later had three children. While staying home with our kids I began to return to drawing. Wanting to improve my skills, I started to watch online tutorials. Read more>>

Desiree Thaniel

I’m a self-taught artist and started making art when I was nine years old. I had a best friend who shared the same name and I use to think her drawings were so cool so she taught me how to draw fashion dolls. I went home that day and found my “Scaredy Squirrel” book and attempted to draw one of the images. Read more>>

Claire Taylor

Learning how to write is learning how to think, feel, and act. It’s also learning how other people do that. It’s learning who you are and who you are not. Read more>>

Bea Bogan

Learning your craft(s) is a rewarding part of the journey! To become a full-time photographer/ creator I decided to choose a journey of self discovery. After years of trying to create a life in Corporate America after college, I felt defeated. I felt that my journey wasn’t true to what my heart and soul was calling for me. Read more>>

Meshach Berry

When I began shooting content for YouTube, I didn’t have my own equipment. I’d rely on my friend’s gear, by trying to schedule shoots that worked with his, well, schedule. Read more>>

Natalie Hilscher

I learned the basics of marketing by taking classes in college, but most of my knowledge that I use every day was gained afterwards. Read more>>

Chris Nichols

When learning any skill the biggest obstacle that stands in your way is really only yourself. You have to do the work and put in the time. You can start knowing nothing and become the best designer in the room if you have drive and passion. Read more>>

Oliver Draper

When I first got into music I had to be creative with the resources that were available to me. I used an iPad I received from my school to record with GarageBand using the built in microphone. I didn’t have a drum kit so at 5:30 in the morning I was in the band room at school using theirs before walking to my school, sometimes in a Michigan winter. Read more>>

Adam Hinders

My not-so humble beginning with photography started out as a discomfort/hatred of “family photos”, the odd posing and the forced smiles were enough to inspire me to hide at every photocall. The realization hit me that I had never met a POC Photographer in all that time, and I felt at a loss for representation in my area. Read more>>

Belle Grubb

I used to view failure as the worst thing that could happen to a person, but as I have grown my own brand and podcast, I have learned that failure is one of the best things that can happen. If I had never failed at the first podcast that I started during my freshman year of college, I would have become burnt out and constantly created content that was not desired by my audience. Read more>>

Cambria Ford

I went to culinarily school. I attended Kingsborough community college (KBCC), & New York City college of technology (City Tech). This is where I learned the craft. In order to advance my skills I practice new techniques & watch videos to learn & educate myself. Read more>>

Isis Dillard

In a world where formal education, connections, and resources typically dictate career paths, my photography journey is rooted in deep belief and unwavering support. In 2011, I moved from Southern California to the bay area to attend my dream school, UC Berkeley. I was 17 years old and incredibly passionate and present with my new community. Read more>>

Allye & Kaylee

Study, study, study; practice, practice, practice!! From the study perspective- many hours were spent watching baking competition shows and videos. Many more hours researching how to execute certain techniques and try different designs. With all of the research and visual aides, the ultimate path to growth was diving in and trying. Read more>>

Mary Jo Karimnia

Flocking and foiling are two new media I’ve taught myself over the past year. Flocking involves shooting tiny colors particles onto an adhesive surface to make a velvety texture. Foil comes in shiny, colored sheets that I apply using a sticky surface. I experiment, inventing my own application techniques. Read more>>

NURD

I started singing at the age of 3 years old . I started taking it serious around 2016 when I was 21 years old. Knowing what I know now, honestly there’ nothing that can be done to speed up the learning process. Music is a journey for me. I dont think anything can speed up the process that God already has planned out for your life. Read more>>

Jamie Ceasar

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of film photography is the element of surprise. Film photography demands patience and trust in the process. Waiting for the film to be developed, and finally seeing the images for the first time, is like unwrapping a gift. Read more>>

Angel Rivera

I actually taught myself photoshop when I was very young. I was 12 years old when I downloaded a cracked version of photoshop and spent an entire summer reading internet tutorials and I never stopped. Over the next few years I had joined online art collectives and been featured in photoshop magazines. Read more>>

EvoDidIt

I’ve been singing since I was a kid, however, I would learn to hone what I could do naturally by emulating my favorite artist. Practicing their tone, runs or choreography. Read more>>

Bryn Casey

As far as my artistic learning experience across my lifetime I do feel that one of the most important aspects of learning has been finding the right information to learn. I was raised by my Mom, who had some art exposure. She does have artwork that is published in a book and she also created some artwork throughout my childhood like watercolor paintings. Read more>>

Laramie Renae

I was thrown into photography very quickly. My career is completely self made, but not without the support of my husband and friends, and the photographers who allowed me to shadow and assist them. Read more>>

Brennen Duffield

My obsession with photography started in college when I had to choose it as a secondary emphasis for my art degree because I thought it would be beneficial for my graphic design emphasis. I ended up loving it more and haven’t looked at graphic design since. Back then it was black and white 35mm film that we had to process ourselves, so this has given me a deep appreciation for digital photography. Read more>>

Luis Velasquez

I have almost 22 years in the tattoo world! In those years in Peru, tattooing was very difficult. lila had only 6 tattoo shops and to have any reference you had to wait for the usa magazines to arrive to be able to see works by foreign artists. at that time there was no internet so we only used our creativity… for the materials we had to weld needles and prepare our own inks… my apprenticeship lasted almost 5 years and then I started tattooing Read more>>

Camille Soltani Icely

I started creating as a young child. I was always found with a paintbrush or crayon in my hand. In Kindergarden, my teacher took me out of class to show my work to the art teacher for the higher elementary grades 1-5. The art teachers encouragement of my talent and work was the first time I realized I really had a talent in art.  Read more>>

Sally Louise Polk

I am the child of a mixed media artist and an engineer, both of which are also musicians. It was a house hold of tinkerers and makers who loved to sing. I like to tell people that while I am a sewer, metal worker, fiber artist etc– most of all I am just an artist. Anything I want to make or men, I can usually find a way to do it. Read more>>

Corri Riebow

I first started making jewelry from kits so there were step by step instructions, but as I branched out using different techniques, there was a lot of trial and error. When I first started making jewelry there wasn’t as much on the internet as there is today so I used to subscribe to a few different jewelry magazines and that was how I learned to increase my skill set. Read more>>

LegendofLinc

I started songwriting at the age of 9. It actually came pretty natural to me. I guess since I had listened to so much music, I understood what made an artist polarizing ; great lyrics, catchy hooks & exceptional vocal performance. Read more>>

DEBEA$$I

Applied knowledge is always the best teacher.. Ive always one to seek the knowledge, weather it was traveling for a conference or to present my music, it always boils down to “doing.” Also i learned a lot by being a understudy and a student of game, by just being a fan of “hiphop.” Still having the passion and love for the culture. Knowing what I know now, I would most definitely have explored my artistry earlier on in my career. Read more>>

Jay Garcia

I do not have any formal training in photography or videography. Most of my knowledge comes from online tutorials or experimentation and experience. Looking back, I would have found a mentor who could show me the ropes in person to get that real time feedback as I was problem solving. Read more>>

Luther Chambers

The old saying “curiosity killed the cat” sounds a little different in my head. I have been a musician most of my life but didn’t realize until later in life how much I loved photos and video. Over the years I became curious about what makes a photo look “Sharp”, or what makes a video pop or look cinematic. I started conferring with other creators and also watching YouTube videos to learn exactly how to shoot. Read more>>

Katie Alvarez

I am a self-taught candle maker. There is not much information or instruction for working with beeswax, which can be a tricky medium. Beeswax is a natural product. Therefore, each batch differs depending on the pollen and floral sources collected by the bees. Some batches go easier than others as far as texture and composition. The color will also fluctuate depending on the batch. Read more>>

Fabion 305

I learned most of my skills in music by trial and error. Also by watching and listening to the greats of the past who influenced me in anyway. As far as speeding up the process I would have given even more time to perfecting my craft instead of procrastinating and having self doubt. Read more>>

Matt Woods

Learning my craft is what anchors me. There are lots of up in this business, but even more downs. When things are difficult, I focus on the reason I got started in the first place; to be the best guitar player and musician I can be. When you look at things through that lens, even the most difficult gigs, long drives and time away from family become part of the process. Read more>>