Oaften 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?

Pam Imhof

One rainy afternoon while I was in college my roommate and I started talking about knitting and she mentioned crocheting. I had tried knitting, but always wanted to learn how to crochet. Excited to learn something new, her and I went right out to the craft store. I decided I wanted to make a large square blanket and purchased a 4.25mm crochet hook and 8 skeins of yarn. Read more>>

Don Loum

I learned what I did by experience. The modeling industry and route to becoming a model is different for everyone. Knowing what I do now I would have stepped out of my comfort zone earlier and started making connections a lot earlier than I initially did. Read more>>

Cristin Spielman

I learned photography initially through the kindness of others. While I’ve always been a very creative person (I’ve spent most of my free time writing, drawing, painting, making music, or making some sort of art over the years), I’d never had the opportunity to learn the finer aspects of composing photography, controlling my camera, and making impactful art with photos. Read more>>

Jennifer Veilleux

My earliest memories of sewing were with my late mom. I remember the weak autumn light shafts that fell across the dark wood of our dining room table, the hum of the sewing machine, her curls brushed against my face as she leaned in to help. I felt the warm bustle of other girls and moms around us. Read more>>

Alyssa Wheeler

Thankfully, I grew up with a sister who enjoyed art as much as I did; we taught ourselves the craft by simply doing what we loved from a young age – drawing what inspired us. Over time I began to take on more and more challenging pieces, improving my skills by creating pieces that excited me. To improve my craft, I have learned to love learning. Every time I pick up a pencil, I continue in my development as an artist. Read more>>

Novalee Wilder

Before starting my business as a Professional Numerologist, mentor and writer I didn’t realize how much my words – both written and spoken – would impact my career and income trajectory. Read more>>

Martin Banks

I’ve worked in media all my life. However, I’ve always been a generalist and leaned toward the technical or management side of things. I was too chicken at the time to become a true creative. Having worked with both still and moving images, I decided to try and master the craft of photography as my next career move. Read more>>

Anne Liu

I think if I could redo this whole process again, I would be more accepting of making mistakes and turn everything into a learning experience. It is so important to have the correct mindset to do anything. If you want to be “ranked” best at something, then change that mindset to “do” your best. Because competition with others will always distort our abilities and self-confidence; it shifts our attention to what others are doing instead of focusing on our own. Read more>>

Kim Johnson Nechtman

Watercolor had always been in the back of my mind-I just didn’t think I could make a living doing it. After finished college, I decided I would take it up as a hobby, but turned into a vocation. While in my first class I learned pretty quickly I needed to sharpen up on my drawing skills to be a good artist. Sometimes I would be in two or three classes trying to increase both skills at once. Read more>>

Chantal Marshall

I started listening to podcasts in 2017 and the first podcast was The Read. I didn’t know what a podcast was and since then I’ve just been talking, researching, recording, and repeat. Constantly learning on repeat, and adding in segments taking away segments speaking to other Podcaster’s and watching videos and checking out different platforms. Read more>>

Larissa Hauck

In my experience, the creative industry is one of lifelong learning. However, there is still a foundational knowledge that one can acquire before pursuing specific areas within the arts. Especially when it comes to technical subjects like painting or drawing, having a strong understanding of the craft provides a necessary advantage in the field and the studio. Read more>>

Carter Skyers

I’ve been in the performing arts for most of my life, although the major jump in my skillset as a singer stems from my work with my producer and writing partner; Stevie Bensusen. We’ve been working together for just about a decade now, which is absolutely incredible! Read more>>

Dwight Trible

Music has always been intuitive for me, It was the same as breathing. We never consciously think about breathing unless we decide to focus on it, that’s the way music came to me,I was doing it from birth and didn’t even know or realize. The trouble came when I became aware of what I was doing, that’s when I became confused and insecure. Read more>>

Kris Kezar

I learned how to tattoo through an apprenticeship. I worked under another tattooer who showed me not only how to tattoo, but how to work with tattoo machines, how to run a tattoo shop, and how to conduct myself as a tattooer. Read more>>

Rosa Costanza

Screenwriting: The Core of Film & TV Creation  Read more>>

Jorge Antonio Lopez Mendicuti

There’s a lot of bumpiness along the way of finding out which road you are even on. Mine was strange, both funny and strange. Read more>>

Dylan West

I learned to write novels by reading books on writing craft, writing and revising drafts, getting and giving critiques in various author communities, reading the critiques of others, and acting on feedback. Read more>>

Asim Nichols

The process of learning to play drums started with my love of sound and rhythm. Like most drummers I pretty much just started banging and tapping on things. Eventually my parents got me a drum kit when I was around 6 or 7 years old and I was self taught for a few years. Read more>>

Prentice Ahmad

One thing that I have learned is everyone has the potential to be great. Everyone wants to be successful in their own right. However, it is what we do with that potential that actually matters. Les Brown arguably one of the greatest speakers of ALL time said that the richest place in the entire world is the grave yard. Read more>>

Merritt Goodwin

I am an avid learner. I am always studying and trying to be better both personally and creative. I think a key is to also have a learners mind and never close yourself off to knowledge simply because you think you know something. Read more>>

Shawn McCann

As a creative person, I have always looked for creative inspiration. I grew up in a small town in North Dakota and when I went of to college for art, i realized there was a whole world I never knew about. Being surrounded by other creatives in many different avenues really created an atmosphere for creative inspiration. Read more>>

James Owens

I have a lot of young artists ask come into my booth at shows and ask for advice. I always tell them the same thing, LEARN TO DRAW THE HUMAN FIGURE! The hardest thing in the world to draw is the human figure. The hardest of the hard is a pretty girl. If you draw them wrong even a layman can tell you there is something off. Read more>>

Jovahnna Anderson

The first image that comes to mind when I think of crochet is my grandmother sitting in her favorite chair working on one of her many projects. Growing up (when she wasn’t sewing) she was always crocheting blankets, dolls dresses, and stuffed animals. Years later, as a struggling graduate student living out of state and on my own I received a handmade crochet scarf for Christmas from my sister-in-law. Read more>>

Cheska Navarro

When I first started learning to score films, it was 2019 and I was a junior in college studying to become a scientist. Prior to this I had been dabbling in composing on piano but never looked into film scoring which had been a long-time fascination. Read more>>

Frank Krueger

I think in any creative work we never really stop learning. We come up against some of the same challenges over and over again. Hopefully as we grow we can approach them in new ways that lead to a deeper understanding. The things I heard in my first acting classes now have a new deeper resonance all these years later. Read more>>

Rocky Kuner

I believe I was born with an innate ability to sing and mimic or copy what I was hearing and found interesting. I think this natural ability made taking singing lessons a genuine special interest for me, and I learned how to manage my voice to sing in a healthy way so I could potentially continue to sing well into my old age. I studied what is called ” Speech Level Singing” or “SLS” for short, from my dear Instructor Gregg DeCastro. Read more>>

Brittany Lessard

I was always into beauty makeup, but it wasn’t until I was about 15 or so that I discovered the world of Special Effects. I was so obsessed with it so quickly, I remember spending every penny I made at my little grocery store job on whatever FX supplies I could get my hands on in my small town in Oregon. There weren’t any classes around me, and my family and I couldn’t afford tuition and moving costs for me to attend a school out of state, so I spent countless hours online researching. Read more>>

Robert King

I self-taught myself how to animated around early 2021. Animation is something I’ve always been interested in, however, at the same time I was pursuing a degree at a 4 year school for Mathematics. With that in mind, I went to look for the important resources to succeed in this field. Read more>>

Mr Blarny

The fundamentals of rap is basically putting words together that rhyme, something I feel anyone can do or at least have a good go at. I mean who can’t rhyme ‘Ladies with Mercedes’ or ‘Yo with Bro’ haha. Being a professional Hip Hop artist is slightly more intricate however. Read more>>

Andrew Braach

My story has been one of learning different layers of being successful. In the beginning I had to learn I had talent to sing. It took a little time to build my confidence, but once I found it, it was hard to keep me off of a stage. It’s safe to say I’m more comfortable there than most other places. Read more>>

Robin De Lano

My journey into the world of Tarot cards and fortune-telling began with a literal obsession for the psychic arts. Both my mother and grandmother shared a profound fascination with psychics which paved the way for me and my journey with the cards! Read more>>

Tyler Parker

Everybody knows learning also takes discipline. But it’s so much easier when you’ve got nudges as well. I got that from Rtillery. He guided me through what we’ve seen up to this point. We met when we were freshmen and we had early laughs often. Read more>>

Aleyzza Medina

Even as a young child I was always singing. It like when you take the first few bites of a yummy meal and start dancing in your seat is the same feeling that I got from singing. Growing up I was in a few choirs and loosely took vocal lessons, picking up tips along the way. I also was a band kid in grade school so music is something I’ve always been involved in since an early age. Read more>>

Nate The Great

Consistency in practicing the art form of rapping and doing a lot of studying on my favorite artists and how they mastered their abilities. To be quite honest, I don’t think anything would have been done to speed up the process because everyone moves at their pace. Freestyling & flow are my main essential due to experimenting with different rhythms while staying on beat. The only obstacle that stood in my way was my self doubt and my shyness at the time. Read more>>

Jasmine & Vlad Levine

We learned to do what we do through years of dedication and by immersing ourselves in our passions. Vlad’s expertise in photography was shaped by hands-on experience, endless experimentation, and a genuine love for capturing moments. Jasmine’s personal styling skills were honed through networking, working closely with clients, and continuously learning about fashion trends. Read more>>

Justin Leveillee

When I first picked up a DSLR camera in 2020, it was apparent to me instantly that there would be a large learning curve. Instead of being intimidated by all the technical terms I needed to learn, I was invigorated. I love learning about things and was looking for a hobby to sink my teeth into. Read more>>

Trustwho

Im apart of the group that started doing it when it wasn’t cool. Learning how to create music and art was the goal. I recited songs and b-boxed beats until it became a reality. Originality was a must so I found iron and began to sharpen my sword. Read more>>

Jessica Gomez Lopez

I think when it comes to learning techniques, Stella Adler’s Studio of Acting along with The Academy of Dramatic Art play a highlight role for me. However, I’ve also learned over time that everything you learn is just tools but you do have to sit down with yourself and explore what works for you. There are a lot of acting techniques but I think the implementation of your personify technique is what can lead to great discoveries and keep on expanding that toolbox. Read more>>

Beth Smith

I have been interested in textiles and needlecraft my whole life. I learned to knit and crochet and sew when I was verey young. I was lucky to have a Grandmother who was a pattern maker and sewist in a dress factory. My mother also worked in a dress factory when she was young and then when she got married and had children she did sewing out of our home. Read more>>

Jeremy Pathammavong

I have been doing Art pretty much all my Life. My first memory of becoming an artist is from watching my mom draw things like Batman Superman ect. After that I became interested in drawing cartoons. I used to draw pictures from comics or still like object like a race car in my room or something like that. Read more>>

Aman Singh

Since childhood, I was more active in sports than studies. Growing up in a family where I was free to choose whatever I want to pursue in my career made my life way easier. Cricket a very popular sport in india with lots of fame and money. I was really attracted to the sport. I always wanted to be a cricketer but when I took Science as my majors in high school, Cricket was left out. Read more>>