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?

Andrea Walker-Williamson

Although I graduated and earned my film degree it was the on the job training that made a difference for me. Actually doing the job and learning through experiences. I’ve always learned by watching and applying what I see. To shoot films and guide the storytelling. I love to leave clues behind, I like to educate and allow you to escape in a story. Read more>>

Mynthia Gonkpala

I fell in love with music and singing at just four years old. Growing up in the church, I’ve always been fascinated by vocalists and the sounds the human body is able to produce. My fascination with vocal intricacies intensified when I heard singers in church doing melismas, dynamic changes and other kinds of vocal manipulation. I decided then that I would make it my mission to become a life student to the craft. Read more>>

Jessie Spartano

I just want to be clear, it’s not only about learning the craft, it’s about WANTING the craft. You need to want it so bad that you work at it everyday. Ignore the noise. Ignore those who are before you. Ignore those who are behind you. Practice every single day, even if you don’t want to. Do cardio to keep your heart fresh. Do vocal warmups everyday to keep your vocals on point. Get up early and go to bed late. If you aren’t willing to give up a social life to chase your craft, you don’t want it bad enough. Read more>>

Audra Jones

I think that we begin preparing ourselves to be photographers before we ever pick up a camera. It comes from observing the world, from connecting with others, from being inspired by stories, light, and beauty in the every day. Read more>>

John Redlinger

I grew up in a Dallas suburb in the 90’s, so needless to say the entertainment industry seemed about as far away as could be. But both of my parents were creative in their own ways and always encouraged my imagination. On weekends I’d wrangle whatever friends I could to brave the summer heat and make movies on a little Sony handycam I’d pilfered from my dad’s office. Read more>>

D2Millertime

The music industry is a marathon, not a sprint. Not only will it drain your energy in the race but it’ll also leave you behind without remorse. In order to keep yourself in it you have to train and that’s how I look at studying my craft. I’ve been musically trained since I was 11, switched from the orchestra to producing at 17, and now from producing to engineering at 22. Read more>>

Kteeeezy Kreationz

I learned how to create videos by trial and error and watching tutorial videos and information I found online. My learning process took a little more time than I planned on but I enjoyed the process and figuring out what I needed to make the visuals look clear and add the effects to match the vibe of the song and artist. Read more>>

Faith Anderson

Early in my career I knew there was an interest in creative arts, performing music, and being a creative director of some sorts but I was not clear on the path to achievement. Once I secure my first professional singing opportunities I began to learn the ins and outs of how to secure talent, what role management played in ensuring the star talent was satisfied, and what role the support cast played in the overall success of one artist. The support case could span from the receptionist at the office, to the key negotiator with a seat at the table. Read more>>

Kayla Taitt

Learning how to do what I do with MIKO Creative came from trial and error. The work we create is made up of videography and photography that intends to represent the soul and personality of the clients we work with. It can be a challenge to present one’s authentic self with the pressures and demands of today’s major market platform, that being social media and content creation. Read more>>

Martin Pierce

The learning curve has been long and sometimes bumpy. I was always interested in nature and enjoyed physical work and being dyslexic was a terrible student and found studying a real pain. My school had 3 good courses, art, woodworking and metal work. I was drawn to woodworking and began carving at 12. Read more>>

Nicelle Davis

I learned how to be an artist from my father, who is a concert producer, ceramist, and sculptor. Besides music and art, my father and I share another quality—we are both dyslexics. I’m sure a large part of my relationship with language is how difficult it is for me to tame it. Language, for me, is a wild thing. It moves like a tiger. Read more>>

Dérly Barajas

How did I learn to do what I do? Read more>>

Blair Garrison

I’ve been drawing since I was very little. I took a few art classes when I was young, but at the time I had little-to-no skill, and it was the fun-aspect of art that kept me going back. My work as a kid wasn’t really something you’d look at and think ‘Wow, she was destined to be an artist.’ At least in my opinion. It was pretty sloppy, and I think the biggest reason I was labeled as ‘creative’ was mainly because I just had a big imagination and a lot of ideas. Read more>>

Tyler Knott Gregson

I don’t feel poetry was ever something I “learned” to do, instead I feared that if I was ever taught how to do it, I’d just do it like whomever taught me, and that was the worst possible outcome for me. I felt poetry was something that came from that quiet, often melancholy place inside, and we just had to listen to let it out. For photography, it was all trial and error and research on the internet for best practices when it came to editing. Read more>>

Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I went to art school (RISD) and studied textile design. I went right to NYC after school and worked at a company creating printed patterns on fabric for fashion. They trained me to mix colors exactly and basically to copy! Read more>>

Mike Patton

I mostly learned photography from my father , and youtube. My dad is my biggest inspiration for becoming a photographer and following this path . After being kicked out of college ; I took upon myself to learn what I could from youtube , and other photographers in my area. I believe that I could have learned about the different niche’s of photography thus honing in on what niche’s I resonate with sooner. Read more>>

Vik Ramen

Filmmaking is something that you learn “by doing.” A theoretical framework just won’t cut it. I learned that very early on while studying both economics and film at UCLA. Overloaded with school work, I yearned for escaping from the classroom, turning on my camera, and filming things. Read more>>

Marina Yermakova Timm

There are 3 main parts of the collage process: cutting, composition, and gluing. I’ve loved cutting paper since I was a child. I spend a lot of time cutting different shapes out of a variety of paper and it’s almost a meditative process. The eyes are focused on the line and the hand holding the scissors follows until the shape is complete. Read more>>

Ramon Ramirez

I am a painter. I have been a painter since I was a little boy. So the talent was always there. I also went to school and that gave me the confidence to push forward as an artist. It took a while. I studied architecture and art so at first I started as an architectural designer and then I taught at the college level but after many years I finally had the courage to be just a painter. Confidence was the most essential skill. Read more>>

Ixchel Valiente

I think the most essential skill to have when it comes to learning a craft is perhaps thinking of learning as something that is never-ending. We tend to think of learning as something finite. We go to college, we take the course or do the internship, and then we think “I’m done with school.” That has always felt too restrictive for me. I don’t mean I intend to keep getting degree after degree but you don’t need to be enrolled in an institution to keep learning. Read more>>

Milkman LA

How did you learn to do what you do? We both attended a Digital Art College in San Diego, California. Through our passion for music we attend underground electronic shows, Drum N’ Bass mainly. As well as, music festivals that really gave us a lot of inspiration to continue pushing our technical knowledge for VFX, Expriential Design, and overall design in most avenues. After school we became and have stayed freelance contractors. Read more>>

Jeff Johnson

My creative process is very intuitive, both as a composer and an artist. I’m thankful that growing up I was given the space and freedom to try new things; to paint, to draw, to conduct, compose – letting those moments of intuition blossom to fruition without restrictive conditions – now I’m rhyming, but you get the point. My intuition is the driving force behind my creativity, so having the space to develop it as a kid and now as an adult has been a blessing. Read more>>

Uros Markovic

I’ve been professional dancer for almost 3 decades and something I try to teach my dance students today is to commit to the craft and that there is no speed in building quality and longevity …I see so many dancers today run from class to class just to learn a new 5,6,7,8 combo and record it for tiktok…people don’t have patience and dedication to build strong foundation and learn their basics, everyone is focused on tricks and facade…so core of their movement is weak and they get burned out easily … I worked with a lot of dance teachers from around the world but I connected to “english style” of teaching the most because they praise the strong developments of fundamentals of dance. Read more>>

Deon Staffelbach Kachina! Kachina!

I have been a brand designer since the 1990’s and only started focusing on toy design and painting since 2019. I had a passing interest in vinyl toys and designer toys since the early 2000’s but I wasn’t fully immersed until 2019 when I started designing resin toys and having conversations with other artists about how to produce and paint vinyl toys. Read more>>

Diego Monterrubio

In talking about my artistic roots, my grandfather Victor Monterrubio once said to me as a young boy, ‘El arte lo tienes en tu sangre’ (‘Art is in your blood’). My grandfather was an illustrator for Coca-Cola in Mexico for more than 40 years and I didn’t fully understand the phrase, but with time and experience I learned the truth about what he said. With his direction, I discovered an art portal to both peace and purpose. Read more>>

Stefano Ashbridge

I began teaching early into my drumming journey when my drum teacher asked me to fill in for him when he was unavailable. Read more>>

Perry Foster

Regular practice is the only way I have found to develop any craft. Whether I have been studying independently or in an institution, the true learning always comes from daily practice. Practices have looked very different for the the various modalities that I like to work with, but the ethic is the same. Read more>>

Christopher White

The realm of film composition is a multifaceted discipline that demands a wide spectrum of specialised skills and logistical acumen. From deciphering scripts, surmising themes and narrative trajectories, composing emotional feelings in musical form, technical wizardry, producing musical collaborations, psychology, organising recording sessions, contractual law, networking, learning. It often feels endless. And so because of that, learning this craft is also seemingly endless. Every film completed involved the solving of a new problem. Read more>>

Gary Martin

I learned how to play guitar and how to craft a song much in the same fashion, through trial and error. Read more>>

Mangal Suvarnan

I discovered my craft totally by accident! I was an intern with a lot of time to spare in the office at that time, and decided not to spend my time playing video games or watching youtube videos. I opened up my documents folder and lo and behold, sitting neatly in a folder, a demo copy of FL Studio. Read more>>

Rio Warner

For styling and design I’d say honestly the best way to learn is just to practice and experiment and dive right in. I always tell young creatives that want to get started to just jump right in and go for it. Style yourself or your friends up and do a little photo shoot, create some fun content, get creative, just go for it, it’s less scary than it seems. Read more>>

Brian Shackelford

I went the traditional route of learning my craft. I attended Loyola Marymount University Film School. The school really encouraged filmmakers to find their unique voice. The school also offered opportunities to work on set for free, which were some of the best experiences. I remember working with director Frances Lawrence on one of his first music videos. Read more>>

Malia Pope

One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from my experience as an artist and starting my own business is to not hold myself back. My advice is not to wait until you “know everything” to get started. It’s impossible to know everything, so if you wait until you feel that way then you’ll never start. Allow yourself to start, allow yourself to experiment and make mistakes, and allow yourself to try again. Read more>>

Rory Hoffman

I’m not one to learn to do things the conventional way. I lay the guitar on my lap, and play it overhanded, with my right hand on top of the neck. I started doing this because I was too little to wrap my hand around the necks of my dad’s and grandpa’s guitars, and they were heavy to hold, as a three-year-old kid. Read more>>

Kristen Silva

I was fortunate enough to find my style of art through a mistake. One day, at my work station, I spilled some coffee on a paper that I needed for another project and started at it, day after day. At some point, the spill started to take shape and a figure could be made out of it. That began my professional style of using coffee as a medium. Read more>>

Anthony James

I don’t have a real story here to be honest, i’m just always excited to continue learning and bettering myself at what I do. There’s no ceiling with it really, and that excites me. From the time I first started writing, to the time I picked up my grandfather’s guitar, sat at a piano, opened Garageband on my mom’s computer, etc – to now being in much more evolved creative settings, it’s been a really beautiful journey to grow in my skillset, and to grow in love with the craft even deeper. I’m grateful for what’s happened already, and excited to continue down that path. Read more>>

Ashlee & Stacey Hughes

Being a personal organizer is not just a profession; it is a calling to help individuals reclaim control over their spaces and lives. As a new business, we understand the delicate nature of going through someone’s personal belongings. There may be shame or vulnerability associated with inviting others into your home and acknowledging the need for organization. Read more>>

Breathless Aka Honey B

Music definitely runs in my blood, as my father is a singer and plays guitar. So I feel like it was a natural thing for me to get into the craft of singing and being a vocal artist. Then as I began to write poetry and create stories, I began writing songs and fell in love with the art of emceeing. For anything, I believe that the compounding of practice over time is what will make you better. Read more>>

Scott Naar

Learning the art of Directing a film is something that I thought, in my teens, I could learn through reading books on directing and watching a few films. The truth that I found is, and not to discredit anyone reading directing books, learning through reading to be a director should be an extra effort, not someone’s main method of honing, learning, and understanding the craft. Read more>>

Martha Klein

I feel I am always learning the craft of painting, and I believe this is a large part of what has drawn me to the pursuit. I’ll always have more to learn and this to me is the upside! Read more>>

Asha Iwanowicz

I started with piano lessons at a young age, and once I had a fairly good grasp on music theory and chords, I started playing guitar and writing songs. I was about 15 years old when I decided I wanted to be a film composer, and if I could go back in time I would have moved to Los Angeles and tried to find a composer I could have interned for and learned from when I was younger. But I don’t have many regrets and I think everything I’ve done has led me to where I am today and have made me the musician and composer that I am. Read more>>

Michael P. Blevins

I started working in Film as a PA, that went to grip because they made more money, to a gaffer (lighting guy) because they made even more, and the guy with the lighting trucks made more money than anyone haha. It took me a long time to bridge into directing and producing because I came to LA with no contacts or ways in. At first I thought it was damning to have avoided my real goals for so long, but I realized, by being a crew member for as long I was, I learned pivotal things about filmmaking watching other “leaders” screw up. Read more>>

Genesis Flores

Although I majored in Graphic Design in college, I learned majority of what I know through YouTube, experimenting, watching others work, and asking questions. I think these are the things that sped up my learning process. By the end of my first year as a design student I realized I knew my way around Illustrator significantly more than my classmates. I had an internship with Commonrags my junior year that challenged me as a designer. Read more>>

Marian Fortunati

I was a teacher and a principal in my previous profession. There I learned to love learning and understood the importance of continual change and growth. My goal is to never stop learning new ways to see my surroundings and create art. I took up art because after almost 40 years as an educator, I wanted to continue on a journey of discovery. I didn’t want to retire and “rest”. Read more>>

Kyle Nourse

I learned everything I know about leading worship in church – and singing in general – primarily by 1) being thrown in the fire at a young age 2) being surrounded by family who are also very musically gifted. It was very common for a family dinner to turn into one big choir when my mom’s side of the family got together. I don’t think I realized it then but I was taking notes and being impacted from a very young age. Read more>>

Ziggy Karraa

I feel like lately I’ve been learning so much about what it actually means to do art…I’m a musician and I’ve been in a lot of situations lately, at shows, talking to other musicians, where it’s very clear that we’re all trying to get to the next step. Read more>>

Boston Schulz

I started learning photography by just doing it. It sounds so cliché to say, but that’s truly how I got started. I purchased a camera one day, and that night, I was at a local music venue forcing myself to learn manual mode. Read more>>

Kaleila Jordan

My journey to mastering what I do has been quite a long and dedicated one. I’ve always had a deep passion for performance, encompassing dancing, acting, modeling, and making a positive impact on people’s lives. Throughout my path, I acquired knowledge from various schools and actively participated in diverse dance and sports programs during my formative years. Read more>>

Steph Adams

My training as a model started from the age of 12. I still remember the shoot. Then finishing school and getting a Bachelor of Arts Degree in marketing and advertising and then ultimately working in the publishing industry for over ten years in Art Direction. I even finished a certificate at AFTRS in Sydney which was fascinating as the producers of Moulin Rouge came into talk to us about the creation on set. Read more>>

Thomas Gidlow

I never went to school for creative writing, but my mom dabbled here and there and it would seem I picked it up without realizing it. In my youth, I often would write articles based on simulated baseball games I’d run using Pogs and a drawn baseball stadium. Read more>>