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.

Amy Nielander

I’m a designer and traditionally published children’s book Author Illustrator. I credit my mom, my product design background and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for shaping my picture book journey. My mom taught me storytelling skills. As a child, I listened to her turn everyday experiences into fascinating tales. She loved to write and shared her work with me often. I remember one particular novel she was working on and how she chipped away at each chapter. Read more>>

Chiffon Lark

I began using graphite at the age of 7 as a primary, self taught, medium when I was given a book on How to Draw Horses. I stayed with graphite as a medium until I was introduced to aerosol paint when I was 16 in the form of Street Art. At 19, I enrolled in an advanced Drawing course at a community college and was reintroduced to graphite (as well as pastels), this time it was with technical, fine art guidance. I stayed with this instructor’s studies and learned how to use oil paint in the same capacity. Read more>>

JaeOne

Learning how to make music has been a very fun process. I have always been a creative person. Whether it be writing, painting, or playing instruments. Honestly, making music came very natural to me. After releasing my first project, #CuzWhyNot, I knew that if I really locked in and learned how to create a song with structure, I would reach a new level creatively. I decided to study music. Read more>>

Aundria Sinclair

My drag career began when I was 19. I started the art of female impersonation in 1995. I had several supports, what we in the industry call a drag family or drag sisters. Knowing what I know now, I would have invested in my art much sooner than now. In my early years, I didn’t put money into nor did I take my art as seriously as I do now. The most valuable lesson learned was walking in heels. My drag sisters would not let me leave the house in drag until I learned the walk. Read more>>

Joseph Liberti

I am a self taught digital artist and thank goodness for YouTube tutorials, determination and optimism. I was highly motivated, learn quickly, practiced a great deal and became competent enough to earn a solo exhibition at Kreuser Gallery in Colorado springs my first year as an artist. Yet there are many parts of being an artist that simply take time – finding your voice, learning to market your self and your art and the never-ending process of growing, in skill and in vision. Read more>>

Nithya Swaminathan

I am a self taught painter who has learnt most of my craft by trial and error. In the last few years I have taken some online workshops, but my initial craft was all self taught. I used to hang out for hours on artist forums and have a look at art from all over the world. I am privileged to live in a place with great access to the best museums in the world. I love looking at art, especially those very different from my own. I always carry a sketchbook and pencil in hand, sketch anything that I see. All of this helps in my learning process. Developing a strong work ethic and discipline goes a long way in speeding up one’s learning. Read more>>

Jeffrey Pickett

I am often asked what I do and how I learned to do it. I typically reply that I am an artist and animator with a lot of experience doing something I love. But in reality it is much deeper than that, involves some pain, luck, persistence, and humility. Fortunately for me I have always had artistic leanings that were not always understood but certainly appreciated. Read more>>

Gurgen Aloian

I have to admit that I never stopped learning. The “learning process” correlates directly to what I do daily, and my constant search for happiness in what I create. The concepts of “learning” and “process”, to me, can not exist without each other. So, for now, I will combine the words to just “process”. In my opinion, the process of creation is the purest form of art. Read more>>

Taylor Mitchell

Producing Dead or Alive is a lesson in itself every time an episode is recorded. When I first came up with the idea, I was nervous because I knew absolutely nothing about cameras (visuals, sound, editing, etc.) or how to host a show in general, despite taking broadcasting classes throughout high school. I somehow convinced myself that it wouldn’t be THAT difficult. Read more>>

Armando Meza

When I was in high school I had a slight interest in photography. I got a point & shoot camera for my 16th birthday and I carried it with me no matter where I would go. Fast forward to college, I needed to take an elective to get full-time and I noticed a photography class being offered. The course covered very basic stuff about how to use a camera but that was enough to bring back that interest I had when I was in high school. Read more>>

Montana Shannon-Young

Learning how to design and craft stationery goods originated from a previous decision to sell my illustrations online. Over the years as a self-taught artist, people have asked me to draw things from logos, fanart, and original illustrations for gifts or personal use. As time went on, I decided to put a price to my labor and sell my art online. Read more>>

Edward Dorsey

I had a variety of education that all played their part in becoming an artist. When I began filmmaking, I was self-taught, then I went to college and could take all my wild self-education and hone it into a complete artistic work. Much of that had to do with my teachers and mentors and the driving idea that I could continuously improve. Read more>>

Maggie Giles

Writing is something I’ve always done. However, I’ve not always done it well. I was not an English major, in fact, for most of my high school and university careers, it was my least favourite subject. Which was weird, since I loved to read and I loved to tell stories. What I didn’t excel at was trying to pick apart the meaning in books, trying to dig into the prose and write an essay on what I’d just read. I didn’t want to break down books, I only wanted to read and write them. Read more>>

Sara Zagar

I first started dabbling in metalsmithing during my time at Appalachian State University when I was earning my BFA in Studio Arts. I’ve always had an interest in sterling silver jewelry and thought trying out a metals course would be a great starting point to see if the craft meshed with my artistic abilities. Read more>>

Nico Cathcart

I have a BFA in painting and ceramics. As a child, I was always drawing on something. Fortunately, I had a great number of teachers recognize my drive during my formative years, which gave me some fundamentals at an early age. By the time I got to college I was well versed in a lot of the basic concepts of design, drawing, etc.. My real learning started on the streets, however. Read more>>

Rohan Galbraith jr

I always knew deep down I wanted to be a creative. I just didn’t know in which field. Knowing what I know now I would tell my younger self to do more research into the fashion world back in the day. Research the history and become familiar with certain house names and designers. The skills that were the most essential to me were problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and brainstorming. Self-guidance and lack of experience stood in the way of me learning more skills. Read more>>

Michael Garrett

Regarding the art of DJing, I was self-taught in many of the skills I have developed. I have been DJing for over 35 years. Knowing what I know now I realize that I should have been more assertive in my early years as a DJ. I didn’t ask enough questions from those that I looked up to. Most of all I didn’t look at it as a business, it was something that I enjoyed doing and it was so relaxing to me. It came so easy to me and I just didn’t take it seriously. Read more>>

Jay Creech

Whenever someone wanted to freestyle at the lunch table, I was the kid that would beat on the table with two pens. I was curious how songs were made but didn’t have proper resources. I was introduced to FL Studio 7 by two different sets of friends within the same week. A childhood friend would let me come by and stay for hours just messing with sounds and figuring out how the software works. Read more>>

Lauren Draffin

I have been in the fashion industry for now, over half my life! I’m 36 years young and my first job was in women’s contemporary retail at age 16, so you could say I knew from a young age fashion was the lane for me. I majored in Fashion Merchandising, minored in Marketing, and after graduating college I made the move to New York City to further my knowledge of the industry. Read more>>

Cassandra Bohne Linnard

I had a deep desire to incorporate REAL butterflies in my art but I knew absolutely nothing about working with butterflies. I spent countless hours researching preservations methods and techniques and solicited the help of experts. I reviewed many videos and essentially trained myself on the art of preserving butterflies. I learned how to hydrate, spread and mount this delicate species. I also spent many hours researching butterflies in general. Read more>>

Danielle Marie Thomas

Honestly, mostly through my schooling and actually wanting to create many different things growing up. I was lucky to have wonderful art teachers in middle school right through to college that taught me to experiment and keep pushing my boundaries. Read more>>

Layane Smith

I took art lessons about 22 Years ago in Brazil , where I was living , in order to help me de-stress from my first job as a dentist . I immediately fell in love with painting ! I kept painting on the side and working as a dentist primarily until COVID hit. I was quarantined for a short period of time but enough to decide that I want to take my art to the front page of my life instead of the background as it had been for almost 20 years . Read more>>

Myles Brown

Well first things first, I was got my education for visual arts at Longleaf School of the Arts. It’s a school that is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school’s mission is to teach students how to use traditional art mediums as well as educate people about other forms of art too. It does it very well. Read more>>

Carl Rosen

I didn’t go to film school or anything like that, and for the longest time I really saw myself as being a part of the literary world—I went to school for English and Literature, and right after college I freelanced for a few different writing jobs while also dipping a toe into photography. For some reason or other, I just wasn’t totally content with either writing or photography entirely, and film just really spoke to me as a medium that combined all of the elements I was interested in. Read more>>

Jiahn Kang

As a visual artist, I must master how to express my creativity, but more importantly, that comes from a deep understanding of myself. Knowing who I am, what I stand for, and what I think is important are the fundamentals of my creations. Read more>>

Vanesa Sonea

I learned by experience and by watching others. When I first got into the world of modeling, I was insecure and unsure of how everything worked. I started practicing posing techniques, runway walks, attended workshops, did research online, did test shoots, and started booking work. I think I could have sped up the process by ignoring distractions, not listening to those who doubted me, and fully believing in myself. Read more>>

Just Yae

Im Now a Full Time Audio Engineer, So luckily i got to go to Texas Southern University For Entertainment and recording Industry management Before Transferring to To Media Tech Back Home, And while i was there My professor got some of his students Internships at Takeover Studios And i got to learn a lot and polish my skills there while also being around some big names and heavy hitters in the industry. it taught me patience and speed . Read more>>

Keyone Starr

I actually learned to sing hereditarily. I came from a family of singers and musicians, however the cultivation of my artistry and sound came much later. If i knew what i knew now i would’ve properly documented more of my experiences, for example, I’ve toured across London, Australia, Germany & Spain and cant tell you at the moment where all the footage is. Read more>>

JELANI PERKINS

I’ve been in the performing arts ever since I could remember. I was doing musicals since the age of 5, and I started acting in plays once I entered middle school. Once I started high school, I entered the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem high school in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For all 4 years of high school I attended the Academy, where I learned a lot of the basics and some of the more intricate processes of acting and theater. Read more>>

Michele Howarth

Most of my skills I use to make my products and run my business were really self-taught. Even ones that I picked up from other places or used a guide or tutorial for I changed to better suit my purposes. Read more>>

Allyson A. Robinson

Since I was a kid, I was always involved in the arts. It started at church like a lot of other actors I know, doing plays for Christmas and Easter. Not only that, as my mom recalls it, I was always dramatic. Over the top. The one thing I remember her saying to me was “Just make some money with it.” I fell in love with performing while growing up in my home church back in Detroit, MI. Read more>>

Robbie Kumeso

How did I learn to do what I do ? I always knew I was funny but being funny on stage and being funny with your friends are two different things.With Stand Up comedy there’s not a way you can speed up the learning process. the more you do it the better you get. You are your own biggest obstacle when it comes to standup comedy Read more>>

scott whitaker

I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and creating. In high school i had a really great teacher and mentor Sue Villella. She instilled a love of metalsmithing within me. After high school i worked at a custom jewelry store in Park City Utah continuing my education and learning the craft. Being able to work hard is easily my greatest skillset, Read more>>

Simona Camp

So, my journey started when I was accepted into a graphic design program that focused as much on theory as it did on practical application, and which I graduated from with a BFA. But, I did not always know that I would choose a creative field. As a child, I was curious about everything, from astronomy to sociology to math to woodworking and more. I took way more classes in college than I needed, because I wanted to know so much, and I loved it! Getting this broader education has allowed me to view problems from multiple angles and has helped me greatly with my work now. Read more>>

Francis Corby Ceschin

My first time working on a film set was when I was still in High School. I joined the crew of an NYU thesis project as an unpaid Production Assistant. On the first day, a prep day, I helped Art Department lay down chunks of (real) cow parts all over an abandoned slaughterhouse with a big smile on my face that not even the smell of rotting cow meat could take away. Read more>>

Vanny Channal

I became a welder first before I became an artist. Learning how to weld or work with metal was the beginning of my journey. Because I learned the trade on my own, it was an absolute test of character. I say that because there were many times where I wanted to quit but I didn’t. Times where I didn’t know what to do but I figured it out. As I was learning and becoming a welder, I was also learning how to be determined, disciplined, and how to live my life with purpose and conviction. Read more>>

Jennifer P. Jackson

Media has always been a part of my life. I was already into Music Production when I was in my teens. I got my first exposure to Video Production in high school back in the 90s. I took a Video Productions/TV Broadcasting class as part of the Theater Arts curriculum. After high school, over the next few years, I focused mostly on Music Production and Music Videos. I have also had the opportunity to work on internal corporate media projects. Read more>>

Sonja Bierschenk

I first learned photography on a 35mm film camera in my high school photography class. Back in 2014 my teacher, Ms. Rose, taught us the mechanical basics of photography via pinhole cameras made from old shoe boxes, duct tape, and photo paper. I began taking photos of myself, leaning into my awkward teenage angst by capturing poses I thought were unique. Read more>>

Anna Hampton

Although I had an idea I’d like to work in food media, it wasn’t until I moved to New York City that I’d heard of food styling as a career. After meeting food photographers who were looking to work on portfolios, I was intrigued by the thought of the role of the food stylist – the person behind all the food on those billboards, commercials, and beautiful editorial magazine spreads. Read more>>

Irita Reagan

How I learned photography was by simply doing it! I understand know that I was my biggest hindrance in my early development as a photographer. I was self defeating before I even clicked the shutter. The importance of “is this Instagram worthy?” oftentimes stopped my creative process in it’s tracks. The most essential skill at that time was me being able to simply learn and think outside of the box just because I wanted to. Read more>>

Hassan Saadaldin

I started with reading classic photography books by scott Kelby and others, going out and shooting everyday. My first trip I remember that summer I took 5000 pictures. just capturing everything and everyone. I also spent a good amount of time on Creativelive site (Made by Chase Jarvis) one of my favourite photographer/entrepreneur. I think that setup a good foundation in my mind to seek out clean classic style of photography. Read more>>

Zachary Kostjuk

Starting at an early age I was constantly dancing to the beat of my own music. Whether I was at home or shopping at stores with my parents , you could always find me seeking out a place to dance. My parents knew I needed to harvest this energy into something productive and made the life changing decision to put me into dance class. Since then I couldn’t get enough. I began my training in Ottawa with the styles of Jazz and tap. Read more>>

Minji Lee

The main focus of my YouTube and my general online presence is costuming and sewing, so those are obviously very important skills for me! I graduated from an MFA program in Costume Production during the pandemic when all the theatres and entertainment productions were shut down, so I didn’t really have many job prospects. I was making and selling masks to pay rent, but I’d always wanted to make YouTube videos so I figured that would be a good use for the extra time I had. Read more>>

Dani Lyles

I learned how to cut hair in an unorthodox way… YouTube + apprenticeship led me to where I am today, 13 years later. With what I know now, there’s nothing I could’ve done to speed up the process. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. What I had to learn was how to trust the process. Choose to learn from mistakes made and show gratitude for growth within that process you’re learning to trust. Read more>>

Ashley Smith

Being a writer was never a challenge. As a child, I always loved writing. However, publishing my work independently and professionally was the craft I had to learn. I needed to become familiar with editing, building a website, and hiring an illustrator. I wanted to be respected in my industry, so I reached out to authors, researched youtube videos, read articles, listened to podcasts, etc. As a result, I released Makayla’s Book World in August 2020. Read more>>

Reese Arnott

I began beading in 2020 when I found myself with more time on hands due to Covid. I had always been a “crafty” person, and insisted on DIY-ing everything. I’ve crocheted, knit, painted, upcycled furniture findings, and everything in between. I had always hoped to have something to put my creative energy into, and then I found beading. I saw some beautiful beaded fringe earrings out and about somewhere and thought I had never seen anything like them. That was the beginning of “Drips Like Honey’. Read more>>

D’Marco Turner

My Skill I learned is the overall skills it takes to know photography as a whole. I picked up on Film photography as my very first lesson! I learned to shoot a film camera through an app that taught me how to meter for light and YouTube teaching me how to work the camera I had to shoot with. Knowing what I Know now? I honestly would say photography is a craft where it’s gonna hurt to learn because of the long process but it’s no other way that I would take other than the lane I chose. Read more>>

Cherrie McRae

To be completely transparent, once I made the decision to move forward in my acting career many, many years ago I had no idea, I had to learn HOW to become an actor. This is not to say, I did not take acting serious, but my very first movie role (news reporter for a horror film) was given to me through a relationship I’d nurtured in the industry. It wasn’t until sitting around set, oblivious to what was going on around me, that I’d begin networking with other seasoned actors who, steered me in the direction of formal training. Read more>>

Daisy Jones

Everything I’ve learned has been learned through a series of trial and errors, my process wasn’t easy but has been well rewarding thus far. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn at my own pace, but I definitely would have taken advantage of the many makeup courses to have a more hands-on learning experience. I would have loved to travel and learn from a variety of artists to broaden my technique, and to also better learn the business before beginning my journey. I believe these skills would have made my process faster, but through it all I am grateful for my experience and all of the things I learned along the way. Read more>>

rosemary jones

Learning how to sew has been rich in its’ lessons and metaphors; sewing was a craft I always admired, but did not have the luxury of time to sit and learn its tricks and tools. In 2020, what we would soon know to be a world-wide pandemic closed our doors and windows, forcing us to sit still. Although its’ devastation still lingers, if it weren’t for this global stand-still I wouldn’t have given myself the time to pick up sewing. Read more>>

Jonathan Vasquez

I had no formal training in photography, I literally started by grabbing a camera and shooting a can of Coca-Cola on my desk, just trying to figure out how the thing worked. I looked for any excuse for checking it out from my school so I could learn more about how to use a camera properly. Any school assignment, any odd job I could take I’d run to get the camera. Read more>>

Jennifer Rhode

I have always been a “nester.” As a child, I spent countless hours designing and laying out the rooms in my dollhouse and thinking about the needs of the little stuffed mice who lived there. Throughout my life, I have never been able to focus on classes or a new job or a new city until I sorted out my space. It just took me forty years to officially begin working with interiors. Read more>>

Ming Lo

I”m primarily self-taught. I took numerous classes for acting, on almost every topic imaginable. I studied classical acting, went t London School of Dramatic Arts for a summer to study the British approach, as well as improv in Los Angeles. But in the end, you really have to learn by experience, by doing. It can be very hard in acting, because someone has to hire you, but you can also practice a lot by auditioning a lot, and really putting a lot of effort into audiences. Read more>>

Kristen Florendo

I’ve always had a skill of creating and editing content ever since I was a child. I created my very first Youtube video when I was only in 4th grade. When I first started learning how to film and edit content, I definitely watched lots of tutorials on YouTube and TikTok. There are many people out there who offer very helpful guides when it comes to content creation, one of them being myself. Alongside being a new YouTuber, I am also a UGC creator. I first learned about it on TikTok and started doing more research about what UGC is. Read more>>

Nhire King

I first learned how to crochet when I was in middle school, about 6th or 7th grade from a friend that was in my after school program. I learned using a pencil and used to make little bracelets that I sold in a barber shop. I stopped for a couple of years and started back in April of 2020 after my university sent its students home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more>>

Madam Crystal Butterfly

Learning my craft was not easy. Writing books is interesting because most of the book creation process is figuring out how to do it on your own. Sure, you can go to school for writing, but all school can do is give you an idea of how to get started. Everything else is you figuring things out on your own. I first attempted to write a book back at the begging of my college days. Read more>>

Jada West

I learned branding by learning how to grow as an influencer through content creation. My first step into the social media space professionally began with YouTube tutorials and I showed others how to repurpose thrifted clothes. From there I began to hone in and develop my own personal brand and understanding how to present it in my content. Eventually, others took notice and I began using my talents to help build their brand’s online presence and things took off from there. Read more>>

Carl Adams

The only real mistake so far was not spending more time figuring out exactly what this whole thing needed to look like. If that got figured out early then it makes everything easier because there’s far less guesswork. You can just lock in on really sharpening the blade and putting your best foot forward. Didn’t do that and paid for it early on. Thankfully, time’s never been something I took for granted. Definitely got a lot better with that. Read more>>

John Tabor

I would say that we are always learning. To be good at what you do you have to honing your craft. I have had the privilege to work with some of the best in the industry. Years ago I got to work with Micheal Jackson lead rigging. I spent the day learning from him & hustling to this day I still use his techniques & advice when Im rigging. I tried not to take just the skills but how they treated people . No matter how high up the chain of command they were . Treating people right pays off in the long term . Read more>>

Tom Vincent

Well my music journey began when I was 16 years old. I had asked my parents for a guitar for my birthday and when that day came, their gift to me was an all black Ibenez PF-15 acoustic guitar. From that point on I did not put that guitar down. Every day I would take the time to learn all the basic chords and tablature. Id practice day and night non stop. Soon enough I was playing full songs from some of my favorite artists…. Read more>>