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.

Linda Facci

I went to an event/workshop for wet felting but towards the end of the class, the instructor showed us how to needle felt. It was such a small demonstration, but I was so intrigued. I asked if I could take home some of the wool and the special needle needed to needle felt. I started poking the wool…and poking around the internet to learn more. Read more>>

Tavion Dixon

Honestly, at first I didn’t know what to do. I just knew that I loved music and at a early age, I wanted to do what the artists I was listening was doing. I would study the music i would listen to then kinda recognize elements in the sounds. I found a way to make my own music around the age of 8 when Guitar Hero 3 was just released.

Corey DeCraene

I’m pretty sure my family would agree that I’ve always had an interest in fashion and shopping. As I entered adulthood, that evolved into an obsession with product design and consumer insights. I’m constantly curious about societal events/shifts and their relationship with consumer behavior, particularly with how those factors affect fashion trends. Read more>>

Kelsey Crane

Interesting enough, probably like many, when I first got started in my journey, I knew nothing about fashion. I knew that I liked it and I knew that I was interested in being a part of it, but I did not know how to sew. I didn’t know the fundamentals of designing or pattern making. Read more>>

Mark Needham

My path was different than a lot of people in my profession. I did not start out working as an assistant in a studio or have a mentor to work with. I borrowed a microphone , a 4 channel tube pre amp , a 2 track tape recorder and set up a studio in an available closet at the music school whereI was working. Read more>>

Kevin Herdeman

Everything I do starts with an idea of how I want something to look and then through trial and error making it happen. I don’t think I needed to speed up my process, I’m ok with how long it took. Seeing things/stuff for more than it is has been an essential skill. Read more>>

Keri Kimura

As a kid, I loved drawing and painting. When I was in high school I took an apprenticeship with a muralist and worked for two years on a three story mural that spanned three buildings. After that, I couldn’t figure out how to do anything else. Painting felt like it was an innate part of me. Read more>>

Adrian Rowan

I’ve learned photography in so many different ways. I started as a military photographer in the Air Force and went to school at Fort Meade. Then I was hired at Dover Air Force Base to photograph dignified transfers, which a somber mission photographing fallen soldiers returning from overseas. Read more>>

Devon & Kendra Grace & Ferguson

We learned by diving into the work. Neither one of us have experience with podcasting, so we’ve had to build our bridge as we climb it. To speed up our learning process, we could have had more detailed conversations with people who were already in the podcasting industry. Read more>>

Eric Boyer

I guess I never learned to do what I do, as much as capitalize on the opportunity when someone recognized what I was already doing. The artistic son of an elementary school art teacher, there were lots of fun experiences with paper, sand, cardboard, driftwood, plaster, clay. Read more>>

Erin Devany

Everything that I know, I learned through experience and mentorship. I decided very early on that I wasn’t interested in the college route, I didn’t want to fee boxed in to a curriculum or overwhelmed with other classes. This led me to being able to learn while being paid, as well as meet real people in my community through natural methods and incredible projects. Read more>> 

Erin Cross

I took a fairly traditional educational route. I went to college and eventually majored in Art. It was the natural path and I always knew I would pursue the creative field in one way or another. I went straight into graduate school after I graduated with my BFA. Read more>>

Andrea Mathes

I started by taking a class when I was in college. It was using film and you really had to pick your shots. My friend and I would go and explore downtown in the middle of the night looking for unique shots with fog and lamp light. Read more>>

Sam Heimer

Becoming a toy-maker has been a long road of experimentation, research, and oddly for having no experience in that realm, success, I’ve been a full-time freelance Illustrator for several years now, and toy-making was one of those projects I always wanted to pursue but had no idea how to approach till the stars aligned. Read more>>

Linda Shantz

Both art and writing are often “learn as you do” things. While I did both in school and considered pursuing one or the other at university, my real education came from constant practice. Read more>>

Keira Masters

I am a self-taught metalsmith, so my process of learning the craft has been one of trial and error. It has probably taken me longer to get where I am now because of this, but I do think there were some advantages to learning this way, and to be honest, hands-on experimentation is really what works best for me. Read more>>

Jeremie Cander

I’ve always dreamed about going to Film School but due to the astronomical cost I’ve had to create my own university. I’d spend hours on Youtube and Vimeo watching short films to study different Directing styles. Read more>>

Khristee Love

I started acting professionally about 7 months ago. As an actor you have to train continuously. Audition technique classes, script analysis, character development and many many more. Acting is not a race. It’s a marathon. If you train, be consistent, and stay committed you’ll succeed. Read more>>

Ashlyn Johnson

1. How did you learn to do what you do? As a creative, I’ve always enjoyed working with different mediums. When I discovered polymer clay, I was immediately drawn to its versatility and potential for creating unique and beautiful designs. Read more>>

Pauline Tan

I was studying pre-Law at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Ohilippines when ny dad saw that the university choir had just come back from a European tour. I had never been outside Asia, so my dad encouraged me to join the choir since I had always loved singing even as a kid. Read more>>

Nate Perry

I’d have to say my journey with poetry goes back over ten years now. My mentor Mr Moses introduced me to the art form first. From there I was writing everyday and it wasn’t until high school where I met both my mentors Terrence & Candin Lovejoy. They pushed me to the limits of story telling and encouraged me to read the dictionary. Read more>>

Chrissy Kay

How did you learn to do what you do? My graphic design education started in high school where my amazing art teacher taught me advanced art skills (drawing, painting, photography) and the basics of good design. Read more>>

Carolyn Koch

I definitely came at the film composing route in a roundabout way. I’ve always been a musician, and have been classically trained on the piano since I was small. I knew I was always drawn to movie music and to writing music, but in my school-age years I didn’t yet have the sense of how you make the jump from the piano bench to scoring for the screen. Read more>>

Gubby Beck

My mother introduced me to drawing when I was 4 years old and then ceramic classes around 6 years old. I continued to create throughout my childhood schooling. When it was time to apply to colleges, I never thought of another avenue to take, it was always art. Read more>>

Katura Gaines

I’ve always had an interest in art, especially cartoons and comics. When I was in elementary school I bought my first art book, after that I continued to study and take art classes. When I got to high school, there was a digital media class that changed my life! Read more>>

Siouxsie McCoy

My roots in photography stem from early childhood, no doubt my shutterbug mother was my first teacher showing me how to see the beauty and details of ordinary things. I grew up watching how she placed such great emphasis on documenting our lives, always snapping away with some sort of cheap point & shoot camera. Read more>>

Emily Alvizu

I am a clothing designer who knew nothing about sewing when I started. It all began when I saw my friend wearing the coolest coat I had ever seen…and I wanted it. I came to find it was a vintage blanket coat, common in the 90’s but was impossible to find thrifting when I was on the hunt. Read more>>

Jake Tovar

the journey is always my favorite opposed to the destination. early on, i fell in love with the process and was always encouraged to dive deeper. i genuinely believe in this creative world that you can’t cheat experience and time. there’s no quicker route but there is a route more dedicated or more committed. Read more>>

Risto Miettinen

Good question. I wish I knew the answer to that! Lol Film composing is a real amalgamation of skills. Read more>>

Cesar Valderrama

I had many amazing teachers that really sparked my interest in the craft, but it wasn’t until I meant Mr. Buresch in high school that really saw my potential and pushed me to hone in my skills and learn to adapt. Read more>>

Ecindy Stein

I had an epiphany when I was in college as an art student that I should pick up the camera and use that as my preferred medium. In hindsight, it was a natural and really apparent. Luckily, a new program was launched called the CUNY Baccalaureate Program. Read more>>