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.

Lorenzo Curik

The journey of learning and creative expression is a profound and enduring process that seems to commence as soon as our consciousness awakens. It’s the art of internalizing the world around us, forging connections with our thoughts, emotions, and sentiments, and then skillfully rearranging them into a work of art. In my personal experience, this transformation coincided with my pursuit of instruments that resonated with me. Read more>>

Tony Rinaldi

Common sense learning in the real world vs. standardized educational learning. Read more>>

Martin Hernandez

Everything I do is about learning a craft skills. It started with woodworking and turned it into a full on studio practice. There is not a skill I am unwilling to learn and the only thing stopping me is I don’t know about it yet. Most of what I learn is applied to furniture making and it is what I am most passionate about. Read more>>

Matt Baker

I learned from taking risks, failing, reworking and trying again. For some it’s 10,000 hours, for me it was 10,000 fails. I am still learning every opportunity I get. I try to not get complacent and satisfied so that I can constantly be pushing my work. I try and add tools to my artistic tool box as much as possible. As for speeding up my learning, I don’t think there is a way to speed up the learning process in creative work. Possibly using technology to pin point my failures a bit faster, or taking more classes and studied but nothing can substitute for putting in the time. Read more>>

The Contaminator

#1 The Contaminator: This information was ingrained inside me from the purple world I derive from, a cross between the lands of the fae and space. Read more>>

Daniel Logan

The one thing that all creatives have in common is when learning your craft, you must practice like your life depends on it. If you love your craft this makes life a lot easier, because if not it turns into a chore, a burden, a bore. I as an artist always bring a sketch book with me that fits right in my pocket. This allows me to practice my drawing in any setting. Read more>>

Britney Jayy

Art is subjective and I feel like sometimes people forget that. It has been quite the journey getting to where I am today, but I am still not where I need to be. I have never had any proper music training or guidance, so everything I have acquired and learned has been self-taught. I take pride in my path and I genuinely wouldn’t change a thing. Read more>>

Jordan Hart

As a kid who loved to draw, I was gifted my first comic book as a four-year-old. That was the point of no return – and I’ve been reading monthly issues ever since. By the time I decided I wanted to write comics, more than two decades later, the medium was engrained into my being. My instincts on visual storytelling were set, but I had no idea how to write in the narrative sense. So, I enrolled in the UCLA Fiction program. Read more>>

Joaquin Pasco

The beauty for any creative is there is always going to be something to learn in the craft. Perhaps, that’s why I keep trying to push the needle. The emotion, the blood, sweat and tears poured into each project comes with learning how to elevate it from the last. I believe in having a passion for something is wanting to know everything about that something, no matter how long or difficult it seems. Read more>>

Vera Tin

In my journey towards becoming a sound professional in filmmaking, I’ve come to realize that learning is an ongoing process. I attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where I earned my MFA in Film and TV Production, with a primary focus on sound. There, I had the privilege of learning sound design, sound recording, and mixing from multiple Oscar winners and industry legends. In addition to my education, I honed my craft by working on various projects as a sound designer and sound mixer. Read more>>

Sallieu Sesay

I learned to do what I do by going to class. I started in Theatre in College. I started at Washington State University doing plays. Taking classes where we would read plays, watch films and then have class discussions. I always had a strong opinion and something to say. The things I said carried weight with many in class and it was compelling. My thoughts and feelings really moved people because I believed in my interpretations. Read more>>

Jarred Ratley

At this stage in my life I’m mainly a drummer with a side hustle in graphic design and audio/video production. For me, it started with drawing. My grandfather got me a sketch book for, I believe my 6th birthday and from there, it never really stopped, just turned more digital at one point. I don’t really remember when the urge to play drums came to me, it seems like it was innate at this point but I got my first kit when I was 14. Read more>>

Fonty

In the words of a good friend and musical contemporary: “They don’t learn anything, they come in to each practice dumb as shit, relearn everything, then somehow have like 5 new songs by the end of practice. They have a music switch that they inexplicably just turn on and off. They’ve all been playing their instruments long enough to just kinda know what they’re doing. Dave drums good, Reese guitars good, John bass good, Jesse sing good. Always have, always will. Fonty numbah 1!” Read more>>

TALEA SUMLIN GAMBOA

Running a business and claiming it as an art business made me realize that I wasn’t living up to my full potential. However, I also recognized that my artwork was evolving as I improved my technique, which gave me the confidence to continue pursuing my passion for art. While art cannot necessarily be learned, it can certainly be enhanced with skills developed over time, and I am proud to have made significant progress in this area. Read more>>

Jack Ivins

The only way to really learn the craft of live music is to play live music. You need your 10,000 hours. Nowadays people are constantly getting “discovered” from playing on TikTok or Youtube or Instagram, but there is simply no substitution for going up in front of a crowd, no matter how small, and leaving it all out on the stage. I’m not saying there aren’t great musicians who don’t regularly play live, there are. Read more>>

Vlad Vizireanu

Learning to conduct is especially difficult because, unlike instruments or singing, a new conductor rarely if ever has access to an orchestra. Like any craft, one needs direct experience to grasp its intricacies. What makes things more difficult in this case is that there are no undergraduate degree programs in conducting in the United States. My first experience conducting a full orchestra occurred at my audition for the Master’s program at Indiana University. One after that did I have regular access to a ‘practice orchestra’. Read more>>

Tawnee Vallar

How I first learned my craft was from my Dad. He was also a photographer. He had a Canon AE-1, a film back from the 70s, many point and shoots, and even disposable cameras in his camera cabinet that I could use at anytime. I learned little tips and tricks from him growing up and he even had a ton of books about photography I could always flip through. Read more>>

Eunike Tanzil

I was introduced to the art of film scoring when I was an undergrad student at Berklee College of Music. However, my musical journey began way back. My parents enrolled me into piano lessons when I was 5. From there, I began to improvise during my free time and I realized I enjoyed improvising more than practicing certain pieces on the piano. Read more>>

Jennifer and Sarah Meade and Grandchamp

Photography is a healthy mix of camera knowledge, creativity, and working with great equipment, I started my career at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge NH. I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts in 2008. From there, the economy fell and I had to re-think my daily career. I reverted to what I already knew from working in a pharmacy during summer college breaks, and continued doing so for 15 years. Read more>>

Jordan McFeders

I learned to rap, mostly by finding artist that I resonated the most with – and who’s style / sound I felt would be closest to what I could see myself being as a professional artist – and studying them. Read more>>

Bing Li

I had to learn how to draw and write comics while doing other completely-unrelated-to-art full time jobs and school. Read more>>

Sergio Neptuna

Being an artist is a constant pursuit. My brush set is ever evolving. I go in and out of phases where I love my art and hate it at the same time. Im always on youtube learning from my peers. If you ever see me staring at a curtain part of your face, its because im observing the way the lights and shadows work to form shapes. Read more>>

Allison Manch

I learned embroidery when I was trying to find a way to be unique in middle school. I started to embroider animals onto my jeans and it really took off from there as I found embroidery to be the best way to express myself creatively. I spent time in college as a photography major but was always called back to embroidery. Read more>>

Robyn Sanford

My experience with learning the craft has been a fusion of formal education and an eagerness and curiosity to explore diverse trades and crafts. I really enjoy building and making and the process of perfecting a skill and I am more interested in what the work needs rather than sticking to any particular tradition. So for me that means that I will use materials and skills that resonate with the core meaning of the work. Read more>>

Floice Kemp

So how did I get here? Tons of YouTube. Next question. Really the process of learning your craft can be daunting when you already think you’re the best. The learning process never ends, and here’s how I would recommend conquering it if I could do it again: Read more>>

Kathryn, Ariel, and Kate Keep, Keep, and Ruley Haase

Kate: I first learned how to make jewelry when my mom signed me up for classes at the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana. The first day of class we learned how to make upcycled beads by cutting long, slender triangles from the pages of magazines and carefully rolling them with glue. We strung them into bracelets, necklaces, and my favorite type of jewelry to make as a kid- earrings. Read more>>

Jing Huang

My journey in ceramics began in Jingdezhen, known in China as the “porcelain city” since the Song Dynasty. Studying there for four years, I naturally fell in love with clay in that atmosphere. Read more>>

Jair & Brandon Martinez-Johnson & Jackson

Me and Brandon started off as Artist, transferring creative ideas to canvas and then promoting the artworks to sell. We were both self taught. I genuinely believe that everything happens for a reason, so the time it took was what was needed to fully render this idea into a business. The most stressful skills that we had to learn was how to go outside of our comfort zone and learn how to approach anyone and everyone for the sake of the growth and development. Read more>>

Nick Veine

One of my favorite things in music has been learning. I’ve taken lots of lessons from private lessons and received 2 music degrees. That being said, I’ve also learned quite a bit from YouTube videos, music camps/workshops/conferences, and jam sessions, as well as my own students. Read more>>

Randy Kent

I learned from just going out and doing it. I didn’t go to film school or anything like that, I was self-taught from day one right out of high school. I started on small productions as an actor and general production assistant where I leaned from others who were making the films I was acting in or working on in some capacity. This continued for years until I saved up enough money to do my first coupled of projects myself. That’s where I really learned! Read more>>

Jane Fier

Growing up like most kids I found ways to express myself through a multitude of different ways. I grew up in a family of five children. The need for me to express myself came in the form of putting on plays and being as dramatic as I could be. Read more>>

Heather Hansen

I was first introduced to pottery in high school ceramics class. At the time, I knew I wanted to be an artist but wasn’t sure the path to take. My parents didn’t want me to be a “starving artist” and refused to help me get into the Academy of Design and Technology, Tampa, Florida. Many years passed and I ended up getting a degree in Business from Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wisconsin. Read more>>

Sabrina Simon

I’ve spent countless hours perfecting the patterns for my products. Trying something and then testing it out and making adjustments as needed. It’s always interesting to see how things evolve the more I sew it. My main focus is always can you wash it, does it make life easier or solve a problem and is it cute? I love trying new things and getting feedback on how to improve them or if it’s something that people will use or want. Read more>>

Alexandra Stewart

I’ve been a full-time photographer since age 16, beginning at Glamour Shots in Fort Myers, Florida. It’s a humble beginning to some, but it taught me the essence of photography and client experience. I was surrounded by a wonderful team of people, some of who I am still friends with to this day. It was my first example of a creative team working together. Read more>>

Mo Dozier Sharpe

As an entrepreneur in the carpet cleaning business with my husband and a woman filmmaker, my journey to mastering both crafts has been a blend of determination, experience, and continuous learning. Initially, I acquired the fundamentals through hands-on training, mentorship, and workshops specific to carpet cleaning techniques and filmmaking. Read more>>

Xhosa Fray-Chinn

After I moved to New York, I just begun trying things out on my own and began to find my voice as more time went on and I knew I wanted to make films and take cool photos and it became just about me getting there. With photography, shooting on film really intrigued me because of that challenge of not knowing what the results are until after I get the film developed. There are plenty of bad rolls of film from the time I got my 1st film camera in New York in 2019. Read more>>

Cade Gilbreath

Back in high school, my friends and I invented a beautiful sport that we decided (after much deliberation) to call ‘car surfing.’ It was perhaps the greatest sport of all time. What made it so great was that there weren’t any dumbass rules, like the ones that take all the fun out of baseball and soccer. It was a simple sport—you simply climbed on top of a sedan and hung on as best you could while your buddy sped down the street trying to throw you off. It was all fun and games until one guy fell hard and hit his face on the pavement. Read more>>

Tula B. Strong

I feel like I’ve only recently learned that I first need to define for myself what my craft should look like. I’ll share an example: in the world of dance & choreography, there is literally so much one can study! There’s different genres, different approaches within genres, and so many unique ways of navigating a choreographic process. Read more>>

Annelise Capossela

I’ve always loved illustration and grew up admiring my older cousins who were talented artists, as well as my close friend’s mother, Bonnie Christensen, who was an incredible illustrator and printmaker. When it came time to look at colleges, I assumed I’d go to a large state university but fell in love with the possibilities that seemed to await art school students. I received my BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and, years later, my MFA from School of Visual Arts. Read more>>

Yung Bee

It was strange because I never really had to learn how to rhyme words. Certain phrases and words that rhyme have always just appeared in my head. That’s how I know it’s God-given talent and ability. I did however, have to learn the process of creating actual music. The structure of a song, how different notes and chords and tones interact with each other are all things I had to learn. Read more>>