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.

Dennis L.A White

As an Actor, I watched films as a kid. I was the TV kid(one of my favorite books) in my family. I loved watching black n white movies. Fred Astaire, Louie Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, etc. I would re enact scenes that I would watch over and over again. Read more>>

Damion Barrientos

My journey in becoming a mixologist began with someone else’s love of the bartending craft. A coworker of mine, at a restaurant I spent my late teens bussing and serving tables for, saw my interest and took it as an opportunity to educate me on the basics of bartending. Read more>>

Anthony Mosley

Most of my skills are god given talents. Most cases I don’t have to try I just rely on my personality. With being a Dj its takes practice getting your timing right, learning different techniques, as well as learning about all the different equipment you’ll need. Read more>>

Bernie Nelson

I was blessed to always be in the presence of greatness. Learning from them the craft of songwriting and song plugging as well. Read more>>

Sanina Barber

Learning my craft! It took me years to under this. I came out the womb knowing how to sing (haha) but actually learning it is different. Even though you are blessed/anointed with a gift you must study that gift. Read more>>

Audrey Rodriguez

Drawing was something that I always did as a kid. When I turned 18 I decided I wanted to study art in college. My parents weren’t crazy about me majoring in Studio Art, so the compromise we landed on was that I would major in Art Education. Read more>>

Matti Gresham

I am a fully self taught photographer. Watching other photographers on set, watching YouTube tutorials on photoshop and lighting, and asking questions of those who have gone before me are all sources I’ve used to learn. Read more>>

Alex Ricchiuto

I feel like I’m still constantly learning and finding new ways to absorb material. I’m mainly a professional drummer for hire but I also play guitar, write songs, record, and produce music. Read more>>

Lisa Rimmert

When I started writing my first book, I had two degrees in communications and fifteen years of professional experience in marketing and public relations. Read more>>

Kassandra Kraus

I learned to do what I do by picking up a camera one day at the age of 10 and figuring out how to make a movie from there! I would film anything from goofy skits to nature scenes and spend hours editing it. Read more>>

Terry Berland

I first started learning how to be a casting director by working as an assistant in a Casting Department at a Madison Avenue ad agency in New York City. Things have changed in the business over the years and those jobs don’t exist anymore. Read more>>

Kimeon Sumler

Growing up I was apart of many prestigious music programs and around amazing mentors. Anytime my mentors did something pertaining to what I wanted to know and learn about I was either over their shoulder watching or asking a million questions. Read more>>

Charles Nguyen

So a bit of backstory: • I’ve been voice acting on and off for more than 10 years • Been in the professional world for 2 years • Took several classes (Richard Horvitz, Crispin Freeman, etc.) • Been in games like Genshin Impact and other indie games Read more>>

Rachel Deschaine

I began writing music pretty young. I was nine years old when I wrote my first full song that included a verse/chorus/bridge/chorus form. After that, I wrote almost completely through intuition. Read more>>

Tara Montana

Perfecting your craft means dedicating yourself to the mastery of your chosen skill. It means working diligently to improve your abilities, learning from your mistakes, and striving for excellence. It means becoming the best you can be so that you can create the best work possible. Read more>>

Siobhan Cassidy Robinson

I started playing cello in 5th grade, and the rest is history! It took me a couple of years to get serious about learning and practicing, but once I did, I was so competitive and that’s what really accelerated my skills. Read more>>

Marissa Lete

If you have a few conversations with authors/writers out in the world, you’ll probably learn pretty quickly that most of us suffer from a condition called imposter syndrome. Read more>>

John Sanchez

Let me tackle the last question first: What stood in the way of learning more? As I write this my age is 50. I come from that generation that did not have the incredible resource of the internet until my mid 20’s. Read more>>

John Faye

From a very young age, I fantasized about what it would be like to play music and be part of a rock band. First and foremost, I wanted to be a songwriter because there was something inside me that was tugging at me to express what was going on in my head and in my life. Read more>>

Laura Tarquino

I have always had some psychic gifts and strong intuition as a young child. Read more>>

Grace DeVine

When producers or songwriters ask me for advice on getting started in their craft I tell them to find some good headphones, close their eyes, and listen actively to their favorite songs. Read more>>

Karen Denning

I started painting in 1986. I had to teach myself as I was newly married and on a strict budget. My husband was attending college. I could have learned faster if I could have taken lessons, but my method of painting is unique to me and I loved experimenting and figuring out ways to get more values into my paintings. Read more>>

Sally Terrell

The answer to the first question is twofold. Working in scratchboard started during my last year of teaching. Once I retired, I was able to pursue it in earnest. Read more>>

Daniel Pomidor

I got into games sort of through not really fitting into one medium cleanly. As a kid I drew a lot, made comics, did crafts, and made board games. I also spent the most time experiencing games, out of all the other mediums (though comics was close), and as a result it’s sorta how my brain is wired to think about concepts Read more>>

Suless Burton

Born in the United States on October 12, 1977, Suless Burton works as an actress, writer, director, and executive producer. Suless graduated with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and design from the International Academy of Design and Technology. Read more>>

Tia Liu

As a design student, learning the craft could mean a lot of different things, ranging from software skills, to formulating ideas and communication with audiences. Read more>>

Anthony Didonato

I learned my photography from trial and error of taking photographs and seeing what I liked and disliked. I spent many, many hours researching, reading books, watching videos about the camera settings and how to get the proper setting for the scene with lighting and colors etc. Read more>>

Jonathan Thompson

The film industry is one that changes constantly, so a continued education in the craft and business of film making is essential to becoming successful. Read more>>

Alana Johnson

As a straight-A student growing up, the importance of education was instilled in me from a young age. In hindsight, being obsessed with the outcome of my studies as opposed to the process of learning definitely came back to haunt me later on. Read more>>

Anthonie Culley

I learned what I have done at Hudson Bay High School where my teacher Mr Howard taught me how to work on filmmaking, camera movement and multiple other parts of the trade throughout my years in high school. Read more>>

Andra Jay

On my lifelong journey of artistic exploration, I’ve delved into various creative realms- drawing, painting, design, graphic design, editing, and more. Read more>>

Thair Ramirez

The learning process is messy and there’s no use in resisting that. The more you embrace the messiness, and have your mind wide open to your own mistakes without judging them and yourself, the quicker you’ll improve and learn from the experience Read more>>

Sean Henderson Aaron Christopher

Aaron: I remember growing up in church. My sister and I sang and danced as a part of the choirs each year and did performances. This was an early start in my journey with music, and at a young age I began reading music from the hymnals as well as sheet music. Read more>>

Rebekah Claborn

I began this just as fun–I didn’t even realize how interested in photographer I was until my husband gave me my first “big” camera as a Christmas present. Looking back now, I see I had a lot of natural talent for photography, I just didn’t understand the technical mindset that created those beautiful images. Read more>>