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.

Katie Grace

I’ve been a scavenger for as long as I can remember. My early childhood was spent running barefoot along Maine’s coastline, collecting abandoned shells and scrutinizing sea glass as the salty waves lapped at my toes. Read more>>

Alec Levy-O’Brien

Coming out of High School, I had hardly picked up a camera before. Most of my experience with photography came from the occasional family holiday where the family camera was broken out at the scenic viewpoints. Read more>>

Melanie Delach

From a young age, I was always making art. At the kitchen table, in my room, anywhere. My parents encouraged me to keep that up. I took classes from the age of 9 until I went to college, with an amazing guy named Brian Carroll. Read more>>

Elis Monsport

Education gave me a great foundation, as the first secondary school where I learned to mold, work with ceramics and porcelain. Read more>>

David Fuller

Content creation can be very involved if we’re not paying attention to the craft. I am visual learner, in terms of editing, filming, pre and post production. Read more>>

Alex Hughes

If I could go back in time, I’d encourage myself to keep making things and experimenting. It really is the best way to learn—not just to learn new techniques but to develop your artistic style and voice. Read more>>

Silvana Tei Kenney

My love for beauty and art was something I felt since youth. I enjoyed painting, and as a ten years old student, I won a competition reproducing a Modigliani painting Read more>>

Bobby Majoch

How did you learn to do what you do? I began my journey in 3D applications by seeking out resources available on YouTube, where I learned the basics through tutorials. Read more>>

Olivia Robinson

Trial and error. A lot of times I just went in with a mindset of enthusiasm and excitement for taking photos, having a vision, and wanting to create something. Read more>>

Nathan Wakefield

I’m a firm believer in mentorship and historical study. As a juggler, I’ve spent a great deal of time reading old books, studying old videos, and talking to older veterans. Read more>>

Joe Jenneman

My dad was the first person to put a guitar in my hands when I was 6 years old. By 7 I was writing full songs with verse, chorus, etc. I never felt I had reason to push past my basic knowledge of guitar when I was young. Read more>>

E Bond

I learned to be an artist, someone who makes things, by growing up in a household where that was cherished and encouraged. I also learned to be an artist through years and years of schooling, both free and paid for. Read more>>

Shawn Riddle

I learned 93% from TRIAL & ERROR. If I seen something that I wanted to learn how to do, I just got in the field and figured it out. Alot of my early inspiration came from looking at the work of GaronFilms & Derek Blanks. Read more>>

Kay Johnston

The art of making jewelry has been a passion of mine from a young age. By the time I was a senior in high school I knew I wanted to major in metalsmithing at an art college. Read more>>

Rachel David

I’ve learned a lot from trying stuff that I dreamed about. I had some basic making skills. I have made stuff since I was a kid. I learned to weld. Read more>>

Cindy Charpilloz

I started drawing at a very young age and to be honest I feel like I’ve been drawing since I know how to use a pencil. I started by copying from cartoon characters I used to like and creating scenes where they all interact together. Read more>>

Desiree Rogers

I learned to act by getting a great foundation at New World School of the Arts highschool & college program,taking several classes around the Bay Area (A.C.T ,Seydeways Studios, Multi-Ethnic-Theater and more) and by being in shows. Read more>>

Stephen Heigh

It all started in early childhood. The idea of becoming a professional artist and designer was planted like a seed at around age three because I watched my father work in his home art studio. Read more>>

Camille Zhang

I learnt a lot of the songwriting and production on my own. I draw my inspiration largely from listening to other artists and breaking down their songwriting elements as well as production components. Read more>>

Madison Smith

I’ve always been exploring art as a kid. I loved being creative and eventually grew interested in learning specific techniques through YouTube. Read more>>

Jorden Kiddo

Well, to get the technical skills like actually using DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), I started watching YouTube tutorials. I still do from time to time. Read more>>

Dafeney Josue

I honed my art skills through visual learning, which I affectionately refer to as “YouTube University.” Watching step-by-step videos from acrylic artists covering various themes and techniques was my main method of learning. Read more>>

Rebecca Karpen

I’ve been writing songs since I was about 5 years old, but I really only began doing it seriously in high school. I used to just hide in the practice rooms in the music department for hours at a time, obsessively writing. Read more>>

Ya-Lan Chan

My musical journey commenced at the age of five, guided by my mother. Later, under the mentorship of my aunt, I delved into the world of violin. Read more>>

Lamont Kellum

I started writing poetry and spoken word at about 11 years old. Initially it was just to express myself and get what was on my mind, off. Read more>>

Brian Muratori

God given talent, creativity, supportive parents. Probably got more serious with music lessons. Self taught lessons…self discipline & perseverance…critics and doubters of the dream Read more>>

Desh Please

For me, creating art has always been very spontaneous and natural. I never wake up and think “Today I want to write a song about x”. Lyrics and melodies come to me all the time randomly throughout the day. Read more>>

Ifeoma King

About 10 years ago I officially started my journey towards being an artist. I began taking college courses and eventually graduated with a Fine Arts education degree. Read more>>

Creston Herron

Creston Herron serves as the recently appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Kansas and is a member of the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp. Read more>>

Bea Goodwin

My name is Bea Goodwin, I am an opera librettist and stage director. A lot of folks are immediately intimidated by the idea of an opera but simply put: I write stories and bring them to life. Read more>> 

Kristin Reitter

I have been studying Astrology for 18 years and the learning never ends ; ) As for my singing bowls, I have invented to work I do with them now. Read more>>

Cam Ezra

A healthy Dosage of trial and failure with a willingness to make bad art. I understand there is no such thing as bad art, but a big part of being an artist is knowing when to hold your cards and when to fold them. Read more>>

Danté Mendoza

I started my journey in video editing about 11 years ago during my sophomore year at Arizona State University. Two years before that, I was a student-athlete at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, competing in cross-country and track & field on a scholarship. Read more>>

Kelsey Cruz

I was trained classically as a pianist since I was 5 years old and picked up the flute when I was 14. I also taught myself how to play the guitar when I was 10 when I wanted to diversify my instruments for my church’s choir. Read more>> 

John Young

Learning the craft of writing and storytelling, is a life-long pursuit. At least for literary fiction, which is what I do. Every story in literary fiction, whether it’s a novel or a short story, is a new adventure. Read more>>

Joseph Finchum

Well, I was born with a defect in my legs and spent most of my formative years wearing large metal braces on them. I was drawing before I could speak. Read more>>

Doug Gay

In my journey, mastering the craft of music wasn’t just about playing notes; it was about understanding the language of emotion and connection. Read more>>

Matthew Bigham

I learned my skill through film school at Trident Technical College, they taught us how to use the film gear along with lighting. Read more>>

Jose Luis Gonzalez

I’m a self-taught illustrator and transitioned into film while in college. I didn’t intend on returning to illustration but as luck would have it I began to fuse my film work with illustration and have since worked steadily on animation projects Read more>>

David Watson

I don’t have any formal education in cinematography. I’m what many have come to know as “YouTube” educated. I had an interesting photography which led to me realizing that my Canon 6D could do 1080p video and I could actually make a movie. Read more>>

Jacqueline Tam

I first found my way into illustration through enrolling in Continuing Education courses at The School of Visual Arts. Initially, I attended these night classes simply as a creative outlet outside of my current work in advertising and because I felt the need to tend to a lifelong interest. Read more>>

Jeremy Anderson

Music is a language of its own, it transcends words. As a baby, I was blessed with a determination to learn and speak the language of music. Read more>>