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.

Stephanie Gainer

As many artists, I’ve had a knack for expressing myself through art since I was a child. I say that because learning what I do today, has been a life long process. Read more>>

Tarah Beck

I can’t remember who but someone once told me you can learn at least one thing from everyone and everything. Something feels too beginner for you? Read more>>

Kat Ball

It can be difficult to know where to begin when you’re learning a new craft. As frustrating as it can be, learning the foundation and fundamentals is always the first step. Read more>>

Krista Townsend

I studied painting in college, but never felt like I got the basics of drawing, composition, and how to handle the materials. College classes all felt like they just focused on critique, which is important of course, but I really wanted to know how the old masters did it, from drawing and painting technique to understanding the materials. Read more>>

Morgan Stratton

I started out not knowing much about audio and only dabbling in guitar and piano before I went to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (C.R.A.S.). Read more>>

Lorenzo Aguayo Jr

I want to start out with a little back story. The Division Avenue Arts Collective, or DAAC, is a volunteer ran all-ages music venue, art gallery and DIY project incubator started in 2003. Read more>>

Elizabeth Weber

I got into woodturning because I was building pieces of furniture and wanted to start incorporating turned components into my pieces. Read more>>

Matthew Kam

I studied communication design and illustration and learned a lot from my teachers in school. The internet is also an amazing resource. Read more>>

Jessica Bosworth

I started to learn how to crochet when most people did, during the pandemic. A lot of people had a lot of downtime and I was no different. I wanted a shawl and that was my first project. Read more>>

James Denton

Initially I was able to learn a great deal from watching instructional videos on YouTube and adapt it from our earlier experience in film development. Read more>>

Amy Irvine

When I was starting out, a brilliant and seasoned author asked to see the story I was working on, a story about going to Central America, where I saw those beautiful, black, but increasingly rare leatherback sea turtles scoop sand with their flippers to make holes in which they laid their eggs. Read more>>

DeLane McDuffie

When I was a kid, I started off drawing. I would imitate my older cousin’s drawings, and then I started developing my own style and skill. Read more>>

Wendy González

Learning the craft has been an adventure, from child to present, drawing has been a skill that I’ve always enjoyed growing up. I did not learn how to draw until college, but before that, I would re-draw cartoons I enjoyed watching, I repeatedly kept drawing the same character until I was able to draw without reference. Read more>>

Damien Mathis

It’s amazing how life brings you around to your purpose. Coming into painting and accepting it because I needed to see how important it was for mental health, and I seen that because of my service with the Marine Corps Read more>>

Jeff Miles

I’ve been drawing ever since I could pick up a pencil. I started drawing on church pamphlets and copying the LooneyTunes while watching them on television. Read more>>

Emmett Wheatfall

My journey into the world of poetry began with an invitation from a professional work colleague who asked me to read a poem she had written for her husband’s birthday. Read more>>

Jennifer Tiedemann

I’m a scratchboard artist, and I’ve been working with this medium for sixteen years. I was first exposed to it in my sophomore year of high school, when my art teacher assigned a project, and I was instantly fascinated by this exercise in negative space. Read more>>

Jeffrey Stern

Considering the full scope of a life in pursuit of art, learning the craft is the relatively easy part. I did my undergraduate work at the Philadelphia College of Art where I was most fortunate to have found a surprise mentor in a teacher that I had long admired as an artist. Read more>>

Denise Yaghmourian

I earned my art degree from ASU in painting and art education. This provided me opportunities to make a living while I spent more time experimenting and exploring in art. Read more>>

Amanda Noble

Working in large-scale oil painting with a focus on realism takes dedication and a lot of patience. I have always been an extremely patient person and so I am able to work on a single painting for months without giving up and scrapping the canvas. Read more>>

Jiselle Williams

Learning the craft has truly been a journey. I don’t have one craft in particular. I guess you can call me a Jack of all Trades. My first craft was sewing. Read more>>

Jordan Ramay

I started photography as a wedding photographer from pretty much day one. I think I went out once with my DSLR and practiced a little before I assisted on my first wedding. Read more>>

Linda Kamille Schmidt

I started sewing when I was around 3-4 years old, making clothes for my dolls. My mom let me use her big sewing machine. My mom was always sewing. Read more>>

LaShawn Banks

I would say that I am very much still in the process of learning to do what I do. Every character I get the opportunity to play has a different viewpoint and perspective. Read more>>

Abiola Wabara

I am a self taught artist, started as a kid just wanting to create gifts for myb parents and grew into a passion I could take with me anywhere around the world. Read more>>

Cullen Curtis

Learning how to be a musician is like developing a story with no beginning, or ending. An abstract language where both listening, and receiving always take presidents over transmitting. Read more>>

Tattoo Dragun

Like most up and coming artists of my generation, I’ve learned how to tattoo by self experimentation. Watching videos, reading books, and reaching out to other artists for pointers I was able to grow quickly within a short amount of time. Read more>>

Christina Mendjul

How did you learn to do what you do? My journey into the realm of architecture with a focus on ecological integration and high-tech parametric tools has been a colorful tapestry of exploration and innovation. Read more>>

Saun Santipreecha

I think the concept of ‘learning the craft’ needs to encompass more than what is often thought of today. In any artform, the ‘craft’ should at least be equally that of the conceptual as much as the physicality of the medium itself Read more>>

Peter Rein

So, I think this is one of the key things that is both most misunderstood and most important about voice acting. The fact that it is a craft, and something that takes both professional training and time to develop. Read more>>

Patrick Aguilar

When I transitioned from high school to architecture school, I quickly realized that learning spatially in a creative field required a different approach than traditional academic subjects. Read more>>

Andres Soler

I’ve been a self-taught animator since I was about 13 or 14 years old. Art has always been a big part of my life; even as a kid, I was known as the class artist. Read more>>

Madeline Helland

My creative work falls into the somewhat niche field of book arts. This process requires a number of different skills but the most specialized ones are printing and bookbinding. Read more>>

Erika-Rae Griffin

Jewelry can be an expensive trade and I wanted to do it right. It’s also the kind of trade that can take you down many rabbit holes. Read more>>

Mary Evelyn Gunn

I started to really take to sewing at 14. My mom agreed to teach me how to read a pattern, taught me how to sew on a machine and how to embroider. Read more>>

Melik Sayin

I’m entirely self-taught, honing my skills through the careful study of other artists’ work. They say practice makes perfect, and I couldn’t agree more. Read more>>

Michelle Burton

Learning “the craft” is a never ending journey. Everyone has to start somewhere, have the courage to begin and don’t be afraid of what comes after. Read more>>

Patrick Shea

I started taking photography more seriously about three years ago after my Grandmother’s passing. She always had a camera in her hand and captured so many memories of our family and was so appreciative of that especially as those loved ones started to pass. Read more>>

Nia Coffer

I went to SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, to learn about 3D art. I graduated from SCAD in 2022 with a degree in visual effects. Read more>>

Angelia Guthrie

I got into doing makeup from a sideways path. I was working in film and theatre as a costume and wardrobe person with aspirations of being a fashion designer. Read more>>

Brynne Matuan

I first started making music around the end of 2019 with my iPad mini and my guitar. I had recorded and released a few covers and short comedic demos that got a little bit of attention, and from it I felt a spark inside of me that made me want to put more time into making music. Read more>>

Miguel Ayala-Mora

You know, when I first started out, I assume I took the same root as everyone else, going to YouTube and simply looking up how to draw. I’d like to say a good majority of artists starting out would do that first haha. Read more>>

Farrokh Shroff

In the music industry as a striving Recording Engineer if your lucky one day you will be presented with an opportunity to step into the Engineers shoes. Read more>>

Elvis Alvarez

I started learning photography during my freshman year at the University of Houston. Going through a bunch of classes and having to endure endless studying, I needed some time to take a break and wanted to do something active – a therapeutic distraction from classes. Read more>>

Sergio Navarrete

I believe learning is a continuous journey for everyone. As creatives, we constantly evolve, influenced by our moods, favorite artists, and the urge to experiment with different mediums, which prompts us to adapt and refine our styles. Read more>>

Jennifer Pochinski

It takes a long time to become a painter. However the learning and discovery will never stop. I regularly find something new that creates a quiet revolution in my painting. Read more>>

Jennifer Silverman

I always knew I wanted to pursue something in the arts, ever since I was a little girl. I used to be a part of a Children’s Talent Agency and go on ‘ go-sees’ with my mom. Read more>>

Molly Beth Covin

My journey as a designer has been characterized by continuous learning and growth. There’s no “quick route” to success; it’s been a process of trial and error, teaching me patience, attention to detail, effective communication, and time management—skills that are fundamental to my success. Read more>>