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.

Brooke Mueller

After moving to LA I dove head first into freelancing and worked my way up through both camera and lighting departments while learning about and understanding the craft of cinematography. Read more>>

Dom Francis

I think learning how to write songs is about being aware and open to your thoughts and feelings. It also takes a lot of work to get good songs. You’ve got to churn out a lot of desolate ideas and song structures to learn what you like and don’t like. Good taste helps too. Read more>>

Hayley Sonnier

I jumped into the world of resin work during the pandemic, when it became one of those hobbies that a lot of people were picking up at home. We were staying inside, playing more of our D&D games than ever before, and it grew quickly from just a small hobby to a major creative outlet. Read more>>

Abi butler

I learned at an early age to have appreciation for sewing and crafting! My mom and Nanny made me and my three sisters matching clothes and some of my earliest memories are of playing with my mom’s thread spools while she sewed. Read more>>

Kara Scott and Greg Smith and Ian Kinnaman and Steve Wright

As band we’ve come together from different backgrounds. For all of music in our youth was important in forming our identity. Kara Scott, Greg Smith, and Ian Kinnaman attended university for music. Read more>>

Petro Ninovskyi

When I was only 6 years old my first teacher brought me to a small amateur poetic theatre called “Orpheus” which was in my hometown, Kolomyia, Ukraine. I feel like that was the beginning of my craft learning. Read more>>

GWAK

It took me many years to acquire my sculpting skills. Every job I took on contributed to this journey in some way. Working in construction taught me how to use tools and understand woodworking, while automotive repair gave me insight into using Bondo. Read more>>

Christian Drake

I attribute any great learning to the great mentors and teachers in one’s life. Any success one has doesn’t really hold much significance without the trials that it took to get there. There is no timetable to success, and there is no way to speed up the process of understanding. Read more>>

Scatha G. Allison

My journey as a clothing artist and designer has been anything but conventional. I’ve never had formal training in fashion—instead, my path began with a passion for clothing as a means of expression. Read more>>

Fara Boyce

Firstly, I think that learning a new skill and art form does not have a timeline or a speed at which you can learn. As an actor I am constantly learning and growing as a performer. Read more>>

Aaron Wood

At 16 years old, I took some Christmas money and decided to buy myself a guitar. I’ve always been fascinated by the instrument. There is something about those six steel strings. They are magical! Read more>>

Susan Grant

I have always wanted to be a painter. In college I did minor in fine arts, but only had drawing classes. No painting. After college I danced professionally and did a lot of traveling. Read more>>

Eric Knoche

From the first time I touched clay, I knew it was what I wanted to do. The combination of its softness and malleability when its wet and its hardness and durability after its fired is unique and alluring. Read more>>

Jordan Gibson

Makeup artistry is something that I’ll never stop learning! I have always been someone who enjoys tapping into my creative abilities. Throughout high school and college I enjoyed doing a variety of makeup looks on myself as well as friends and family. Read more>>

Marco Infante

Reflecting on my journey, I sometimes wonder if discovering my passion for the arts earlier would have accelerated my career. Perhaps I would have started auditioning professionally as a child or moved to Los Angeles sooner. Read more>>

Jean Mackie

Nineteen years ago, I put my creativity (all acting, art-work and creative endeavors) in the freezer, and shifted my focus on living life differently in recovery from alcoholism. Read more>>

Ross Hodgkinson

I began with piano lessons from a very young age. I played for about 3 years before asking my parents if I could switch to taking drum lessons instead, and thankfully they said yes! Read more>>

Ed Vargas

Learning Visual Development and Entertainment art was quite a journey from me! I originally started my career as a graphic designer and pivoted after realizing I needed a more art oriented day to day to be fulfilled. Read more>>

Tina Wilson

I became a voice over talent in 2001. I took my first acting class, and within six weeks, I was in love with voice over acting. I’ve heard voice over talents on radio and TV all my life and felt called to do this. Read more>>

Singer Sterling

I Learned to do what I do from bigger people in the industry who gave me a chance at a young age. Even though they were very hard on me, it taught me how to make it in this industry and to have thick skin. Read more>>

Jose Borges

Like many professional artists out there, my first time trying my hand at being artistic was when was a young child. My father used to have a sketch book of airplane drawings and diagrams that really captured my curiosity and I distinctly remember spending hours upon hours trying to copy those drawings and sometimes making up my own childlike versions of them. Read more>>

Jay Benzo

I learned what to do by learning online on my own and also working with my team on music which taught me a lot. My opinion the most essential skills to have in music is being able to produce and mix and master your own music. Read more>>

Steffanie Costigan

The biggest obstacle for myself as a writer and journalist is my learning disability with dyslexia. It is something I had to learn how to deal with, especially within the writing industry what takes one writer to do something took me longer with my dyslexia. Read more>>

Erik Paid

I learned the craft from my father, he was heavily into music and also recorded himself. Being close with him and just being a sponge taught me everything I know now musically. Read more>>

Goldlove

Growing up in South Carolina, resources to learn music were very limited. Besides piano lessons and school concert band, there were no mentors or teachers we had who knew how to create music (writing, production, etc.). Read more>>

Tiana Marcano

Learning the craft isn’t an easy thing. It takes Practice, Persistence and Desire to learn the craft. Even if you have the natural ability and talent within your line of work. Read more>>