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.

Heidi Vitchner

My first experience with making jewelry happened by accident. Meaning I wasn’t looking to pursue a business as an artisan jewelry designer. I was just looking for a pair of earrings to coordinate with a necklace my husband had given to me. Read more>>

Cuong Tran

When it comes to my craft, I need to layout what I do first of all. I am a t-shirt designer and street dancer. When it comes to design, I’ve been at it for 15 years. I went to school for it. Read more>>

Sarah Skoniecki

In 2006 I moved to Bangor, Maine to help start a family business with my mom Kathleen, we opened a bead store called Downeast Sticks n Stones. Read more>>

Elshannon Simmons

Back in the early 80’s my siblings and I were blessed to have experienced some of my moms and dad’s parties while being upstairs in our rooms. As a kid I use to listen to my dad, Dj Super Joc, mix music. Read more>>

Nina Porzucki

Before I became an audio producer I fell in love with radio and podcasts. I listened to everything including a lot of audio stories by greats like Dave Isay, Joe Richman, the Kitchen Sisters, Scott Carrier, and the legend, Studs Terkel. Read more>>

Chris Stevens

Early on I had very few hands-on resources to help me learn my craft. Much of my growth as a producer occurred when there was no internet, so things such as youtube and online “master class” courses didn’t exist. Read more>>

KAREN GROSE

As a child, I loved to read and still remember the feeling of getting lost in a good story. I also loved to write. I spent hours poring over poems and short stories and essays in school. Read more>>

Katie Loeffler

Photography is not something I went to school to learn how to do. It’s not something I had lessons for or spent time with a teacher learning. Read more>>

Maren Lawrence

It’s taken a while to learn what I know now. The earliest I can remember doing digital art goes back to when I was 12, playing around with MS Paint on my dad’s computer. Read more>>

Armando DeMarchi

As I was learning how to film weddings, I utilized the “free-to-fee” approach. I shot weddings for friends at a low or no price in order to accumulate a portfolio and learn. Read more>>

LE Francis

I have learned most everything I do on my feet. As far as Sage Cigarettes Magazine goes, a portion of what I bring to the table comes from my stint as an arts journalist & editor.  Read more>>

Tiffany Fortson

I was introduced to fashion at an early age; and I am so thankful I was able to experience it by someone whom I truly admire. My late mother would design and sew a lot of my clothes from the time I was born until high school. She was my fashion icon and she had impeccable taste. Read more>>

Kerin Cunningham

The short version is that I went to prestigious art school, barely learned anything, and then taught myself everything. Don’t get me wrong, art school made me a better at making art, mostly by forcing me to constantly be creating new work. Read more>>

Warren Paul Harris

At the age of 14, my father taught me how to develop my own film, which really opened my eyes to the process of photography overall. I spent the next few years taking mediocre photographs of everything I saw. Read more>>

Harriet Selina

Learning to find and establish my creative voice over the past few years has been a long and (still!) evolving process – especially after years of writing in a more academic space. Read more>>

Valentín Paulino

I am a self-taught artist. For me, learning art looks like watching art process videos online, studying color theory, and using references as self-study. Read more>>

Cassie Ferguson

In my art practice, craft and a deep attention to process play a central role. Traditional printmaking and analog photography are essentially outdated analog commercial technologies that have been accommodated to suit a creative function in the modern age. Read more>>

Cheryl Battle-Freeman

Becoming a published author has been a rewarding, learning experience. There have of course been obstacles. When I started my journey to become a published author, the passion and purpose were in place, but I had no idea how much time, money, effort, and patience would be required to see my vision come to fruition. Read more>>

Christina Santi

My journey as a writer and communications professional began with a book permanently glued to my hands and an insatiable curiosity about the world around me. Read more>>

Sophia Torres

There are two parts of my creative soul. One side is the ceramic potter. The other is the monster doll designer. A lot of times these two practices blend into one. Read more>>

Brandi Moore

I feel like I’m constantly in the role of being a student, even when I’m teaching. I’m still learning what to do, but training with various choreographers and learning different styles has helped the most. Read more>>

Sandra Sanchez

Throughout my childhood and early adolescence, I was primarily self taught and worked digitally. I used to frequent Oekaki boards growing up, where other digital artists would paint and upload their works for other artists to see. Read more>>

Kenyatta Crisp

“It all started with me attending college over at Tri-C and Cleveland State University. I educated myself on some things but going to school really gave me that exposure and knowledge that I have gained in photography. Read more>>

Bernadette Renois

I learn to make art by playing, experimenting and using an “anything goes” approach. Maybe ironically, I earned an Agribusiness degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where the motto is “Learn by Doing.” Read more>>

Paloma Sierra

I am a writer, director, and dramaturg who develops stories for theater and film. I learned to do what I do through passion, hands-on experiences, and by devouring all sorts of media. Read more>>

Bess Garcia

I am a self-taught artist! Other than art classes in elementary school, I have had no other professional training. I have always been a very creative person. Read more>>

Sarah Harrison

I’ve always loved photography, and I’m mostly self-taught. I started by watching a lot of online videos and taking various online courses about family and newborn photography. Read more>>

Samuel B. Dolman

I gained a significant amount of knowledge and experience from attending the Wilkes Academy and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Read more>>

Tony Olmos

I learned filmmaking through a combination of YouTube tutorials and hands-on experience. My first feature film, “South of 8,” (2016) was a significant learning opportunity where I gained practical knowledge by working directly on the set and collaborating with other filmmakers. Read more>>

Taiwo Heard

First, I had to learn time management. Coding and writing music are both time-consuming endeavors, learning to balance the two and still have any sort of life took some deliberate consideration. Read more>>

Bryan Page

It’s interesting— because the path to become the artist you are, or are capable of being— comes with a long rite of passage that pretty much takes you through being the artist you think you are, the artist you think people want you to be, and the artist you never knew you actually were.. if that makes any sense (lol). Read more>>

Leo Harris

This is an interesting question because I am largely self-taught. I’ve taken a class or two in the past but mostly it’s been trial and error. Read more>>

Alice Malia

I started learning about photography in Paris, back when I was in college, when I took a class on black and white film. As soon as I stepped into the dark room and saw my photos come to life in a new way, that was it for me. Read more>>

Ethan Schmiel

Over the past six years of my music production journey, I spent a vast majority of my time on YouTube trying to learn the ins and outs of the craft. Read more>>