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.

Laura Hobson

I’ve been interested in art & music since I was very little, around 6 years old. My mom would button huge raggedy shirts backwards onto me so I could paint without ruining my kid clothes. There were hours spent on my bedroom floor flipping through my uncle’s old college art binders, trying to mimic the styles of drawing I liked. I’ve always been an animal & nature enthusiast; Watching animal planet at friends’ houses with cable, hoarding Zoobooks, pretending to be an Animorph. No one in my family was phased when I would bring home dead animals from the woods that I found to study them in greater detail & admire them up close. Read more>>

Juli Strawbridge

Although I’ve written songs since I was a kid, I’d say I first learned how to really write a song in the summer after my freshman year of college. I started a Youtube channel just to check it off my bucket list, but it ended up being a pivotal experience for my creative work. In my videos, I analyzed music by popular artists and then wrote a song that sounded like they could’ve written it- all while on camera and in under an hour. The mechanical process of listening to an artist, noticing their common musical and lyrical motifs, and then generating a song that uses all of those elements was a process that honed my songwriting mechanics. Songwriting is often talked about as a product of the ‘muse’, or big waves of emotional creativity, but I think it’s mainly just a muscle like any other. Read more>>

Ethan Cracauer

learning how to do metal vocals is an entire journey, unlike a lot of hobbies and skills harsh vocals are still being researched and figured out in time with the rising popularity and demand for harsh vocals. the journey of learning metal vocals is filled with so much misinformation its like going through a mirror maze your constantly hitting a roadblock you didn’t see coming, i had learned how to do the vocals originally through an expensive vocal coach who i later found out teaches through dangerous methods and i later had to go back and relearn a lot to get to where i am now, if i had a chance to go back and tell myself one big thing to learn vocals would be to find a coach who teaches through throat singing into screaming rather then someone who focuses on quick results that lead to shoddy technique and bad basics. Read more>>

Hanna Huh

My outlet as a teenager was browsing through fashion magazines. Shopping sprees were rare as the city I grew up didn’t have a mall, and fashion was how I expressed myself growing up. A few years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to build a custom home. Selecting the hard finishes, blending colors and textures of the soft furnishings, and styling out the home brought me so much joy that I decided to purse interior decorating as a side business. My primary profession is as a pediatrician where performing a good history and communication are important.  Read more>>

Josh Osani

The majority of what I do comes from learning by doing. It’s mostly experiential. When it comes to writing jokes, bits, skits, etc., I’ve found that it’s vastly dependent on individualism – what makes you different from your peers. The same can be said for stand-up and skits. It’s basically a direct correlation as the writing is the first step, but then actually performing the ideas that are written and conveying them in a way that is understandable (and most importantly funny) to the audience, whether it be live or virtual. Producing is a beast of its own, and if I’m being entirely transparent I do not enjoy it. There can be a lot of stress with the behind-the-scenes stuff that has to come together to make a great show. However, it is definitely rewarding. Everything I know has been learned through trial and error. Read more>>

Genki Kawashima

I learned by prying my way onto projects, staying curious, and a sprinkle of YouTube University. Living in Seattle, opportunities were limited, so I learned by shooting music videos for local rappers, creating free content for mom and pop shops, and PAing on random Amazon and Microsoft shoots. I’d say most essential skills to have for me is to be stoic and versatile. Like one time a friend asked me to shoot his clothing brand but his budget only covered photos. Instead of just doing the bare minimum, I researched the space, borrowed lighting, props, and wardrobe from friends. I did everything I can to elevate the shoot. I guess what I’m trying to say is that every project has different goals, needs, and teams, so simply playing your role isn’t enough if you’re trying to grow. It’s that extra stuff that sets you apart. It doesn’t matter HOW you get it done—be a swiss army knife. Read more>>

Ryan Shah

I actually learned everything I know through YouTube. It’s an incredible resource, and it gave me the flexibility to learn at my own pace. I started by studying the basics of filmmaking, editing, and storytelling, and from there, I dived deeper into more advanced techniques. Later in life, I decided to attend the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles to refine my skills and gain hands-on experience, but YouTube was my initial teacher. Read more>>

Clint Clark

My journey into acting began in high school when I participated in drama productions. I quickly discovered my passion for the craft, which led me to pursue further studies at the University of Northern Iowa, where I majored in acting. To deepen my skills, I later studied acting in Dublin, Ireland, at the Gaiety School. After graduating, I moved to Minneapolis and built up my theatre credits. In 2008 I moved to Los Angeles, where I continued taking acting classes to refine my abilities in pursuit of a career. So for acting it has been more traditional with schooling, classes, and on set/stage on booked jobs. Read more>>

Brian Kniffel

There are a million ways into this business and into video work in general. For me it was skateboarding. That was my first opportunity to be around enthusiastic, adventurous people that just wanted to create for the sake of creating. That was really inspiring and eye opening for me. But inspiration only gets you so far. The only way to get better at anything is to get reps and do the work. Making lots of videos is the only way to get better at making videos. Because these particular reps take lots of time, focus, and trial & error, I don’t really see a good way to speed up that learning process. Read more>>

Gillian Haigh

When I started painting in my late teens in high school, I would generally rush through instructions, preferring to figure the material out on my own. Growing up I never encountered contemporary art or met a professional creative, so I developed my own ways of working and conception of what it meant to be an artist. In my BFA at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, faculty encouraged material experimentation, particularly in the painting department. This consisted less of ‘teaching’ in a traditional sense of ‘demos’ or ‘lessons’; I never was taught the ‘correct’ way of painting, but rather collected snippets of painting knowledge from experiments and discussions with my peers and faculty. When faculty or peers shared a perl of knowledge like the recipe for a perfect black, or their review of the newest Gamblin oil medium, I recognized them as treasures and filed them away. Read more>>

Cesario Mendez

Photography came to me unexpectedly. I started with my Galaxy Note 7, constantly taking photos, and eventually transitioned to a professional camera. Once I picked it up, I threw myself into the art and never looked back. Looking back, I realize there’s no shortcut to mastering photography, but I would have taken more chances and experimented with different styles. The trial and error of finding your voice as a photographer is a process that shouldn’t be rushed. There’s real joy in being an amateur, training your eye to see the world differently. The biggest challenge is finding the time to focus on your craft, but it’s important to remember that photography is an art form, and comparing your work to others won’t get you anywhere. Read more>>

Alon Mylo

I’m a self-taught artist, and I feel like it’s going kinda slow when you’re learning on your own. You can end up spending a lot of time on stuff that could be learned faster with help. But honestly, I love it, even if it takes longer—it’s the best way for me. When you go to a teacher, you learn what’s wrong in their eyes, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to you. I’ve figured out my own way, and I know there’s no right or wrong in this game. It’s all about what feels good. Read more>>

Rudy Sullivan

I’ve learned how to make furniture and fabricate objects from my excellent design professors at Minneapolis College of Art & Designs, the connections I’ve made in Minneapolis whilst making furniture here and my experience working as a fabricator at Street Factory Media, A marketing company specialize in experiential and non traditional marketing. When designing and making a project, I consult with designers, furniture makers and architects to get wide range of advice on how to design/construct an object. This not only strengthens my projects but grows my network. Read more>>

Onion Boy Split Kitty

By pulling from our respective creative backgrounds, we have been able to bring different perspectives and experiences to OBSK. We have both always been crafty and creative, with more technical experience with ink, colored pencil, and watercolor, and by working together, we have both improved our skills and also our relationships with creativity and the freedom to express ourselves. A lot of our project has grown and developed through trial and error. From its conception, OBSK has been an outlet for humor and creative energy we didn’t know where else to put. Initially, we “laminated” our flyers with packing tape and then adhered them, with more packing tape, to poles around Sacramento. Read more>>

Stephanie Mckibben

There is a book for everything under the sun. My unpopular opinion is that experience gives you the knowledge you need, not books. Don’t get me wrong, stories can inspire, teach, pass along knowledge, but it’s real life experience that gives you the wisdom you need. You can read about whittling wood but you have to actually carve wood to make something. Tricks to speed up your learning process is a waste of time. Just do the thing. You will get as fast as you can get with practice.  Read more>>

Juri Jinnai-cramer

I am obsessed with learning. I have always loved singing and performing since I was very little and I’ve known that’s what I wanted to do for living pretty much for my entire life so I am very lucky that way.  I was taking piano lessons as stereotypically many asian kids go through – either piano or violin since I was 3yrs old in addition to gymnastic classes and ballet lessons (thank you parents!) but I never took a voice lesson until I moved to the states when I was 22 when I attended Berklee College Of Music and to be honest, I am happy it happened that way – it probably helped me to learn to sing in English faster as I didn’t have to unlearn the ways to sing in Japanese so much. Read more>>

Connor Caine

The nonstop pursuit of the craft anchors everything I do as a creative! In my experience, the initial jump into any new creative world is the hardest part- getting over the technical hurdles to a place where you can express, flow, and be surprised by your own creative instincts. Once I got over that hurdle, creating became my therapy and my compass! Finding friends and collaborators to lean on and to amplify your excitement and momentum is a great way to stay committed and push through the drags…genuine excitement and buzz is the easiest way to be committed! Read more>>

Tridhaman Batra

As a photographer, my learning process involved a mix of formal education, self-teaching, and real-world practice. I started by learning the fundamentals of photography—understanding light, composition, and how to operate a camera. But the real growth came from going out into the field, experimenting, and making mistakes. The more I shot, the more I learned about different styles, settings, and how to work with various subjects and environments. Read more>>

Trystin Otero-watson

I’d been taking photos for a long time, but never spent the time to learn the more technical aspects. When I decided to pursue photography as a business, I knew I needed to learn more. I mostly learned by trial and error, then videos on YouTube. Eventually, I paid for some courses by well-known photographers and a workshop from a local photographer friend. I still feel like I’m learning every day. I wish I could have found a photography mentor a lot sooner, and been more fearless and asked for help. Read more>>

Nez Riaz

Learning how to draw is one thing, but learning how to illustrate is another. I’ve always loved drawing people and characters, but for a long time, I ignored drawing environments and spaces. When it came to placing my characters in a setting, the disconnect between the person and the environment became obvious. It felt like I was just sticking the character onto the background like a sticker, rather than integrating them into the world I had built. This issue was even more noticeable when I drew the character first and then tried to build a setting around them. Read more>>

Jen Ruff

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I come from a family of drummers so in school I’d experimented with learning drumming and stringed instruments like the violin. In early adulthood I’d landed THE dream job of working at Vintage Vinyl. That took me on a whirlwind of experiences and exposed me to working with artists through in store appearances and meet and greets we’d oversee. It’d be in a VIP experience where I’d meet my career idol Bryce Harper and it was a lightbulb moment. This was something I could see myself doing forever. I didn’t realize how much coming out of my shell and networking would be key to building my brand but I’m proud of learning slow and steady. Read more>>

Pedro Juan Fonseca

Pedro is someone who defies simple categorization. Actor. Screenwriter. Videographer. He is a creative force shaped by the disparate worlds of his native Puerto Rico, his suburban Minnesota upbringing, and the Twin Cities theater scene he has come to call home. Fonseca’s story can seem Dickensian; An Artful Deviser on a relentless pursuit for authenticity with a knack for turning adversity into opportunity. Read more>>

Trevor Maloch

I first started editing video when I was teaching and coaching wrestling 15 years ago. I’d create this highlight films for my wrestlers and then we started an after-school student-news broadcast, where we had full blown newsroom meetings, assigning stories/events, anchors, and editors for the week. Through so so so many youtube videos and students showing me a thing or two, I quickly learned the best video settings for our cameras, how to capture clear audio, and then how to sync the two in editing. It wasn’t until the past 5 years or so, that I really tried to dial in my composition and color grading and am still fine tuning that craft. When I got into weddings, I really enjoyed all the excitement of the day made sure I was connecting with the couple beforehand, by going out to chat or just simply engaging online through their socials. I appreciated filming and editing the day more since i was invested in them too. Read more>>

Bobbi Van Ert

I first started dabbling with glass art in high school art class. I was always more involved primarily in art courses for electives, as well as spent a lot of years in art club, even acting as art club president for a couple years. When the pandemic came along, things involving my career, as well as a personal health crisis, made me have a need to pour back into my happiness. While I have always had some sort of art project going on, I knew I wanted to do something more. I struggled with the trendy art forms, such as resin, in terms of their environmental effect. I knew I didn’t want to be a part of something detrimental to the earth. Stained glass is a neat option because it is recyclable and reusable in so many ways. Read more>>

Chester Capistrano

When I was in middle school, I was completely self-taught, diving headfirst into the world of content creation. I started with YouTube, creating skits that I thought were funny, just to experiment and have fun. That eventually evolved into photography a few years later, and that’s where things really started to click. Making YouTube videos gave me a solid foundation in the technical side of things, teaching me the basics like ISO, shutter speed, F-stop, and which lenses were right for each shot. Read more>>

Brandon Tran

Growing up I never had much of a father figure. I didn’t know what it meant to be a “masculine” man. And so I never really got along with my father. However, we did share one common thing, the love of movies. The days that he’d come back home early from work and would ask if I wanted to join him in watching the new Mission Impossible were peaceful. After that, I decided to watch as many old films as I could. Films like Goodfellas, Dances with Wolves, Rashomon, everything, to maybe connect with him and tell him, about the movies he may have seen in his youth. I was rewinding the clock too much and watched films he had never heard about. That didn’t stop us from spending time watching and laughing together. Read more>>

Tammy Takaishi

In terms of podcasting, part of it was taking time to research and explore some shows before I launched in 2021. I’ve mentioned this many times that I spent six months researching. It wasn’t nonstop of course, but it was consistent in terms of getting a general layout of the business side, discovering what style and format I wanted, figuring out what podcast hosting site I wanted to select, and why, as well as cultivating a list of people I wanted on the show. While research can take you far, actually diving in and doing the task can elevate it. For me, personally, I do really well with hands-on learning. So for podcasting, that meant starting and working out the bugs. Figuring out what went well and carrying that on, and learning from missteps. Read more>>

Yamini Pathak

Writing poetry is a radical act for me. I say this because I was born and raised in India where success is defined by following a profession such as being a doctor, an engineer, or an entrepreneur. As a result, my road to poetry is long and convoluted. My mother is a fierce woman who aspired for me to excel academically and earn as much or more than any man in a patriarchal Indian society. As a child, I loved memorizing poems and won many elocution contests held in my school where contestants would go on stage and recite poems from memory in “expressive” tones. I read Shakespeare and other British and Indian poets as part of my high school curriculum. However, I attended a top-ranked science and engineering school in India, where I studied for a master’s degree in information management and spent more than a decade designing software for Investment Banks first in India, and later in New York City. Read more>>

Xavier Manrique

Growing up in the 90s, I was hooked on MTV. Hours would pass as I watched music videos, each one offering something new—a clever cut, a striking color scheme, or the way the visuals pulsed with the beat. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was already studying the art of filmmaking. That curiosity never left me, and I knew my future was somewhere in the creative world. Still, life took me down a different path first. I pursued a degree in Business at George Washington University, even though I always felt the pull to do something more artistic. Business felt practical, but deep down, I knew that my heart was set on something creative—I just didn’t know how I’d get there. Read more>>

Eugenia Tempesta

Hi Canvas Rebel and thank you so much for having me! My passion for singing came at a very young age. I recently found a journal that my mom kept when I was a baby that said: “Eugenia doesn’t want mommy to sing. Every time I sing she puts her hand on my mouth and goes: ‘You no sing. I sing!’ and then proceeds to sing herself.”  Despite always being encouraged to explore my artistic penchant through music, dance, and visual arts, I was always discouraged from pursuing art as a profession, in favor of a more stable and secure career. So, as I grew older, I went on a completely different life path, which led me to get my Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Engineering.  Read more>>

Maryah Padgett

I’ve always been passionate about hair and makeup. Growing up, I was that friend who was constantly experimenting—cutting, coloring, and styling my friends’ and sisters’ hair. I attended cosmetology school, where I learned the basics of hair, skin, and nails, but most of my techniques and skills were honed through hands-on experience with senior stylists at the salons I’ve worked at. I’m grateful to have been mentored by some incredibly talented hair artists throughout my journey. Read more>>

Mason Perez

My learning process has taken many turns. It all started when I was 12, I decided I wanted to get into photography but didn’t know where to start, so I was just snapping photos of my friends and family on my phone until one day a local studio in my hometown reached out to me to get an understanding of my process (since a lot of their clients were starting to hire me because I wasn’t charging anything, and still producing semi-decent photos). Through meeting with the studio, I was invited to intern at their space and learn the ropes of the industry and how to properly utilize professional equipment. Read more>>

Derrick R. Kearney

I have always been someone who learns by observing and testing. I will dissect everything that comes in front of me into tiny morsels, then do my best to recreate each experience in a way that could be communicated well to others. That’s a bunch of words to say “trial and error basically” but with being a self-taught artist that’s the best way I can describe the journey. Read more>>

Jason Chen

Learning is a hands-on experience for me. I learn by doing the things I want to learn. It’s easier for me to learn from correcting my mistakes than to read through a user manual before starting. Even when I read the manual, I will likely forget half of what I read by the time I start. Most of the work I do now requires new experience and knowledge, so being able to learn on the go and adapt to the situation is a very valuable skill to have. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would allow myself more time to experiment and play with materials and explore ways to make art. I stumbled upon my current art-making technique by allowing myself the time to do the most tedious task. Being busy is the hardest obstacle I have to overcome in terms of learning. Read more>>

Jaden Hodges

My learning journey started at a very young age playing piano and learning music, years later I started a band with friends from high school and got some good experience in the field of music! Fast forward to 2019, I was at a club with friends and the only thing that had my attention was the DJ! I was star struck with how smooth the DJ transitioned from one song to another and I said to myself “I can do that 100% I can do that!” So the next day I found myself looking at DJ mixers and ended up buying a DDJ-SB3! From there it was just a matter of learning the software and buttons, of growing my music library and getting to interact and meet with all the local DJs and clubs to really get a good sense of how much I could grow! Read more>>

Troy Dangerfield

Everyone has some connection to story, whether through your favorite show, a verbose friend or even your own memories. I believe storytelling is an inherent part of being human. It’s how we connect with one another and communicate how we are alike or different. Learning how to write for television or film requires you to look into the stories you love, and deconstruct them. When I decided to pursue writing, that is where I started. I had to get into the mechanics of stories. Read more>>

Daniel Gomez

I discovered my passion for storytelling during my last two years of high school, where I specialized in audiovisual media. This led me to pursue a degree in audiovisual communication and multimedia at one of the best universities in Colombia. While the program was excellent, it was heavily focused on theory. My real learning began when I started working part-time at the university’s sound stage during my third semester. For the next three and a half years, I gained hands-on experience, working on university projects and external client productions. One of the most challenging experiences was working on a multi-camera live broadcast for an external client, where I had to quickly adapt to technical issues with the equipment. Those kinds of real-world situations were what shaped my growth and passion for problem-solving in the field. Read more>>

Charli Terry

I obtained my BA in Communications with a concentration in Recording Industry and I had the chance to be mentored by a really cool Professor who taught me by hands-on experience. Honestly I learned at a good pace, I just wish I would’ve stayed focused on what my goal was and worried about the other things later. Financial stability definitely played a big part in my journey. We all know that artists/creatives starve until they put in their 10,00 hours. If I had more footing money-wise I believe I would’ve been a bit farther in my career. Read more>>

Andy Pham

I started my journey around the pandemic time by immersing myself in online resources like YouTube, honing my technical skills and mastering the core fundamentals. DJing, in its most basic form, can be learned in a couple of weeks, but the true artistry comes from pushing beyond the surface. After nailing the basics, I dove deeper into refining my craft, pulling inspiration from every corner of my background. Read more>>

Jerell Bernard

I got into videography two years after college, once I realized the corporate world wasn’t where I could thrive creatively. I needed something that let me fully tap into my creativity, and with my passion for sports, sports videography became a natural fit. I started out under Mikey Elliot, who really laid the foundation for me. He taught me everything from the basics of video and editing to how to position myself for the best shots during games and adjust my settings in different environments. Read more>>