Doing things your way is one of the best parts of being your own boss and when done right seems to be highly correlated with outsized success. So, we wanted to gather real-world examples to shed more light on how the best artists, entrepreneurs and leaders differentiate themselves from others in their respective industries.

Tom Dowling

I think that finding one’s voice is the most difficult task. Learning the processes and craft of making art is part of the joy. Certain practices can be learned easily and quickly, others can take a lifetime. Being fully engaged and enjoying the process is ongoing and at least for me is endless. I will be doing this until the end of my time here. Merging craft with my personal vision and content has been my pleasure for nearly 60 years now. The true learning is in discovering yourself. Read more>>

Evanne Vernon

I started as a musician by learning piano as my first instrument, which gave me a strong foundation in music composition and theory. From there, I expanded to woodwinds and percussion, further developing my musical skills. I also attended a performing arts school, where I received formal training in voice, dance, and theater. This immersive education shaped me into a well-rounded performer. After graduating from elementary school, I signed my first record deal, marking the beginning of my professional journey in the music industry. Read more>>

Samantha Rishe

I took a basic photography class in college, which sparked my interest, but I really started learning once I decided to pursue photography and invested in online courses. I’m the type of person who wants to read up on everything so that when I try something, I’ll know exactly what to do—but truthfully, it’s probably quicker to know nothing and just start experimenting. You learn so much through trial and error. Read more>>

Stephanie Delgado

I was a paralegal before owning my business. I had a bit of corporate event planning skills, but for weddings –I learned how to do this on the spot. Don’t do that, I did it the wrong way. My very first wedding I did, I drove home crying. I left that day feeling depleted and wondering how this is really supposed to be done, the professional way. Read more>>

Jessica Bogs

I never thought I would become a photographer, but here I am. A few years ago a friend of mine had started her journey to become a photographer and invited me to tag along to one of her sessions. I helped with posing the couples and families, after the session my friend said that we would make a great team. So I went and purchased my first camera, asked lots of questions and truly studied the camera and practiced a whole lot on family and friends. I truly enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. So this was right up my alley. Once I learned fully my starter camera, I decided to take a leap and purchase my first Mirrorless camera, and man oh man, was that a game changer! I truly fell more in love with photography!! Read more>>

Madison Williams

Most of my skills have been built from good old trial and error, along with support from friends and family.
My mom dabbled in jewelry making when she was my age, and my older sister is an artist, so they both guided me a lot when I was first learning to make art which helped me improve a ton then a few years ago, my neighbor taught me how to use my first 3d printer. I’m a hands-on learner so knowing people who already had experience helped me a lot. Read more>>

Daniel Grove

I learned my craft through trial and error. Youtube was not yet populated with useful content as it is now and I didn’t have a community or other photographer friends that were willing to help me. I also didn’t know to reach out and find a mentor.
I wish I had reached out to local photographers and trained under them by assisting and shadowing. The skills that were most essential in my journey was not giving up, technical problem solving, and creativity in trying new things. As a photographer I always had a good eye for interesting photos but learning the technical side of the camera was necessary to create the images I saw in my head. Thankfully I like technology and understanding technical things so that helped a lot. Read more>>

Psyonik

I used to pull up the lyrics to my favorite Hip Hop music and rap it over and over until I got it perfect. Back then, I had no idea that I wanted to be an artist. I just loved the challenge. As far as my other disciplines, I credit my knowledge to YouTube University. There is an absolute mountain of free information available that empowers people to learn practically anything they want. Read more>>

Tan Kitapli

Especially in art, there are certain areas that you can’t rush. Such as the birth of a new script, or the perfect cut. Sometimes we try to force ideas out of our head and enter a writer’s block. In my experience, I have learned that this is not a block, but rather a demand for time. Ideas spawn from experiences and observations. If we do not take the time to allow the idea to brew in our minds, however long this may take, it usually results into forced ideas that feel rushed and illegitimate to your vision and voice. Read more>>

Alexander Figueroa

Growing up, I began doodling in elementary school. Tracing simple character designs and logos (ie the batman logo) in order to become more invested. As I became more comfortable with tracing, I began drawing little things like animals, grassy fields with the squiggly V shaped birds in the sky. It helped that every two weeks, one of my teachers asked us to decorate a brown paper bag that we used for our good-boy/girl rewards for doing well in class. Around middle school, I was doing my best in copying my favourite video game characters. I would look at those pictures and try to make a replica. Read more>>

Ella Srholez

I have always been a hands-on, learn-as-you-go kind of person. In this fashion, I haven’t much been attracted to the formal process which can be great for figuring out what works best for you (and sometimes a hinderance if you need to adhere to a specific way of doing things). For example, my first and currently only short film CAT FOOD was just as much a pinnacle thesis project as it was a big year-long teaching moment. I had no prior experience with complex animation and essentially had to piece the whole thing together out of whatever rudimentary filmmaking knowledge I possessed. It’s really validating to be able to pull something like that out of your ass and have it turn out better than you could have ever expected– since you spent so many months working harder than you ever have before, with only a vague idea of how it could turn out. Read more>>

Adam Cherry

I hated the cartoons in my college newspaper, so I went to their office and asked for a job as a cartoonist. They told me that the comics guy had just quit that day and I could be the comics editor. That afternoon I realized I had never written a comic before. Next I had the crushing realization that writing comics is extremely difficult. I gave myself a crash course on how to write and illustrate comics when I was 18. Read more>>

Lemon Disco

The majority of what we learned now is from personal experience and from trail and error. Listening to other musicians and learning from mistakes along the way.
Observing other artist perform live taking away what you liked and making it your own.
It’s not all about speeding up the process it about playing music and enjoying the journey. The most important skills and qualities are passion, commitment and devotion. You don’t have to be the most skilled musician you just have to be the most creative musician when you’re on stage and able to express your story. Read more>>

Sean Weal

I’ve always been a creative person. Growing up, I was constantly drawing and doodling in my notebooks. In high school, I took my first graphic design course as a junior and instantly fell in love with it. By senior year, I had already shown noticeable growth and knew it was something I wanted to pursue further. Read more>>

Josie Mae Mitchell

I went to a Waldorf school for my early elementary school years, and I was taught a variety of fiber arts in our handwork class. I loved handwork class. We learned to knit first, and then we learned spinning, felting, and crocheting. Crocheting was my favorite immediately. I was the first student to learn the scallop stitch for the hats we were making, and that was really exciting for me. For the most part, I’ve been crocheting ever since, but I really started trying to improve at about 14 years old. Read more>>

Michael Garfoot

Most of my learning came through Universities, professors, colleagues, personal research, trying new techniques and processes, and making all kinds of mistakes. Each new skill and idea builds on itself and informs the next move, creating a breadcrumb trail from one series to the next. It’s important for me to continue to push myself and try new things in order to continue my artistic growth. Read more>>

Courtney Hunter-Stangler

I don’t consider myself a writer by trade, or at least, I didn’t always. I was a dancer for the majority of my young life, studied Fashion Merchandising in undergrad, and worked as a retail buyer for almost five years before I decided to try writing. And I learned to write by doing it. Read more>>

Practice practice then more practice. The desire to learn and do the best drives me . When I am out taking a photo I am so inspired by what I see especially when photographing nature. At the same time there is also a calm and a peace about it. Read more>>

Praise God for the Internet. I might’ve search for tutorials on how to paint sneakers for 2 years before actually trying it out myself.

I wish instead of waiting 2 years to learn the craft I just jumped right and learned from my mistakes. I would’ve have gotten better quicker instead of the fear of failing. Plus, failing was expensive because my mom wouldn’t want me to mess up the shoes they worked so hard to get for me.

Kayla Aka Lady Evil Metals

Whenever someone asks me how to start their chainmailling journey, my best advice is to simply start. In my experience, there is no better way to understand a craft than to dive in headfirst and trust that you’ll figure it out along the way. The only skill that I believe is truly crucial for mailling is patience; as long as you have that, everything else becomes achievable. The process may seem intimidating at first but, I promise that anyone is capable of learning if they are willing to invest the time and energy. Read more>>

Pashley

I learned how to apply makeup professionally gradually over many years. My first experiences with makeup occurred in high school while I was on a dance team. Dancers know that makeup is a MUST for recitals. Our dance coach coordinated a “makeup class” with one of the veteran dancers to teach us the signature makeup look for our team. While I was not the best at applying my makeup for dance recitals, it definitely sparked my interest in this creative world. In those years, I would have never thought of becoming a professional makeup artist and starting my own business. However, after applying makeup on friends and family a few years later, I discovered the passion I had for this industry. Read more>>

Tre Nelson

I started photography back in college. At first, I picked it up to complement my graphic design work, thinking it would help me with layout and composition. But then I took a photojournalism class—and I completely fell in love with the storytelling side of it. That class shifted everything for me. From there, I started taking photography more seriously, doing a ton of trade-for-portfolio shoots and investing in myself through lighting and model workshops, especially with Casey Foto. Those experiences helped me refine my eye and develop the unique perspective I bring to every shoot. Read more>>

Akane Flows

I was introduced to piano at 3 years old, which helped me develop a musical ear early on. I would surprise my teacher with how accurately I could identify notes in a chord or play a melody by ear. This sensitivity translates naturally into sound healing—I instinctively understand what notes blend harmoniously, how much space is needed between sounds, and how to use subtle dynamics to tell a story. While a musical background isn’t required to be a great sound facilitator, I’ve found it to be a strong advantage. It refines your taste and deepens your awareness of the nuances that make a session truly impactful. Read more>>

Julie Slattery

I always knew I wanted to be an artist. As a kid I took every art summer camp and class I could. In high-school we only had drawing and painting but I took every class available. When I started undergrad at Alfred University I thought I was going to be a painter but thankfully they make you try different mediums. I took a foundry class my second year and fell in love with the process. I learned so much from my professors and classmates. Read more>>

Tyler Sofie

My first step into the world of metalworking all started with silver wire, a few pairs of pliers and a love of crystals and minerals. This hobby developed into an obsession and after years of wire wrapping crystals, I got to a crossroads where I wanted to expand my skills and try my hands at metal fabrication. Read more>>

Kat Geng-Caraballo

A puppet taught me. Guided by its tattered seams and felted curls, I began to sew figures with features resembling my own. I grew up alongside the fabric cast of my grandmother’s traveling puppet theatre, Puppenbühne Helen Geng, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I began inspecting their woolen hairlines and dimpled cheeks for clues to their construction. Read more>>

Chelsea Hornsby

I met my husband in mid-2021, and he helped spark my love for cosplay! I grew up in theatre in middle and high school and some community theatre in college. I worked haunted trails doing sfx make up and set design, which sparked my love of creating things. When I met Levi, he introduced me to the world of cosplay! I built my first cosplay in 2021, which was Erza Scarlet from Fairytail. It took me 8-weeks and over a hundred hours of work to complete this build. My biggest obstacle has been my ADHD. It makes things difficult to focus on and complete tasks in a timely manner. I find that picking one part of a project on work on at a time absolutely helps the building/creative process. Read more>>

Xander Priddie

My learning process started with my insatiable need to tell stories. Early in my art career, I was so concerned with my story, my pain, my art. It wasn’t until I started listening to other artists that I learned how to really speak. I became an actor to escape the pain of my life. I became a director so I could feel control in the artistic space. I became writer to tell stories that fit my body. I danced when I no longer wanted to speak. Read more>>

James

Back when I was younger, I always found moving graphics and animation super fascinating. I would love to watch movies like In middle school, I finally got my hands on Adobe After Effects. I spent many days learning about different effects, watching tutorials (especially Video Copilot) and getting myself knowledgeable with the program. Flash forward to college, I started to find my love in 3D. At the time that I was in college, Blender started to become a viable option for people to create high quality animation. During Covid, it was my absolute obsession. I created different renders every week and kept at it for quite some time. Read more>>

Raelin McCune

My journey into furniture artistry began with nothing more than curiosity and a willingness to learn. I immersed myself in YouTube videos of furniture painters, absorbing techniques and styles. From there, I experimented, allowing my creativity to flow freely. What started as simple painted furniture soon transformed into something much more—pieces of true artistic expression that just happened to be on furniture. Read more>>

Liz Davidson

Painting/drawing has always been in my life. My father is an artist, and he gave me some of my first drawing/painting lessons. Throughout high school, I couldn’t get enough of art class. I continued my education at University of North Florida, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Drawing/Painting, minor in Education. Read more>>

Claude Godcharles

I started learning woodworking techniques first by necessity, making and restoring furniture for my house. Then it became an interest and a passion to learn more and more techniques related to this craft. Ancient craft traditions as well as modern power tool techniques offered an endless field of learning and exploring. I started by experimenting on my own, but soon found out that having a mentor with more experience was helping me learn faster and round up more know-how. Also, joining local associations exposed me to more projects and expertise, while developing a network of contacts with similar interests. Read more>>

Greg Garcia

I learned to produce through studying the music I love, and researching how it was made. Read more>>

Nancy Ramsey

As soon as I was able to choose my own classes, I picked art. From electives in junior high to an art minor in college, I took all the art classes I could fit. These were purely for my enjoyment with no long term plan involved. When I was in grad school, I convinced my mom to take a class at the Art League with me. I continued taking classes there for about 30 years. I called it my art therapy and it really was! Read more>>

Braden Roseborough

First let’s define exactly what my craft is. If you are discovering me for the first time through this Canvas Rebel interview, it may seem odd that they have chosen to interview me. Most people would likely look at the fact that I participate in the deadliest sport in the world and assume that I would be labeled an “athlete” as opposed to a “creative”. However, I absolutely see my participation as a craft. It is an exercise in combining my passion for this activity and the community that surrounds it, my engineering background, and sharing the result through various media. Read more>>

Chris Haywood

Good question! So I grew up drawing all the time. I would draw from the cartoons I would watch on tv or the movies that I’ve seen in theaters. I took a 6 year break from drawing to pursue music and when the pandemic hit I started to draw again. Taking a long time off from something you realize how much you still need to learn so I enrolled in online classes. I found an illustration program online and started to learn from the best illustrators in the industry. Alot of trial and error in finding my style but I found that the next project I would do would be closer to what I actually want my work to look like. I decided that the only way to learn to get better is to draw all the time and put a lot of work into a sketchbook. Read more>>

Jonathan Fletcher

It all started from learning how to make beats at the local boys& girls club that I went to. After a couple of years I bought my first microphone and started learning how to mix my vocals. It was all trial and error. Using songs that I enjoy on a daily as a reference point for my songs to sound and going back and forth between them until I that sweet spot I was looking for. Definitely a lot of picking up from YouTube tutorials. The most essential skill to have in making music is patience. You will need a lot of patience because you’re not always going to get the sound right in one go and it will drive you nuts. Best thing to do is to be patient with yourself when creating. Read more>>

Terri Yacovelli

I have always been drawn to encaustic art, which is painting with hot wax. I started reading books about it and watching online video demonstrations because I wanted to experiment with the medium without structured direction at first.
I finally took a workshop in 2014 and learned basic information, but it is a material that you have to work with to learn by trial and error. Read more>>