Often there is no book or course to learn how to do what you want to do – so how artists and creatives overcome such challenges? How have some of the most talented artists and creatives in the community managed to learn their craft?

Carly Driver

From a very young age, I always knew that I wanted to become a model and I was very determined to achieve that goal. When I was younger, I would dress up in my mom’s clothes, I would host my own fashion shows, and I loved taking pictures of myself. I would spend hours in my room playing dress up, trying on makeup, and looking at models in magazines. I would alwyas tell myself and others that I was going to be a model when I grew up… and now I am! I am honestly still in shock that I am living my wildest dream. My mom saw this as an opportunity to get me started with modeling and she signed me up for modeling classes at Millie Lewis. Read more>>

Londyn Pourciau

I learned my crafts from the following sources: watching YouTube videos, looking at models social media, fellow models, and from some of the photographers I’ve worked with. Knowing what I know now, I would have enrolled into a reputable modeling/posing school to learn from professionals who have been in the industry for years. The most essential skills are facial expressions, knowing what poses to use, and knowing when to use those poses. The obstacles most difficult to overcome were knowing what facial expressions to use and when to use them, what poses to use and when to use them, and lastly, how to gain experience when you don’t have experience. Read more>>

Victoria Hjelte

I discovered my love photography at the young age of 13. I had humble beginnings with nothing but an iPod touch camera and the Instagram app to edit photos. Never-the-less, I had big dreams to start a business one day. I learned more about photography by utilizing every free resource I could get my hands on. I spent hours on YouTube watching advice from other photographers and even more time perusing Pinterest infographics and blog posts about how to use a camera manually. I took a college elective class about photography, and in that class we were require to take photos of different kinds every day. Practicing my craft relentlessly and learning from other photographers helped me grow my skills. Read more>>

Stephanie Richardson

Before I became an audiobook narrator, I had a background in theatre, singing, and performance so I felt I had a good foundation for this career. However, I quickly learned that there was so much more than acting to successfully narrate a book! Read more>>

Jack and the Other

Lots of practice and then lots of trial and error. The way I see it, in any creative field you need to be both stubborn and dynamic. You need to have a constitution that allows for criticisms to be heard but not let it affect your confidence and resolve. However you also need to be willing to grow and change constantly. It’s tough to align your personal growth and evolution up with that of your career, but when you do, I feel like that’s when things can really happen for an artist. Read more>>

jalynn brannon

When I first started modeling, even though I wasn’t shy in front of the camera, I still had certain areas that could use some work. The ideal model is tall, has a long torso, and a flat stomach but since I represent for the plus size community, most of my features do not resemble that so there a little extra work to be done to compensate. I love my body the way it is, but in the modeling industry you have to maintain a look, so I learned early on that working out and eating right is more then a health decision. Read more>>

Miss C (Chloe Sinclair)

Growing up in a house that was alway full of super talented & inspirational musicians such the KLF, Adamski, Boy George, The Orb etc making music felt as normal and common place as eating and brushing your teeth. I was only knee high to a grass hopper when the KLF broke through to the big time ( i had no clue of any of this at that age) these whacky charetars jsut felt like normal people to me. Read more>>

Esther Akusa

I first started my business from creating earrings. I’ve always loved working with my hands, and I started creating earrings in high school because I wanted to look different than my peers. The best way I could make that happen was to create something that wasn’t already out there. Read more>>

Ceara Rae

I first started practicing the art of henna (also known as Mehndi) when I was around the age of 10. At first my henna designs did not look the best. I would get frustrated, and wipe it away if it wasn’t perfect. I have come a long way from when I picked up my first henna cone. Read more>>

Yao Xiao

As a cartoonist and illustrator, there are many different skills I am using at the same time when I practice my art or work on a project for a client. The most important skills can be organized into two types: foundation drawing skills like composition, value, anatomy, color theory, and storytelling skills like structuring a narrative, crafting a writing voice, building interesting characters. Read more>>

Paul Hetherington

Hey, How do you become a LEGO Master? On occasion I do get asked this question. Sometimes it is a parent asking for inspiring words for their LEGO building child. Other times it is someone who is curious how one obtains these mystical LEGO building skills. My usual answer revolves around gaining knowledge of how the LEGO system works by building sets from instructions. Then fueling your creativity by building things you are passionate about. As far as I know there is no official University course on how to create highly detailed models out of LEGO. It sure would have made my path easier if that was the case. Read more>>

Sara Bertola

Ever since I was a child, my primary need has always been drawing, and it was accompanied by the curiosity to make odd objects or to replicate what I saw around me. This gradually evolved into my full-time job, which I have been doing for several years now. The hardest part is actually believing it. I am very lucky, because I have a partner and a friend who seriously believe in it and they pushed me to give art a chance. Likely, this worked for me and I think it is impossible to do it alone. Read more>>

Doretha Brown

Initially, I was doing candles, tea light candles, carpet freshener, and then one night I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night and something told me to YouTube resin and so I did and I kept watching videos and I realize that I had everything that I needed for it except for the resin so I decided to order resin and give it a shot and next thing you know everybody wanted to place an order for customized resin dominos and coasters! I’ve learned that resin could take 24-48 hours to cure… someone told me to try a heat mat to help speed the time and it’s been working out for me! Read more>>

Rebecca Sipper

I learned to throw ceramics at Lillstreet Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. I signed up for beginner classes and spent a few years learning all the steps needed to create a quality piece of utilitarian pottery. Read more>>

Kyle Wright

I come from a musical family- my older sister, my grandfather, and my uncles all play guitar (some professionally), so there was always instruments around at family gatherings. Multiple people tried to get me started on acoustic guitar, but younger me thought it was “lame” so I never really took to it. Sometime while I was in middle school, my parents brought home the latest Guitar Hero game and I was hooked. It sparked an obsession that would lead me to beating all of the games on Expert difficulty. Read more>>

Lex Nichelle

When it came to learning the craft of rap, it began when I was 13. I had an infatuation with entertaining while putting words together that no one would think of. Having a wide vernacular will be very essential when taking part in the art. The obstacles I’ve faced while trying to learn to master the craft would be writers block, when a writer gets into that mode it hinders the creative process. Allowing yourself to be free at all times is essential when music is your passion. Read more>>

Sirena Smith

I first learned of polymer clay jewelry via social media. Scrolling on YouTube during quartine one morning I watch a video of the clay-making process. An hour later I was in Micheals craft store buying my first pack of clay and other necessities to make clay jewelry. Read more>>

Stacey Gosnell

I started DJing in 2006. I was fortunate enough to always find myself surrounded by other DJs so I learn a lot by watching and listening to them. I didn’t have my own equipment and that was frustrating. Just like any skill, you only get better with practice and I wanted to play all the time. I even delayed breaking up with my boyfriend at the time so I could have somewhere to practice. Eventually, that got old so when we did finally break up, I went to Guitar Center and bought my whole set up. Read more>>

Nevaeh Conley

A lot of people have been dancers since they were babies , or toddlers. I actually started dancing a little when I was in middle school , I went to an magnet performing art school , and I started in choir but eventually moved to their dance program . Once MDC Nashville opened I saw it as a great opportunity and auditioned for their dance team. Knowing I haven’t had the proper training like the rest of the dancers. Read more>>

Megan Wimberley

One of the most important things to know and embrace about being an artist is understanding that it is a journey. So many artists start their career and expect immediate success, whether in their craft or their business success, and it just typically doesn’t happen that way. Developing your artistic style and skill requires coming back to it day after day, week after week, year after year. There is no such think as speaking up your learning, but there are things you can do to help you in your journey and learning process. Read more>>

Maalika Imani

I learned by watching. I started my journey with balloons on Youtube. I would search through various online balloon artists and study basic techniques. The need to evolve grew stronger, and this is when I knew that I would have to challenge myself deeper. I needed to be amongst my peers. Deciding to attend balloon conventions, gave me hands-on experience with some of the best balloon artists in the world. I sometimes wish that I would have attended conventions and conferences earlier on in my balloon journey, but being where I am now I am a strong believer that things happen when they are supposed to, not when we want them to. Read more>>

Tyler Kaschke

Unlike a lot of people who work in the video production industry, I never received a formal education from film school. I did get an associate’s degree in still photography which helped me understand the basics of lighting and pattern recognition, but that’s about where the overlap ended. Read more>>

Adriana Serrato

I didn’t start off wanting to be a Director of Photography or dreaming of being on set or being in film at all. I wanted to be an illustrator and worked very hard to become better at drawing. While in art school, I had a drawing professor tell me how much my drawings reminded them of storyboards for a film. They convinced me to try telling a story, frame by frame, but with a camera. At first I didn’t want to, thinking that camera work was too technical. I felt unprepared to tackle that aspect of the process. It took a few weeks of getting familiar with the new medium but I accepted the challenge and the fear of failing pushed me to master this new medium. Read more>>

Silvia Zolfanelli

Continuous training. This is the secret! I always had a passion for baking, growing up in a family where my grandfather was a baker and business owner, but I got into cookie decorating when my kids were toddlers and we would decorate cookies for Christmas. It was a fun family activity! Over the years, I started developing an interest in cookie decorating: I would look at these beautiful pictures on Pinterest and wonder how do people do it? I started watching videos. I took a 2 hours class which taught me what Royal Icing was and what it’s consistency should be. I had no idea that I was doing it all wrong! So I started practicing. Read more>>

Ommeni Richardson

The beginning of my art career was solely based on trial and error. I pieced components together with lots of joy, but no formal training. One thing that I should have considered was joining local art guilds or associations. I was a teenager who welcomed mentorship and enjoyed shadowing others. Thankfully, I did develop a keen eye to color, pattern, and texture mixing. This skill advanced my designs and pushed me to learn new techniques. One obstacle that has disrupted my career has been procrastination. Last year I began tackling this obstacle by organizing career development into my calendar. Read more>>

Libby Rule

I’ve always been a fan of figure drawing! When I was little I would have a sketchbook with me pretty much constantly, and I would try to draw the people I saw in magazines. It would just be pages and pages of people! And that transferred over when I started painting. The face is just a bunch of shapes and if you know how to paint and color shapes, then you know how to paint and color people! The problem though, is that drawing someone accurately isn’t exactly a quick process. I took a painting class in college where I got to do a lot of figure painting, but these paintings were in oil and they took weeks! So when I first had the idea to start live painting, I knew that I had to be able to paint in under 8 hours. Read more>>

Jamie Gajewski

The bleaching idea all started by mistake to be honest. One day after cleaning my house, I leaned up again a table realized I had a HUGE mark on my hoodie from the bleach I just cleaned with. This was a Foo Fighters hoodie I got for christmas one year from a family member… I wasn’t just going to throw it away… I decided to make it FASHION. Read more>>

Damarius Owens

I gained interest in making and producing my own music when i was about 17 years old. I began watching youtube videos, and once i got money for equipment, i started making beats and trial and error really taught me more than any college course i took. I feel that having more support for sure, wouldve helped me grow much faster as a creative, since ive been working since i was 18, i never really had a chance to fully focus on my craft. Read more>>

Amber Miller

It was a simple Christmas present that was given to me years ago by my cousin, multiple wooden pendants to make resin necklaces. I started off learning how to make resin jewelry from the little tutorial card that came with the wooden pendants. For the first few weeks, it was trial and error. From then on, YouTube and Facebook groups are what really helped me learn how to properly use resin and make resin jewelry. Read more>>

Amaury Reyes

To be honest this all started as a hobby. We learned the “basics” of songwriting at a young age, and it honestly started as something to do for fun and share with our friends and family. As time progressed, we really noticed that this is something we can pursue as a career and really took the leap of Faith to give ourselves a chance. One of the things we would have done to speed up our learning process would definitely be to take a step back, listen, and study how the industry works before making certain decisions. It’s very easy to get caught up in the “dream”, recognition, traveling that you end up making decisions on impulse. Read more>>

Elizabeth Hattaway

I actually started designing accessories out of recycled comics when a full box of mine got damaged in a move. I couldn’t bear the thought of actually throwing them away and wanted to use them for something. I originally got the idea for pendants and keychains when I noticed a few of the small pictures in certain panels weren’t completely destroyed. I started cutting those out and trying different ways to preserve them. After some trial and error, I eventually found a method to preserve and use the pictures in a way that I liked. Read more>>

Thomas Reich

For Stained Glass: For many years I had an interest in the art of Stained Glass. At one point in time I decided that a beginning class would be appropriate step to take. This allowed me to ascertain a level of continued interest with a low level of both a time and financial investment. I still have my very first, very small project on my work table and it is definitely not a work of art, It did however solidify my interest in and commitment to the art form. I continued to take additional classes which included; creating glass panels, and creating and building kaleidoscopes. Read more>>

Kiera Clark

Honestly – I’m still learning the craft. Every day is a new adventure and lesson for me as an independent stylist. I think if I would’ve believed in myself sooner – if I could’ve walked deeper in my creative skillset , I would’ve sped up the acknowledgement of who I really was and what I’m capable of producing. I think doubt really slowed my overall growth , and that’s why I speak so heavily about confidence and owning your title. 1 of the most essential skills I have is being able to create from scraps.. being able to visualize something out of nothing – no matter how little I have , I can make it into something and I adore that about myself. Read more>>

Santa George Campbell

About 10 years ago, after being “discovered” by a four-year old child who told me I “was Santa”, I began doing research and discovered several different Santa organizations I could join. Those organizations all pointed me towards several good Santa Schools and Universities. (Yes they do exist). Read more>>