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?

Donnell Culver

So I started from zero I had no idea how I would do it, but I knew that once I locked all the way in on my creative craft of cinematography that it would take me somewhere. Whether that be as a hobbyist or turning it into a career I could make a living from I knew I’d always want to something in the creative world. Read more>>

Andy Gullahorn

Although I am a performer and musician, the heart of what I do is songwriting. How did I learn how to write songs? I think mainly by listening. I spent countless hours in high school just listening for lyrics I liked, and then studying them. What made them hit me so hard emotionally? Read more>>

Helen Wilde

I have always been creative, even from an early age. Reading old school reports it’s quite clear I was always destined for a career in the creative arts and I was lucky that a couple of teachers recognised this and continued to push me in that direction. I completed my foundation art courses at Doncaster College of Art over the period of 2 years, Read more>>

Alexander Cantrell

I learned how to do whatever this is by watching. Watching people and watching movies. Then doing my best to become those people. I wish I could have been a more avid reader. Reading is so much fun with imagination taking you there. That would have been a great way of osmosis for me to build my own characters and be cool with reading period. Read more>>

Adrian Canfield

I was originally taught the basics of crochet by my grandmother when I was about eight years old. That summer while I was in Washington with my father, I also visited a sheep farm where they spun their own yarn. When I got home my mother had to listen to me talk about crocheting and spinning my own yarn for six months. Read more>>

J Grier

Learning to be a Podcaster took lots of trial and error. I was able to research the different kinds of equiptment and/or programs to use, but in order to truly get a working system, I will take practice. Through social media networking, I was able to find a great community of other podcasters that I could use as resources to help me get a good routine going. There was also the great Youtube University, that never lets me down. Read more>>

James Harrison Jr

Everything I know comes from trial and error. There was no handbook to start a podcast at the time that I am aware of; we didn’t have a guiding hand to steer us in the right path. Everything was done by the “let’s see” method. I would definitely say some things that could of helped us out would of been in the form of a mentor, Read more>>

The Sewing Club

We all grew up playing music in church, middle school bands, or wherever available. I think learning how to push through mistakes is one of the most important things and staying curious about the craft! Read more>>

Laura Alzubi

I learned in phases! I began by watching simple instructional videos, and tried various techniques with small batches. There is so much to understand with the cold processed soap process, it took awhile for me to figure out my own personal recipe and style. I looked up to Katie Carson from Royalty Soaps and Ellen Ruth. Read more>>

Katie Brobst

As a child, I was surrounded by creative people. My mom was a quilter and owned her own business, my dad had his normal job but would work on carpentry projects on the weekends, and I have three big sisters who were all creative in their own ways. Read more>>

Andrea Ester

I started beading as a hobby in 2003. During that time, I would spend time in local bead shops and sometimes sign up for different classes. I would also buy books and watch videos online. The people working at the bead stores became familiar with me and eventually I would be able to ask simple questions to learn new tips and tricks. Read more>>

Morgan McNeece

I have been making music for over 20 years now. I was self-taught for most of my previous experience. I didn’t decide to do this professionally until about 6 years ago when I began my Bachelor’s in Audio Production through Full Sail University. Read more>>

Jess Preble

I would say that I am self taught, I never attended an arts school. This statement would be somewhat misleading though, as no artist is truly self taught. We are all students of our environment and the people we choose to surround ourselves with. I am fortunate to have been surrounded by talented artists at all levels of their careers my entire adult life. Read more>>

Humble Lyons

The very first time I picked up a camera was only because the individual I enlisted to help me with the photography I needed at the time, wasn’t reliable. I picked up a camera with the intent to hand off the task as soon as I found someone else to do it…I never put the camera down. It quickly became the norm to have a camera by my side. Having the camera so much is essential how I learned photography. It went from being fun to learn to my therapy. Read more>>

A-A-Ron

I learned how to produce music over the last 12 years of my life through various outlets. An important resource (for myself) was attending “The Conservatory Of Recording Arts And Sciences”. All of the technical knowledge I obtained was so vital in my process of learning to produce. I think the most crucial and important thing that really taught me to produce music was Time, Repetition, and having an Open Mind. Read more>>

Tyler Cobillas

The process of learning the programs, styles and overall execution of the systems I wanted to, was pretty unconventional. While I had no formal training whether it be from any type of schooling, a mentor, or even just another person I may have known who was in the particular field I was in, largely, my goal was to emulate the works of artists I held in high regard. Read more>>

Lourdes Zukowski

Learning the art of makeup and makeup application truly never ends. With trends consistently changing and being reinvented, there’s always something new to learn. When I first began to fall in love with makeup, it was a lot of watching YouTube Tutorials, specific shorts, and all the beauty content I could. Read more>>

Lee Solo

The process and evolution of my knowledge isn’t something I think could have be sped up in any way really. I’ve never been much for schooling in the formal classroom, but always found success in practical application, and it’s been an interesting road to where I’m at now. I don’t think I would be the person I am without that path, including all the obstacles of life that came with it. Read more>>

Jessica Faulkner

I learned what I know about social media honestly by trial and error. I don’t have a lot of close friends that are content creators, so I know what I know by looking things up on YouTube, Google and sometimes I will send a DM to fellow content creators that I have a built a relationship with, and then of course attending and classes that I think could help me. Read more>>

Crystal Shade

I took a 5 class pottery course run through the local community college. That was when I knew Clay was the medium for me. Other than that class I am self taught. Being self taught gives me the freedom to break the rules because, I don’t know the rules. Im in the process of doing research to understand the chemistry of glazes. i could take a class but i want to figure it out on my own and hopefully create some that are unique to me Read more>>

Michael Moody

Creative thinking has always been a part of my life, comedy came into the picture later. Growing up I always saw things in a unique way or would always put a comedy twist on things in my mind. What, I had to learn was how to package those thoughts and make it palatable for audiences. Read more>>

Nathan Edwards Jr.

The Art Of Being An DJ : Transitions, Song Selection, BPM (Beat Per Minute) and gaining an audience are some of the skills was required of being an DJ. If you think being an DJ is easy it’s not, it takes a lot of hard work dedication practice effort making music. Back in the day to find a perfect cue point on a record you had to use a sticky dot, Read more>>

John Mabey

My degrees are in Psychology and Counseling, and after graduate school I used these skills in Higher Education. I enjoyed the work, but noticed in my free time I was always going back to the arts: watching plays, reading plays, and writing plays. I wanted to immerse myself more in that world and connect with the artistic community, but living in New York City I also needed to pay rent and bills in a very expensive city. Read more>>

Ashika Lal

I came home from Mexico, after a vacation and started researching “how to start a podcast”. I literally googled EVERYTHING, the best equipment, podcast hosting sites, how to submit to different platforms, what software to use, how to record, etc. I was like a crazed woman with an obsession. Every evening, after my day job, Read more>>

Bryce Piper

I was an active duty Marine stationed in Iwakuni, Japan. I took a pen making class and began spending more and more time at the woodshop, learning basic woodworking. I learned a lot through teaching and experimentation, but wish I had tapped in to the knowledge of the professionals there more than I did. Read more>>

Erin Lato

I didn’t start out knowing I wanted to create abstract art, or that I would end up an artist for that matter. I was a photographer specializing in children’s portraits when I saw a booth at a national photography convention displaying oil portraits created from photographs. Read more>>

Dave Jia

I started learning the craft of acting by taking some classes in college and reading some acting books. Two of my all-time favorite books are “Respect for Acting” by Uta Hagen and “The Power of the Actor” by Ivana Chubbuck, who I was lucky enough to study with directly in L.A. At one point, I also trained at The Groundlings, which was super fun and helped me develop my comedic chops. Read more>>

Chemi Choates

My first step is to research. I want to learn how it operates, the materials needed and so forth. To speed up the learning process, I watch tons of diy videos. From the product development team to the brand ambassadors. They are always great references for starter projects. I also like to see the tips and tricks of the everyday user as well. Also, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Read more>>

Keith Allison

Learning to write dates back to my college days in the late 90s. Expressing my thoughts publicly in writing took a big turn with the emergence of social media, where you could easily put your writing out there – whether silly and quick or deep and thoughtful – and have others immediately interact and respond. Read more>>