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?

Rianne Vesutto

Deep down I always knew that I wanted to teach creative movement, and that it was very likely going to be very unique. I had a lot of unique interests that felt like callings, but I didn’t have many examples of how they all connected. I feel like I have been following my own inner guidance to my offering, and collecting the training and experience I’ve needed to acquire along the way. Read more>>

Christopher Edwards

I grew up watching Wrestling with my grandfather and always wanted to be one someone. My Dad was a Wrestler. One day I was working at a gym and a local promoter walked in asking to put up a poster for his Wrestling school and we got to talking and made a deal where I’d train him in the gym if he’d train me to wrestle. Read more>>

Carolyn Veros

As a self-taught artist, I feel like I am constantly learning my craft. I find with each piece that I create I am learning something valuable that I can apply to each painting I create going forward. Sometimes what I learn in the creation process is so great that I wish I could travel back in time and apply it to my finished pieces from the past. Read more>>

Luz Marie Iturbe

I never stop learning, the more I learn, the more I realize how much I still have to learn. Teaching has made me learn not only about the craft and the vast techniques of common plastic art but about art in general, it says that the best way to retain something in your mind is when you repeat it to someone. I began to learn a lot about art when I volunteered at the Blanton Museum of Arts as a museum guide, to pass on my knowledge I had to learn about all the pieces included in any tour, I fell in love with art history, and although in my Current work, I teach drawing and some painting techniques such as watercolor, acrylic and tempera, among others, I love consulting the old masters to better understand the techniques, composition, etc. Read more>>

Brad Lewis

I attended a now defunct art school for Media arts and animation from 2009-2013. The program I was in taught a broad variety of subjects pertaining to the animation pipeline, but in no structured order. I very quickly realized that the “animating” part of animation wasn’t for me and what I found really interesting and fun was the character design part. Read more>>

Fernando Jaramillo

At a very young age I knew that I liked music, I would dance all over the house, I would ask my dad to turn on the radio (or la-la, how I used to call it) as soon as I would get in the car. Read more>>

Kemuel Cuffy

I grew up around music in my home church. My father is a pastor, therefore inactivity in the church was very uncommon. I learned to sing in church, how to harmonize, how to switch keys and stay on pitch and more. Therefore musical inclination and rhythm were instilled in me while being raised. Read more>>

Clarke Weigel

Well firstly, I’m definitely still learning. I think anyone who makes music and wants to continuously improve feels they SHOULD always be learning. But I had to start somewhere, and for me that started with writing. I make hip hop music, and in middle school and high school I listened to my inspirations all the time. Read more>>

Nancy Gruskin

I don’t have an M.F.A. I studied studio art as well as art history in college. My training as an art historian honed my ability to look, see, and describe. I think artists have certain innate abilities, but making good work comes only from making A LOT of work. No class or degree can substitute for hours and hours of practice. Read more>>

Abigayle Kompst

I wish I could remember who exactly gave me the piece of advice that changed my career as a creative forever. I was sitting in a college lecture hall listening to a panel of songwriters when one of them said “in order to be the noun, you have to do the verb”. I was a sophomore at the time… still figuring out what it really meant to be a songwriter. Read more>>

Darryl Robbins

Back in the late ’70’s and early 80’s, I studied guitar – both electric and acoustic styles – with the dream of being a rock and roll star. It was a tough road as I discovered that learning an instrument and being disciplined at skill-building was a requirement! I toured regionally for about ten years in a variety of cover bands, and then after being on the road and being disenchanted with all of the elements, people, and environments that I had to endure to meet that dream, I determined that the lifestyle was not all it was cracked up to be. Read more>>

J T

I learned to do what I do mainly through dedication. Skateboarding by no means is easy and takes a lot of will and perseverance to push through the frustration of not learning/landing a trick on the first, second, or even the 10th try. You have to believe in yourself and see it through before you even try whatever it is you have in mind. Read more>>

Winnie Su

My artistic journey commenced during my college years when I embarked on analog photography. This mandatory course for photo majors unexpectedly became the cornerstone of my career as a photographer and visual creator. I began with 35mm film and progressed to medium and large format photography, eventually exploring alternative printing processes like cyanotype, van dyke, and gum printing. Read more>>

Alexandra Miles

Learning how to be a content creator is almost entirely an independent study kind of thing. There are countless nights of learning from YouTube University, numerous fits of Googling and finding answers mostly on Reddit from other creators, and so much time spent asking your creator friends questions. Ultimately, as it stands, learning how to live stream, how to be effective on social media, how to work with brands – it’s a mix of those three. Googling, learning from others, and asking questions. Read more>>

Kai & Valerie Tattersall & Jackson

Valerie Jackson: We started working together in 2019/2020, when we were both sophomores in college. When COVID hit in 2020, we both moved back to our hometown and lived together, where we really started experimenting with new technologies. Our process involved a LOT of internet research, it was very unglamorous initially. Read more>>

Alec Dahmer

I’ve been dancing all my life! I grew up in a competitive dance studio where I learned a lot of dance styles and how to move my body in general, and then I went out into the world right out of high school and sought the best mentors I could find. It wasn’t easy finding mentors I really clicked with, but I was very fortunate to find people like George Jones and Shawn Bracke who guided me as a dancer and more importantly as an artist and a person. Acting (my primary craft) was a bit tougher of a road. In my experience, every actor has a coach or an acting studio they swear by, but things like drop in acting classes are not a thing. Read more>>

Jack Anderson

There’s nothing better than a good story. Whether you’re watching a great movie, or hearing a riveting story from a friend, there are few things that can ground us in the present moment and motivate us more than the power of a story. I’ve always been a fairly grandiose individual. When I played football I was sure I was going to the NFL. Read more>>

Joe Clark

As a performing singer/songwriter the most important lesson in learning my craft has been real life lessons, hardships and happy moments, unexpected experiences and the emotions that come with normal everyday life. To write an enjoyable yet relatable song, whether it be a happy or sad song it is important that I’ve lived the context in which the song is written. Read more>>

Maxx Valentine

I have been fascinated with spray painting for quite some time. I remember when I worked with older adults in an independent living community years ago and I introduced them to street art and using spray paint. I honestly had no idea what I was doing at the time, but they loved it. Two years ago today, I remember going to a street fest in Phoenix and stumbled upon a black artist named Giovannie, @justcreatedit, using spray paint. Read more>>

Ben Belhorn

Becoming a professional Santa Claus has been quite a journey, and I’ve learned so much along the way. Looking back, there are several things I could have done to expedite my learning process. Read more>>

Carina Tenaglia

I think most creatives are always learning, experimenting, or refining their skills. I first started experimenting with acrylic paint from a very young age. I took AP art in high school where I worked with it more, and also tried my hand at other media like charcoal and watercolor. I continued to dabble in acrylic painting in college, and used a technique akin to pointilism where I would use very small brush strokes to create a larger work. Read more>>

Chase DeWitt

I listened to a ton of music growing up. I would always memorize the lyrics and lip sync the song while dancing in my bedroom. It wasn’t until later on that I would want to start making music of my own. Even though it was a little rough at the beginning, but I never stopped putting my voice out there for everyone to hear. Read more>>

Jayaira Hargrow

Embracing the art of expression from a young age, my journey in the world of creativity began with writing personalized messages and poems for my family on folded notebook paper, filling the void left by the unaffordable store-bought greeting cards. This passion soon transformed into songwriting, with my very first composition revolving around the beloved character Winnie The Pooh at the mere age of 7. The stage became my sanctuary as I performed at church, passionately singing the books of the Bible, a moment that ignited my desire to pursue music seriously. Read more>>

Sean Miguel Perez

Learning the craft is a life long lesson in being Human. The more classes I take, the more training I do, the more I observe actors, the more I coach – the more I realise it’s all about being as human as possible – the good, the bad and the ugly. Especially the ugly. Read more>>

Emilio Gonzalez

I learned to what I do best by watching those that inspire me. Ever since I was around 8 years old, I feel in love with jazz and crooners. I started to sing songs from the ink spots and the rat pack, because I was fascinated by the sound and the feeling it gave me and I wanted to share to the world as much as they did. Read more>>

Genevieve Libien

The very first song I learned on guitar was “Jet Pack Blues” by Fall Out Boy, I was going through a little bit of a phase at the time. That was freshman year of high school but I began writing songs long before learning an instrument. I have loved singing since I can remember, but that may have been greatly influenced by an early love of Disney princess movies. I began making up lyrics and then writing those lyrics down. Read more>>

Rachele Krivichi

In my career as an artist I have realized you never stop learning your craft. Even if you think you have “perfected” a medium, there is always more to learn in that medium, or someone who is doing something more unique with it. I try not to compare myself to others and just continue forward with what I am doing. Read more>>

Kevin Gerald

Learning the craft of a singer songwriter is a life-long adventure. Learning to play an instrument like guitar or piano takes practice and patience. But, if you enjoy the sounds and the process, it really is a labor of love and it’s easy to lose track of time and your troubles. Eventually you learn to take things slowly and you don’t have to practice long hours. It’s better to practice everyday. Read more>>

John Jensvold

I’ve been writing fiction professionally since my first short story was published by Alligator Juniper in 2009. Alligator Juniper is a remarkable, award-winning literary journal produced by Prescott College in Arizona. It combines the work of established authors, emerging authors and students, along with a field of gifted artists. It is a beautifully crafted journal, and I was lucky to begin there. Read more>>