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?
Tina Barreto
Time. Years and years of making connections and friends lead to my position in the industry. I fell in love with hot sauce and anything spicy. I learned all about makers and different sauces from around the world. I join San Difuego, the longest running hot sauce club in the country. To speed up the process i would have to travel and attend all expo and hot sauce events. These festivals happen all over the country and some happen consecutive weekends across the country. If I had the funds I would be there! Read more>>
Linjie Huang
In my journey of learning filmmaking, observing and living my life moments to moments are the two most important aspects that advance my skills. Art is all about emotions, and daily observations can inspire me to create resonating moments. I’ve learned a great deal by observing my life. Whether it’s people-watching in the gas station, strolling through different neighborhoods, or traveling to new places, each experience adds a layer to my understanding of human emotions and stories. These observations are the essence of my craft, transforming everyday encounters into the compelling stories I bring to the screen. Read more>>
Nazret Hezbom
Learning the craft is always an ongoing process for me, as well as most artists and entrepreneurs. So much goes into it, and with any hobby, you need at least 20 hours invested. However, this is my career. When I first started, I thought the toughest thing would be creating the song, when in all actuality, it’s the simplest part. The most difficult would be marketing, and since I am not selling a product, I have to find creative ways where I feel comfortable. Not only that, I must have access to disposable income to market correctly. With most things, there is no easy 1-2 step process, it’s more like a barrier of doors you get through before you reach that final gate, and that has certainly been the process I’ve been experiencing. Read more>>
Rebecca Tarabocchia
I always wanted to be an actor and when I took my first acting class I realized that I was right! I was meant to do this. I took my first acting class when I was 25 years old. I’ve had the privilege of ending up in small acting groups where we all become very close and have built a strong trust which has lead the teachers to feel comfortable pushing us further. I am all about listening and learning by doing. I always had a hard time focusing and listening in class during my school years, but in acting class, I am fully committed. Everything I know about the craft I have learned from great teachers and fellow actors. Read more>>
Theodore Taylor III
I was truly a late bloomer when it came down to acting. I never grew up in drama, musical theatre, community theatre and all that because I was doing sports my whole life. My first time truly breaking into theatre came my senior year of high school when I did the August Wilson Monologue Competition and made it all the way to the regional finals at the Mark Taper Forum. I then graduated high school 2020 and enrolled into Long Beach State as a theater major and that’s been the foundation of where I develop my skillset. I have had multiple professors and even colleagues that were truly instrumental and have pushed me and helped me become a better actor. Read more>>
Kiran Jesudasan
Hello! I’m Kiran and I lead design at a start-up – drisk.ai. We make a tool that allows you to control the data that ultimately controls any AI. You do that by controlling the data it’s been trained on. I’ve been here for 5 years, and it’s been one hell of a journey. Startups are complicated beasts. They provide new challenges every day, and it always keeps me on my toes. Getting to be creative with some of the smartest AI engineers out there is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve gone through. But like everything the road was not straightforward. Read more>>
Joao Portugal
The way I started my photography business was memorable. In high school, my sophomore year, my band director was also a photographer; he mainly did wedding photography. He was telling people in the band who wanted to take pictures for the band banquet, and I wanted to do it as it would be cool but also get community service hours. I enjoyed it as it was astonishing to take pictures of my fellow bandmates after our accomplishment and for our fellow seniors to leave a landmark in this band family. Afterward, I was in charge of a leadership role in my band, content creators. Read more>>
Yazmin Hernandez
The process of learning my craft has been, and continues to be, a long, wonderful journey. I started performing on stage early on. My mom, a professional singer and songwriter, instilled in me a love for music and a keen ear for pitch. She continues to be my greatest teacher, but I’ve had the privilege of studying with different mentors, learning various instruments along the way. I’ve found that complementing my vocal work with instruments like piano or guitar helps me develop a more well-rounded sound as both a vocalist and songwriter. Read more>>
Mary Sikorski
Photography is an ever-changing business. If you don’t learn the latest tools and services you could be left in the dust. I’ve found that the area most photographers struggle in-is how to use artifical lighting to create what they are envisioning. For me it was no different. Only being able to shoot using natural light was really limiting me. Once I actually took the time and learned how to properly use an off camera strobe, I had much more freedom. It can be tedious and frustrating- but is definitely necessary (in my opinion). Read more>>
Andreea Lazar
I was fortunate enough to be born into a family of artists, starting with my dad who massively influenced my love for art. He is a director and editor and he introduced me to theatre when I was seven years old, when he was recording live theatre performances. I, in my favorite velour tracksuit, would accompany him and love to spend my time running around on stage, while actors tried to rehearse. Before I enrolled in a vocational high school at fourteen, I occupied my time taking dance, singing, and piano classes per my parent’s request. During my time studying dramatic arts in high school, I consider myself to have spent the most quality time learning what the craft of acting is, learning the different techniques I was doing without even knowing, the history of it, and the fun of playing theatre games. Read more>>
Alana Beall
I would say I’ve been doing the things I’m doing now since childhood. I always drew everyone pictures and took pictures with my pink camera all the time. I’d stage set ups and everyone would have to join in on my ideas. When I got to college it opened new doors into the creative path. I studied graphic design, painting, drawing, photography, and even videography. When I got out of college I focused on freelance graphic design and found that I needed to take pictures of my projects I was working on especially for websites in the early 2000. I always had an interest in photography as well so I would take photos for friends and families. I also used to paint people pets and paint murals. I did a little bit of everything right out of college. Read more>>
Chris Rowley
I came to my current process through a bit of an unintentional route. When I was at grad school in Wisconsin, my wife and kids stayed back at our place in Minneapolis. I would go home for the holidays and for the summers. My studio space in Minneapolis was a small spare bedroom that wasn’t big enough to make the larger paintings I was working on at school. I needed something to work on during that time that would be appropriate for the space I had. When I was a kid I spent some time doing latch hook rug making. Craft stores would sell pre-planned kits that have everything you need to make a small rug or pillow. Read more>>
Ian Huber
I’m the youngest of six and growing up I watched a lot of movies with my older siblings. I remember walking into my oldest brother’s room and watching “Child’s Play” with him when I was far too young. Not only did that movie instill a love of horror in me, but I was very intrigued about how they got a doll to do all that. Needless to say I was hooked and wanted to know more. I started watching movies differently, breaking them down and wanting to know how certain things were achieved. All the while begging my mom for a camera. Eventually she gave in and bought me a little point-and-shoot camera, which I mostly used to take photos of my dog, before I got the idea to start filming my buddies and I skateboard. Read more>>
Donavan Mason
I started off just free-styling over popular instrumentals in my early teenage years; but I needed original beats for the songs I’ve been coming up with, and the process of setting up a multi-song project started to get very expensive. I eventually picked up a copy of Sony Acid Pro, an old laptop (with a mere 8GB of RAM) some RockBand mics, and taught myself how to record (through some trial and error). After getting a hang of the recording process, I bought FL studio to help ground me in beat making. Over the years I’ve used a wide range of DAW’s, but I’ve found a very comfortable home in Ableton Live and ProTools, bouncing between the two when needed. Read more>>
Steven Newman
When I first moved to Boulder in 2015, I discovered that the Boulder library had a makerspace featuring all sorts of equipment including a CO2 lasercutter. After finding this out, I became obsessed with lasercutters and started signing up for the laser sessions every week and teaching myself Adobe Illustrator in order to create my own designs for the machine. After a couple years of playing around with their laser, I was ready to start expanding my capabilities and found out my alma matter, the University of Denver, had recently built a makerspace with a lasercutter. I started working there until I outgrew it and finally decided to purchase my own. Read more>>
Rose Assibey-Mensah
Growing up I was always a curious person that found happiness in the smallest things and knew there was something about me that stood out from others. I was about 6 years old when I started seeing my brother draw Dragon Ball Z characters to regular cartoon characters and was impressed by seeing him draw. I had some Lisa Frank folders and began tracing drawings from them and instantly knew drawing made me feel good. Ever since I started tracing, I began making my own drawings of what I was able to create in my head to characters I saw on tv such as the Powerpuff Girls. The more I began drawing, the more I started taking art into my own hands and enjoyed the creative process. Read more>>
Myka Cue
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to deepen my craft in a four-year conservatory training program at Brown/Trinity Rep in Providence, Rhode Island. There, we were nurtured as whole artists, taking classes in Acting, Directing, Movement, Playwriting, Dramaturgy, and more — all of which have shaped me as a proactive and collaborative actor. Our classes were generally structured from Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, followed by rehearsals from 6pm to 9pm. While it was an incredibly packed schedule, I was so happy to be acting and exercising my creative muscles every single day. The program offered me the tools to be able to comprehensively study a wide-range of texts from Shakespeare to contemporary to new plays, and to make specific, courageous choices. Read more>>
Kathryn Doner
I’ve been a graphic designer by trade for over 15 years now, and about 6 years ago, I decided to pick up a paint brush and explore a new aspect of design – abstract art. I spent countless hours researching other artists that I liked; trying new methods and techniques; exploring every medium; and allowing myself to just create with no expectations other than to learn. Giving myself the space to make many mistakes allowed me to keep going and eventually find my own unique process. Read more>>
Andrew Peschong
Learning the craft of photography, really any craft, but especially photography, is an incredibly fun and fulfilling experience. With photography, there’s a myriad of ways to interpret a scene or manage the light. Getting started in photography, I went out of my way to expose myself to as many different aspects of the field as I could. I hung out with portrait people, wildlife folks, landscape shooters, sports guys, and journalists. Just to try and see what they saw, how they shot it, and spark my creativity. Fast forward to doing that for a few years, I start going on trips worldwide – going “full time” with these folks. I’ve never had more fun or learned more. Read more>>
Laine Groeneweg
When I first started printmaking, I really had no idea what I was doing. I hadn’t taken any classes and I was simply trying to figure it out while I was going along. The mistakes were plentiful and my results weren’t all that great. That said, I came to learn that it was just as important to find out what didn’t work as what did, and by letting the opportunity to make mistakes present itself and unfold naturally I was able to learn through the process. It wasn’t until years later that I went for more formalized training at a school in Italy, Il Bisonte per lo Studio Grafica. Read more>>
Yuanamilli
I don’t think I’ll ever fully learn the craft. To say I’ve fully learned the craft is to say there is no more room for growth, and I don’t think that could ever happen. I will always strive to sound better, spit better bars, and just do better in general. I started off with a $30 microphone, and the free program Audacity. Through years of trial and error, years of messaging producers/sound engineers for their advice on what to do with my vocals, and years of just going through every setting, I have learned how to make that $30 mic sound 10x better than it did in 2020. Although I’ll miss it, part of learning the craft is realizing when it’s time for an upgrade. I will say, although I don’t think I’ll ever fully learn this craft, I can see the progress and growth that I’ve made. If I can do it, you can too. Read more>>
Eric Gnezda
My project has been a lifetime process of learning multiple crafts, everything from songwriting and performing to TV production, from public speaking to promotion, from public relations to business. I have two stories, one about songwriting, and one about TV production. 1) Whether performing or listening at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, every visit presents an opportunity to learn. Once, as an audience member, I was listening to a set by Don Schlitz, writer of “The Gambler” and over 20 other Number One hits. He played a song that he had just written with fellow Hall of Fame songwriter, Gary Burr. The song would never be a commercial hit, but one line in it stuck in my mind. Read more>>
Brian Jeremiason
While I’ve always had an interest in photography, I didn’t start truly learning and pursuing improvement until my kids were older and I found myself with more time on my hands. Without formal training, there was a lot of trial and error. Joining social media groups focused on photography, signing up for online courses, talking with other photographers and eventually upgrading equipment all helped improve my knowledge and skills. The end result never tells the full story. We don’t see the hours of work, trial and error, practice and failures that lead to that result. I remember reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, a fantastic book about what makes high achievers different. Read more>>
Ed Whitmore
I work exclusively with the patina formed from oxidation of iron copper and bronze metal effects paints, a medium usually utilized for home improvement projects. In order to achieve the effects I desired, I needed to learn how to control the oxidation to achieve the desired saturation of color. Variables included how thickly to apply the paint, how many coats of paint to apply, how much chemical reagent to use. There was a lot of experimentation and a lot of trial and error. But I paid close attention to what approach I was taking and what outcomes were achieved. Eventually I was able to replicate results successfully. Read more>>
Toni Newhall
When I was a young child, my grandfather was on the school board and had access to massive amounts of single-sided paperwork, that was being disposed of, so we had an unlimited amount of paper to draw and color on and cut. He was pretty creative himself and encouraged me to be creative as well. My parents figured it wouldn’t hurt to nurture that interest so they put me in painting lessons later on. I was able to take art classes in drawing, ceramics/sculpture and printmaking in high school. Read more>>
Gustave Cadet
Learning everything I know about filmmaking and writing has been quite a journey. My college days were filled with film theory and media production classes, but most of what I’ve learned has been self-taught. My hands-on experience started in my first year with WSUB Productions, a student film organization. Since then, they’ve changed their name, but those early days at WSUB were crucial. That’s where I got to grips with the basics of video production, from the idea stage to the final product. Read more>>
Richard Gillins
At young age I had a lot of people around me to influence me in my craft. My dad was a DJ, cousins and uncles were DJ’s and some of my best friends were DJ’s as well. I learned this craft from all of them teaching me different skills and giving me different ideas and support throughout my journey. Read more>>
Dreux Gerard
I had an interest in drums and rhythm since I was very young. I started out like a lot of drummers, banging on pots and pans until one day my grandpa bought me my first proper set of drums. I pretty much taught myself how to play. I played every day, mainly to three records my parents bought me; Songs about Jane by Maroon 5, American Idiot by Green-day, and The Shrek 2 soundtrack. Believe it or not, the Shrek 2 soundtrack had so many bangers on it. Being self taught, I had to learn rudiments later in life from other drummer friends or the internet. I still continue that journey today of being the simple yet solid drummer I’d hope to be. Read more>>
Michael Dease
My journey in music started when I chose the alto saxophone in my 5th grade’s beginning band class. Saxophone became my main interest, and I transferred to a fine arts magnet school called Davidson Fine Arts in Augusta, Georgia that had musical classes every day. Fast forward to the summer before my senior year of high school, and I found myself hooked on the sound of the trombone, as played by jazz trombone icon Curtis Fuller of Detroit, Michigan. Quickly, I abandoned the saxophone and began teaching myself through trial and error this new instrument from scratch at 17 years old. Read more>>
Kristen Osborne
Learning the craft is an interesting topic in this industry. To begin, I’m glad to see the normalization of apprentices being treated with dignity and respect. Learning the craft is an interesting topic in this industry. To begin, I’m glad to see the normalization of apprentices being treated with dignity and respect. After a nearly two-year hiatus assembling Honda Accord manifolds, the fact was solidified that I would rather be drawing! I took a tattoo machine to my wonderful, mechanically-inclined father, and asked him to teach me what made them tick. His efforts were successful, and I am grateful that I persevered. Read more>>
Zach Grace
I think the best artists understand that there is no end to learning. There will always be something new to learn, and ways to improve. That’s probably what is so enticing to me, and what has kept me creating new things for so long. The craft is finding out the best way to execute your art. If you’re making something and are sure you know exactly how to make it “the right way”, it’s likely you are up against a creative wall. Sometimes you might find yourself needing to unlearn, and that’s ok, that’s still learning. (And often more valuable.) The whole “tortured” part of being an artist is that need to strive toward HOW to more accurately express that idea. Read more>>
Shane Balkowitsch
I saw a wet plate online back in September of 2012 and decided to pursue the process, I had never owned a camera at that point and I had no interest in photography. There are less than 1000 wet plate artists in the world practicing this historic process from 1851, I am completely self taught and learned by trial and error. As of today I have made 4911 plates since Oct. 4th, 2012. Read more>>
Marc Fort
Almost every job I’ve ever had has involved a large amount of writing and communication skills: journalism for newspapers and magazines, advertising copy, writing for monthly newsletters, writing band bios & blogs, ghost writing for CEOs and board chairs, etc. It’s almost become a cliché, but I had to put my writing out in the world – and *fail multiple times* – before I built up the skills and experience wherein my professional writing reached the level of professionalism that I desired. There’s a fine line I had to walk: looking backwards just enough to learn from mistakes … while not dwelling on my misfires … so I could constantly move forward to perfect the next attempt. Read more>>
Joe Ded
Learning my crafr was no easy path. Riddled the skeletons if hollowed markers and smashed carcases of paint tubes. The empty shells of onxe vibrant filled spray cans.Using my sable hair staff to manifest creatures from my mind took lots of time and concentration in the hightest mountains Read more>>
Deana Taheri
In 2016, I applied to New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, as an actress. Within the studio system, I spent my first three years studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute where I gained a foundation in Method Acting. I then spent my final year at Stonestreet Studios, which specialises in film and television. This is where I developed my love for creating my own work. This came at an important moment as the world was falling into the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the frustrations that came with the industry pause, I could focus on creating my own work, which has now become the core of who I am as an artist. Read more>>
Kavi
I’ve always had a curiosity mindset. Art was a way to explore so many different things that were in my head. I was finally able to let go and create through so many different mediums. Read more>>
Joe Winkler
For the sake of sanity I started painting during quarantine. When the world slowly opened up I spent my days at museums. I made my crude copy after copy of the masters. Unexpectedly, I noticed evident progress. Hundreds of images stumbled from me. What didn’t work I threw out, or reworked, and what worked I accepted with pride. All of which stood in contrast to my writing. I love writing. I’ve given it the past fifteen years, but every part of the process remains a struggle. I look for external approval, I take rejections personally, and with writing I let that slippery snake, “success” define my worth as a person of intelligence, as one deserving of love. Read more>>
Kristina Robak
I got into face painting in 2005 in Orlando FL. I worked for a 3rd party company at the theme parks. They gave me 2 weeks of training and then it was trial and error for what works for me. With knowing what I know now I’d absolutely do it again. Met some amazing mentors and got real experience before I went on my own. The most important thing you can learn when face painting is the line work. And doing the same faces day in and day out helped drill the perfect twar drop into your head. I really dont know where i would be without this experience. Way back then learning more was looking at others work and copying. Read more>>
Alecia Peck
Resin is a fickle craft and an art in itself. The amount of research, failure, success, and patience it takes reflects my work. Read more>>
Marcus McDuffie
I watched a lot of photography tutorials on YouTube, and from there I self taught myself on how to use a editing software and to operate a camera by learning the lighting ratios, apertures, and shutter speeds. It was difficult in the beginning, but when I started to get the hang of things, it became easy for me. This is something different for me and I’ve gotten this far. I pushed myself to say giving up isn’t a option. I feel as if the the learning process is going well for me at a good pace. I don’t want to rush myself. I believe in taking your time to get the best results. The biggest obstacle that has stood in my way was my fear of failing. Read more>>
Michael Matsui
I started filmmaking at the age of 11 years old. It all started with stealing my grandmas tape camcorder and going out with friends in town filming Jackass style videos. Ultimately I naturally began to make up stories on the spot to film and this led to later writing scripts and filming short films in high school. In high school I made at least a hundred short films and while they were extremely low budget and awful, this is where I started to develop my craft. I learned how to block scenes, how to choreograph movement, I learned the effect of wide, medium, tight shots, even though I didn’t know what any of these things were called. Read more>>
Erika Toraya
Having only produced three short films, it was a stretch to write, direct, act and produce my first feature film. I have been an actress for over 12 years and it was a wonderful, crazy-hard, and life-changing experience to take on. It has a large plan…to touch and change the hearts of millions. It can be done. This is what makes it all worth it. The lessons I learned are many and the journey taught me more than I would have ever imagined. Read more>>
Apollo Joseph
I first picked up the guitar when I was nine years old. My first mentor, Sean Martin of the San Diego band “The Heavy Guilt,” is the one who built my musical foundations, taught me my first basic chord structures, and imparted my earliest understanding of musical notation. After some time, I began teaching myself how to play and train my ear to pick up on what I hear, but I would not be where I am today without Sean’s guidance. Throughout high school, I further developed my skills. I began studying Turkish and Indian classical music and heavily incorporated semitones/microtonality into my playing. At this time, I also picked up the bass and started producing beats in FL Studio and Ableton, improving my natural sense of rhythm. Read more>>
Jeff Reeder
Learning is something I do every day. I never feel like the authority on anything, because there is always something new to learn, and new ways to express myself through art. Read more>>