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?

Ben Danaher

I feel like I am and always will constantly be learning this craft of songwriting. When I started there was such a thrill to completing songs and getting to the next level of it. Read more>>

Cedric Bacon

How I learned what I know now was pure curiosity! I was obsessed with the structure of the moon and everything that I delved into photography wise was because of that. Read more>>

Eric Sharp

I taught myself to DJ, and learned music production by collaborating with other artists. If I was starting out today, I would absolutely take music production classes. Read more>>

Bethany Larson

As an animator, there’s no way I would be able to hone my skills without the help of my professors in my undergraduate program. As an illustrator, I can safely say putting in hours of drawing as a kid and using that of a means of expressing myself really paved the way for me to be where I am today. Read more>>

Jonathan D. Bowie

When it comes to film composition, I am entirely self-taught. I’ve attended online classes and seminars to enhance my skills further. I’ve read countless books on relative subjects such as advanced music theory, harmony, and modulation. Read more>>

John Gay

Learning a craft can be a long process but if you enjoy it, then its meant for you to continue on. I started drawing at a young age and I realized i really enjoyed creating cartoon characters. Read more>>

Tanya Emerick

I initially set out in a career in the hospitality industry, the creativity of the kitchen didn’t take hold of me until later. Most recently my career has been in the kitchen and the love put behind nourishing people. Read more>>

Natalie Nebilak

I never intended to be a jeweler or a small business owner, yet here I am! I didn’t even know about sea glass until I moved to Ventura County at the end of 2014, and by 2016, I had a mountain of the stuff and the inspiration to make something pretty out of it. Read more>>

Cheyanne Jamison

Being are creator whether that is being a content creator or just tapping into your own personal creative talents I’ve learned is not a taught skill it’s more of you unlocking another freer side to yourself. Read more>>

Audrey Klemp

My grandfather was the head photographer for the Sacramento Bee. I never got to meet him, but he was always celebrated to me as a great creative in our family. Read more>>

Deniz Khateri

I’m always intrigued by an artist’s background, particularly whether they’re self-taught and, if so, the methods they used to master their craft. Read more>>

Brandon Borkowsky

The biggest obstacle I have faced in my time studying the art of acting, was understanding what exactly acting is. I initially believed that the goal of acting was to be as realistic as possible, but soon realized that interpretation was incomplete. Read more>>

Thub Chaikaewsakulchai

“Hi there! I’ve always followed my passions in life, which led me to video editing. I’m particularly drawn to it because of my love for movies and skateboarding videos. Read more>>

Damarys Gonzalez

I think I’ll always remember the first time I tried to learn how to use photoshop and how overwhelming it was. Not one bit of it made sense to me at all but I knew that I had to start somewhere and that eventually I would have to learn how to use it. Read more>>

Christin Fanelli

I am happier in my job than I ever thought possible. That’s not to say there aren’t times where I’m incredibly frustrated by my lack of power, or angry that I’m still not in the role I want, or tired from the lack of student engagement. Read more>>

Abbie Tittizer

For me learning to tie dye was an intensely personal experience. Maybe all art is like this, but especially for tie dye in my early days, there wasn’t much in the way of structured guidance. Read more>>

John Meister

When I made the shift to become a full-time oil painter in my forties, I knew only a couple of people pursuing fine art careers. Read more>>

Brittany Woodall

When it came to learning this craft, it took countless YouTube videos. Thousands of dollars and a lot of mistakes to get to where I am. Read more>>

Jasmine Herbert

It all started with my grandma. She was a quilter. When I was in preschool we had to do a project where we add decorations to a paper Christmas tree. Read more>>

Amy Helmick

I feel like I’m constantly learning and will be for a lifetime. I jokingly (but maybe not) call myself an education addict. I truly do love all things photography. Read more>>

Chelsea Krause

Despite being a shy kid I have been doing voices and impressions since around 6 years old. I wanted to be a voice actor at 15 but there weren’t resources the way there are now. Read more>>

Aimee Nielsen

Quite honestly, learning my crafts of art, fashion, and music has been nothing but hard work and sacrifice. At points in time, I didn’t know how to sketch, sew, or how to play any instruments. Read more>>

Josh Powell

I grew up making short films and videos with friends and trying to replicate the styles and techniques of films I loved. While at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, I majored in Film Studies, which was about a 50-50 split between critical studies and film production. Read more>>

Brianna Pippens

I am a self taught artist. I learned to draw, paint and create other hand crafts through independent studying. I loved to draw ever since I was a child and it turned into one of my purest forms of self expression. Read more>>

Hannah Richmond

Learning how to do just about anything takes time. I have personally been continuously learning more and more about a creative techniques since I can remember, I am still not done! Read more>>

Heather Hallam Ray

I began my journey as a jewelry designer entirely self=taught, starting with wire wrapping sea glass and shells. As my passion grew, I delved deeper into perfecting techniques such as drilling holes in sea glass to expand my repertoire. Read more>>

Jacob Craig

My start in comedy was really a slow burn, because even though I first got on stage at only 17 years old, I started writing jokes and getting interested in the art form at just 14. Read more>>

Karin Dax

I have been a visual person for as long as I can remember… As a kid, I would write poetry that was descriptive of place and environment. Read more>>

The Avnu

I learned how to create music through listening to the artists that I liked. I paid attention to their interviews & in studio blogs to see how they were moving, recording, performing, dealing with the media etc while also trying to balance their personal family life. Read more>>

Darrah Cloud

Writing well has a life-long learning curve. That’s what it’s all about. Teaching creative writing is a part of that, because it exposes us to points-of-view that are very different than ours, and so are expressed differently as well. Read more>>

Allison Lawsen

I learned Hair Styling from many different people, in many different forms. Beginning as an Apprentice in Sydney Aust, I aligned myself with hairstylists who also worked on Fashion shoots & shows. Read more>>

Jessie Webster

The base of my skill set comes from growing up with an artist mother, who naturally taught me how to color, paint, and draw at a young age. Read more>>

Nathen Wallis

I first learned how to DJ through YouTube videos, be it tutorials or just watching various other DJs mix. When I first discovered DJing and saw it as a skill I wanted to learn, I made sure that it was something I could easily understand and stay committed to. Read more>>

Keneth Leoncito

I always grew up loving films like Sleeping Beauty and anime like Cardcaptor Sakura. Those types of films and tv shows realyl captured what I loved about cartoons and anime, really beautiful engaging stories where good triumphs over evil. Read more>>

Catherine French

For me learning the craft is a full time journey, the work we do as artists is a never-ending story, that’s probably why I’m always excited about my profession, discovering new things, embracing the changes, in my mind, in my body, in the way I relate to the stories… Read more>>

Sarah Brewington Baarns

Photography is one of those incredibly magical things that we all already feel (and honestly, are) good at. All the technology is already in place (and is continuously growing and changing) to help us TAKE wonderful photos, you know? Read more>>

Branden Ray Selman

Practice. Keep trying. Do it again. It’s never going to be perfect but art will always be rewarding. I don’t think there’s a quicker way to learn anything than to just try and do it Read more>>