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?
Naren Palomino Pardo
Versatility is an invaluable skill for today’s musicians. It encompasses the ability to seamlessly adapt to a wide range of genres and musical styles. This adaptability allows musicians to apply their knowledge and techniques across various performance settings, such as solo performances, duos, chamber music, ensembles, choirs, and orchestras. Read more>>
Claire Heidinger
During my undergraduate degree, I studied painting and drawing from a very traditional standpoint. I was painting these large-scale oil paintings in my apartment by the time the pandemic hit. I developed an allergic reaction to oil paints while working in the same space where I lived, so switched to water-based oils. However I realized that painting in the 2D realm was not totally satisfying for me. I wanted to engage with materiality in a new, tactile way. I decided to teach myself slip casting, a really complex craft. I read a book on the subject, watched a bunch of Youtube tutorials, and had a lot of trial and error. Read more>>
Rob Schwartz
Yes. Absolutely. While the standard business models focus on routine, sometimes we forget that it is people who run those models. I try to focus on people and relationships. For my music distribution company, I pick up the phone and check in on my artists. I even created a whole music conference and festival (Distro Fest) to keep my distribution artists active. By listening to the people who live this industry day-to-day, you can get a better understanding on how to change the norm and adapt to changes before they become the standard. Read more>>
Susan Barbour
I began my career as a female nude – literally as an artists’ model – and now I draw female nudes with my hair – our human antennae – and I use the shower as my studio. There was no precedent for learning this craft, no guarantee my creation would even escape the drain.
And yet I persisted out of the sheer ecstasy of creating and witnessing a creation come forth; in this sense the craft is as old as witchcraft. Read more>>
Amanda Hamlin
This is a fantastic question! It has taken me quite a while to hone my craft. I am entirely self-taught, having spent years learning different techniques for drawing, painting, and creating.
My shop’s tagline is “bringing handcrafted art into a digital world.” In the last two years, I’ve finally found its purpose: creating unique greeting cards. Read more>>
Ralonda Simmons
When I was a lot younger, I inhaled books to the point that I worried my family. Whenever they needed me for something, I had my nose in a novel, hidden away from the world. This started when I was seven years old and I had no rationale for it.
Then one day, when I was twelve, I learned about poetry via haikus. To soothe myself during a difficult middle school tenure, I’d write as many haikus as I could to self-soothe, indirectly learning about what writing can do before I could name it. I started to learn that poetry saves lives. Read more>>
Elisabeth Caraballo
Acting: I’ve taken lots of acting classes from theater to on-camera. I also watch a lot of television shows and movies to study the craft of other actors’ work.
Travel Pass Media: Almost 10 years ago I started out following and learning from other travel bloggers. Then from there I started my own travel blog, became a travel influencer, started an online travel/lifestyle magazine, and of course traveling. This whole process has now led me to create Travel Pass Media. Read more>>
Elizabeth Becker
I figured out my passion for writing music back in high school. I was between wanting to be an animator or a composer and eventually got down to pursing music in college. I went to Berklee College of Music in 2019 and graduated in August of 2023. Having the privilege to go to Berklee is something I will always be grateful for. I got to study Film and Media Scoring, a major that is not at many colleges. Here is where I learned the basics and got a fantastic foundation of scoring for media. Knowing what I know now after being in the industry for a year, there are things that college can’t teach and only the industry can. Read more>>
Carlos Nguyen
My creative journey began early, writing songs at school, rap battling friends on the bus, and making homemade music videos with my family to our favorite songs. I’d also write short novels —continuations of my favorite novels and even original works. In high school, I discovered music production through FL Studio, which felt like a perfect blend of my love for music and technology. From creating beats to vlogging field trips and experimenting with creative storytelling, each medium gave me a new way to express myself. Most recently, I picked up photography during a solo trip to Japan, where immersing myself in a new environment inspired me to learn quickly. Read more>>
Seiji Tattoo
I have a lifelong background in art and design, from college and then a career. When I finally quite my design agency job to pursue tattooing, I was tattooing out of my laundry room, which sucked; it was cramped and in my home, and I had no community or guidance. I realized I needed those things in order to grow my skills, so I canvassed all of LA and made a list of artists and tattoo studios that I wanted to learn from and work in. Then I literally knocked on doors asking for an apprenticeship. I was lucky enough to land one with the artist at the top of my list: Misha aka @FKMTattoo. He has been an amazing mentor and has guided me in this new journey. Read more>>
Vladimir Kalugin
I’ve always been someone who immerses myself completely in my goals. My learning process has been a combination of reading books, studying thousands of online videos, and taking courses to deeply understand the craft all while implementing what I’ve learned, which I believe is the most important step. From storytelling to mastering camera angles, I’ve worked to approach filmmaking with both confidence and expertise. While learning the basics laid out a solid foundation, my greatest growth has come from continuously refining my artistic and business processes with each project. Every experience brings new insight, driving me to improve and innovate even further. Read more>>
Logan Kolhoff
My brother introduced me to DJing, which opened the door to the trance music scene. I discovered I had a natural talent for mixing but quickly realized I wanted to go further by creating my own tracks. My brother was already producing, with an EP and singles under his belt, he was a huge inspiration! One cold Colorado winter day, stuck indoors, we decided to collaborate. That session led to the completion of our first track, Birds of Paradise, which was signed and released by Goa Records. Read more>>
Dawn And Gregoire
We learned to do what we do by being committed to our self growth. We also gave constant acts of service to humans and the natural world. Since the beginning of our relationship we traveled extensively, discovering cultures, practices & perspectives. By being involved in various educational, social & environmental initiatives, we got to immerse ourselves in the daily life, struggles & celebrations of local people. Read more>>
Miriam Macklin
I taught myself how to crochet in 2020! It was during the peak of COVID, when everyone was quarantined and I craved a new skill/hobby to keep myself entertained and feeling fulfilled with myself. I’ve always aspired to be a ‘jack of all trades,’ so this was another talent to add onto my mental resume. Learning to crochet was definitely one of the hardest skills I’ve learned. I never new my patience could be tested so vigorously. It took weeks before I was able to successfully complete my first simple square after hours of YouTube tutorials and piles of knotted yarn from failed attempts. Seeing where I am now; though, I am thankful for my determination and unwillingness to give up. Read more>>
Peggy Mcbee
One of my first memories as a little girl was holding a clunky VHS camcorder in my living room as I watched myself come alive on the overtly small screen in front of me. From the second I saw the moving pictures through the slightly awkward viewfinder, something in my body chemistry changed; I was five years old. At age 7, my dad gifted me with my first Canon camera and the family dog was subject to non-stop photoshoots. My father, Randy McBee, had always had a talent for visual arts and loved (still does) taking photographs (if you ask my mom she would tell you he maybe loves it a little too much, showing every person he meets pictures of myself or Yosemite that he has taken). Read more>>
Roxy Joy
When I first got accepted into the Amazon Influencer program, I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. I found myself mimicking other influencers without much direction. Looking back, if I had wanted to speed up my learning process, I would have definitely sought out a mentor or someone experienced in the space right from the beginning. Now, I have a few people like that in my life, and their guidance has been incredibly valuable. If I were to start over as a creator, seeking out those knowledgeable individuals for support and advice from the start would be my top priority. Read more>>
Daniel De Boulay
Seek out folks smarter than you and ask questions. Maybe the only thing I’d say is, don’t care so much about coming off stupid. You learn more when you at more eager to look stupid and just suck it up and learn. Read more>>
Jaclyn Krizanic
When I think about my craft and how I learned it, it really started early on as a young girl, I had a grandfather who would sit with me and show me how to draw. I like to say I found my passion and developed my skills because of him. He used to carve and draw car models for his career, so I think being an artist was already in my genetics. On top of that, my mom’s side of the family came from a long line of crocheters and knitters. Funny enough, I didn’t learn to crochet until 2024! Read more>>
Tony Brinkley
I learned (am still learning) to do by doing. When I was a teacher, I said to classes: 1.) Don’t worry about what I want. 2.) Discover what you want. 3.) Now don’t worry about what you want. Discover what the work wants. Your work will teach you how to do it. Your work is your best teacher.
I try to practice that myself. Goddard said of cinema: what you don’t see is incredible. The craft teaches you to see what you don’t see. Read more>>
Michael Contreras
I learned how to be a filmmaker, photographer, and technician by consistently putting myself in situations where I could get the most exposure to production work. Learning hands-on has been the best learning method for me, allowing me to get a unique the experience to operate equipment and learn from a live or mock live set. My number one setback was being to hesitant to start taking media classes & not applying for production assistant work right after high school. On the other hand, those experiences helped me find myself and realize that working in film, tv, and live events are what I have a passion for. Read more>>
Sarah Robinson
I am a business owner, doing layout and design work and publishing, as well as being a visual artist. A lot of what I learned was by doing, trial and error, especially for design & layout work. I started by working for a publisher in 2001. I had studied graphic arts, just as computers were just beginning to make their way into the workplace in the mid-80s, and so I learned to do everything by hand. Working with the publisher Shoreline, I tried several layout programs as we worked on books. Publisher was an early one that worked fairly well. We tried Quark briefly. InDesign was the best suited, and I still use it. Read more>>
Amir H.toosi
I have learned through a combination of formal education, hands-on experience, and cultural influences. My MFA program in sculpture at SIUE has given me a structured approach to art and design, while my background in woodworking, shaped by my family’s carpentry traditions, provided a foundation in craftsmanship and material understanding. Living and being influenced by wood and Middle East culture inspires my work. My research into optic tools such as telescopes and microscopes, as concepts of observation, explores our existence, reality, and imagination, and how humans expand their understanding of the world through man-made tools. This provides me with a solid narrative for creating sculptures and connects my personal experiences to universal themes. Read more>>
Sarah Grosse – Pearce
I started out face painting my daughter and her friends. Soon I was face painting the whole neighborhood every day. My health did not allow me to work a full-time job at the time so I thought I’d see if the small local amusement park would let me face paint their customers and they did. As soon as my health was better I went back into the corporate world. Many years later I decided to do face painting a side job while I was a full-time student. This time was different because the lovely internet was a thing and I could see what others were doing. I realized I was an awful painter, but with some practice I became pretty good in no time. Read more>>
Taylor Griffith
For the last ten years, I have been interested in diving deeper into self and exploring what it means to be a soul in a physical body. Since I was young, I was sensitive to energy, especially through my hands. I could communicate through touch and intention further than my words could go. Through my background as an artist in theatre, I was trained to be conscious of how to interact with other’s energies. If it was to tap into a character, scene partner, or ensemble exercise, I learned how to feel another soul and story beyond my own. During vigorous hours of training, there were many times when classmates would come to me in need of emotional regulation and I felt drawn to help by using my hands and words to bring blessings into the body and try to break up anything clouding the mind. Read more>>
Jen Peeples-hampton
Learning how to do research and implementing creative ways to learn what your passionate about is the initial step to growing in your art. Sometimes, there is pressure in honing in in one thing, but that’s the beauty of creativity. When you explore, that is just as important than the destination. When I learned my craft, I did a lot of research in the fundamentals. Doing something well is practicing and exercising the fundamentals so well, you can’t get it wrong. If I had to speed up my learning– I would’ve looked into people who have been successful in the field I wanted to be in and study them a lot sooner. Not be afraid to reach out to leaders and creatives in special places. Read more>>
Becky Beech
I started training to wrestle in 2021. I believe one of the safest ways to get into this is to find a reputable school and attend it regularly. There is always something more to learn in wrestling. From honing the basics to the art and psychology of it. Finding a school helps you find a community. It teaches you not only how to do this safely but also the rituals of the business, of which there are many! Read more>>
Squash & Biscuit
We both come from musical backgrounds that focused on instrumental performance, with that comes an understanding that learning and growth can only come from time. The time you spend practicing or listening is something that can not be sped up—marinating yourself in a world of your own making and exploring whatever comes to you is essential for creative development. In this state you are able to play and be free so that you know your limits when working with others, giving you a quick way to sketch out a boundary of what would or would not work for a given project. Read more>>
Josh Scheuerman
As a professional artist, something I never imagined I’d say at 46 years old, it took me 40 years to finally quit my job. Now, I’ve been pursuing a full-time artist path for the past 6 years. When I started painting at 30, I didn’t expect it would take me 10 years—an incredible amount of trial, error, success, and failure—to get to where I am today. I believe the time spent on the journey, without a distinct destination in mind, actually helped me become the artist and person I am now. Read more>>
Katelyn Molesky
I have learned that Modeling is always a learning experience no matter how long you have been doing it. With every photoshoot and runway show you can always find a new technique or little trick to help you out. One important thing I have learned is to just be yourself and be confident with everything you do. Being authentic and comfortable with who you are, especially around photographers and fellow models, can make a huge difference in your career. Creating a positive atmosphere helps show your true personality in front of the camera. I have found that photographers and others in the industry often appreciate when you are natural and confident because it makes it easier for them to capture more powerful images. Another important thing I have learned is building mutual respect and openness with other models is crucial, this can open so many doors for you and further your career. Read more>>
Tina Lear
I learned to write by writing. It’s that simple. And by reading, and by loving great songwriters (Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Sting, James Taylor). I started as a singer/songwriter, so those were my teachers. And let’s not forget about Stephen Sondheim, greatest teacher of all for what I did for four decades. I started when I was little (9? 10?), and I’ve done it all my life. during my marriage, I wrote in the margins of my married life, when nobody was looking, just to do it, just because I couldn’t NOT do it. Read more>>
Xi Chloe Hua
Growing up in China instilled in me a strong work ethic. I believed that relentless practice and a mindset of “never being good enough” were key to improving my technical skills as a painter. However, looking back, I would have emphasized faith and patience in my creative process. I often focused so much on technical proficiency that I lost sight of why I started this journey. The purpose of art, in my opinion, is to evoke emotions in both the artist and the viewer. Therefore, the most important skill for an artist is to be observant and mindful. Technical skills are crucial, but art created without a connection to a deeper purpose or feeling may be aesthetically pleasing but lacks soul. Read more>>
Leslie Fisher
I learned to do what I do primarily through hands-on experience and a commitment to continuous improvement. In the beginning, I studied performers I admired, took note of their strengths, and applied what I learned to my own work. Over time, I gained valuable insights through trial and error—performing, producing shows, and refining my approach to both entertainment and event management. Read more>>
Evadne Bryan Perkins
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I come from a large family and we all loved music. My father was an officer in the Army and would host parties for the other officers. My brothers & Sisters and I would learn songs together with choreography and perform for the guests. My sisters and I used to practice learning harmony by listening and singing along with Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” album. I got my first steady singing gig when I was 14. I sang on Sundays in a small coffee shop in our town. I started writing down my thoughts which turned into songwriting. Just writing about the life of an overly emotional 14 year old, where everything seemed to be bigger than life and heartbreak was the end of the world. Read more>>
Mary Leon
I crochet stuffed animals (aka amigurumi). I started back in April 2022 to try and de-stress from my corporate job as a computer scientist working for a major bank. I kept seeing these Instagram reels / TikToks of crocheters making giant food plushies and I became inspired! A few years before, I had tried one of those bookstore crochet kits and I absolutely hated it. The yarn was way too small and too poor quality (it frayed so easily). I tried and tried but it just didn’t work out for me. Read more>>
A Murder Of One
As a band, we have a lot of different crafts happening simultaneously, and that’s more work than one may think! We each have our own instruments, or course, but there is also a lot that also goes into the band creatively and operationally. We each need comparable capabilities musically to work well together, so there is quite a bit of individual practice and learning that takes place to ensure we sound in sync with each other. The song writing, performing, financials, social media, merch, booking events, etc is a lengthy list! To help things run efficiently, we each help own band operations and the band as a brand/business. Read more>>
Amber Bogardus
During a particularly challenging time in my young adult life, when funds were tight, stress was high, and I was uncertain about my future, learning to cook became a source of healing and a way to regain control. I started with simple recipes, using affordable ingredients, and found comfort in the routine of preparing meals. Shopping for ingredients and learning about spices and sauces was an escape for me. Read more>>
Mimi Wittstruck
It’s taken me years of experience to build the skills I have in interior design. Honestly, there’s no shortcut—you have to put in the time. Working for different companies was incredibly valuable because it taught me what works, what doesn’t, and how to identify role models (and what to avoid). I made it a point to carve out opportunities to take on projects independently whenever possible. Those experiences made me a much stronger designer because I had to figure things out, solve problems, and take full responsibility for the outcomes. Read more>>
Kaiki Chan
I learned by immersing myself in both the technical and creative aspects of audio engineering. From a young age, I was fascinated by sound and music, which led me to study at Berklee College of Music. There, I built a strong foundation and honed my skills. However, it was the hands-on experiences, internships, projects, and collaborations that truly accelerated my learning. My first significant role in audio restoration at Audio Mechanics, working with clients like Disney and Sony, further deepened my expertise. Read more>>
Rachel Nafis
I’m self-taught and learned to grow flowers through 15 years of experimenting in the garden. Almost every aspect of growing can be acquired through trial and error and attentive observation. Reading a lot of books on the subject also helps. In hindsight, a more direct and less winding path to successful farming would have been to apprentice with a farmer or work on a farm. I think I felt restricted in this area by my prior career as an ER nurse. It was a difficult decision to finally leave my nursing career behind in 2021 and pursue farming full-time. Keeping my nursing career alive while also farming (and raising three small children), was an especially challenging period in my life, but also an invaluable part of my story. Read more>>
Jessie & Kara
Creating an engaging and entertaining podcast from the ground-up presents with unique challenges. As moms in our 40s who have spent most of our lives pursuing our academic goals and establishing our careers, filming, producing, editing, and promoting a podcast has been completely new to both of us. But one thing neither of us lack is determination. We committed to learning the process, and we’ve had a blast doing it. But let’s be real… Read more>>
Neikai
Cosplaying is one of those things you just fall into, you’ve seen amazing cosplayers online rocking incredible costumes, and the next thing you know you’re sitting on your bedroom floor neck deep in EVA foam, plastering up all your hot glue burns and googling, “how to work a sewing machine??” Read more>>
Francesca Brown
I had loved singing since I was a girl. Eventually, I wanted to be in a band. I didn’t quite know how to make it happen; I was sort of helpless. First of all, I had no idea how to write a song; in fact, it terrified me!!
At the time, I was working a day job at a recording studio in LA, so I saw these singers and bands coming and going, it killed my soul. For a while, I would write little poems and essays of sorts, ramblings. One day I was like that’s it, so I went on Craigslist and searched for bands looking for singers and answered a few. One seemed promising, so I jumped in and faked my way through writing a song. It just happened, and with time the songs got better, and I learned more and more. Read more>>
Living Dead Girl Nicole Garcia
Growing up with a dad who was an artist was definitely both an advantage and a blessing. From a young age, I knew creativity flowed through my veins, but seeing my dad’s work firsthand and learning from him directly had a massive influence. I would often win local coloring contests and art competitions because my dad had taught me techniques that other kids my age didn’t know. His mentorship made my work stand out to the judges, and even as an adult, he continues to be a source of inspiration and guidance. His influence was foundational to my growth as an artist. Read more>>
Anagha Kolanu
I didn’t learn how to grow my social media from a specific tutorial or video—it’s something that grew with me over time. I first downloaded social media when I was 11, and I immediately loved how it gave me a space to share my creativity, almost like a public portfolio. Even before that, I’ve always been fascinated by the little details of the world around me, constantly finding beauty in unexpected places and wanting to capture it. That love for self-expression started even earlier, when my dad introduced me to the drawing feature on his computer. I had just come home from kindergarten, out of paper to draw on, when he showed me this magical software where I could paint and sketch with endless colors using the mouse. Read more>>
Steven Williams
I learned how to write, mostly by reading (but also by writing). Growing up, I read a lot – always some sort of series. And when I was a kid, I would write short stories and create comics with a friend of mine named Tom. My dad would get the comics printed at Kinkos. Looking back on it, those comics and short stories were just rip-offs of other stories that I was into at the time, but that was how I started to learn. Later, I wrote my first novel after graduating college while working at a parking garage in Pittsburgh. I would bring my laptop with me and write while folks parked their cars. My first novel was a poorly written horror novel, but it was a 90k-word story that I wrote from start to finish (a first for me at the time). Read more>>
Denzel Kazeze
Well starting off from a very young age which would be 7 years old, I started off within performing arts by doing a talent show. This is when I began for the first time, and I knew that this was the field I did indeed belong in.
Starting off I would like to share some of the skills I developed over the years. These skills are acting, dancing, and also singing for when it was needed. From a young age I was watching Micheal Jackson from my television screen and this is where I learned many of my not only dance skills, but also acting skills as well. Read more>>
Elizabeth Casasola
I learned at university, I think the class was called image and color in the first semester, in the second semester the photography workshop began, but we had already done some exercises like the pinhole camera. In fact the process was accelerated a bit since I was an intern in the photography area and the teachers taught me before the others. Although I really don’t think anything happens quickly, I only learned a few things, but seeing is a constant practice, which takes time and calm. I have always thought that to see, to take photographs you have to do many things, like go to the museum and learn from others, read many stories and learn from them, even watch television, cartoons. Read more>>