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?

Pat Gump

The most important aspect of my growth has been my willingness to “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!,” in the wise words of Ms. Frizzle. Each ‘mistake’ I have made; whether in my life, my art, or my relationships; has been an opportunity to look towards my self and improve. If I could have changed anything to speed up my learning process, I would have encouraged myself to hire professionals to form a team to help me, rather than always learning on my friends’ time. Most essential (and most challenging) has been the skill of quiet, efficient communication. Read more>>

Clarissa Kumala

I’ve always had an interest in arts and crafts since I was a kid, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until Year 10, IGCSE Art; that was my first time having an art course and an art teacher, Miss Sandra, who really encouraged me to explore as many media as possible. Although my work mostly uses acrylic paint, I’ve delved into watercolor, gouache, calligraphy, oil paint, Chinese ink painting, ceramics, printing, animation, embroidery, digital art, photography, 3D installation art–the list goes on. I think it’s so fascinating that the skills I’ve learned from each of these mediums interlink. My skills in different media have really pushed my creativity and enabled me to create work which mixes analog and digital techniques. Read more>>

Jake Weisler

When we started, we were self-taught, watching YouTube tutorials and online courses, practicing, and making plenty of mistakes along the way. But what truly accelerated our growth was investing. Investing in mentorships, workshops, online courses, and coaching calls with people who had already built the kind of brand we wanted. Instead of trying to figure everything out alone, we learned directly from those ahead of us, which saved us years of trial and error. Read more>>

I began my photography journey in seventh grade when I joined my middle school yearbook class. During this time, I had the privilege of learning from an exceptional teacher, Mr. Lichtenberger. I served on the yearbook staff for two years, eventually advancing to a leadership position in eighth grade. After a brief hiatus, I rediscovered my passion for photography in high school, where I credit much of my development to Jessica Stamp. As the yearbook and journalism teacher at Vandegrift High School, Ms. Stamp provided me with not only access to top-tier equipment but also a deep understanding of camera techniques and Adobe software. Her guidance played a pivotal role in shaping my skills and knowledge in the field. Read more>>

Anthony Bertram

I never saw myself pursuing oil pastel as my primary art medium but at this point it’s hard to imagine using anything else. I had always found them to be so distinctly messy & never ever finished a piece without smudging (which killed me) but the same things that made it scary also always secretly made it exciting to me? In spite of this, I stuck with painting for YEARS and pushed myself in acrylic, watercolor & even spit shading. I had amassed a large body of work and was happy with the direction I was headed but after some pretty sudden life changes found myself completely uprooted with no room to make or house any physical art – sleeping on my friend’s pool table for 6 months – no car – painting exclusively off my iPad. Read more>>

Fernando Iniguez

When I first got interested in this I started by buying every single book I could on acting and filmmaking and reading them, I would read them everywhere including my engineering classes. I had to be very self-motivated since I wasn’t at a place where I could actually pursue that yet. I would take notes put post its and do whichever exercises I could by myself. I also have an acting bible where I write everything I could learn from books, online classes and masterclasses in an accessible and short form. Read more>>

Elisa Stone

Upon entering my junior year of college, I was still undecided on a major. My advisor urged me to try journalism and enrolled me in a ceramics night class as an elective. After just a few weeks of that class, I knew that this was what I wanted to do! So, I changed my major and eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts in ceramics. My professor was a former production potter, so although I had no previous experience in ceramics, from him I learned a good foundation in the craftmanship of making in clay. I am very thankful for that, because at grad school I was able to rely on those foundational skills while exploring the artistic possibilities of clay. Read more>>

Antonio Paris

I’ve been working in the industry for more than 20 years. I started as a news writer, which I hated it, but I made me learn how to be quick and concise to get things done and deliver a message and that has been essential to my professional career. Then I became kind of a showrunner of a monthly 30 minutes special show for a Cable Channel and that helped me become a more detailed focused and creative professional. Then I founded my own company and because of some bad experiences with different professionals I started to learn about cameras and editing so if I got an important project I did it myself, with help from other colleagues in other disciplines. And then I realized that I loved doing those things by myself so I quit producing and became a full time director/editor/videographer. Read more>>

Elizabeth Prince

I was flicking through content on YouTube and discovered a lady who made videos of her soap making business. I always found her videos very satisfying as she showed and explained the whole process of making cold pressed soap. She made these great “how to” videos and as the more I watched, the more I became convinced I could make my own soap. Read more>>

Kolby Hill

When I started doing photography, I learned on my own or from watching YouTube videos. Back in 2018/2019, I was in community college and honestly was confused about what I wanted to do and was very intrigued by a documentary I watched while in school called Through a Lens Darkly produced by Thomas Allen Harris who is a really dope artist. This documentary along with watching different youtube videos really sparked my interest in photography and honestly, I didn’t know the impact of my art I was just learning a new hobby and was inspired. It was an outlet for me to express myself creatively and for me to find my own path, so I just stuck with it and practiced when I could. I don’t think I would have sped up my learning honestly I feel like my most memorable moments were me making “mistakes” and just getting out and shooting whatever caught my eye at the time. Knowing what I know now I don’t think I would have changed anything, I feel like my relationship with film photography was so natural. Read more>>

Justine Thibault

I learned floral design through an internship with my friend’s business, where I gained hands-on experience in creating arrangements and understanding floral mechanics. My background in painting comes from my studies at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, where I developed a strong foundation in composition, color theory, texture, and form. Read more>>

Kat Shenton

When I decided I was finally going to jump in and learn how to make candles, I was fortunate enough to have a friend that already had a shop. I found her expertise, as well as the experts online extremely helpful. What I didn’t really grasp at the time was how much trial and error there really was, and how much time I would take. Dozens to hundreds of test candles, and the various issues with fragrance loads and wick sizes… Read more>>

Charlie (blu) Braithwaite-hatzigeorgiou

all my basic technical knowledge came from just youtube and being around others who taught me, but my creative knowledge came from years of growing up around creative people and just exploring as a kid.

knowing what i know no i probably wouldn’t change the process of learning as the hours i put in is also what part of the learning was, it taught a lot of patience. Read more>>

Shalois Croom

I have always dreamed of becoming a model, when I was younger I used to try to be different with school uniforms. Trying to add color and detail to it while still following guidelines, My family used to always call me the model of the family. So I have always known fashion it’s always been a part of my lifestyle. But actually stepping in and doing it in real time I had to learn a lot, such as learning speed pace, control of arms and face, learning to walk through the music not to the music and much more. At first it was challenging because I didn’t think I was fit for it too short and not enough confidence. Read more>>

Kali Mckeown

I came into the practice of cyanotype art by tapping back into a creative streak I had loved as a child. Years ago I was laying in my tent on a backpacking trip, the sunlight was just right and the shadows of leaves from a nearby tree were dancing on the tent wall and in my mindful and relaxed state I thought how amazing it would be to harness that moment and that feeling and to preserve it. I had this mini “aha!” moment and a little brain sparkle reminded me of the sun-printing kits I had played around with as a kid and I thought that could be the key. Read more>>

Bria Renee

I started off learning how to sew by watching YouTube videos and reading books. As I got older, I went to a couple sewing camps and also had some great mentors who taught me what it means to be a fashion designer. I don’t think I would have wanted to speed up the process because I feel that my journey was meant to happen exactly as it did. However, what I do wish is that when I ended up going to college to pursue my degree, that I would have asked my professors more about pattern making so I could have mastered that faster. I think pattern making, draping and sketching are the most essential because those three methods are the main ways to explore ideas that you have stuck in your head. Read more>>

Erin Norris

It started with branding. At my first real job, I had to really convey to the business owners how important brand strategy and cohesive branding really are. They weren’t thinking about it that way at first, but once they saw the difference, I was able to tackle everything else—the website, email marketing, messaging—whatever they threw my way. Read more>>

Shea Drury & Jody Shaw

Shea-Launching a podcast is a boot-straps sort of project. For most podcasters, they had no idea before launching how much work it takes to have a good podcast. You start out with this great idea, do a little online research, buy a microphone and hit record. But then you have to figure out everything else. How do I distribute my podcast? How do you edit and make it sound good? How come no one is listening? It’s a long journey. We figured out everything on our own. I read dozens of blogs and articles, watched hours of video, lurked in countless Facebook groups; tweaked and changed and experimented. I taught myself how to edit, how to design our website, what works, what doesn’t. Read more>>

Blue Barnett

I started off as a self-taught graphic designer out of necessity and lack of funds to hire someone for all the designs I needed for the bands I was in. This included things like album artwork, physical and digital gig flyers, t-shirt and merch designs, social media banners, website/EPK designs and logos. My first creative passion before music was drawing, and I wanted desperately to go to art school after high school but it wasn’t in the cards for me financially. So after spending the next decade pursuing a music career, it’s been such a nice reunion with my passion for art and design to combine the two on a professional level. Read more>>

Anita Chen Fu

From the moment I could hold a pencil—barely at the age of two—drawing became my first language, even before I could read or write. Recognizing my passion, my mom enrolled me in private art lessons at a young age, where I eagerly explored different materials and techniques. Over the years, I had several art teachers, but it was my last mentor, Katia San Millán, along with one of my best friends, who gave me the final push to pursue art professionally. With the unwavering support of my family, I entered Chavón, La Escuela de Diseño, where I learned to merge concept, storytelling, and craft. Those two years of intensive training led me to the Parsons School of Design in New York, where I discovered even more creative possibilities. Read more>>

Angela Larisch

I trained as a fine artist and designer, spending years in branding and advertising, where I combined visuals, words, space, and texture to tell stories and create experiences. When I discovered scent as a communication medium, it completely reshaped how I thought about design. It is invisible yet profoundly powerful, capable of evoking memory and shifting emotions in ways nothing visual can. It changed everything for me. Read more>>

Natalie Andrews

I remember picking up a crochet hook as a young kid. I learned from my grandma and my great aunt over the years. Life got busy and I graduated high school, and moved to Toledo to go to college. My whole life I have had anxiety and it wasn’t until college that I started to take it seriously. I really needed something to help manage my anxiety between working in college, studying, having a social life, etc. I used crocheting as an opportunity to unwind at the end of a long day. I picked up a crochet hook again one summer and haven’t really put it down since. I watched a lot of YouTube videos to learn certain stitches and really just bought patterns to continue improving my skills. Read more>>

Jessica Clem

It took me ten years to learn how to write a novel. My first book was a collection of short stories with gossamer-thin transitions. There was no actual plot–it read more like a fever dream. I was under the innocent impression that all a writer has to do to publish a book was write the damn thing. It should have been simple. Read more>>

Elizabeth Walsh

Everybody always asks me if I went to art school. Where’d you go? What medium did you study? They all assume I have a creative background, but I was very much a part of the generation of kids raised to believe that there was no way to make a living as a creative. You know, starving artist mentality ingrained in my head. That’s not to say I didn’t have creative outlets, but I never saw it as a viable career. I studied International Affairs, Political Science, and foreign languages. I worked abroad, for the government and multinational pharmaceutical companies in countries ranging from Colombia to Germany. Read more>>

Kitty Cat Kustom Arts

I did learned basic skills in school and throughout my Photography / Audio Video / Design courses but I feel like i taught myself because i learned a lot by just doing it and just making mistakes along the way. I think my learning process was very fluid and i couldn’t be more happy with it, not sure if i would like to speed up my learning process because it was flowing along with my experience and age, i´m always learning new stuff on my path. Read more>>

Liz Biscevic

I tell so many people this—if you want to learn how to write a screenplay, learn from those who’ve already done it. That starts with reading as many scripts as possible. If there’s a movie or show you love, see if the script is available and study it—pay attention to how the writer transitions between scenes, how they structure dialogue, and how they describe characters and action. Read more>>

Devann Donovan

I attended art schools and participated heavily in my art communities, learning as much as I could across various media—painting, sculpture, welding, video, and performance. I’ve always had an obsession with experimenting and trying new things. The more I learn, the more I realize how much there is still to discover. Read more>>

Dean Alexandrou

I started out as a kid, inspired by action movies and dreaming of being part of them. As an adult, I decided to make that dream a reality. I threw myself into the world of auditions, showing up to random calls for music videos and extra roles, eager to learn and make connections. With each opportunity, I built a network and slowly figured out how to get more involved in the industry. Eventually, I was auditioning for real film roles, stepping into the world of acting and performing in action movies. Read more>>

Jamie Vandenberg

It was on a particularly hard day. I had received some devastating news that weighed heavily on my heart. It consumed my thoughts. Attempting to be a present mother of a very active child while at the same time processing the news I’d received was a challenge. Sidewalk chalk had been my simple solution that day. We sat on the hard cement and my child merrily danced and made squiggles around me with the chalk. Finding my little one content, I in turn started making shapes with my chalk. Circles, rectangles, triangles. Then connecting one line with another. I noticed powder gathering so I rubbed it into the cracks and crevices of the rough surface with my fingers. In the end, I made a pretty darn good picture of a clown juggling. I was very pleased with it and the experience as a whole. Read more>>

Ismail Dweik

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been drawn to the arts. As a kid, I was always doodling in coloring books or sketching whatever I could. But if you had asked me back then what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d tell you a marine biologist, or maybe a dentist, or an architect—anything but a graphic designer. The idea of becoming a designer wasn’t even on my radar until high school. Read more>>

Janice Estrada

My journey into calligraphy and design began in 2019 when I was looking for a creative outlet. I was drawn to the beautiful lettering I saw on Pinterest, particularly in bullet journals, and wanted to learn how to create elegant headers for my own. A quick trip to my local craft store and a deep dive into YouTube tutorials sparked what would become an enduring passion. As I practiced (again and again!), I started seeing real progress, which motivated me to invest in workbooks and courses to refine my technique. What began as a hobby quickly evolved into a true craft—one that would later become the foundation of my business. Read more>>

Aaron Hansen

The first time i really sat down and drew, i was about 7-8 years old. My uncle was on his deathbed and we were all living together in the family house at the time. He was the patriarch artist in the family that brought my mom and everyone else to California from Guanajuato Mexico. He gave me and my cousins sketchbooks before he passed in hopes we would continue the family craft. Because i lived in the same house he would give me little projects to do, the first one was life drawing an apple on the dining room table. After i completed that, it was aware to myself and to the whole family that i had the gift. Drawing in my early days let me do discover graffiti around 14. Read more>>

Kenny Fukuda

So I picked up my first camera back in middle school (this was the 1990s). We learned to use film, as digital hadn’t happened just yet. I started by just taking pictures of people and places, without really much of an artistic intent. I think I relied mostly on some talent I had deep down, but never really nurtured it much.

In between the mid 90s and pandemic of 2020, I went to college, grad school, and became a corporate lawyer. During those times, I always had a camera, but was never serious. I mostly picked it up when I was bored. Read more>>

Domenic Frunzi

I became a functional ceramic artist by accident. I graduated frI became a functional ceramic artist by accident. I graduated with a degree in art education and found myself teaching high school ceramics in my early 20s. Through teaching, I developed a deep obsession with clay. I dedicated all my spare time to learning about various techniques, processes, and the work of ceramic artists. I began working at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, where I learned from many established and skilled ceramic artists over several years. This experience helped me develop my own perspective and refine my skills as a potter. Read more>>

Greg Wootton

I started training in Muay Thai at 15 years old at a local community center in my hometown of London, UK. I progressed from the community center to a full time gym, eventually moving to Thailand to live in a gym and compete for seven months when I was 19. I have a degree in sports science which gifted me a deeper understanding of various training methods, physiology and sports psychology. Read more>>

Kate Hallowell

I started writing songs as a child, making up melodies and jingles. They soon turned into long melodic poems and by high school I was determined to figure out how to play piano and record them myself. Luckily I have two older brothers who are both musicians and composers so they were and still are my guiding lights. We all went to Berklee College of Music where I studied a mix of songwriting, production and performance. I think that even with all my studying, the way I learned songwriting and production is truly from experience. It just takes time. That being said, I don’t think you have to write for a decade to write a great song, things just become more nuanced the longer you do it. You become more aware of what the song needs. Production and engineering don’t come as naturally to me so I sometimes wish I had stayed on top of that more in the early years, again just to have a better sense of where to take a song verse just having the knowledge of how to create it. Read more>>

Jacqueline Alston

Knowing what I know now, I definitely wish I went after more internships/fellowships in my college days and early career that were centered on learning the marketing, branding and advertising world through the lens of talent agencies, experiential production companies or record labels. My lack of confidence and addiction to perfectionism stood in my way; because of that, I was not a natural risk taker. Strategy and planning are my go-to tactics. Gratefully, I am in positions and projects that have allowed me to learn as I go and open an unbelievable amount of doors. Now, I’m more equipped with how to pivot, grow and scale my career — and more confident than I have ever been. Read more>>

Jim Ostlund

Initially I was drawn to 19th-century American illustration and pursued my artistic aspirations at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. However, upon realizing the shifting landscape of illustration, I pivoted to Fine Art, pursuing painting and drawing from the figure which taught me about line, shape. form, values and anatomy. Painting or drawing the human figure was considered one of the most challenging and prestigious tasks for an artist. Mastery of the figure demonstrated an artist’s technical skill, understanding of light and shadow, and ability to create depth and volume, this pursuit I continued to follow which eventually laid the foundation for my growth as an artist. Read more>>

Katy Upperman

I learned to write by reading.

Because I came to writing a little later in life (my first book was published when I was 36) I was never formally educated in the craft. In college, I majored in Elementary Education (no regrets — I loved my years as a teacher!) and while I’ve considered applying to MFA programs, life keeps getting in the way.

But I am and always have been an insatiable reader. Read more>>

Joseluis Robles

I had the incredible opportunity to train as a life coach under world-renowned hypnotherapist Marisa Peer, allowing me to offer sessions on behalf of her company. But when it came to creating children’s books, there was no prestigious school or formal training—I built my path from the ground up. I started with doodles, infused my stories with life coaching principles, and spent hundreds of hours learning through “YouTube University.” Read more>>