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?

Chuave Fernandez

I started my career as a muralist relatively recently, about five years ago. However, my artistic journey began much earlier as a graffiti artist. I first got into graffiti when I was 13, but I took a break from 18 to 25. Now, at 30 years old, I feel that everything I’ve learned has been a gradual process that couldn’t have been rushed—it simply requires time and experience. Read more>>

Maya Malan-gonzalez

Most of what I’ve learned in my profession has been through experience- jumping in, reading acting methodologies and scripts, observing elders, learning from my failures, and learning from my successes (which is obviously way more fun than learning from failures- but it’s all necessary). Read more>>

Macara Danielle

Learning how to do aerial for me was more of a mental challenge than anything else. I didn’t learn it on my own, but I took classes at an aerial fitness studio in Akron to start! I started with a few beginner’s classes until I figured out the basic mechanics of inverting, climbing, and untying myself, but once I learned how to spin? – I was hooked! Read more>>

Graham Shiels

I took Drama in high school because I was convinced there would be no homework. At the time I was unaware of the bible of acting, “An Actor Prepares,” by Constantin Stanislavski. The fun our beloved high school teacher fostered in us sparked my curiosity. When I went to university for business administration–because that’s what my Dad did–I was allowed to take a few liberal arts classes as a breadth requirement… Acting 101! I can’t remember now whether that’s what it was literally called but I found that sense of play again that was so easily found in high school only now it was superceded by an introspective mystery. I was hooked. Read more>>

Kadi Bortle

I like this topic. When I ask myself how I learned to write songs and tell stories, my answer is different than it probably would have been a few years ago. I do a lot less critiquing and re-writing. We have enough of that going on in the world. I think creatives are meant to channel thoughts and messages. We have special gifts to pick up a guitar or a piano and let coherent and incoherent thoughts escape us. The resistance comes when we think too much and try to make the incoherent pieces coherent. I’ve been digging through my journals and finding my “reject” songs. I’m going to release every single one – I’m determined to do so and suggest other creatives to do the same. Read more>>

 

Acori Honzo

I could always draw and compose music since i was a child. But as an adult I just sat down one day and started sculpting out of nowhere. I literally said to myself one day at work i want to sculpt a bear wearing jeans, a rabbit and a duck also wearing similar clothing. I went over to a Target and decided to buy whatever clay I found in the store. I sculpted them in a matter of hours and i got confirmation from people who walked by they asked me where did i but the cool figures. They did not believe i sculpted them. That let me know that i had the skill. I just did not have the mission yet. Read more>>

Jerilyn Harper

I didn’t take a traditional path to learning the craft of writing. I technically started in high school during English class, but my real interest in journalism sparked when I started collecting magazines like J-14 and Seventeen. Seeing how stories were told, how trends were broken down and how interviews were woven into articles made me want to do the same. Read more>>

Amber Mustain

I started working in a flower shop when I was just 16. My main job was delivering flowers, but whenever I had a bit of downtime, they let me experiment with designing. Through college, I worked in different flower shops, learning every part of the business. After graduation, I was lucky to join a high-end event company where I had incredible mentors who took the time to critique my work and teach me how to design better. Read more>>

Samuel Olaniyan

I learned by watching and observing other creatives, then taking what I saw and applying it myself. Simply picking up my phone, pressing record, or capturing moments of my family helped me develop my craft. Hands-on practice was the best teacher. Looking back, I would have been less strict with my work and ideas. A lot of projects and opportunities were delayed because I was too rigid in my vision, waiting for the “perfect” execution instead of just creating. Letting go of that hesitation would have accelerated my growth. One of the most underrated skills is translating ideas into reality. Read more>>

Elizabeth Goss

I mostly learned papercutting through experimentation. I’d seek out paper works I admired, analyze what I liked about them, and then try to create similar effects in my own art. It wasn’t a bad way to learn, but it was slow. What truly accelerated my growth as an artist was discovering the Guild of American Papercutters. Connecting with such a vibrant, creative community has been invaluable. Read more>>

Shawn Barr

It all started with my 8th-grade science teacher. She knew I had an interest in art as a career and decided to introduce me to graphic design. She lent me her school-issued laptop, which had a program called Inkscape (essentially a free version of Adobe Illustrator). I spent my lunch breaks practicing, experimenting, and learning the fundamentals of design. Read more>>

Melynda Bly

My Mama always told me when I was a kid I would sing all the time. She teased me because when I would try to go higher in the notes, I would just sing louder instead. 🤣
I always wanted piano lessons. I begged for them, but we had a large household. I have four sisters. We didn’t have much. I started acting as young as fifth grade, and continued musical theater through high school. I once got the lead role as Kim in Bye Bye Birdie. I also sang in girls ensemble, and the jazz choir for 4 years. I continue to sing at weddings and funerals and anywhere I could, even karaoke. It wasn’t until 4 years ago I learned that co-writing, and retreats wrre available to me. I attended my first retreat in May of 2021. Read more>>

Estephania Maupome Hildebrant

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of learning to paint, but art classes were a luxury my family couldn’t afford. So, instead, I poured my creativity into mastering drawing and the art of coloring. When I moved to the USA, I was thrilled to discover that high school offered free art electives—an opportunity I seized without hesitation! In my senior year, I took a painting class and stumbled upon pointillism, an art style that instantly captivated me. My incredible teacher, Mr. Woodman, encouraged me to keep creating, fueling my passion for painting. Read more>>

Parron Allen

I emerge from the Q train at Herald Square and pass through the Garment District en route to the “office”. I have walked these streets nearly every day for over a decade and have come to know them, the good and the bad, as well as many native New Yorkers. But my knowledge has done nothing to dull my sense of wonder. I am still mystified by this city and the spell it casts, the gritty magic that drew my childhood imagination here through a television screen in Mount Olive, Mississippi. Read more>>

Tori Roman

With traditional art, I’ve been playing around with different mediums since I was a kid. I did a lot of self-exploration, and took a few community classes as well.

When I was a young teen, my sister introduced me to anime/manga, and I was obsessed! She then gave me my first tablet (a Wacom Bamboo Fun) at around 14 along with Photoshop. She told me if I wanted to be a professional, I needed to learn how to do digital art. I was very intimidated at first, but I eventually taught myself. Read more>>

Terrell Bowden

I learned Kung Fu via my Sifu (Instructor) Sam Hing Fai Chan. I owe all of my ability to him, though I took taekwondo and karate under various Senseis (Instructors) it wasn’t until I got into Kung Fu that I really started to grow and make progress. I wanted to learn to defend myself after the murder of my mentor, I wanted to be prepared, and also if I’m being honest I needed a positive outlet. I needed to do something because his death was something I couldn’t control. My mentor introduced me to the movie that eventually became the style I practice. In a way doing this is continuing to keep his memory and legacy alive! My Sifu has a very similar demeanor to my mentor, so from day 1 I knew he was the one I was supposed to train under! Read more>>

Anna Paczynska

I studied acting for two years at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, where I immersed myself in the core principles of Method Acting. I studied everything from relaxation, sense memory, movement, and voice, as well as more technical elements such as script analysis and camera work. I truly enjoyed every aspect of my training. But, as an actor, continuous learning and improvement are essential. I still participate in acting workshops, work on my speech and American accent, take dancing classes, and engage in various projects to enhance my craft. Read more>>

Vismitha Yaji

I come from a design background and growing up in multicultural house I was always passionate about learning new creative works. In all honesty I came across my current interests by luck when I started sending out my poems to book companies during the dark times of pandemic. I always loved writing but never knew it could be a full time. Read more>>

Charlene Xu

-I learned through experimental animation, focusing on stream-of-consciousness, layered emotions, dreamscapes, and time. I incorporated design principles into my filmmaking—not just for visuals but also for pacing and flow.
Knowing what I know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
-I could have looked beyond animation sooner to see what people in other fields were doing—editorial designers, writers, fine artists, etc. This would have helped me recognize the underlying connections between creative disciplines earlier.  Read more>>

Luke Wood

I started taking piano lessons at age four but that started to become arduous by age twelve or so. I was so much more drawn to the music that featured guitars so I quit piano and started taking guitar very seriously. The first thing I ever played on the guitar was “Rock You Like a Hurricane” with my thumb on the low e string – that’s form that a professional would laugh at if seen at a session or a live show… but at least I had the ear to pick out songs, because that is how I would be learning guitar for the rest of my life. Aside from really only a few lessons, I never had formal training on the guitar and that’s why I have some decencies in the way I approach the instrument. I never had any singing help either and that is something that I work on every day. Read more>>

Mac Kotas

I went to film school which is great for theory, but a lot of what I learned to do was out in the field. Video making is a lot of little tricks and the key is to find which ones work for you and repeat them over and over.

Get on set as much as I could. YouTube wasn’t as big as it is now when I was in college but that’s also a great resource for learning new things.

I think the most essential skills are networking and selling yourself. You can be the greatest cinematographer in the world but if no one knows who you are or you dont know the right people none of it matters. I’d say its 1) who you know, 2) right place right time, 3) talent. Read more>>

Eli Ann

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started formally learning when I was 7 years old taking private piano lessons. A few years later, I became really interested in learning the violin, and the rest was history. I had simultaneously been involved in a musical theater program growing up that really trained my ear to pick out and sing harmonies easily. Violin won me over in high school where I became very dedicated to the craft and it took me into my undergraduate music conservatory studies. Read more>>

Bs

It started with a lot of trial and error and having some big feelings and not knowing where to put them. At first, rhyming was solely working through those larger feelings. I’d write about them and it happened to rhyme. Later I discovered battle rap – freestyle battle rap in particular. I got my start at an event called Freestyle Mondays in NYC. I was able to take some of those big feelings and and do something constructive with them. From there, I was rapping in the park, on the corner, on the subway trains, and started street performing. That’s how I cut my teeth. Read more>>

Matias Ramirez

To learn what I know now, I had to start with learning the basics. Growing up, I took whatever art classes my school was offering, and if it was a media that i was particularly drawn too, I would talk to whoever I needed to, to weasel my way into the class. Once I started in higher education, I again, took as many classes as I was financially able too, trying out different media to see what I could learn. While I have paused with learning in a formal setting, I work in a field where I am constantly surrounded by art, artists and craftsmen, where I can learn new skills that transfer into my work. Read more>>