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?

Kyle Moon

I learned my craft from my general interest in the outdoors and my fascination for wildlife. The interest needed to be there first before I would move on to get a degree in wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Florida. Read More>>

Anita Friedrich

Learning my craft took over a decade. It all started back in college when I started taking photography classes. I remember, I was very excited and nervous at the same time. I did not fully understand my camera yet and all the functions but slowly week by week with our assignments I started to feel my camera not just work with it. Read More>>

Moses Ndubuzo

I was trained to be an artist at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. That was where my desires in the creative world were refined and given focus. I had the passion, drive, and willingness to be a great artist, and the school of art taught me discipline, focus, collaboration, and the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Read More>>

Eric Filson

A lot of trial & error. Plus the willingness to fail. Just keep taking more photos and exposing myself to different scenarios where I’d have to quickly adjust. Learning how light works. Since I shoot concerts primarily, I’m never guaranteed a show I’d like to shoot and can go months without one. Read More>>

JaMeyah ‘Lowkeey’ Moore

My journey has been built on a mix of hands-on experience, mentorship, and immersing myself in creative environments that align with my passions, including directing, filming, event planning, and collaborating with artists and creatives to bring ideas to life. I’ve always believed in learning by doing, but I also credit much of my growth to the mentors who have guided me along the way. Read More>>

Corey Steele

I learned how to bartend from ABC Bartending School in NYC. ABC Bartending School in New York helped me unlock true bartending potential! Learning the basics of Glassware, Jigger Measurements, & Keg temperatures were some of the most essential lessons we’ve learned. Some of the obstacles that I faced along the way included creating the memorable cocktails we all know and love Read More>>

ROBERT JOHNSON

Singing was something that has been apart of my life since being young . A lot of times I was apart of church programs , school programs , and extracurricular programs that allowed me to get familar with performing and using my voice . Read More>>

Truls Valen Aasland

I’d say my learning process has been a mix of self-teaching and formal education. I started my filmmaking journey by teaching myself, reading books, watching tutorials, and diving deep into online resources to understand cameras, lighting, and storytelling from a technical perspective. Read More>>

Chris Sobolev

Once I decided to become a painter/visual artist, I looked for and found the course that was very heavy on the technical details and took me from the very beginning all the way to the advanced techniques very quickly. The course was the Milan Art Institute Mastery program and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Read More>>

Corwin Quinby

While having a guiding figure or resources to learn from is helpful, it isn’t necessary. To me, being a creative is about expression and growth. “The Scene” and Pop culture is always changing and evolving, so there will never exist a shortage of new things to try or learn . Read More>>

George Sidiropoulos

To create music is to do a few things at the same time. For me, it’s easier to break it down into improvisation and then the development and polishing of that initial thought. The art of improvisation is something that has been developing inside me since the day I bought my first electric piano. Read More>>

Manas Paradkar

There’s two parts to my job. One is coming up with big creative ideas and the other is copywriting. They’re not always mutually exclusive, but they are pretty discrete skills. The biggest learning for me about being a creative in advertising was to never stop being a student. We have to be fervently devoted to the business. Read More>>

Karen Hall

I began with piano lessons in third grade and later started studying voice in junior high. At that time, voice science didn’t exist. What has been learned in voice science would have been an enormous help with my voice study from the beginning if it had been available. Read More>>

Riley Collick

To be honest I’m still learning. I dont think I’ll ever stop learning while I’m creating. I started with several programs and classes at the art school I went to and from there I had to juggle learning on the job and making sure I was still promising the work that needed to be done. Read More>>

Diana Rowan

I feel three things are really important for skill and artistry building: • Identify things you truly love (whether that be your medium, your genre, your general ethos and message). I feel trying to learn things you’re not in love with leaves out the heart element, making learning much more difficult. Read More>>

Alvaro Medina

At first we learned from our friend Rudy that gave us FL Studio. For the most part everything else that we’ve learned has been from YouTube tutorials and from friends that we’ve made along the way while being in the industry Read More>>

Leah Richter

I’m a freelance filmmaker, and one of the great things about this field is that there isn’t just one way to learn it. Some people go to film school, and others jump straight into work and learn by doing. For me, it was a mix of both. Read More>>

Philip van Ratingen

As a kid I have always been drawing and trying to create things. I could totally get lost in te process of crafting. My mother used to paint when she was younger and my father was a handyman who did a lot on his own projects around the house. Read More>>

Dino DiMuro

Like lots of kids of my era, my first instrument was piano which I learned at the strict, slapping hands of my Grandmother. I hated piano, but still use what I learned then to this day. Then I saw the movie “Bonnie and Clyde” and got hooked on 5-string banjo. Read More>>

Cheryl Arnold

I have a BFA in ART and a teaching degree(s) in Special Education. Also an M.ED I taught school and private students for for 23 years combining my skills. In the past few years(7)when I retired I did a lot of searching-joined galleries etc. I started with a pair of earrings and a worthy teacher-jeweler of 28 years. Read More>>

Brooke Sweeney

Most of what I know now, I’ve picked up on the job, from mentors, collaborators, and friends who were generous with their time and willing to teach me. I’ve certainly taught myself a few things here and there through online resources or workshops, but honestly, the biggest part of my learning came from just being in it. Read More>>

Frankie Novick

Like many other artists I’ve been doodling my whole life. It starts with crayon drawings with stick figures and a sun in the corner, then youtube tutorials of how to draw your favorite cartoon, comics of your friends as superheroes, so on and so forth. Around age 10 or 11, I discovered a little app called Framecast. Read More>>

Dani Kriatura

By not being afraid to make mistakes, for those offer pathways and directions, and be even less afraid to course correct and start again by paying attention and still showing up. Connect with the part of you that likes to play just as we do as children, just with more discipline and focus. Read More>>

Brandi Perry

I’ve always been passionate about helping women elevate themselves, refine their image, and become the best version of who they are. That passion comes from my background as a model, makeup artist, and stylist, where I learned how powerful presentation and self-confidence can be. Over the years, I realized it wasn’t just about outer beauty, but about helping women feel good from the inside out. Read More>>

Michael Marciano

I began playing guitar when I was 11 or 12. Just listening to other guys in school talk about music and live music, performing and getting together and jamming. It seemed intriguing to me and I wanted to be part of that rock ‘n’ roll music scene. It was late 80s. And Guitar was having a moment, of course. Read More>>

Bitota Mpolo

I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity of learning the craft of both filmmaking and acting at educational institutions. However, like most careers, you learn so much on the job. During my undergraduate degree, I scraped together the little money I had, alongside a couple of my peers, when I was studying abroad in Australia, and we made a little horror film. Read More>>