One of the most daunting aspects of pursing a creative or artistic career for many aspiring artists is not knowing how to learn the craft. So, we asked some very talented artists and creatives to talk to us about how they learned their crafts and we hope their stories will help you in your journey.

Durba Sen

I am a self taught artist. Visiting art galleries, museums and artists’ open studios opened my eyes to the vast span of art, its different genres and styles. Growing up in India, I took perfunctory art classes for a couple of years. My interest in the Arts sparked over that time, but pursuing it came to a stop, due to a variety of reasons. Read more >>>

Mariana Ocejo

I’ve always been very creative and curious, and for as long as I can remember I’ve loved art, whether it was painting, drawing, or collaging. Even though I didn’t study graphic design formally and instead majored in music business and later marketing, I always found myself drawn back to visual arts. Read more >>>

Abigail Heather

I started learning about photography back in high school. My little brother was always into sports and staying active, while I was more drawn to creative pursuits like music and art. My parents had bought a beginner-level camera to take pictures of him at his baseball games, and that’s when I fell in love with photography. Read more >>>

Jeff Rose

There was a point in the summer of 2007 when my band of a few years had broken up and one of the members and I put all the money we had into making a record with some guys who ended up not delivering what we paid them for. After that discouraging experience, we decided to figure out how to record ourselves from scratch. Read more >>>

Sanaa Venkateswar

My sewing journey began at a very young age, thanks to my mum, who was both a big influence and my first teacher. She had a natural sense of style and always enjoyed making her clothes. She encouraged me to get involved and taught me the basics to build my life skills—simple stitches and threading a needle. Read more >>>

Lania Kayell

I worked as a background performer and participated in film related internships. Interning with a professional director and acting coach allowed me to develop my skills from both sides of the camera. I was able to build my portfolio and even produce my first comedy short film. I earned a certificate and letter of recommendation. Read more >>>

Anna Wilson

Illustration and making art were early tools for me, learning visual expression as part of a process of emoting. There were quite a things I had questions about growing up in the wild city of New Orleans, smack dab in the deepest part of the South. Read more >>>

Chi Quach

I was fortunate to enroll in one of the best—and few—User Experience Design programs in the country. The courses at SCAD tailor closely to what the industry is looking for. It’s fair to say that SCAD helps students feel prepared and confident stepping into their professional paths. Outside of school, having a community that’s passionate about the craft of design is important too. Read more >>>

Mayah Lourdes Burke

I’d been directing people around before I knew what directing was – I was always put in leadership positions in school, the head of projects and clubs, and an assistant teacher in the dance studio I grew up in by the time I was 13. Read more >>>

Yzabelle Onate

I started experimenting with Instagram when the platform first launched — I was fascinated by the creativity it allowed, from filters and angles to the way a single image could tell a story. Over time, what began as curiosity turned into a craft. Read more >>>

Ani Kyd Wolf

Everything I have done, whether it’s music or visual media I have learned on my own through research, development, trial and error. Failure is learning. It’s a true chance to look at things from a different angle, pivot and either try again or try something new but with the same end goal in mind. Read more >>>

Balex.mp3

I’ve been a student of music for the past 15 years. I started learning the saxophone in 2011, 5th grade band class. I experienced the power of different pieces playing in unison with one another, and spent the following 8 years refining my abilities. After high school I laid down the saxophone in favor of the bass and guitar. Read more >>>

Deeba Montazeri

I have always played piano since I was a kid so music was never a foreign concept to me. In my teenage years, I started practicing simple transcription of some of my favorite film scores but still never considered composing as a legitimate career path. Read more >>>

Gary John La Rosa

Working in the theatre has been an extremely rewarding yet challenging career. A passion of mine since I was a young child, I did not have a lot of guidance in how to pursue my goal. My aspiration was to be onstage — where glorious stories are told. The lights go dim and suddenly you are transported to another place and time. Magic! Read more >>>