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.

Zander Cannon

At one point in my career, I was not getting very much comics illustration work at the publisher I had contacts with. I had done plenty of work in the past, but my style was not what they were looking for most of the time. Read More>>

Hailey Hudson

I spent a lot of time alone when I was little. I watched a lot of movies/TV, but what that made the real difference was my exposure to online fan-fiction. I wrote an insane amount of fan-fiction, which helped me on a craft level, and also showed me the connective quality of a good story. Read More>>

Emily Stratton

Focusing in on Vertical Dance (aka wall dancing/running), I first experienced the joy of dancing on a wall during a creation residency I was attending at the Irish Aerial Creation Center. Although I was there to create new work on my invented aerial apparatus, the ring trapeze, I left with an insatiable need for more time flipping and floating on walls. Read More>>

Dalal Aljassim

Most disciplines grow inward, toward deeper specialization. I got interested in what happens when you graft them at the edges, joining two very different systems so they grow as one. The technique changes every time. What connects strategy to design looks nothing like what connects design to technology. Read More>>

Spida Guru

Trying and failing, trying and losing. Trial and error honestly. The most essential thing of all for creatives I believe in is repetition .I wouldn’t rush the process in learning something because sometimes moving too fast can make you miss important things in the beginning. That can also be an obstacle from learning more things in the long run the tortoise beats the hare. Read More>>

Derek Lott

I got an opportunity from James Baldwin, Tailor for over 30 years in Philadelphia, let me design freely with each new client, designing & measuring for each custom piece which he later stated ‘I had the gift, I just need to learn the business.’ There was nothing that could’ve got me to this point faster except operating from a business mindset than creative. Read More>>

Ariella Peskin-Owens

I believe the ceramic art is a practice. The same discipline is needed for learning a new language, pursuing meditation or any new skill. When I get on the wheel or sit down at a table to sculpt I am not plugging in a program or flipping a switch. I am using every cell in my body to physically create through movement and touch.  Read More>>

Cardiac Da Pulse

To be honest i learned majority of it through trial and error and learning from others. I remember i use to watch guys who were more decorated and more popular artists than me. I used to watch them record and I actually learned how they did there adlibs way differently than mine. Read More>>

Carter Shilts

I’m grateful to be in a band of people who’ve taken a wide range of routes to making the music that we do. My approach boils down to really taking note of the styles and strengths of all the inspiring people I get to cross paths and work with. They’re all doing something right. Read More>>

Lauren Goetz

I learned how to create my creations with pure curiosity, a little magic, and sometimes luck! Tutorials taught me how to start making adorable things, like flower pendants, especially for UV resin jewelry! Many creations seemed like failures and were trashed, but they were honest mistakes; too little of this and too much of that, mostly. Read More>>

Venkat Sai Gunda

I’m largely self-taught, driven by curiosity and obsession with storytelling. I started by consuming films deeply, not just watching but analyzing structure, emotion, and visual language. Over time, I learned by doing, making projects, failing, refining, and collaborating with people across different disciplines. My background in technology also helped me develop a structured way of thinking, which I apply to filmmaking and entrepreneurship. Read More>>

Savittree Arnold

How did I learn?: I learned by doing, went to classes, workshops, training activities, and also teaching others. To speedy up the learning process and also obstacles ….. I think it can be done with putting more of my dedication by giving more time and energy which is really hard to do as a business owner and a co-parent mom. Read More>>

Patricia Morella Segura

Most of what I’ve learned comes from working in illustration and animation. Two areas I’ve grown into through a lot of hands-on experience and time spent figuring things out as I went. It wasn’t a perfect or structured path, but it was very real, and it shaped how I approach my work today. Read More>>

Alexander Hammett

I learned through many bumps along the road that it takes patience and confidence in yourself to make strides in filmmaking. You can easily get caught up in seeing the progress in others without knowing the steps they had to take and think what you are doing is wrong. In all actuality, everyone’s journeys look different. Read More>>

Leonard Rosemond

I learnt hands on experience I saw my older cousin one day writing in his journal and I asked him wat he doin cuz and he responded with writing rhymes. I always been a fan of music since a child but that was sumthing new for me that got me started on my journey as a writer/rapper. Read More>>

Yifan Lyu

I recently graduated from the editing discipline at the American Film Institute, where I built a solid foundation through both structured training and hands-on projects. During those two years, I worked on multiple projects such as cycle films, visual essays, and thesis films, which created a continuous cycle of practice, feedback, and refinement. Through these experiences, I developed my editorial instincts. Read More>>

Sia Fang

I learned interior/spatial design and event production, both from different jobs and internships that I took when I was a fashion design student. Most of those experiences happened in Paris and Shanghai, but I worked with very international agencies since I was young. Read More>>

Nathan Timmel

The only way to become a stand-up comedian is to get on stage. Full stop. I see ‘instructors’ selling courses, or master classes, or books, or offering all sorts of advice, but the only way to become a stand-up comedian is to get on stage, tell jokes, and discover who you are as a performer. Read More>>

Darci Monroe

I went to college for Marketing in Minnesota but then took a detour, moved to California and became a nanny. While nannying I would draw little pictures and keep a record of everything the kids did during the day so the parents would feel informed and connected. Read More>>

Luanda Wiggins

It all started at the beginning of the pandemic. My late son Paris was a talented person. He drew and wrote stories. So because he couldn’t be around family and friends much during this time I wanted to introduce him to painting on canvas. But he made it perfectly clear that he was not interested. Read More>>

James Chery

I originally started learning photography I’n college. I attended a Digital Photography class and they had us buy a camera in order to attend the class. So I went on Amazon and bought the most affordable camera I could find. I got a Canon Rebel T1i and learning how to use it was extremely difficult. Read More>>

Jim Sweeney

After getting into ceramics, I was introduced to raku and was immediately drawn to the surface design. There’s something about the unpredictability of it that hooked me right away, and it’s now the primary way I create my work. Most of what I learned came from going down research rabbit holes—books, online resources, tutorials, blogs, and talking to other artists. Read More>>

Mischka Ippolita

My grandmother was an artist as well, and she had a workshop where she taught me and my siblings to draw and paint when we were kids. When I entered my 20s, I decided to pursue a formal career and study Arts, but I must say that regarding what I actually do today, I’ve learnt the most being an autodidact. Read More>>

Anna Carolina Bastos

I started learning production sound mixing during my time in film school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My friend had a simple set up: two lavaliers that connected to her phone and a boom kit that connected to a Zoom recorder. It was a very DIY way of working, but it made the process feel accessible and fun! Read More>>

Ronald Jones II

How did you learn to do what you do? I learned through a mix of experiences, curiosity, and hands-on involvement rather than formal training. I have always been drawn to African pieces that tell a story and objects that carry history, identity, and cultural meaning. Read More>>

Paris Lewis

I’d say I learned photography in layers. In the very beginning, my dad taught me the absolute basics. He’s actually the reason that I got into photography in the first place. Since then, it’s truly just been a lot of trial and error. I spent time looking at different resources, watching YouTube videos, and just experimenting on my own. Read More>>

Jessica Smith

Writing was never something I consciously “learned.” It’s a natural part of who I am, it’s my gift, my innate voice. At seven years old I got my first diary. I’ll never forget how excited I felt to have my own private outlet in the form of a diary with a lock, to express my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. Read More>>

Durrell Lyons

Before becoming an actor, I was a Spoken Word Poet and Software Engineer. The format of poetry events in Savannah, GA where I started was different than that of Atlanta. Atlanta introduced the concept of featured performers, instead of just a 5 minute time slot like everyone else, now I get to work with 20, but poems are 3 minutes long. Read More>>

Jason Smithson

I learned by going out and doing it. I spent hours in my room making noises, seeing what sounds good on the mic. No one is born the best artist alive. It comes from repetition and trying to do better than the last time. I become a great performer by taking notes and constantly performing. Read More>>

Eleanor Rahim

I chose to study graphic design rather than fine art because it made sense at the time to study a subject that would get me a job after college. In hindsight, design skills have helped me in many ways including with my art for both marketing and composition. Read More>>

Dylan Parra

I learned everything I know musically by ear and by watching YouTube videos over and over again until I could figure it out. It also helps that I grew up with a father that was in a popular band so I was around it my whole life to begin with. Read More>>

Lars Nelson

Music was always in my house growing up. My Dad was a choral director, working musician and songwriter. Exploring the mysterious world that local radio held was an amazing process of discovery. I also loved digging into my parents’ records and then from the age of around 7 starting my own album collection. Read More>>

Camilla Monk

How did you learn to do what you do? There is but one way to learn how to write, and it is to read first. I was a voracious reader from my early childhood and began experimenting with creative writing around age 10. By the time I reached my teens, I, of course, went through a fanfiction writing phase. Read More>>

Katie Cassin

My favorite way to learn as a photographer is through model calls. Model calls are when you put together a photo shoot that forces you to practice the technique you’re attempting to learn. The goal is to set yourself up so the subjects of your session are there for you rather than the other way around. Read More>>

Jonathon Shields

Work revolving around a musical instrument is a lifetime pursuit. Can anyone really become perfect on an instrument? Or know EVERYTHING there is to know about an instrument? That’s not even considering the vast amount of music/sounds you can get out of an instrument! All that said, when you go into music, you’re going in for the long haul. Read More>>

Drake Chiesa

My name is Drake Chiesa. I’m a designer, artist, and tattooer who’s been creating since childhood. My earliest memories of creating were drawing my favorite movie covers and painting all over my closet doors in high school. I learned through trial and error, constantly pushing myself to improve. I began tattooing under my mentor Jake Underwood, where I learned the discipline of the craft. Read More>>

Callie Lawrence

Similarly to many other photographers, I am 100% self taught, meaning I did not go to school to become a photographer. I picked up a camera during covid and decided I wanted to take pretty photos of my animals and to do that, I needed to learn how to use the camera. Read More>>

Charlie Tebow

I learned my craft initially by looking up Youtube videos of the impressionist painting styles, brush strokes, and pallette knife techniques and taking cheap art classes online. I found paintings that excited me and practiced creating shapes, colors, composition, and all of it. Read More>>

Turquoise Farries

I’ll be honest, my journey into graphic design didn’t start in the most traditional way. I was once a church secretary who, despite having a bit of a bold personality, consistently created some of the most polished and well-received programs. Let’s just say… my delivery had a little edge, but my work was always on point. Read More>>

Jaylen Mendoza

I’ve always been big into music. From a young age loving sounds and how certain songs made me feel. It’s always been a huge part of my love for music. I will always credit my friends for pushing me to start making beats. Read More>>

Ariel Sides

With my injury in 2024, discussed in my last interview, I’ve really been focusing on healing and finding a potential new direction, in case my knee is never strong enough to go back to sea. Read More>>

Omar Adem

Before I started learning, I had to LIVE which I will never stop doing until six feet deep. The late great Alan Rickman said in regard to training was to ‘visit art galleries, listen to music, watch the news, etc and develop your taste and judgment so your imagination will have something to bounce off’. I was learning the whole time. Read More>>

Garrett watson

I think this all began back in 2019, before Covid grounded many of us. As an actor, I was traveling to Atlanta Georgia every Sunday – 3 hours of sleep after I got done working at the night club I was a door guy at. Read More>>

Kyronn Cordner

I learned the foundation of cooking at a very early age from my dad. Later on I worked under some well notable and experienced chefs in NYC & NJ( Alex Gorant, Einat Admony, George Georgiades and Jamie Knott) whom I learned a lot from. I had a plan so I honed my skills working under these high caliber chefs and their teams Read More>>