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.

Jai Surles

I started learning in my freshman year of high-school just watching fresh new people get in front of the class and perform. I did have the raw talent to act/perform, it was just more so how to manifest it and become better at learning the craft. I got better just by watching experienced people, somewhat experienced, and non-experienced people show their story of performing. You take in knowledge like a sponge, and always be open to learn no matter how much experience he or she has over or under you. Read more>>

Amanda Corcoran.

I’ve always loved Art, anything involving design. I have a degree in programming and worked as a High School teacher for 10 years, where I taught web design, among other computer technologies, before taking time to raise a family. I always knew I wanted a career in design. So when I got a new iPad Pro for Christmas 2018, I started working on making Art my career. Read more>>

Brandon Padayao.

The way in which I discovered what I do is simply a domino effect. One activity or idea lead to another and eventually brought me to the artistic output I have today. The most essential tools one could have in pursuit of creativity is the ambition to create, followed by the desire to learn. The wheel never stops and neither should we. If you want to succeed in any field, I think our main obstacle is ourself. Finding the discipline can be a challenge but is key to success. Read more>>

Trent Rowland

When it comes to songwriting, it really was a trial and error process for me. I found that I had a passion for it rather quickly and was able to channel my emotions into words with enough practice! If I had been better at playing the guitar, it probably would have gone smoother! But I think that my self-taught style really allowed me to think outside of the box and try some unique things a more learned player would not have. Read more>>

Larenz Harris

I learned to be a creator/artist by becoming more confident in my talents day by day. From young, I was always drawn to the arts and crafts, and performing arts as well. From learning ballroom dancing to taking ceramics, I would say I have a diverse palette when it comes to my talent in the arts. The only thing holding me back from starting earlier in terms of perfecting and pursuing a career in the arts lane was both confidence and societal norms. Read more>>

Jesse Crowell.

I started dabbling in filming and video editing when I was very young, no older than 12. I first started to pursue this because of what my hobbies were. At the time I was really into skateboarding and gaming. I started just as any other person would really. I would film what my friends and I were doing, and then I would turn that into something better and better each time. I would find tutorials to help me enable a new level of style and clarity to incorporate into the vision. Read more>>

Sushmita Malakar.

I have always been fascinated by drinks. Everything from flavour profiles to presentation seemed just magical to me. I think I have experimented with flavours (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) all my adult life. When I moved to Austin, I took a break from the corporate grind and decided to focus on my passion. It was a bold step because we have always been taught to study and work – sitting without a job was never on my list. I started experimenting, even more, styled drinks took pictures and shared them with the world. I have been a blogger and thus branching out to “drinks at home” on my blog and, eventually, Instagram was easier for me. Read more>>

Andria Rose

I’ve been writing ever since I was a little girl. I would always carry a notebook where I’d jot down poetry or journal entries. I always found the process of writing to be very therapeutic. When I was around ten years old, I started learning guitar and writing instrumentation and melodies to accompany my words. Oftentimes I’d stay up until the sun was rising just trying to finish a song I had started writing hours prior. Through trial and error, and figuring out what my creative process entailed, I eventually began to get better at my craft. Read more>>

Brad Mitchell

I actually had a well-known photographer in the triangle area reach out to me, not only because he is a fraternity brother of mine (Shouts out to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc) but also because he saw the “eye” that I had for the craft and wanted to assist me in honing my skills. Thanks, Tim Bowser!! I don’t regret the pace at which I learned photography. I believe everything happens for a reason. The skill that I always deem as most essential for photography is the basic understanding of lighting. Read more>>

Alex Greenwood

I’m one of those “show me how to do it once or twice, and I will catch on” guys. I have made it step one in my process to understand the project and look at how others have approached it. From there, it becomes a matter of sitting down (or standing up) and doing it. As a writer, I learned from my late grandfather, the author of books, articles, short stories, essays, poems, and plays for nearly 60 years. Besides teaching me the basics of storytelling, he instilled in me the discipline to write consistently and to read. I meet many people new to writing who don’t read. Today’s smartphones and five-second attention spans don’t help, but it is a discipline a writer must integrate. Read more>>

Eric Hemker

After 6.5 years of making knives, the number one contributor to learning this craft is the community. I started pretty slow, like a lot of people probably do, but over time I have been lucky enough to meet so many amazing people who are so willing to share their knowledge. YouTube was my first avenue for gathering the know how and inspiration to get started making knives but that only got me so far. At the time, there were quite a few knifemakers posting videos of knifemaking but it was a bit difficult to boil down the content to understand what was really important to be able to do this semi-successfully. Read more>>

Kelsey Boutte

I’ve been an artist my entire life, but when it came to pursuing a career in it I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go. I always loved theatre so I went to college to pursue my BFA in technical theatre. While in college I was required to take a stage makeup class. This was the first time I had been introduced to makeup as a career and had the opportunity to really explore it as a profession. I was instantly hooked and captivated by the possibility of pursuing a career in makeup artistry. Read more>>

Deidra Kling

There is no “faster” way to speed up learning. It’s a process by its very nature. You have to move through this process one day at a time and it never ends. I learned several ways on this road, research technical knowledge and the vast and ever swirling ocean of risk taking and failure. We learn more from doing and failing than we do from reading or being told what to do. There is no secret, or magic or way to speed it up, each journey is solely individual and up to the artist. Read more>>

Vibe Jonez.

I learned and developed my vocals officially around 2015. I’ve always enjoyed music and I would sing to myself at home in my living room when my parents weren’t around, but when it got to a point where all I could think about was performing and sharing apart of myself, the trajectory of how often I practiced increased. Read more>>

Quinn Temple.

Simply put, to reach this stage of the journey I have learned the most by experience, always wanting to challenge myself and knowing that there’s more to learn. Trial and error mixed with a desire to outdo my old self. I feel the experience in the game will always open your eyes more than anything else . I wouldn’t change a thing because my process has developed me into having my own voice and style, something that only I could have pulled out of me. Sometimes speed isn’t the best route I prefer to go at a calm pace which in some cases does result into being quicker than your past moments. Read more>>

Joe Howard

I began my photography adventure shooting on “Auto” mode, where the camera decides everything for you. I loved this mode as I found the camera to be extremely overwhelming at first. I actually had no interest in photography during high school, which is where some people usually take a photography class. I picked up my first camera a few months after high school, and I am a self taught photographer. The only professional help I’ve saught out was a workshop to Iceland in 2017 with two professional photographers who taught some of the core principles I use on a daily basis in my landscape photography. Read more>>

Brian Johnson

Well the only way to learn martial arts is to decide which martial arts best fits you and find a good instructor. Too many people think they can just go to the closest place to their house and become skilled. This isn’t true. You must find the art that is best for you not the art the art that is most convenient. Many people also think they can learn by watching the internet. I assure you that is a horrible mistake. Unless you train under a good instructor you will never know what a technique is supposed to feel like or where your flaws are. Would you be able to watch Gordon Ramsey cook a meal on t.v. and be able to describe what it taste like? Of course you can’t. Read more>>

Derrick Mullen

I think for me it was a matter of my gifts getting aligned with my ambition or let me say purpose. Once I identified my purpose, I had more ambition to learn this craft called “Filmmaking”. I guess if I had identified this sooner, maybe I could have speed up this process by going to film school. There, I would have established more of the skills firsthand and developed relationships that may have opened a few doors faster. Read more>>

Pattie Horwitz.

Everything I learned about being a professional artist was through observing successful artists on social media. I am voracious in asking questions and approaching this job with tons of curiosity. There can be no ego when it comes to starting a business. It’s all about learning from other people’s mistakes as well as your own. I listen to plenty of podcasts that focus on the business side of art and interact with as many artists as I can whenever I need help. Read more>>

Maurice Brown

When I was younger, I was highly imaginative. When I would play video games and watch movies, I would envision how I could express it creatively. I stumbled upon YouTube videos where I would see short films, film breakdowns, and montages. These made me wonder how they created these videos, which brought me to Adobe After Effects. During this time, I started learning Video Editing, which was a wonderful outlet because I could express my creativity through visuals and sound design to evoke emotions in the viewer. Read more>>

Kimaiya Hall

Although I’ve learned from music videos, then YouTube videos since the age of 3/4 I began formal dance lessons at the age of 11 with Zhanda Clarke at New Era Productions Dance Academy. I then went on to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. While there I also began training with various studios and choreographers in St.Louis MO. Read more>>

Addison Jarecki

Learning to be a sports photographer and produce sports media is definitely a huge learning curve with a lot of trial and error. It’s also a TON of learning along the way. Thankfully, by working in baseball, I got to be in an environment that allowed me to experiment, ask questions, and learn from other photographers and media professionals in the industry. I learned a lot about shooting, creating, and editing from other league photographers, creators online, and from asking questions. Read more>>

MAXX DBL X

I spent a lot of time practicing rapping styles I thought would fit my creative tastes. Usually, rapping to instrumentals was my go to. Sometimes I wish I would have been more serious earlier on so I would be further along by now but it is what it is I’m good with where im goin with it. The most important part besides natural talent is you gotta have a great work ethic. Read more>>

Sarah Rae Trammell

Music. One of the most coveted lines of work. An industry with just as many solutions as there are secrets. From a young age, my soul called to it. I would get on a stage in grade school, and it felt like my soul was set on fire. The atoms inside of my body shook fervently, and effortlessly. Adrenaline pumping. Shoulder down, head high. Of course I didn’t know what any of those feelings meant at that young of an age, but I knew I loved it. I took every class, turn, lecture, and setting I could to learn how to sing well, compose beautifully, and bare my soul to an audience. Read more>>

Jordan EuDaly

I have enjoyed working with my hands for as long as I can remember. I also have very early memories as a child playing on the computer, we are talking the good ole program ‘paint’ right up there with hearts and solitaire. So it makes sense to me now I am currently learning how to turn my fine art into surface design work. I’m thrilled to find this marriage between working with my hands and working digitally to turn my designs and art into fabric, packaging, and hopefully one day home goods, apparels, wallpaper etc. Read more>>

Pink Flamingo

I learned the art of being a clown at Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution here in Athens, GA. I started attending Rubber Soul when I moved here in 2014 to attend UGA. After a couple of years of practicing yoga, acroyoga, meditation, and clown school with the various teachers there, I decided to take up the 200-hour teacher training program called “Adventure Club,” directed by the owner, Dr. Cal Clements.. Read more>>

Jaiquai Wright

Well, it first started when I was maybe 10 years old. I would always rhyme, and freestyle to beats, or on apps I would find. I always enjoyed it and had fun with it. At the end of my senior year in highschool which is when I was 17, I started to take it seriously. I’m not sure how I learned to do it, I think it was more so a god given talent that I found out I had and run with it. Some things I could have done to speed up the learning process, probably would’ve been to not be so hard on myself on the beggining. While learning you have to be prepared to make mistakes, and learn from them. That is what builds character. Read more>>

Ashleigh Yancy.

The beginning of my design journey, started with my grandmothers. On my mother’s side, we made doll patterns out of Kroger bags and dresses out of pillowcases. On my father’s side, we flipped through fashion catalogs, and it sparked an interest in styling (and shopping) in me. Once I made it to high school, I had graduated to actual commercial patterns, the discovering of YouTube, and a used brother machine gifted by my parents. Throughout high school and college I dabbled in reconstruction (altering readymade pieces to create new ones), and learned the basics of simple seams, and button/zipper closures. Read more>>