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.

Sherry Adams Foster.

I started at my local night school taking 2 classes, one in oil and one in watercolor. Sometime later, I started classes at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Association, where I was, and remain, the worst in the class for several years. I tolerated this because I realized that I was happier painting than not, even when the results were not encouraging. Read more>>

TGC Johnny Stone

I learned to rap from writing poetry and watched my classmates freestyle in high school. Before rap, I had a true love for writing and telling my own stories. I wrote comic books filled with creative artwork and dialog about super heroes and villains. I learned to trust in my own ability at an early age and that mindset followed me to adulthood. When I write a rhyme, my background in story telling allow my words to have visualization with a strong feeling and tone. I don’t allow my pen game to be dusted and disgusted because I understand that words have power and I have a responsibility. Read more>>

Robin Sedivy.

How did you learn to do what you do? When I first started trying to produce music and engineer audio for my compositions, I lacked the basic fundamental knowledge a typical audio engineer or producer might have, even when they’re first starting. However, having a background in instrumental performance, reading music and training in both Western and non-Western styles gave me a head start in my creative mindset and in the artistic identity I put into my early productions. Read more>>

Caleb Lucas.

My creative journey started in 2012 when I was hired on at church as their creative assistant. I had never touched a camera, designed a single graphic, or ever imagined this would be the line of work I’d move into. Can y’all image the imposter syndrome I had back then! But sometime shortly after I was hired, my boss handed me a camera and told me to go learn how to use it. So, that’s what I did. I realized now that it was in that moment that my life was set on a creative trajectory. I quickly fell in love with the idea of creative expression which led me to graphic design, video editing, etc. Read more>>

Angelo Ray Martinez.

I studied painting in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Colorado Denver (Class of 2010) and then went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Class of 2016). In my education, I learned a lot of technical painting skills and developed my ability for conceptual thinking, but I feel that it wasn’t until after graduating that I really started making artwork with a more developed and authentic vision. Read more>>

Naomi Chaffee.

Stunts is a wild ride. There’s no “school” for stunts, and that’s why it can be hard to break into the industry. It’s all about who you know. When it comes to learning how to do stunts, a lot of folks take martial arts, gymnastics, or just train with stunt people. Once you begin to train with other stunt people, you learn what makes stunt fighting looks good compared to real fighting. Stunts is an exaggeration of the physical, so it’s hard to imagine why people thinking throwing real punches would look better on camera than trained stunt professionals who know how to use their bodies to appeal to cinema. Read more>>

Libby Bartley.

I studied advertising and copywriting at the University of Oregon, and soon jumped into the agency world after graduating. I’ve always had a heart for storytelling, so this career path felt aligned to my passions and interests, but I was forutnate early on in my career to be surrounded by brilliant writers and creative thinkers who could push the boundaries for outstanding work. Read more>>

Nicole Gable

I used a sewing machine for the first time 4 years ago. Growing up, I was around my grandmother and my mom who were experienced tailors. My Mom used to make us clothes as kids. I remember going to the fabric store with her to get material for a new outfit. She even made the bridesmaid and flower-girl dresses for my sister’s wedding. Back then, I was not interested in learning. I was too busy swimming and being a kid. Read more>>

Jon Shields

I learned to do what I do through a long line of very kind and generous teachers. Whether it was music, theory, lifestyle, career advice, or big choices and splitting directions; I’ve always had someone to ask and consult with. Namely my amazing parents, but I think there is something to learn from everyone. Every step of the way I’ve picked up pieces from my first guitar teacher to my college professors lecturing on the history of music. There is always something to learn, and the first thing I learned was to always be learning! That’s a lot of learning…. Read more>>

Stacey Malasky

I started drawing as a little kid. My Mom always encouraged us to pursue and practice art, and being an artist was the only career that I ever wanted since I was about 4 years old. I went to college for graphic design, as I knew that I would need to support myself once out of school and after college worked for a year at a newspaper doing ad corrections for 10 hours a day. At that point I realized that I hated graphic design but I had become pretty adept at using design programs and proof reading. Read more>>

Nicole Russell-Schlesinger

My introduction to ceramics came at a young age while I was attending Rollings School of the Arts. Though, I didn’t learn my love for the wheel until many years later as an adult. In 2012, I began to learn the mechanics of throwing from a master potter while I was simultaneously pursuing my career in teaching. Life, as it tends to do, got in the way and I stepped away from the craft. Read more>>

Erika Weathers

I first started taking classes at the Alliance Theater back in 2011 I worked with several teachers taking acting I, II, III and the film process. I learned the foundation of acting, the process and scene study. I got the acting bug and wanted to continue my training so I could start auditioning for indie projects to building my resume. I would find my own audition via acting sites even using Craigslist under gigs, love to act until I could get an agent who would get me auditions. Read more>>

Lily Salyer

I learned how to become a content creator and micro-influencer by growing up watching my idols doing this and then trying it out. I started by modeling for local photographers, then I’d use those pictures for my content. Then I started to realize I enjoyed sharing about my fashion and things I learn that I think to make life a little more exciting. Then from there, it was just a trial and error test and if it worked, I stuck with it. You learn that you have to be pretty flexible and willing to test things because things are always changing and there’s no clear-cut path to follow. Read more>>

Tanner Spreer

I learned graphic design mostly just by winging it. I created a band when I was 19 with my best friend and we needed album art, merch, posters, etc. I had a foundation of drawing and digital art growing up so I thought I’d put those photoshop skills to the test. As we toured I was lucky enough to trick other bands into giving me a shot at designing their merch as well. Read more>>

Robert Mohan

I actually got my first guitar when I was pretty young. I think I was about 7 or 8 (?). It was one of those things that I knew I wanted to learn because I was drawn to it. Sort of like this mystery that I wasn’t quite sure how to access…because I was so young, I just set it aside for a few years. There was a guitar in the house that I would sit in front of and pluck the strings without fretting the strings. Picking it back up again the second time around, it clicked for me. I started to learn simple chords and play along with songs I connected with. I was on the cusp of my teenage years so perfect timing to play music and write angsty songs. Read more>>

Asra Miracle.

Well I’ll start off by saying that I have always been a performer, I started ballet when I was three years old and started theater in kindergarten and did both on and off ever since. I learned how to sew when I was 10 and was head of the theatre makeup crew in high school, so combined with my performance skills when I was deciding what I wanted to do I really wanted to incorporate everything I have fallen in love with over the years into my work and to create art. Read more>>

Steve Teare

I’ve always enjoyed drawing animals in an anthropomorphic style. Some of my earliest drawings as a pre-schooler are of dogs or cats dressed up in human clothes, or of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. seven years ago, I was trying to start an illustration business of doing wedding portraits, but I was finding it difficult to get it moving. My wife said she couldn’t imagine commissioning a portrait of herself, but said she would pay good money to have artwork depicting her dog. Read more>>

Luke Demetry

When I decided to transfer schools to pursue production I had no idea what I was doing. I had never picked up an instrument and knew nothing about music theory. Luckily for me, it was the beginning of summer and I had nothing but time on my hands. So, I spent the next three months watching back to back tutorial videos on YouTube. I think YouTube is one of the most valuable resources out there and it sometimes gets overlooked as a way to learn a new skill. You can teach yourself to do anything with it if you can find the right video tutorial. Read more>>

Cierra Williams

Originally, I began watching other makeup artists as they applied makeup and walked through makeup looks- however, I began exploring different techniques and developing my own individual makeup styles. I am completely self taught although i have taken a couple makeup sanitation and basic service courses. Taking these classes a little sooner may have helped to expedite my process. Additionally, many MUAs begin in cosmetology school & thus begin their journey in makeup at a more developed stage. Read more>>

Cameron Kaiser.

I started off with photography. I think I got my first camera when I was around 15 years old. I enjoy doing photography for a couple years but I felt I was never really the best at it so I eventually got into videography. Once I started doing that more and more I really enjoyed the workflow of it. I think to speed up my learning process I could have Gone out more and practiced filming which I’d consider I did a lot but as any other creative artist knows That we all go through stages, where we are very unmotivated to go out and make projects. Read more>>

Jonah Ruffin

I have never really learned how to model, it was always something that naturally came to me. I have always had a love for being in front of the camera and expressing myself through photos. That’s how I knew that it was my passion and what I was meant to do. Speeding up the process of coming to the realization that modeling is my calling would have hindered the process. In order for you to fully be immersed and passionate about something it comes with a process, if you speed that process up it could take you places that you are not meant to be. Read more>>

Amy Deuchler

After taking a voiceover class at my local community college, I explored audiobook narration in more detail. This included me just diving in and learning what equipment I needed, how to create a good space for recording, and volunteering for Librivox, which provides recordings of public domain works. It was a lot of experimenting and trial and error; learning the DAW (digital audio workstation); exploring what made me unique and what genres I liked. Read more>>

Maurice McGee

I was always good at English in school, I use to love to read books, write my own stories. I literally was happy to pick up a pencil and just write. So I think having a love for English in school helped me realized that I could be an artist. I could have been more aware when I was younger that I wanted to be an artist, so I could have started earlier on my journey. Reading and writing for me. I always made sure my works were good. I was terrible at focusing Read more>>

Darryl Markette

I fell into songwriting by accident in 2007 when a childhood friend gave me his old guitar saying “Darryl you can really sing. Just teach yourself guitar & you never know what might happen.” If I could do it all over I would take guitar lessons verses just trying to figure it out. I have wasted thousands of hours learning the instrument the wrong way. For example I just recently had to re-learn the proper way to finger pick using the Travis picking method coined by guitar legend Merle Travis. Read more>>

Ramon Winters

I took several acting classes…Susan Batson, The company Acting Studio and Halo Models and Talent. Also I got involved in student projects and background work. I don’t think the process could have been sped up. In fact, I’m still learning. The most essential skills I’ve acquired would have to be the soft skills such as set etiquette, responding to casting calls properly etc. Read more>>

Stephen Blackmon

How did you learn to do what you do? Everything I have learned has stemmed from the need for creative and technical outlets to make use of what goes on in my head. Starting with photography, I knew before leaving high school and having spent time experimenting between my art courses and journalism class that it would be something I would pursue creatively. I started with disposable cameras and simply took pictures around the areas near our family farm and then around our quaint mainstreet areas. Read more>>

Nicholson Feldman.

Although I have a formal education in Filmmaking and Photography from Georgia State University, I mainly picked up what I know from a mixture of learning from my grandfather before he passed, as well as videos online. I picked up using a camera pretty easily, but some aspects still confuse me, like adjusting to the shifted parallel plane of a TLR or WLVF. That may never change for me, but we’re hoping for the best. Learning the rules of lighting and angles of composure are important, but when you’re developing your skills as a photographer, it is much more important to become comfortable behind the camera. Read more>>

Kiera Jamison

I mostly learned photography by practicing and playing with my camera and also I attended U of H photography and digital media program which taught me a lot about conceptual work. When it comes to the business aspect it really is a trail and error game. I personally wouldn’t have done anything to speed up the learning process I was exactly where I was supposed to be at the time I was supposed to be in it. Read more>>

Sierra Swan.

I began my journey pretty much the day I was born. My father is a singer/songwriter and my mother was a dancer/songwriter, so it was always around. I began taking it seriously when I was 15 and decided to start writing songs and practice playing piano and guitar way more frequently. I think we as people come around to our “destiny” when the time is right, so I would not change the timing of my journey. Read more>>

Victor Sawyer

I started playing music on trombone. in middle schools and went through a fairly traditional music training from middle school to high school to college and then in my master’s degree. The real nuance of getting better began when I no longer had an instructor and had to self-direct my learning. That’s where a lot of people fall off. I had to really become methodical in how I planned my practice. I had to develop categories for growth and create plans for each session so I can strive towards continuous improvement. Read more>>

Yvonne Frederick

Practice, practice, practice! I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I am fortunate enough to have had parents who fostered my growth as a creative by purchasing how-to books and art supplies. I took art classes throughout my middle school and high school years before furthering my education in college. In 2015, I received my BFA, with a focus in Painting, as well as my BA in Art History. Read more>>

Nikole Smith

When I first began designing glam bottles and wine glasses it was something I was interested in ,but didn’t know where to start. Of course we all turn to YouTube when trying something new, but it really didn’t help with what I was trying to accomplish. At the time I was working as an office manager, every Friday after work I would go to Micheals and purchase crafting supplies. Spending weekend after weekend practicing, I eventually taught myself through trial and error how to perfect my craft. Read more>>

Shannon Hartford

I learned to do what I do through experimentation. In my opinion, increasing the speed of learning isn’t as important as genuinely understanding the subject at hand. I believe that the creative process doesn’t need to be viewed as a race. The most essential thing to learn would be the appreciation of one’s own journey. This can be both a skill to learn and an obstacle to overcome, as many of us were taught to measure ourselves based off of what we are able to produce rather than what makes us happy. Read more>>

Bob Ross

1. The learning process initially started in the school environment with music classes and band class with a focus on trumpet. At the age of 14 I started playing guitar and pursued a self taught path until I started college. At that point I majored in guitar performance at Morehead State University and began formal lessons. I then continued on to receive a masters degree in Jazz Studies from The University Of The Arts. Read more>>

Allen Cooper

I graduate from Atlanta technical college with an Associate of Applied Science in Photography next month. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve sought a degree earlier in my life. I had to find a photography program that worked for me and my schedule. I work full time and I’ve been all time student since May 2020. Read more>>

Justin Jonson

To preface, I’ll be speaking on behalf of the band that I belong to, Justin & the Juicetones. When I was a young man, it was my life’s goal to master juggling and other common circus talents. However, due to the decline of the American circus circuit, I had to settle on playing guitar and writing songs. Which is still grand, but ain’t no circus. Thus, we’d like to be branded as an “entertainment act” rather than a band. Read more>>

Lorry Jamison

As a recent college graduate, entering the real world as an illustrator was fairly daunting. Without the structure or routine of a classroom, I wasn’t sure where to begin in continuing my creative practice. After the past few years of freelance illustration and drawing comics, I’ve learned a few tips that can instill more creative confidence and keep up a thriving creative mindset: Read more>>

The Not That Serious Podcast

Our podcast started over 5 years ago with 2 friends recording with a built-in laptop microphone. Over the last 3 years, we have grown to 7 members with a professional video and audio setup including a sound mixer, several dynamic microphones, multiple professional grade cameras, and many other audio and visual production accessories. Majority of our growth and advancement has come from countless hours of research into podcast equipment, learning the nuances of audio equipment and also a lot of trial and error. Read more>>

Daisy McClellan

I first learned punch needle from an artist teaching a workshop at my shop in San Francisco called gather. We had a workshop component of our business where we sought out local instructors to teach their craft to our customers. Punch needle had been having a resurgence in popularity but I wanted a teacher who has a modern take on it. Enter, Caroline Powell, of Punch Color Studio. After sitting in on the class I was immediately drawn in and started down the rabbit hole of learning everything I could about the craft. Read more>>

Zakiya Wiggins

My creativity started at home with drawing and painting. Birthdays and Christmases, my family would buy me art supplies – and eventually, I was drawing and painting them. The second semester of 9th grade, I decided that I wanted to pursue architecture. Since my school didn’t have any drafting classes, I took every art class available to me – two semesters of Printing & Graphics, Visual Art I through AP Visual Art, and two semesters of Sculpture & Ceramics. Read more>>

Linda Kinsman

I started blogging and creating content eleven years ago on a whim after reading about it online. I thought it sounded like a fun, creative way for me to share some of my thoughts as a work at home mom and to connect with a larger community while I raised my young daughters and worked part time as my husband’s administrative assistant for his small business. Read more>>

Dominique Lorae

I learned in the most practical and probably most expensive way, I went to college. Not initially for acting but I seemingly very quickly found myself there. I wish I would have realized that acting, playing, and telling stories for a living was what I really wanted to do all along but I know that I am a better actor and person for putting myself through that struggle and it makes me cherish what I do even more. Read more>>

Leslie Anne

As a creative, I express myself in many ways. This usually manifests as paintings, drawings, photography, and digital artwork. I don’t limit my creative expression. It’s all art to me. As a self taught artist, my painting skills have progressed and improved naturally over the years. I have studied famous artists and contemporary artists and am constantly inspired, which pushes me as an artist. My practice is experiemental, curious, and self-reflective. I create art to convey certain concepts and encapsulate times in my life, but it is first and foremost, an emotional expression. Read more>>

Cassidy Drace.

I started my journey with Esthetics school back in 2014. While there, I was first introduced to the option of permanent makeup. I knew immediately that was the route I wanted to take for my career. I will admit, it took me a few years after graduating esthetics school to actually take the plunge and enroll in a microblade course. Looking back, I wish I would’ve started the second I graduated school but unfortunately the only thing that was holding me back was myself. Read more>>

Richard Pickett

I have been yoyoing for almost 20 years. I started crafting my skills when I was 16 years old. I was constantly bullied in school to a point where I would literally cry and be afraid to get up in the morning to go to school. Its in those moments when I was alone and with my thoughts that I was able to put it into tricks. I would carry my yoyos with me wherever I go and just practice. I would look on the internet or message boards and talk to yoyo players from around the world teaching me these incredible tricks. I am forever grateful to them. Read more>>

Annette Baker

When I began my career in 2011 as a bather at a corporate grooming salon, I never thought I would land where I have. I remember seeing the fancy tables, the equipment that all the senior groomers had and watch in awe as they turn a messy, dirty dog into something that sparkles, no matter what breed or condition, these women found a way to make every dog shine in their own way. As a dog lover myself, I was suddenly in love with all things grooming. I spent hours after work making bows for my clients, buy stickers for their report cards and I even saved puppy hairs for the parents. Read more>>

Helen Nichols

For my undergrad program I majored in illustration, where I learned the business side of being an artist, which is half the battle. I currently work on a freelance basis and have an online store for my work, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t learn about taxes, rates, contracts, invoices, etc. etc. While I’m pretty averse to financial/bookkeeping topics, I think those more behind the scenes skills are essential and most important when it comes to making money for yourself. Read more>>

Jeff Stauffer

One thing I did right when I decided to pursue a career in country music was realize just how much I did not know. I began to seek out material to educate myself on all aspects of the music business from music production to social media. The difficulty with that was learning who to listen to. The internet is full of “noise.” So many people telling you what to do and pretending to be experts. It took me a while to decide who I was going to listen to-who were the pretenders and who was actually an expert. After I figured some of that out, I actually started making progress. Read more>>

Bianca Mcleod

With any new skill, to me personally, it’s important to start from behind the scenes and do a lot of research. I spent a lot of time just reading (to this day) and memorizing certain key terms that were common in the field I was trying to emerge more into. I use to enjoy reading articles that typically were published 20+ years ago because with technology advancing, I think many ways learning, are shortened and made easier to do, which is okay but I like to adapt to both old and new ways in some cases. Read more>>

Glenn ONeal

I began trying things out on my own with very little knowledge what it is that I was supposed to do. Then, after making a few mistakes along the way I began taking what I learned and using that plus hours of research by research, I spent a lot time on Google reading articles and studying and watching lots and lots of YouTube tutorials. If I could go back. I would have watched a lot of YouTube videos first before even attempting to paint on the shoe. Those videos and articles are pretty much. what helped me expand beyond just painting sneakers. Read more>>

Dope Chris Taylor.

How did you learn to do what you do? Singing along with my favorite songs from other artists. Not just rap music, but any song that resonates within me. Trying to feel the same emotion that they had when they sing/rap their song. Once I started creating songs, I tried to fill my music with those same emotions. Read more>>

Michelle Perez

During my time in obtaining my business degree, I took an internship with my friend who owned a tattoo shop. I came into the shop with zero experience and had no clue to what I was doing or where to start. The first couple weeks I wanted to cry myself to sleep. I buckled down and learn everything there is to know about tattooing and piercings. I learned the craft from building a tattoo machine to the art of piercing. Ina year period of time I was managing 5 shops and highly successful at maintaining the business. I now own my own tattoo boutiques that are located in 3 of NC malls and one standalone shops with hopes of moving on to my next projects of more shop and a convention. Read more>>

Kyle Francis Chua

I learned to do what I do through logo challenges that I encountered online and gaining basic knowledge on Graphic Design from my college degree. Knowing what I know now, I think approaching mentors or people that specialize in the craft could have sped up my learning process. Reading and absorbing knowledge from books would also be a huge help because success leaves clues. Read more>>

Remondia Atwater.

After being approached by.a manager at Ashley Stewart in Macon,Ga former Colonial Mall to participate in their local fashion event. I earned modeling by enrolling in a model group and researching plus size modeling in the Atlanta scene. If, I knew then, versus what I know now, I would have invested into a licensed legitimate modeling agency. The skills that were most essential were proper runway walking, posing classes, makeup tips, Model etiquette and industry networking. Read more>>

Haily Bartlett

TL;DR The trifecta of a quality design education is mentorship, opportunity, and time. Everything I know now stems from a life-long love of art and observing the world around me. I was always a creative and curious kid. Having parents, teachers, and friends that supported my passions allowed me to explore different avenues of art and design which ultimately led to a love and appreciation for graphic design (a career field I didn’t even know existed until I graduated high school). Read more>>

Alex Mars

Across the board, most of my tasks are related to media, management, and marketing. I learned how to design websites when I was in elementary school when my dad gave me one of his old HTML books (I kept saying I was bored), I started to work in Marketing in high school and went on to study it a bit in college, and with management – I had to figure it out because, in college, I was trying to do so many things at once and wanted to feel more ease of mind while balancing so many things. Read more>>

Erik Blume

I have been a hobby photographer since late high school and a professional for about 9 years now. Most of the basics of photography I learned just by using my tools and creating early on. I think it’s easy to be a photographer but hard to be great and stand out. The market is so flooded now with photographers so finding a way to be different can be super daunting. Most of my learning path was centered around that: standing out. What were people doing around me and what weren’t they doing? Find out that gap and run with it! Read more>>

Lyssandra Gallup

I was first introduced to clay in high school. I loved playing with the material but I also had the desire to make art out of anything. I moved on to getting a BFA in sculpture, taking ceramic classes here and there when I had time in my school schedule. However, it wasn’t till I was taking some elective ceramic classes at the local community college here in Austin that I saw significant technical progress. After those two classes, everything else that I have learned has been self-taught, and it has been a lot! Read more>>

Jackson Orta

Well, to be honest, it started with Youtube. I spent…oh I don’t even know how many hours watching Youtube videos on everything I wanted to know about photography and that amount grew to even more as I went into editing. So I really have to owe it to that (my knowledge). However, I have to also note college has been a big benefactor to my work as well. I am a full time student and full time creator (don’t ask me how that math checks out). I of course, looking back on it, see all the things I did wrong. I think when you enter an industry that you care greatly about you really want to impress and make your mark, Read more>>

Whitney Branan.

I think I came into consciousness as a human spinning, twirling, creating. There are pictures of me when I was little in outrageous outfits (completely mismatched late 80’s and early 90’s leopard and neon spandex workout gear, oversized sunglasses, my mom’s heels, scrunchies, leg warmers… you name it, playing on a fake piano in the back yard, swimming in an igloo cooler, putting on shows for no one.) Read more>>

Rakaiya Arae’

I had really great friend who was a very talented tarot reader. I was harassing her for weeks for readings, but one day she told me that we are both gifted and I should invest in my own deck. That was a little over two years ago, and the day after I bought my first tarot deck at The Honey Pot in Little 5 Points. My first few readings were personal and I learned so much from the book included with my tarot deck as well as simple researching. I shared my personal readings with my friend and she was so proud of me and suggested I started doing small readings for friends. Read more>>

Lady Jeni.

Having never created anything artistic, I had doubted myself. I always thought real art was something you had to spend years studying, learning techniques, choosing a style and perfecting it. Then I learned that art is freedom, it can be about whatever you want it to be. I learned that some of the greatest art created was that which challenged our preconceived ideas of what art ‘should’ be. Read more>>

Noel Greene

Just in terms of songwriting, it’s really cool seeing how far I’ve come as a writer. I started this band when I was just a kid around 12 or 13 when I was really getting into the genre of punk as a whole and it’s just wild to see how much I’ve grown when taking into consideration life experience and also different musical influences I can really sink my teeth into. Whenever I hear something new and it really resonates with me and fuels my creativity so now I can kinda draw from a number of different influences Read more>>

Daphne Boder

I have always been artistic and took art classes privately. In college I didn’t have the nerve to be an art major until my junior year. If I could do anything, looking backward, it would have been to have begun my college career as an art major. I think having that solid foundation would have propelled me forward a bit faster. I think having a good working knowledge of different mediums would be helpful. Post college, the obstacles would be having the education and workshops necessary to learn as much as possible. Read more>>

Melinda Fine

I have learned with formal instruction but also by doing, imitating and experimenting. I earned an MFA in Creating Writing (UNC-Greensboro ) in short fiction. That training taught me how to construct the narrative which has carried over into the art of collage. I had graduate training in graphic design (NCSU School of Design). Design education teaches visual literacy, how to interpret a problem into a visually effective design, the meaning of signal, noise, symbol and nuance. Design solves a problem visually, and I approach collage in that manner. Read more>>

Elizabeth Nolen

I learned to do what I do by intuitively responding to an unknown, yet reverberating energy to paint and to write poetry. There is nothing I could have done or wanted to do to speed up my learning process. My creative expression is gift; it is a thin space where the Divine and I meet. The skills per se most essential to my work were my willingness to be open and receptive to respond to the call to create. I quickly learned to balance my creative LIFE to include time for my creative practice. It is my prayer. Read more>>

Bro Calvin D Tucker Jr

I learned singing in church and through my family. Once I got older, my high school music teacher Mr. Miller gave me my first solo on the freshman boys chorus. It was “A Song For Mama” by Boyz ll Men. This experience helped me see what my dream would be like of actually being a professional recording artist. During my high school career I served on 10 choirs, strengthening my voice and my event planning skills. Read more>>