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.

Annie Bovitz.

I started playing around with photography at a very young age, doing photo shoots with my friends and our point-and-shoot cameras around the city we grew up in. I bought my first DSLR camera around the age of 18, as I was about to leave for a year-long study abroad stint in Dijon, France. During my time in Europe, I learned lots about architectural photography, and continued to expand my camera knowledge into portraiture and culinary photography. Read more>>

Andrew Taveras

I would say I’m self-taught in everything that I do, but there were many people & experiences that I was able to learn & pull from. Coming out of high school, I picked a music major (thinking that I wanted to be a musician). That didn’t last long. I dropped out in a month and ended going to Youtube University lol I would watch how-to & DIY videos all the time. Read more>>

Gerian Johnson.

My home growing up felt like it was just built for a creative. There were instruments everywhere. Drums, bass guitar, piano, you name it. My brother, cousins, and I formed a band and we called ourselves YPC (Young People for Christ). We used to tour around the city of Cincinnati to different venues like the Cincinnati Museum Center, Eden Park, and Sawyer Point. Some of my earliest memories include performing as the musicians and background singer for Annie Ruth. Read more>>

Karly Murphy

I think as an artist, the learning never really stops, and the process and journey and failures are so essential to growth and a full understanding of the craft. I learned how to press flowers entirely by trial and error, first by tucking some of my summer blooms into a book, and then researching how to build a proper flower press, then pressing thousands upon thousands of blooms. So many variables contribute to the final results, and then turning those pressed flowers into artwork is an entirely separate challenge. Read more>>

Terrance Diggs.

I originally learned apparel design by doing freelance work in college. My freshman and sophomore year I was doing apparel design for brands in Maryland from music to streetwear. If it was a graphic tee, a hoodie, a hat. I could do it. I remember doing a project for my cousin, Logicoma, doing concert merch. That was the first time I was able to sit down with printer, use my skills from Towson University about working in print to make sure the product came out perfectly. Read more>>

Lindsey Wing.

I am completely self-taught and have learned through trial and error, a little bit of YouTube and stretching real far back to a fine metals class I had as a Senior in Highschool (longer ago than I like to admit!). This means a whole lot of melted metal, some cracked stones along with a few curse words and tears. Read more>>

Molly Sharp

Being a full-time jeweler has been a dream of mine for over 45 years. I finally realized my dream about 25 years ago, but it wasn’t easy. Many jewelers study metalsmithing at the university level obtaining a bachelors or even masters degrees in the subject. Not me. I sort of came in through the back door, so to speak. Read more>>

Anna Haddock.

I think the most valuable lesson when it comes to learning a craft is, progress over perfection. I did so much learning by taking any steps I could, rather than waiting to say yes only when I felt I had perfected a skill or was equipped enough. You truly do learn as you go! I love to say yes to as many opportunities as I can handle, because learning with hands-on practice and networking has helped me grow time and time again. Read more>>

Steve Condon

My wife cajoled me into learning to paint based on my other interests and hobbies, though I disliked it at first. She got me started on the path with a couple of well thought out Christmas gifts. I would have tried to be more consistent early on, but my interest ramped up over time. Being more consistent now has accelerated my learning, even if it can still be a challenge. Read more>>

Earlisia Petty.

A lot of practice, patience, and mistakes! Candle making is truly a science (can be very complicated) and a lot of trial and error. Once you narrow down the specifics of the type or wax, wick, and fragrance you want to use it gets easier. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in candle making. The testing and development stage is extremely important for safety and performance. Read more>>

Sade Young.

The funny thing about being a content creator or social media manager is that you will never stop learning. I consider myself knowledgeable, but it’s so hard for me to call myself an expert. That could also be my imposter syndrome talking, but it’s true. Read more>>

Amy M. Le.

It all started after my mom passed away and I quit my corporate career to mourn. After a couple of months, I was called to write my mother’s story to keep her memory alive and honor her legacy. I wasn’t a writer and knew nothing about publishing. The first thing I did was take an online course with modules on how to write fiction. I chose fiction because I wanted to take liberties of incorporating the Vietnamese diaspora and refugee experience then dovetail those stories into my mom’s. Read more>>

Dawn Lombard

In the early years, my glass bead work was clearly the work of a novice as was my jewelry. In looking back at images now, I cannot believe that I pushed myself to evolve because that ‘body of work’ just looked like there was no artist in me. I enjoyed what it was I was doing but the beauty that was in my head was not being executed through my hands; that didn’t change until I found my gift in the art of enameling and metalworking many years later. Read more>>

Isaac Couch

I am self taught. Everything I technically know how to do, I taught myself through videos online and the occasional book recommendation. I spent a lot of time in the costume shop on the University of Kentucky’s campus. I would spend hours there before and after class just learning the ins and outs of apparel construction. I would make my own clothes from scratch, I would design myself capsule collections for trips, and I would dress friends and models. Read more>>

Dan Petti

I’ve been playing guitar, various stringed instruments, and piano for most of my life. I’ve always been most interested in songwriting specifically, and expressing myself through music. I’ve been in Rock, Metal, and Jazz bands, but I found my biggest passion in Country and Folk. I am always learning and trying to get better, and collaborating and co-writing with others is extremely important to me. I started this current project back in 2020, and have released 8 songs up till now. Read more>>

Amy Camie, CCM

Having the ability and learning the skills to hone a craft takes time, persistence, and a commitment to creating what you are inspired to bring forth into form for others to experience. Developing my craft of unique self-expression that builds bridges of compassion within and around us, has been, and continues to be, a journey of self-discovery. Read more>>

William Maciolek

The boring but important part of it all. Education is great but learning on the job is the best. Winging it and watching Youtube is vital for learning the basics, and then you take your craft in your own direction from there. Watch episodes about how your favorite podcasters make shows and record interviews, and then while editing your own work, every time you come across a problem google how to fix it. You slowly learn a lot of editing techniques from background noise cancellation to audio filters to little tricks that are hard to explain over text. Read more>>

James Hatem

I am blessed to work in an area where I am constantly learning. As a guitarist I practice and listen to music for new inspiration every day. From that, I get to explore melodies and lyric ideas as a songwriter. The nice thing about music is that you will always have something to practice and always have room to improve and grow at your craft. Read more>>

Katherine Parfet.

I started working in the art world in 1970 when I started a needlepoint design business, creating custom work for shops, private clients and churches and synagogues. The creative process called for was all “inside the box” – very controlled, well planned out, meticulously painted on a grid format. There was no room for spontaneity. So when I retired and opened an art studio the one thing I knew I wanted to do was to have no plan, to use no references, to just feel my way around each painting.  Read more>>

Peyton Fennell.

I don’t believe a master of photography exist. I think it is a forever evolving art form and means of documentation that requires you to always be a student. Some things come naturally for me when behind the camera – however, I learned the most from experience. Trying new things that I haven’t seen done yet, or trying to re-invent what I have already seen be done. I also attend Youtube University like most self taught photographers, do not sleep on the tools available on that platform FOR FREE! Read more>>

Arkidelik.

I learned mostly by watching others. I always had ideas, but didn’t fully understand how to express them musically until I started sitting in on studio sessions learning the gear, terminology, and the whole process of making a record. Read more>>

Dovile Mikalauskaite .

I brought a very nice macrame bracelet at the music festival that i really liked, but lost it the same evening. And I just heard my own voice in my head saying that i should try to make my own. Festival ended, I came back home and i still remembered that voice. So i decided to try, “how hard can it be” I thought to myslef. My first attempt was not very successful but i really enjoyed the process and decided to keep learning. Read more>>

Catrece Ann Tipon.

I always had a short-term memory growing up. My ADHD made it hard for me to stay in the moment and enjoy the present, but a camera changed that. I was able to take a picture and go back to it to remember the memory with my mom’s flip phone camera. Read more>>

Brittney Green

Drawing and art in general has been a very natural skill for me. I’ve been drawing consistently since I was 3, so I’m not really sure how I could have accelerated the learning process. As far as comics go, I’ve been making those only within the past few years, my first official comic came out in 2017. The learning for comics has been a lot more different and fun in finding my style more along with storytelling. I honestly hope I can be in a point where I can really focus on developing these skills, that is having more time to put into the art. Read more>>

Jenn Rodriguez

The day that I picked up learning how to knit was a random winter day in 2012. I had been working at a coffee shop at the time and it was around 12:30 am. There was a raging blizzard outside and I decided that it was a perfect time to go to Walmart and walk around. The good thing about was that Walmart was 5 minutes from work and about 3 minutes from my house. I somehow ended up in the yarn aisle and decided that I was going to learn to knit when I saw the learning kit. I bought the kit that came with a set of needles, book, CD and row counter and a skein of yarn. Read more>>

Kiska Boswell

I would say I am self taught, but of course the internet influences everyone. With modeling there’s so many factors to keep in mind. I basically bought myself a camera, a camera stand, and put my camera on a timer and just kept taking photos of myself. My biggest obstacle with modeling is maintaining your appearance at all times so you’re always ready for a shoot. There’s weeks that I refuse to do any collaborations or photo shoots because I’m letting my nails heal, or something of that nature. Read more>>

Simi Violet.

As a little girl I enjoyed art and anything related to makeup and fashion. I would make fashion designs for my dolls. I tried to do their makeup with sharpies, give them different hairstyles and I would make clothes from old fabrics my grandmother would give me. Through out the years I would sit in my room for hours practicing makeup and doing unique photoshoots. I even got accepted into an art school which I was only able to attend for a year because my family decided to move to United States in 2011. Read more>>

Emily Rouse

I’ve always been creative. In my younger years it started as crafts made from empty cereal boxes. In my middle years it morphed into excelling in music – I was in every type of music class my school offered and was the only part of schooling that I truly enjoyed. In adulthood, that creativity took a backseat as I somehow came to believe that a practical & safe career was what I needed. It wasn’t until I was a stay at home mom of 2, with little time to myself and a yearning for something more that I knew stifling my creativity wasn’t doing myself any favors. Infact that creativity would sometimes pour out of my eyes and left me wondering, why am I not happy? Read more>>

Lianis Cruz

Learning is something i do every single day, passion is trial and error, and with photography this is more than the truth. I truly wish i could have started learning photography and how to be a business owner since that first spark of holding a camera initiated. If i would have done this, i would be much more advanced in my career. I think one of the biggest skills you need for photography is knowing how to work the camera and whatever gear you need to use with it, Read more>>

Charissa Burns

After college, I tried multiple jobs such as Teacher’s Assistant, Art and Home Economics teacher, Assisted Living Activity Director, Realtor, and front desk tech support. None of them worked for me. I was good at most of them, but they did not bring me joy. What did bring my joy was doodling…while answering phones. Art, paper crafts, pens all were the things that seemed right. Read more>>

Jordan Ahava.

I’m an autodidact by nature; I ended up spending countless hours teaching myself to draw the summer before my sophomore year of college after switching out of the photo program at Parsons. The illustration program at Parsons was robust, but most entered with the basic necessary skills, so I didn’t want to be behind. This gave me the opportunity to lean into the conceptual and more nuanced teachings rather than getting bogged down in basics. Read more>>

Laura Herrmann

I’ve always been interested in making things: from those little bracelet kits that you get on Christmas from your aunts, to the quilting my grandmother did and the embroidery that my mother does. I learned to sew clothes with my grandma and mom when I was quite young, and then to cross-stitch, knit, spin, weave, tat and make needle lace. Every new facet of the craft is a natural extension of that desire to see whether “I can do that, too”. Sometimes it works out well and sometimes not, but I always learn something along the way. Read more>>

Denzel Washington

How did I learn what I do? That’s a loaded question! Let’s start with cinematography & Creative Directing. I was trained in the art of cinematography formally at Kent State University. After school I interned at Think Media Studios where I expanded my knowledge, but I really started learning the craft through starting my own freelance business and working on anything I could get my hands dirty with (Short films, Weddings, Music videos, Corporate Video, Personal Projects ect.). Read more>>

Riley Doyle

I have slowly been learning how to make images since I was very young. My mother was a high school art teacher and always encouraged us to explore art. In high school I was mainly doing black and white film photography and graphic design. I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding, so the designs on skateboards and snowboards was the gateway to these forms of image making and I took classes in both throughout all of high school. Read more>>

Susan Klein

I went to school for art. In my two years at NYU, two years at University of New Hampshire, and my MFA program at University of Oregon, I learned a lot abut art. I spent these years improving my technical abilities in painting, specifically oil paint, and also learned how to integrate sculpture into my practice in graduate school. My professors were key in this; Read more>>

Amari Leath

When I first decided I wanted to become a photographer, It was a bumpy road and I put out a lot of bad work. I took in many different values from my life to get better. I learned the aspect of repetition and putting in hours of practice from when I used to play sports. Sports also taught me not to quit. Read more>>

Cash Monet

From childhood, I have always loved painting. Once I hit high school I trained in Classical realism, starting at 15—the culture I’ve been accustomed to from growing up in a very eclectic way. I grew up very fast, traveling and partying at a young age. I never settled for what society considered to be “normal”. I always had an itch to travel and gain new experiences and ways to see life from a full perspective. Read more>>

Heather Physioc

I have a lifelong learner personality, but I also have a task-oriented mentality, which can be a big blocker to learning if you don’t harness it. Reading the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear helped me to shift my mindset from focusing on reaching some imaginary finish line of being a photographer, to instead focusing on the habits that make a photography practice. The best way to improve your photography skills and output is through consistent learning and application, getting out and doing the thing. Read more>>

Jenny Keyser

Art is about seeing, paying attention to the details. As a daughter of a perfectionist, I learned this at a very young age. That said, getting my Masters from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago pushed this thoughtful attention to detail more than I could ever believe. Read more>>

David Jimenez

By throwing myself into the craft and jumping in the rabbit hole head first. What would have helped me, might have been trying home brewing prior to learning how to make the final product. The best skills I developed that were the most essential, has to be passion and determination. Obstacles that seem to be in my way has to be lack of experience and knowledge of the fine tune secrets. Read more>>

Erik Van Lenten

How did you learn to do what you do? -I started my career in high school after knowing I wanted to pursue cinematography, and shot weddings in Miami every weekend. I was able to learn some basic skills and get a feel for the camera and finding the right shots. I then decided to attend FullSail University and got a Bachelor of Science in film production. After a grueling 21 months of nearly constant classes, I graduated and started working any crew job I could find. Read more>>

Sarah Melendez

About 4-5 years ago, my husband gave me a stylus to use on my laptop since he loves giving me techy gifts and seeing what I do with them. At the time I was just playing around and I stumbled across a few drawing apps and fell in love with all of the creative effects. Once I started posting on Instagram and meeting other digital artists I switched to an iPad and using Procreate. Since this is such a popular program, there are so many videos and other resources to learn from online. Everything I know came from either one of these videos or just taking the time to play with the app on my own time. Read more>>

Cindy Q!uinn

Q. How did you learn to do what you do? I learned much of the technical ins and outs of the camera and film when I took a college class in photography when I was in my twenties. I soon realized that there was much more to photography than just the technical aspects. I attended many Photography Conventions and workshops. Read more>>

Jason Blume

At the beginning of my creative journey, I was not aware that there was any craft to learn. Starting when I was 12 years old, I would write poems and set them to music while strumming on my father‘s mandolin. I had no idea that there were differences between poems and song lyrics. For example, lyrics almost always include rhymes in prescribed places; poems might rhyme – – or not. Lyrics are intentionally crafted to have sections or phrases that repeat; poems rarely do this; and lyrics tend to be conversational, while poems can be esoteric and use flowery language. Read more>>

Asia Mcfarthing

I never thought about being a model. I came from a small town where we did not have those opportunities in Junction City, Kansas. Modeling sort of fell into my lap here in Kansas City. I had so much fun in front of the camera and decided I wanted to pursue it. I did not know many people, especially other models.It took me two years before I earned my first paying gig simply because i did not know the right people or go to the corect events. Read more>>