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.

J. McNair

So, when it comes to camera work initially it was a lot of trial and error; totally winging it. I started with what I wanted the end result to look like and then worked backward. It wasn’t until maybe my junior year of college that I started learning all of the “technical” aspects of photography and videography. Read more>>

Chelsie Tamala

I am a self taught oil painter. I attended Phoenix College and studied Graphic Design which helped strengthen my eye. I still have never taken a traditional painting class but am not opposed to it. Read more>>

D’Anthony Lorenzo

I learned to sing by just flowing I guess. When I would listen to music I would always mimic the artist singing. It was good practice and slowly shaped me into the way I sound now. Of course my vocal style is still growing and expanding into my own but it’s really helped me. I don’t really think there was anyway to speed up the process. Read more>>

Derek Meier

The most important thing is adhering to the process and accepting that it takes discipline in your studio routine and hours spent to achieve higher outcomes with your work. Much of the learning comes from simply moving paint, but also dedicating time to study and process historical and contemporary work. Read more>>

Gabriela Handal

I learned how to draw by doing it. I’ve drawn at changing intensities throughout my life, with it being a sort of leisurely thing in my childhood and youth, studying art during my undergraduate degree and then a super-concentrated intense drawing study during my graduate degree. Read more>>

Polo Stoner

I started off being a rap artist, just being around other creators such as designers, directors, hanging out and getting to know the people behind the scenes. I always wanted to express myself through other forms of art they really motivated me to come out my shell.. I learned everything watching YouTube tutorials and getting hands on with a few other editors in the city. Read more>>

Jane Sayers

At first spent a lot of time studying art and artists in my spare time. Wandering around art galleries and art museums. I also watched a lot of tutorials, but I would say that having a passion in my heart for art is what kept me moving forward and trying. Read more>>

Pretti Whitty

Makeup is my passion and just like anything else, you get out what you put into it. I learned by repetition. It’s the easiest and the hardest thing to do. Sometimes it can be frustrating to put a lot of hours into a project and it not work out. Read more>>

Shea Prasad

I learned my art form at the age of 6. It’s a childhood craft originating from an annual family tradition that I don’t think could have been sped up simply because I didn’t think of creating a business from it until I was in my 30s. I am still learning, trying to do new and different things, Read more>>

Keith Jones

I was fortunate enough to get connected with my mentor Certified Master Chef (CMC) Edward Janos right out of high school. He took a genuine interest in me and taught me how to become a skilled culinarian. This was only the beginning and I was smart enough to stay with him for a number of years, continuing my growth until I ultimately earned the title of chef. Read more>>

Emmy Keenan

I had just switched my major to Art and was taking my intro to 3D Design class. My professor needed an extra set of hands for an aluminum pour that weekend, so he offered the opportunity up to the class. Read more>>

Michele & Rochele Thompkins

When we started our podcast in 2007, it was a self educate and observation process. After watching a few podcasts we decided to give podcasting a try. It looked easy enough, just get some equipment and have talk topics. Turns out it wasn’t that easy, podcasting is not for the weak. Read more>>

Bella Gomez

Ever since I was a child, I loved creating art. Art has just always been something innate to me as a human being. Initially, I started off creating illustrations. But, I have so many thoughts and concepts that I felt hard to communicate using illustration, so I began to study other mediums – I wanted to convey my concepts faster, Read more>>

Leah Hollrock

Learning a craft is never a straight path and every single experience lends itself to becoming better at what you do. Learning my craft as a jewelry designer and goldsmith has been a winding road over the last decade. Read more>>

Grace A. Johnson

When it comes to learning how to write, most people’s first thought (if they don’t immediately write off writing as “easy” or child’s play) is getting an English degree or taking a creative writing course. As beneficial as formal education can be, no ten-year-old girl is going to college…so I learned how to write by reading and writing. Read more>>

Christianna Duthie

Knowing what I know now, nothing can be sped up. There are things you as a person can do to prepare yourself for the future, but that is virtually all you can do. I grew up always painting, but that is a skill that must be developed. Just like any other trade. Read more>>

Brittany Marie

I’ve been singing since I could talk. But in 3rd grade, I had a music teacher named Mr. Moore who sent me home with an envelope for my mom. My mom gave it back to me the next day to give back to Mr. Moore. Before you know it, I was auditioning for Performing Arts and I got in. Read more>>

Chelsea Campbel

I am more of a visual and tactile-kinesthetic type of learner and I also like to learn from a variety of perspectives. So, my approach to learning about candle-making was no different. I spent countless hours watching Youtube videos, and my favorite method, trial-and-error. Read more>>

Bryan Archilla

I’ve learned the video world and content creation mostly by Trial & Error. All three of us have, really. We went to film school together. I was a film and digital Video Major, Jordan and Tae were animation majors. We always knew that we wanted to create content and a lot of our journey over the last 2 to 3 years has been finding ways to get better at doing that. Read more>>

Heather Whitten

I’m a self-taught photographer in the sense that I didn’t go to college for photography. I bought my first “real” camera right after my first child was born 14 years ago and haven’t stopped learning since then. Read more>>

KittyB

I learned through experimenting on my own. I was introduced to oil pastels, which are my favorite, at a young age in art class. Ever since then I really feel like they’ve been my favorite medium to work with. Something I could of done to speed up the process is just working with them more and drawing different subjects. Read more>>

Chanah Ambuter

I first heard the harp as an impressionable toddler and have been in love with it ever since! However, it took some persuasion on my part to my parents that a three-year-old had discovered their life’s purpose. My mother, a professional pianist, decided to teach me piano in the years following, aware that the cerebral “language” of music was universal among orchestral instruments, and that both harp and piano music are texturally very similar. Read more>>

Charity Hall

I majored in biology as an undergraduate at Colorado College. I found out that the college offered a variety of non-credit art classes that drew in a lot of us who were science majors. I signed for a summer jewelry class taught by Dindy Reich, even though at the time I had no particular interest in making jewelry. Read more>>

Eugena Gardner

Not to sound cliché, but I have always been talented, unique, quirky, and extraordinary. Being ordinary is okay, but I wanted a life that offered more. I have found more trials, impediments, and challenges that appeared never to pass, being extraordinary. Read more>>

Luke Stage

Throughout my early career, I learned as much as I could from online resources and other like-minded creatives in the industry. Personally, I am self-taught and have pulled techniques, tricks, and practices from other individuals and platforms. I have found that being self-taught is a lot of shooting in the dark, but I believe that it is one of the best ways to learn and grow personally! Read more>>

Maria Hernandez

I took my first art class and my first ceramics class in college. It was really intimidating and sometimes frustrating to be working alongside people who had more experience than me. I would be learning the basics and making mistakes while my peers were making amazing pieces. Read more>>

Mia Woods

I learned photography from many different people along the way. I started with an online program called Cole’s Classroom back in 2017. What I loved about the courses that they offered was that they were not very technical. I could really grasp the basics and begin to use my camera in manual mode right away. It was a great foundation for me to continue learning. Read more>>

Ethan Roffler

How did you learn what you do: From the very beginning of early childhood when I first learned to grasp a crayon, I was drawing on every surface I could find. Much to the dismay of my parents. My bedroom ended up looking like an eclectic selection of Jackson Pollock’s smashed together with the fanciful ramblings of a childhood thought process. Read more>>

Erik Freitas

When It comes to animation, the best way to learn is obviously tons of practice. The sky is the limit if you can figure out how to execute your ideas. I’ve spent hundreds of hours tinkering, watching youtube tutorials, and picking the brains of far more experienced creators. Read more>>

Stephanie Utka

My mom and nanna both taught me how to crochet. It was only basic stitches, going back and forth in rows to make scarves. They always turned out lopsided until I learned proper techniques when starting new rows. Read more>>

Sharyn Bosley

I learned how to crochet as a little girl. My mom used to crochet afghans for our family and other immediate family members. She taught me and my twin sister how to crochet when we were somewhere between 10-12 years old. I remember really struggling at first and my sister picking it up so easily. Read more>>

Chidinma “Chid Suzan” Azubuike

Being a Creative, especially a Podcast Creator can often be perceived as being very simple. Too often we think that podcasting is simply picking up a mic , talking into it and uploading to the digital sphere. I learnt at the beginning of my journey that it couldn’t be further from that. Read more>>

Vijay Purbhe

Photography has always been a passion for me, both as creator and observer. I probably spent upwards of 8 years just experimenting with different cameras, photography genres (landscape, portrait, astrophotography to name a few) and subjects to narrow down on a couple of spaces that fascinated me the most, landscape and astrophotography. Read more>>

 Alysa Clarke

One of my primary goals is being my own boss. By being confident in myself and letting my thoughts run wild, I was able to learn the craft of my present pursuits. Being a freelance model and graphic designer requires a lot of brainstorming, especially when some of the ideas are your own. Read more>>

Jennise Johnson

I started photography when I was 18. I brought my first point and shoot my senior year of high school. When I was stationed overseas, I was the friend with the camera. We went everywhere together. I was given my second camera from a friend who father passed away and needed funds. Read more>>

Jordan Tariff

When it comes to songwriting there’s definitely a lot of trial and error involved. I first started by writing whenever I felt any sort of extreme emotion. Whenever I was sad, I would use it as a way to process what I was I feeling. The more that I practiced expressing these emotions, the easier it became to tap in to what I was feeling at any given moment. Read more>>

Jordin Goff

I’ve always seen TV and movies as magic, and as a kid I admired the magicians, but seeing a book called “That’s A Wrap: How Movies Are Made” at an elementary school bookfair made me consider that I wasn’t too young to start learning some tricks. Read more>>

Esther Coates

I have always been drawn to artistic expressions. I began pour painting with a friend in her garage. I became obsessed! I started following videos on you tube, watching online tutorials, messaging artists when I’d get stuck on a technique, Read more>>