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.

Josh Harrington

It took me a lot of years to build up the courage to do what I do on stage. To just be me, in my own skin. The only thing to ever stand in my way was myself. Read more>>

Tasha Murchison

For me personally, I have always felt like I didn’t have a creative side. It wasn’t until 2020 when I was putting a baby shower gift together for a girlfriend when I discovered that I had a gift but never really considered it a craft. Read more>>

Irfan Shaukat

I am a self-taught photographer and had a lot of inspiration growing up. I was a big fan of car magazines and was always mesmerized by the way cars were photographed. Read more>>

Tom Galloway

The craft of songwriting and any creative endeavor can be complex, and at the same time very simple and pure. Artists of any form have so many different means of honing the same creative source. Read more>>

Shandilin King

Alright, so imagine me as your friendly neighborhood hair stylist and makeup artist, specializing in black hair and makeup. Now, let me give you the lowdown on how I got where I am and what I could’ve done to speed things up! Read more>>

Typhoid Mary

Like most other drag artists living in a post RPDR (That’s Rupauls Drag Race) world, I learned from youtube tutorial– but that wasn’t the only place I learned how to paint my face. Read more>>

Cesare Panizzi

Although I began taking piano lessons when I was six, my interest in music started much earlier. When I was only two years old, my parents exposed me to operas by composers like Verdi and Mozart, and I fell in love with the sounds and performances. Read more>>

Brei Carter

Knowing what I know now, I’d say maybe a little more research on the people I chose to work with. Doing my due diligence and not just taking someone’s word for it! In the music business, it’s not for the faint at heart; Read more>>

Katie Nance

My first attempt at making a stained glass panel was in 2013. At the time, there were very few resources online to teach yourself. I arrived at a point where I got stuck and started to look up local classes. Read more>>

Que Morgan

I would have to say becoming an adept public speaker and moderator involves a combination of practice, preparation, and self-assurance. To work the room effectively, I first focused on mastering my speaking points and understanding my audience no matter the event. Read more>>

Adrián Oviedo

Learning is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. Each time I embark on something new, it’s a process of figuring out what I need to do and how to do it. Read more>>

Ash Raymond James

From the jump, I want to say this: there is always more to learn. There is a certain pessimistic tone to the phrase ‘you will never be at your best’, but creatively, you won’t be. Read more>>

Ellie Hayworth

I am a strong advocate for the “school of life” as a means of continued education. In so many professions, there are requirements in place — accreditations, courses, certifications — but the art world is often a place of self-motivated experimentation and exploration. Read more>>

Logan Bowden

I started learning guitar and songwriting at age 14. I was really inspired by iron and wine, Damien rice and the whole folk revival thing that was happening in 2008. Read more>>

Tré Da Marc

For over 10 years Burlesque has been the art form that save my life from the world and honestly myself. It been a honor to have been mentor by such amazing Black Burlesque performs such as Foxy Tann, Redbone and Perle Noiré. Read more>>

Redwall

We have been playing music together since 5th grade. Our “craft” is really a product of growing up together and learning our instruments together. Our learning process could have 100% been sped up, but we don’t think that was the goal. Read more>>

DAVID WILSON

My path to learning the craft of becoming a public artist and overall artful citizen began as an undergraduate student at Hampton University. Read more>>

Victoria Yap-Chung

Navigating the world of writing children’s books was like climbing a steep hill for me. Initially, I submitted to agents and publishing houses, facing the challenge of waiting for responses that often took six months or more. Read more>>

Dallas Denoo

For me, photography is a continuous learning process, because of its ever-changing landscape. I firmly believe that the most effective way to grow as a photographer is to pick up your camera every day. Read more>>

Prince Bajon Bihai IV

I have had such a long rewarding journey with the craft of acting. Many actors start when they are very young children. However, I was not exposed to acting until I was in college, well acting as an academic pursuit that is. Read more>>

Chipemba Salimu

Learning my craft has become something that I’ve realized is an ongoing process. I feel as a creative we get that “I cant wait until I get to this or that place of mastery” feeling, the reality of it all though is that we will forever be a student to our craft no matter what limits we break. Read more>>

Dale Algo

When it comes to learning my craft I started getting into photography when I was a sophomore year in high school. I saved up money from my summer job to buy myself a camera and then the following year I took a intro to photography class. Read more>>

Chris Simental

I’ve been learning audio recording, mixing, and mastering through hands-on experience since I was about 8 years old. In my adult years, I did an internship at a place called Clear Lake Studios in North Hollywood. Read more>>

Michael Drew

I began learning the craft of film composing by just watching movies and trying to listen to each piece of music as the story went along, I tried to listen for when a cue (musical moment) would start, and why the composer or director might have made this decision. Read more>>

Reggie Simmons

After becoming a member of Kappa and immersing myself the undergrad life I would travel all the time. I found myself frequently judging various DJ like man this dj kind of trash. Read more>>

Tommy Martin

I feel like my job is to always be curious; to keep learning and growing. How did that actor do that? How did they achieve that shot? What is the most interesting (and efficient) way to make this work? Read more>>

Tony Ortiz

I learned to cook by working for people I admired within the culinary and creative industry. I connected with people doing great work within food, storytelling and cultural preservation. Read more>>

Muriel Peterson

I first began learning hip-hop dance at home via family gatherings, music videos, and other social gatherings. I don’t think I could have done anything to increase the speed of the learning process. Read more>>

Jennifer Liceaga

I learned to do what I do by experimenting with different mediums and by watching a lot of tutorials online. I think there’s no real way of speeding up the learning process when it comes to art. Read more>>