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.

Daniel

I think back to a time when my knowledge of the “how to” with photography wasn’t at the level it is today. When all I knew was that I loved taking pictures and that I was mostly happy with the way the photos turned out. Read more>>

Ian Shults

I guess the start of things was as a kid, my mother was an artist on the side and very poor and single so she encouraged us to draw and paint and do anything that was free to hold our attention while she was working various jobs. Read more>>

Johan Macaraeg

Film scoring was something I got so intrigued about the moment I found out about it. It was so exciting to find out that there’s a craft that involves my love of music and film. Read more>>

Tara Martinak

My Grandmother was a seamstress and she used to watch me and my brothers after school. She taught me to sew when I was young, and I received a hand me down sewing machine in the 4th grade and have been sewing (on that same machine) ever since. Read more>>

Rachael Ryan

Let’s talk about the wild, beautiful journey of learning your craft. For me, it’s been a winding path of exploration – from dabbling in illustration and graphic design to getting my hands dirty with glassblowing and ceramics, and even diving into the world of abstract expressionism. Read more>>

Geneva Washington

I started learning photography in general when my daughter was born 8 years ago. I was in the hospital and they came by to take the newborn photos. Read more>>

Richard Newkirk

I first began practicing art at a young age, always getting my best grades in art classes or creative writing. I also credit my dad, as I would spend time in his work office drawing for hours at a time, when I was a kid. Read more>>

Ben Desai

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant turning point in my career came from watching live streams of Don Allen III, a prolific XR creator. Read more>>

Aya Nicole

Knowing what I know now , there are a lot of things that I would have done to speed up my learning process. I would have definitely taken more notes and asked more questions. Read more>>

Dakarai Akil

Art is a language I’ve been speaking since I was child. I’ve been through many phases within art trying to find the right medium to fit me. Starting with drawing, then on to crafting things from cardboard to graffiti, fashion and illustration. Read more>>

Kayla Calhoun

Through my experience with a network marketing company, I gained valuable insights into content creation. I learned that to sell something effectively, I must first market myself. Read more>>

Keith Alexander Lee

I would break down the practice of illustration into two parts. The technical part, and the idea generation part. For the technical part, there is schooling of course. Read more>>

Jesediah

I was so lucky to be given access to the arts at such a young age. My parents enrolled me in a youth piano class when I was about four. Read more>>

Keyla DeHoyos

My career as a professional chef started by joining my mother and grandmother in the kitchen from a very young age, as early as 4-5 years old. I always had a huge interest in making food. Read more>>

Prairie Pavement

We learned to function as a band through sharing our demos of our songs with each other and rehearsing frequently. We also have played a lot of shows, which have helped us gain experience. Read more>>

Joseph Buscarello

Shortly after first picking up a camera and shooting around the city as a hobby, I knew I wanted to photograph concerts. Live music has always been an important part of my life and I wanted to document the artists and performances I was going out to see. Read more>>

Jessica Viola

Born and raised in Ny with a passion for music, theater and human expression, I found myself studying in a conservatory in Ithaca NY. Read more>>

Nelson Lugo

Getting a magic kit for some gift giving holiday is a pretty common origin story for a lot of magicians. If you’re lucky, most kids will play with it for a few days, maybe even a week and then it will collect dust in a closet forever more. I still have mine. Read more>>

Evan Mack

Thank you for your thoughtful questions regarding my journey in the media world. It’s been quite the adventure, shaped in large part by my unique background as a military kid. Read more>>

Brittany Cooper

This past December I enrolled in a six week workshop to learn the basics of glass mosaic. I expected to be slightly overwhelmed by the tedious process but I received it as more of a meditative experience. Read more>>

Yuchan Yang

Overall, I like discovering unknown knowledge based on what I have learned from school courses and exploring things that interest me in my leisure time. Read more>>

Sondra Elder

I first took a clay session with a Groupon. I was so horrible at it, but I had such an amazing time. About a year later, I took a six-week beginner clay class and I haven’t looked back. Read more>>

Timon Clark

When it comes to music there are no shortcuts. It’s like math. You can’t learn one step without the other. When it comes to Music Production first, I learned music theory, I learned rhythms and notes. Read more>>

Takeshi Yonezawa

There are no shortcuts to true technical skill acquisition – to master anything, you have to repeat the same thing over and over. Each time I practice, I work with firm intention, learn from my mistakes, and let my body memorize the best movements. Read more>>

Zoe Thatcher

I did take traditional art and design classes while attending school at Auburn University. However, if I am being honest, the best thing I ever did to hone my skills was to dive into the deep end and start working. Read more>>