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.

Ally Frantz

My journey began in 2011, when I purchased my first DSLR. I have always been interested in photography as a hobby, but that was when I really dove into learning the technicalities of the craft. I began by researching online and joining different photography forums. I also took a Lightroom class at our local technical college and sought to develop my skills. Read more>>

Jessie Mahon

I’m a 90s kid born and raised in the Midwest, so most of the visual art I was exposed to growing up came from cartoons on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network or video games like Zelda. Read more>> 

Berto Fernández.

I think my artistic side manifested at a very young age from watching my paternal grandmother do her oil painting. I was mesmerized by what she created on canvas. After that, my parents enrolled me in art classes every weekend, which really helped me let my imagination and creativity shine. Read more>>

Vincent Richmond

My time learning about the craft of acting started when I went to college at CSU Dominguez Hills. Even though I was already committed to being a Theatre Arts major I took Acting 101 my first semester to make sure that I was getting a good handle on the basics and improve from there. Read more>>

Tatiana and Justice

Once the pandemic hit back in 2020 Jay and myself were looking for ways to continue to express ourselves creatively and an outlet we found was podcasting. We had a very basic knowledge of the podcast industry world but knew it was booming and the perfect way for us to come together as creatives to hold and share a space for others. Read more>>

Josh Goldstein

Thank you so much for having me, excited to be here! Being a musician today means a lot of things. Primarily, for me, it’s meant being flexible while not bending to the point of breaking. It’s a fine line. Read more>>

Chris Terry

I began my filmmaking career with a vhs camcorder and a dream. From the very moment I saw my first film as a child I was obsessed. I desperately needed to know the how’s and why’s of crafting a movie. Read more>>

E Rock

It took many years for me to learn to do what I do. I have worked with numerous music producers and recording artists over the years and through those experiences I developed my own creative skills. Read more>>

Kara Adams

I first learning about photography and graphic design when I was a junior in high school. I had decided to take a couple of photography and graphic design courses to fill my schedule and try something new but I had no idea how much I would love it when I made that decision. Read more>>

John March

Looking at the questions that are posed here, I have had to look back at the path that brings me to the point in my career where I find myself today. There have been several different stages in my life, where different aspects of what I do and how I do it, were the primary focus of my life. Read more>>

Talibah Ometu

I wrote relentlessly as a young adolescent, which I think is the foundation of my intrigue and passion for storytelling. As a college student I always had a mini-dv camera in tow documenting life as I saw it and I never shied away from asking my friends and family to open up about their lives as a way to dive deeper into the human experience. Read more>>

Justin P. Slaughter

I’ve took advance acting class at “Next Level Acting Studio”; taught by Deke Anderson. On my down time I would read and also learn the “Stanislavski Technique” or what most people know it as “Method Acting”. Read more>>

Kevin Bongang

I’ve always had a passion and interest in art and drawing, my cousin really helped me in my younger years with sketching and drawing my favorite cartoons and comics. I knew in middle school that I wanted to have a career in art. Read more>>

Larry Lacerte

As an independent musician, I’ve had to learn a lot about business in addition music. With music, I had some formal lessons as a kid. That’s when I first picked up a guitar. Read more>>

Jessica Bonano (JBo)

Looking over my life I think the art of communicating has always been a part of me. I was the kid that went home with “talks too much” on my report card but look at me now! Haha. I say that to say, don’t ignore the things you gravitated to or had interest in when you were younger. Read more>>

Mike Reynolds

I believe that some folks are born with natural talent, I also believe that I am not one of those folks, however I can distinctly remember most of my notebooks in school were riddled with doodles, drawings, and sketches. Read more>>

Gerald Yusuf

I started rapping at the age of 14 and grown my skills by entering freestyle cyphers and battles in highschool and college. In college, I met Eddie Mashal (Engineer for “The Eagles – Hotel California) who taught me the ins and outs of working a studio. From there, I started my own studio with some partners that eventually didn’t work out. Read more>>

Jennifer Miller

The only art class I ever took was a life drawing class at university. Everything else I have learned through trial and error, with a lot of mistakes along the way. But perhaps they aren’t really mistakes, just steps along the journey. I don’t even know when I decided to start painting, I can’t recall the moment I went out and bought canvases and paint. But somehow I began. Read more>>

Jeremy Sanders

I guess you can say that I’ve always been musical. I come from a long lineage of musicians, preachers, and pastors. The idea and thought of music has always been around me. Read more>> 

Randy Chiurazzi

I started practicing guitar at age 13. From then it’s been a continuous series of practice sessions mixed with a great teacher along the way. My learning has been enhanced by noticing how music and language acquisition are very similar. Read more>> 

Amira Maxwell

Well I’d say I’ve partly learned the art of photography through repetition. But what I want to highlight the most is that much of my experience has been spiritual. Read more>>

Andrew Zhao

Everyone knows that startup founders wear a lot of hats. For me, that couldn’t be more true. I mean literally, I have baseball caps, beanies, hats, and more. But also, I wear a lot of hats in the figurative sense. I’m simultaneously an artist, entrepreneur, and engineer. Read more>>

Glenn Franklin

I took drama in Everman High School and performed in many plays and musicals, Then followed it up at Texas Wesleyan University and did the same. Then started acting professionally and did even more auditioning and acting all over the country. Read more>>