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.

Ron Chepesiuk

I was 38 years old when I sold my first article as a freelance writer. I was a university professor in Ireland on sabbatical . I always wanted to be a writer but wasn’t going to call myself one until I published something. Read more>>

Brian Isom

When I returned home from Iraq in 2010 after having a near-death experience in the military, I realized that it was time to follow my passion. Following that moment, I said to myself, “If I survive Iraq, I am going to move to Hollywood.” Read more>>

Chari Paulson

When I first began painting, I was all in for being self taught. So I bought books, studied other artist’s works, watched videos, went to paint parties and began to learn different techniques and mediums. Read more>>

Chad Thurman

I never went to film school, but I gradually learned the craft over the years by making various comedy sketches and stop motion projects with my film partner, Neal. My passion for filmmaking began in grade school with absurdist video book reports and other similar projects. Read more>>

Daniel Walton

When trying to learn a new craft, I believe it’s always incumbent on you to seek out the information needed to excel and be proficient in that particular craft. For me, learning how to be a Voice Actor started with watching professionals that I had looked up to and trying to emulate their process/routine in the booth. Read more>>

Débora Tácylla

A lot of being an actor comes from being a human and sharing emotions we all have in common, but during different stages and phases of life. However, that is not enough and training is essential. Read more>>

Julian Haskins

I was self taught around the age of 6. Knowing what I do now I would’ve began to master more forms of art earlier. The obstacles that stood in my way with myself. Read more>>

Max Gibbs

I know what I know because I sought out resourses since I didnt take any art classes nor could aford it in college. Some people may think you have to go to art school to become a professinal or even get good at art but that isnt true. Read more>>

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

The process of me and learning about art-making started when I was very young. Me and a pencil and drawing paper, always drawing. Encouraging parents, especially my father who provided pretty good materials to me. Read more>>

Sarah Camp

I ventured into the spray tanning business just a few months prior to a global pandemic. I enrolled in courses and took private lessons to learn everything I could about the trade of airbrush spray tanning. Read more>> 

Lorenzo Breda

It has been a long and rewarding journey so far. I have dedicated more than half of my life to music. Initially, I immersed myself in listening to it, then I learned to play the guitar, and in recent years, my focus has shifted towards composition. Read more>>

Tim Ramirez

Learning about liquid light shows was a very interesting process since there isn’t a ton of info about them out there. It’s a lot of experimenting mostly but my ex light show partner and I found Steve Pavlovsky of Liquid Light Lab’s YouTube videos and it was a huge help in understanding the basics of psychedelic light shows and gave us a really good starting point. Read more>>

Naomi Sitahal

Learning the Wedding & Event Industry is different than many other fields and industries since there is no barrier to entry. Being that there is no required formal education or certifications, anybody can identify themself as a “professional” wedding or event planner and a client would know no different. Read more>>

Nikki Abel

I grew up in western Massachusetts playing soccer for sixteen years. I had always loved creating, but didn’t have a lot of time as I reached middle and high school when soccer became more competitive and I became a prospect for college athletics. Read more>>

Kalmplex

I started drawing and painting when I was 4. I use to spend hours as a kid drawing when I wasn’t playing basketball so I’ve always been practicing my craft. Read more>>

Dwayne P. Mitchell

One of the most powerful things I’ve ever learned throughout my journey as an actor, artist, and performer is that there is no one way to get anywhere in life, because each of us are on different paths even if our goals our similar. Read more>>

Ve’Lyncea Conner

There has never been a moment in my life where food has not been important! Yes, food is fuel, but for me, food is so much more. My mother is a chef, my father has always been in the food industry, and both of my grandmothers were cooks. Read more>>

Renelle White Buffalo

I went to college for art. There I learned a lot there about the basics of art/design (like composition, options within the mediums etc), art history and critique. Read more>>

NINO YUNIARDI

I first got into art as a way to release my anxiety and disappointment. It became a personal therapy session for me, helping me understand my feelings and control my reactions to negative circumstances, especially during my teenage years. Read more>>

Felicia Hopkins

Much of what I know now has been a combination of research, trial and error, and prior hands-on training as a Visual Merchandiser for Macy’s. Setting up displays using custom wallpaper, vinyl lettering, mannequins, and a variety of decorative props provided me with a solid foundation for my event decorating business, Eden Gifts & Events. Read more>>

Jacob Juarez

I learned to flintknap by failing at it. Like many skilled crafts, failure should be expected, and with flintknapping it is guaranteed. From a young age, I’ve always loved testing myself in creating things with materials the land provides. Read more>>

Lu Ray

I am a self taught artist, but I also feel like I have had many teachers. Youtube, trial & error, and asking others in the field. I researched like crazy! Joined forums and facebook groups. Read more>>

Michael Koehler

I was never really taught how to paint. I had a painting class in college but it focused mainly on watercolor and gouache. So learning to paint in acrylic has taken many years of trying, failing and eventually building up my skills and finding what works for me. Read more>>

Kirstie Greco

Traditionally in tattooing, you learn the craft by seeking out a mentor and then completing an apprenticeship, which I did for two and a half years before becoming a full-time tattooer. Read more>>

Chris Brady

Mentorship is so important. During my undergrad time at Hofstra University, I formed a bond with a professor, Jason Hanley, who was able to open my eyes to computer based recording and mixing. Read more>>

Francesco Antonio

I learned about acting first in high school drama. It’s where I fell in love with the craft. From there, I was guided into entering an acting conservatory in Toronto, Canada, for four years. Read more>>

Lydia Nightingale

I learned to write mostly through trial and error and observation. What achieves my objective and what doesn’t? What feels true and what feels artificial? Read more>>

Kazuri Arai

In the mid/late 90’s, at the beginning of internet boom, the idea of owning your personal computer was starting to become popular. Read more>>

JKITTEN

I don’t have any formal music training, I cut my teeth playing in DIY punk and garage bands in the late 90’s and into the early 2000’s. Then I started working solo and experimenting with recording and sampling on primitive DAWs. Read more>>

Kaitlynne Rainne

I’ve always been a writer. Since I was 7 years old I’ve been writing and in primary school, I was always writing and sharing stories, but it really wasn’t until the pandemic that I considered furthering my education in writing. Read more>>

Oliver Caspersen

On a film set you don’t know what’s going to happen from one moment to the next, something could come up and bite your ass in any given moment, something you never even saw. But you have to be at ease with that fact. Read more>>

Anthony Oro

As a 22-year-old Cuban/American music producer and instrumentalist, music has always been a large part of my life. I have been playing guitar since I was 9. My main focus throughout the first 9 years was jazz. Read more>>

Erin Reiko Bissot

Most of my knowledge as a crochet artist/designer is surprisingly self-taught. As a young child, I was drawn to anything that let me express my creativity – painting, drawing, sewing, and most importantly, fiber arts. Read more>>

Jill Sayre

I graduated with an art degree from U.C.L.A. and thought I’d become an art teacher. However, I have always been decent at math and writing as well. Read more>>

Mikel Hurwitz

Music as in all art forms has elements of artistry and elements of craft. Speaking specifically of the craft though: I believe it simply comes down to putting in the hours. Read more>>

Leslie Jean

Learning is a life long process. Everything I have experienced in life has led me to this point in time. I have always been an artist. Even in the sandbox. I went to commercial art school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Read more>>

Kika Dorsey

I learned to be a creative writer as a teenager, when I started writing stories in a journal that described my experiences. At fourteen, these anecdotes were mostly about crushes on boys, food I loved, or beating a friend in a video game. Read more>>

Carol LaHines

Like many writers, I began as an avid reader. I began reading at age 4 and devoured almost a book a day for much of my childhood. I think reading is the one sure way to internalize the craft of writing–it happens intuitively. Read more>>

Molly Gibson

My approach was to take about 80,000 classes and then about 80,000 more. Although growing up the middle of five kids and vying for attention was probably the best teacher as I had to get pretty creative to break through the noise sometimes, Read more>>

Mara Keen

I started learning piano at 6 years old and I loved it from the very beginning. I remember thinking as a kid it felt like I was just typing on a computer, but instead of typing words different sounds would come out. Read more>>