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.

Taka Carnes

I LOVE this topic! I grew up studying many classical styles of dance, such as tap, jazz, ballet, modern, musical theater, etc. After I graduated high school I found belly dance or more appropriately termed Raks Sharqi. When I first started studying this dance style there wasn’t youtube or even social media! I had to learn everything the good ol’ fashion way. Take classes, watch DVDs, buy CDs, and buy books. Read more>>

Antoine Johnson

The Key to learning is being a great listener and that’s how it all started for me. I’ve been a student and in love with music all my life. I’ve learned the essence of playing and selecting music from many greats that came before me, in which I grew up listening too and still listen to now. However the technical side of DJ’ing and marketing was all self taught and I’m still learning everyday. Read more>>

John Pullings

Photography was an introduction to my creative career. I started by taking pictures of clouds on my iPhone throughout the day. Patience and consistency were skills I mastered to really capture images. I have gratitude towards my creative journey. Art has always been a virtue and passion In my life. Time management and other occupations have always been a struggle moving me out of focus. I pursue and manifest days spent only around photography and creative projects. Read more>> 

Johnny Bradley

I’ve been a photographer for going on 15 year’s. I started with film photography then switched over to Digital. My photography consists of Landscape, Astrophotography, and Wildlife photography. It took me many years to get where I am. I taught myself majority of what I know between research on YouTube and making many mistakes in the field. Read more>>

Dev Desean

I learned how to rap mostly from the artists who inspired me and kind of studying their bodies of work. I think having more trust in my own mind and voice sooner could’ve shortened the learning curve. Read more>>

Averi Burk

I learned to do what I do by being thrown on stage, lessons, practice and being obsessed with it! My dad was the first person to teach me guitar and from then on I’ve done lessons on and off and hundreds of cover gigs. Being thrown into the cover gig scene has taught me so much about performance and truly captivating an audience. Read more>>

Bob Trevorrow

One of the things that fascinates me and keeps me engaged with ceramics is the fact that the learning never ends! The variations of the medium are nearly endless, giving me so much to explore, and new thoughts and ideas of how to create a new look or a more efficient way of handling the clay come to me organically as i work. Read more>>

Jessica Small

I learned photography by attending many photo workshops, watching YouTube, reading books on photography and I took a continued education course in digital photography. It is still and on-going learning process. Photography is an industry that is continuously changing and growing. I love it. I feel the more I photograph various subjects, the more I learn and perfect my craft. It is definitely trial and error, but I am thankful for the journey. Read more>>

Garrett Kealer

The worthwhile nature about anything is that we must continue to learn in whatever we’re doing. When I first began learning how to play and write music, I conducted myself as a lot of students do and metaphorically bashed my head against the wall over and over trying to find the answer; coming at every attempt full speed without analyzing HOW I was trying to accomplish my goal.  Read more>>

Rebecca Rueth

Art classes were always something I gravitated most to, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise that by my Junior year of High School I had decided I wanted to go to an Art & Design school for College. I applied to a handful of schools recommended by Disney Animation (I had written them a letter asking for their recommendations, because that was probably the Art career that I was most aware of.) and fell in love with the Rhode Island School of Design when I visited. Read more>>

Amanda Murphy

I learned to do art naturally as a child and then also studied Art in college as a Fine Arts major. Growing up, art was always an important part of me and still is a core part of who I am today. Knowing what I know now I wish I would have put a more daily practice into my basic drawing and painting skills since our younger age. Read more>>

Malcolm Sommons

I Learned everything about journalism while I was in college at Florida A&M University. I majored in Journalism and graphic communication, and while at FAMU I learned the skills of a professional journalist. There are writers, photo journalist, news anchors, reporters, entertainment, digital journalists, etc. FAMU taught me everything from being a journalsit from writing a news story or script, to directing a newscast. Read more>>

Georgia Padilla

The most basic skills I learned in grade school from various school art teachers. My most requested work stems from some basic assignments i learned in high school. As I’ve grown over the years, I’ve pushed myself to elevate those high school lessons into fine art. If I would have went to college for art just to learn artist lingo and to increase my skill level a decade ago, I think I would be alot further along in my art career. Read more>>

Janelle Richardson

As a vocal coach, I started off being trained in Opera and Jazz, which led me to more vocal training with Carlton Burgess. From there, Mr. Burgess encouraged me to be a vocal coach when I was around 22 years old. I did it for a couple years, then I stopped to focus more on my music, which I still do. Moreover, I got back into vocal coaching when I was around 27 years old. Read more>>

Jean-Paul Mallozzi

I learn and still like to learn about the nature of how the tools I work with and the unique challenges each one presents, like how to utilize oil paint vs how to work with acrylics etc. Then after leaning them, you can break those rules and see what may come from it. With the powerhouse that youtube has become, anyone can type in a “technique” and see several various sources of how to use it which is an incredible source of information. Read more>>

Jeremy Cardosa

I started learning how to do video essays by taking inspiration from others who did the same – expressing passion and what they loved about the topic. It re-kindled a love I had for writing in me I forgot about long ago. What I know now is that it’s very easy to take shortcuts because you want to put the videos out as quick as possible, but sometimes you have to slow down and add the intricate details, because those can go a long way. Read more>>

Brandin Bennett

I started drawing in the 4th grade. Simple drawings of people. I practiced everyday, especially during class when I had free time. Eventually I wanted to start drawing something in front me. So I took a VHS case of Lady and the Tramp and drew it out. It was the first recreation I did and it was spot on! By the time I got to high school, I met my art teacher and he became my mentor. Read more>>

Harrison Russell

This is a very interesting question because I’m technically still learning. I believe anyone who wants to be great at something has to work at it. Especially in the acting business. The only way to truly speed up the process is to do just that. Speed it up. So I take as many classes as I can as often as I can. The most essential skill to being a good actor I believe is listening. Read more>>

Dennis K. Crosby

How did I learn to do what I do? That’s a great question! When it comes to writing, it’s something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. I can recall essays and creative stories from grade school to college, that made me think, rather arrogantly I might add, that I was a phenomenal writer. My grades in English were always excellent, so when I finally decided to start writing a novel I thought, “this should be a piece of cake”. Read more>>

KMA (KidMasterArchitect)

Neither of my parents listened to rap music, before I was old enough to have my own phone the only time I could listen to rap music was on the car ride home. Or sometimes when I would hangout with my cousins at their place. I learned how to rap from other rap artists that were dropping hits on the radio when I was growing up as kid. Read more>>

Jackie Acki Lewis

I got my BFA in Theater Studies at Emory University. This gave me a good foundation in performance, stage setup, storytelling, etc. After working in theater for a couple years after undergrad, I got my MFA in Sequential Art at SCAD Atlanta. I worked in comics and sequential art education for about 12 years. During this time, I studied film visual language and cinematography as a way to improve my comic book storytelling. Read more>>

Meredith Pardue

I began studying the fundamentals of drawing, composition, and painting from early childhood and continued to do so though my undergraduate education, which was rooted in historical methods and techniques. In other words my training began with a traditional academic background. My studio practice was accompanied by art historical studies. Read more>>

Sol Puchalski

Going to cosmetology school was like a dream. I learned the basics, but looking back, I don’t remember one thing I took away from there besides sanitizing. It wasn’t until I was behind the chair making mistakes that I learned valuable lessons. “Discoveries” that I learned early on have made me the colorist I am today. I wish I would’ve taken more academies early on, unfortunately at the time I didn’t have the means to attend. I am grateful for time that has taught me so much. Read more>>

Suzy Schultz

“How did you learn to do what you do?” Growing up with an artist mother gave me a picture of what it was like to live creatively. As a child, I was drawn to the world of art fairs, art galleries, art centers. They seemed to have such a mystique, and I wanted to be a part of that when I grew up. Read more>>

Marcy Bishop-Lilley

My non-linear path to becoming a university career counselor and advising art and design students emerged from my experience simultaneously pursuing a degree while holding numerous jobs and actively seeking a place in the art world. I draw from my diverse and colorful career background from working for California-based ceramist and professor, David Hicks as his studio assistant. Read more>>

Billy Jones

I learned that I had a gift for writing and speaking when I was at Coral Reef Elementary School. My grandparents and mother would purchase books from the Troll catalogue for me to read. At an early age, I became an avid reader. In fifth grade, my teacher, Mr. Fuller, introduced me journalism. Read more>>