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.

Carlos Lezama

I think learning the craft is just a process of self discovery, you will never be able to see how far you can go if you dont keep on trying to do new things. The path is only a bunch of decisions you take everyday that guide you but only knowing and trying the things you dont like will guide find what you think works better for each project. Read more>>

M-16

My father was an on air talent back in the late 70’s and into the 80’s on the top urban radio station in Baton Rouge, LA and was very popular. When I was old enough to go to the station I would watch my Dad and he was excellent on the air. He was informative, witty, and innovative and I remembered being enamored with what he did. I even started reading and recording public service announcements as young as 6 years old. Even through all this I was hesitant to follow what he was doing even though I knew deep down this is what I should be doing even as a child. Had I embraced it instead of rebelling I may have gotten further sooner. I feel like the most essential skills for radio/podcasting is studying your craft. Study the greats the ones with longevity and the ones who aren’t afraid to be different and borrow from them and make it your own. Read more>>

Andre Kelton

Well, I’ve always been a reader for as long as I can remember. I spent time in the book retail business and one of the things I missed after the store closed, was the conversations that took place around books. So I wanted to try and recreate a little bit of that through Instagram. Read more>>

Deshaun Frazier

I been recording since 2019 I started off with audacity and once I got out of the military I went to the LA FILM SCHOOL. That school was in Hollywood and the school taught industry standards and basics on recording, making beats, and engineering which was very helpful in the long run. The more I recording I fell in love with recording and it became like a rhythm more or me just recording. I feel when I recording now it’s more fluent and more . Read more>>

Charles Moore

I learned how to produce music just by trying. I started with a weird free program called “LMMS” and learned the bare basics through YouTube tutorials and practice. Eventually I got my hands on FL Studio and it changed the game for me, being able to use that interface and the plugins changed my perspective. I continued to use YouTube and also underground artists from SoundCloud as inspiration on how and what to create. Practice, practice, practice. Read more>>

Conor Toland

I’ve been working with kids in part due to the stalling of the animation industry right now. One of the things I get asked a lot as I draw at work are “how do you draw like that?” I always say “practice, and lots of it” as most creatives know. It’s really interesting to see younger kids draw as well, because they all enjoy drawing. They’re all bad at it, because they’re kids and they don’t know how to draw. But they really enjoy it nonetheless. They haven’t been told that art is too hard, or that they just can’t draw, or anything like that. Kids will never tell you they can only draw a stick figure. I think ultimately I was very lucky with my family, especially my mom, who was very nurturing of my creative impulses. Like a lot of artists, I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid and never really stopped. Only in later high school did I really start to think about art seriously, though. Read more>>

Gavin Gone

After I knew that DJ’ing and producing music was a career path I wanted to pursue. I hoped on YouTube trying to learn anything and everything that I could. It was overwhelming to say the least. Just starting out I wish I took a more structured approach to learning the craft rather than trying to learn everything all at once. For years I would hop from different YouTube tutorials trying to learn everyone’s secret tricks but it wasn’t until I attended ICON Collective School of Music in Los Angeles, California that everything changed. At ICON, I learned the skills that I was lacking the most, the basics and rules for making music. Starting out, making “good” music is extremely hard but with the right understanding of the basics and fundamentals of music, slowly my tracks became better and better. Read more>>

Gion Treichler

I started dancing as a child but started taking it seriously at around 11 when I began my pre-professional dance training at Zurich Dance Academy (taz). I completed the basics study program and furthered my dance training at the Ballet School of the Opera House Zurich. This is where I first fell in love with contemporary and modern dance. This then led me on to Zurich University of the Arts where I did a BFA in contemporary dance. The program there was really laid out to resemble the daily life of a professional dancer in and to prepare you for this very demanding career. I think having even more of exposure to various dance styles at an earlier stage might have been helpful to become a more versatile dancer quicker. I think above all skills a dancer needs to have, discipline and determination are the most important. Read more>>

Dany Wynters

I have learn my craft by not only watching, but by trail and error. I have been fortunate enough to have great mentors as well, from my very humble beginnings with the Haus of Pu$$y to finding my place as a member of the Haus of Wynters. I could have speed up my learning process but engaging more, in every sense. The skills I found most essential are make up skills and sewing and the only obstacle has been myself. Only you can stop yourself from achieving your goals. Read more>>

Jessica Winters

I learned the art of content creation through a combination of hands-on experience, self-study, and skills learned in previous professions. Having previously earned a Career Certificate in Graphic Design is definitely something that has helped me on my path as a content creator. Also, working previously as a real estate agent taught me many things that have led me to where I am today. I began using social media for my real estate business. Without that stepping stone, I would never have found my path and passion for content creation! Read more>>

Mort

I have been self taught through my career in art. I do have a day job that takes up most of my time but in the small amount of free time I do have, I try to learn new techniques or work on as many projects as I can. Which amounts to most of the skills I do know have been acquired through years of trial and error. One of the most important skills when it comes with learning the way I do is to never let any errors I make discourage me from continuing my artistic path. Along with that, I feel it is very important to keep yourself open when it comes to learning a new skill or technique. I never want to get myself in an artistic rut, so I try to change it up every now and then to keep my self fresh for new ideas. Read more>>

Lakebra Murchison

Learning how to become a content creator involves understanding various platforms, audience engagement strategies, and the nuances of content types. Initially, I explored popular social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to identify rising stars and influencers. I studied their content styles, audience interactions, and engagement metrics to gauge their effectiveness. To speed up the learning process, I could have focused more on networking within communities of content creators and attending workshops or webinars. Engaging directly with creators and industry professionals would have provided insights and shortcuts to understanding trends and best practices. Read more>>

Jami O’rourke

I learned a lot through trial and error. There’s definitely some research involved—especially since resin can be tricky to work with—but the real lessons came from just diving in and experimenting. I spent time figuring out the different types of resin and how to use them, but honestly, most of my growth happened when I messed up and learned from those mistakes. I also follow a lot of amazing resin artists on Instagram, and their videos have really inspired me and helped me pick up new techniques. Looking back, I think I could have sped up my learning by checking out more structured tutorials or workshops. Patience and adaptability were key for me since resin can be pretty unpredictable. One of the biggest hurdles was definitely the fear of making mistakes, which held me back at first. But once I embraced that, it really helped me push my creative boundaries. Read more>>

Hannah Patterson

At the heart of my artistic learning and growth lies a deep curiosity, a daily commitment to the creative process, and a relentless drive to master my craft. Over time, I’ve learned to balance this “rage to master” with a wabi-sabi approach, allowing the beauty of imperfection and the natural asymmetry found in nature to inspire my work. It’s this combination of passion, dedication, acceptance and exploration that allows me to continually push my boundaries and evolve as an artist. Read more>>

Aiden Schnell

I have played music for almost my entire life. Guitar was the first instrument, and for the most part has remained my main instrument. As a child, my primary form of music education was learning songs and eventually fiddle tunes from my music teachers. Eventually I attended Berklee College of Music where I studied more complex musical topics (mainly improvisation and music theory) which are skills I use most often in music settings. In order to get good at what I do, I had to take a lot of time to try to understand how my brain likes to process information. A big achievement for me was learning how to map the fretboard. Often you hear about musicians drilling scale shapes over and over until they are muscle memorized, and for me, I had to really do the music math to visualize the fretboard, and that required an understanding of some basic shapes and a lot of music theory knowledge to give myself the ability to make musical choices. Read more>>

Eva Franco

My journey in design and architecture started a long time ago, driven by my love for this field. I’ve learned a lot by working with some amazing designers, traveling, and seeing how skilled workers like carpenters craft their products. Also, I believe in investing in my education in every opportunity that I get, so I’ve taken various courses that go from decorating to drafting and 3D programs I use in my work. I remember one big obstacle that I faced was wanting to take a marketing course that I found really exciting but couldn’t afford at the time. I ended up asking my mom to help me out financially, and I’m so grateful she supported me without hesitation. After completing the course, I was able to make my first sales and quickly paid her back, which really showed me the value of believing in myself. Read more>>

Stacey Nicholls

I’ve always been creative. I went to school for photography, which laid the foundation for what I do now. After a few years working as a wedding photographer, I realized I was close to burning out. I shifted to graphic design so I could still be creative but without the stress and travel of weddings. When I was starting out as a graphic designer, I watched a lot of how-to videos, but realized that I needed more than technical skills – I needed to push my creative thinking. Design challenges helped keep me accountable and gave a bit of competition to push me beyond the first idea. I continued to build on my photography and graphic design foundation when I shifted to website design. Recreating websites that I liked was the best way for me to wrap my head around coding and building sites. I leaned into my background to learn to design websites and figure out website strategy. Read more>>

Vincent Sliva

Music production requires a mix of creativity and technical skills. Faithfully translating what you hear in your head to the audio format, with all of it’s limitations, takes a practical and applied knowledge. The creative component helps guide the direction of all decisions, and acts as the final editorial voice. Both are necessary to present a song it’s best light, and both require practice to sharpen. Read more>>

Jessica & Navid Parsa

Photography and videography both require expert technical skills and creative ingenuity. Navid has been interacting with cameras from a young age and finds the technical aspects the most appealing. While Jessica didn’t have early exposure to photography and videography, she ran her own food blog for many years before they met, which provided her with expertise in social media management and marketing, as well as a creative vision. Combining both of their hobbies seemed like the most logical next step. Thus, The Parsa Kitchen was born, and the work began—along with the obstacles. Read more>>

Few Blue

Well, it all started with the guys back in high school. The lead guitarist and drummer were a part of another band. They tried their hardest to play at bars when they were 15, but sometimes weren’t let in…. and collected gear and instruments for themselves. When they went to college, the band ended up splitting up as a few of them were moving on to different schools or states, but they had all this gear left over… and that’s when the idea of Few Blue was born! After onboarding Cam as the lead singer, we all learned from each other. Most of what we have learned has been through our own mistakes and learning from them. We have had a lot of help and support along the way, a lot of advice given to us by amazing mentors and other bands who have been around the block, but for the first year, we were just learning by what we were doing and the feedback we were getting. Read more>>

Nick Nguyen

My journey with stained glass began in 2021 when I found a workshop class at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. What began as a date night activity evolved into an art form that I truly find joy expressing in. At the beginning, I had so many ideas but hesitated quite often on actually creating: because of the design, because of the materials, because of the time/effort requirements. I’ve learned a lot by just actually doing; I began to understand why specific glass breaks a certain way. I’ve learned that temperature actually plays a huge role in your solder lines (and heat cracks). In my final art piece, my design choices (even the bad ones) showed a lot about my personal style (and how I could refine it). I began to admire the process. I’ve read articles about glass, and I’ve watched countless Youtube/Tiktok videos about it, but I didn’t sincerely understand the craft until I actually started creating. Read more>>

Lorenzo Wong

I’ve always believed in the power of community because it’s the connections we build together that truly shape and uplift us. As someone passionate about marketing and social media, my path has been shaped by a blend of creativity and community-building, backed by a background in Communication from the University of California, Los Angeles. For me, it’s not about chasing numbers or putting on a show—it’s about creating spaces where people can be themselves and find something meaningful. Honestly, I never thought I’d end up as a content creator; I just followed what felt natural to me, and that’s what led me here. Social media, in my experience, is about fostering real conversations and making sure people feel like they belong. Read more>>

Hailey Dukes

I never had intentions of becoming a DJ initially! Many of my long time Michigan friends remark that I just kind of came out of nowhere with my DJing career and it honestly is a funny truth looking back. I am from Kent, Ohio and before I moved to Michigan for college, I did not have any experience with goign to electronic music shows, seeing djs perform, knowing that it was a career path to take or anything. Later in college, I would hitch rides out to Detroit to attend events and parties and shows for fun, and thats where I got my first real understanding of nightlife, I was lucky to learn in a place with so much rich history and timeless contribution to the broader culture of electronic music. Read more>>

Susy Siddens

My greatest obstacle was lack of confidence, I completed a foundation course at art college and felt sure I wasn’t good enough to make it as an artist, so I switched to history of art, design and film at university and worked as an exhibitions officer and gallery director. I’m now managing director of a graphic design agency as well as an artist, and this creative path has worked well for me. Now in my ’50’s I finally have the confidence to believe in myself and the financial freedom to explore my creativity. My first lesson was to use tools that make me happy. I started with squared paper and very fine black ink pens that gave me satisfaction when drawing repetitive geometric shapes. It was that simple. Read more>>

Carlos J Castillo

I began to learn the craft of acting in an acting class I joined and participated in for ten years. As I was young and excited I devoured everything. Whether it was craft, technique, or business. Just couldn’t get enough. There were movie list, book lists, and plays galore to enjoy. Truthfully, I don’t think there is a way to speed up learning a craft. I certainly gave all my waking time that was available but it still took the time it took. There’s a saying that “if you have to ask how long it takes to become a master, you’ll likely not become one.” As a human, obstacles will be there. They will come in every form; family emergencies, friendly scuffles, love affairs. The important matter is to navigate them without losing site of your goals. Read more>>

Henry Thompson

Learning this craft is such a steady, gradual process – I think that’s what makes this such an interesting question. We’ve all learned some of a craft, and none of us have learned all of the craft. And there’s no one-size-fits-all route through the learning, so we just do what we can when we can, never stop and then suddenly you’re somewhere different. I started at a very young age at Stagecoach in the UK, and learned a love of being the centre of attention, honestly! I learned the theatre was a place for having fun, and that I could be free there. I’m also fairly certain I learned how to sing “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina”. School taught me that I definitely wanted to pursue acting as a career, and failing my first round of drama school auditions made me earn that I wasn’t all that. Then I went and studied History and International Relations for my BA and, honestly, I couldn’t tell you what I learned there. Certainly nothing to do with acting, for the whole three years. I learned that if a drink was £1.80, and you had 20 of them, then one of them was free…sort of. Read more>>

Daniel Reid

I began at a very young age, around 4. I was always drawing and painting. What I did learn through those years is learning what you love. If you love it, you’ll be a sponge. if you hate it you’ll be a rock. The most essential skills i drawn from those experiences was my visual library and ability to have a clear vision. I believe that’s the key to a great piece of art being film, drawing, painting, and music. The obstacles that stand in the way are always constant, they’re usually questions, questions about what and why am I making something. Realizing there are no answers but only paths to take has been extremely helpful in the process. Read more>>

Aaron Raitiere

Lots of practice. I’m not sure there’s anyway I could’ve learned it any faster. I think the best way to learn is to mess up. I’ve written a lot of bad songs and I still do. I think the most essential skill is to get used to failure and be comfortable with it Because it’s the only thing really in your way. Read more>>

Evan Rudman

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a deep personal connection with music. However to me, listening wasn’t enough. I needed to actually become a part of the music. I wanted to engage in the process to create a beautiful work of art. So, I put in the work everyday to teach myself the basics of drumming. My dedication and consistency helped carry me to the position I’m in today. Looking back I wish I took lessons at first to learn the proper fundamentals. However it is more impressive to say I’m self taught. The only obstacle you will ever face in your pursuit of a goal is yourself. You have to tell yourself that you can overcome any barrier as long as you put in the work Read more>>

Jonnie Morris

Learning what I do now, as a professional music artist, all came naturally to me. The ability to listen to a beat and perfectly structure it with words by chorus and verses, all just felt extremely divine and purposeful. To speed up this learning process though, I definitely could have began recording music a lot earlier, as I didn’t begin until I was 20 years old. The most essential skills I believe that were key in bringing it all together, was the ability to listen, imitate and adapt. To listen to an artist such as Eminem, who started it all for me, imitate his flow and cadence and then adapt into my own sound and lane, was critical. The biggest obstacle that stood in the way from being able to learn more was finances, or the lack there of them. This inability early on to generate funds led to me relying more on practice, writing songs and learning song structure, versus bringing it all together over a beat with consistency in an actual recording studio. Read more>>

Diego Rodrigues

Self-learning allows you to take ownership of your learning journey, which means that you can develop and progress at your own pace. You also improve as a person, not just at the skill you’re learning or knowledge you’re acquiring. You’ll start to know your habits and preferences better. Through trial and error, you’ll find out which methods and processes work and which don’t. Learning more means becoming a proficient learner. Read more>>