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.

Sam Phish

I am completely self-taught, with over 50 instruments learned completely by ear. I think the thing that helped the most was learning basic music theory, which helped me relate instruments to eachother. However, this was my major struggle because I was being taught piano theory as a guitarist, and it just didn’t quite make sense to me. Once I figured it out on guitar, it was so much easier. Read more>>

Rosso Damien

I was 100% self-taught when I set up my company in 2009. Then, with the evolution of equipment and the development of my practice, I quickly realized that it was important to train in order to evolve with my profession. Initially, I was just a photographer, specializing in sports (Mountain Bike, Road Bike, Moto Cross, Trail Running, etc.). Little by little, my customers asked me to make films or videos for social networks. Read more>>

Jenn Shifflet

I started my artistic life at the age of 11 or 12 when my older brother, also an artist, started to teach me how to draw and paint, and gave me my first set of paints. Then, in a public high school with a great art program, I studied with a deeply dedicated art teacher who encouraged us to apply to all sorts of art competitions, juried shows and scholarships. Growing up just outside Washington D.C. I was surrounded by great art museums and art opportunities. I credit these things with jump starting my creative life. Later, I moved to CA where I got my MFA in Arts and Consciousness studies, focused on painting. several years later I also began studying working with kiln formed glass. Read more>>

Tung Lin Tsai

My photography journey began during my freshman year of college when I knew little about the craft. A black-and-white darkroom course captivated me so deeply that I decided to change my major to photography. Since then, I’ve been exploring various photographic processes, working with both digital and analog techniques. Looking back, I realize that studying more photobooks would have significantly enhanced my development as a photo-based creator. Examining the historical context of photobooks not only deepens a photographer’s understanding of the medium’s evolution but also illuminates various photographic techniques. Interestingly, the limitations of these techniques often shaped photographers’ work in their respective eras. I believe the most crucial skill for any photographer or photo-based creator is the ability to truly see a picture, analyze how it was captured, and understand the intention behind it. Read more>>

F.s. Lafave

Whether I’m painting or photographing, there’s always a sense that it’s not really a choice: I am driven by my eye. With painting, because I’m self-taught, I used what I had: an understanding of patterns and an eye that works “outside in.”. I started painting later in my twenties only after experimenting with other performative art forms. With acting and improvisation, there was that essential sense of pattern ingrained in me through analyzing text and scenes. I was able to keen my eye. I also keened my eye by taking two photography courses. When I began painting I had already been photographing professionally (as well as for my own sake). Read more>>

Alex Macias

Ever since I was teenager growing up in the San Francisco I always had a passion for art and music. Back in high school I picked up some basic guitar by hanging out with Skaters and Punk rockers, and all the while going out to Raves and shows in San Francisco Bay Area. I was doing graffiti at the time and the Graffiti culture was not just a being embraced by the Hip Hop scene but also the Punk scene, so there was lot of crossover, my friends and I would draw and play music all night, some nights we would end up at 924 Gilman, some nights we romed the streets of San Francisco, some nights were warehouse parties in Oakland were DJs played all night. Read more>>

Derail Howery

I’m an artist. Ill probably label myself as an storyteller. I’ve been drawing and sketching probably at the age of 6, if I can remember. My uncle was a big help in my artist growth . I remember in eight grade I thought I was the best artist at the school because I was pass the torch from artist that graduated last year. One day a transfer student came in and he was dope, blew me out the water and it show me that there are people are better than you. In high school I didn’t take it that serious because I was playing sports and stuff. I when I graduated from high school, I didn’t get no scholar ship or anything to play basketball so I went to an junior college and took some art classes and I felt in love again with art. I went to an art school call AI ( Illinois institute of art of Chicago ) and major in computer animation and graduated with a B.A.. In College of AI I made a good friend ship with Robin Rios and she ask me to come to check out the 4art Gallery and I fell in love with the art gallery and for what it stand for. Read more>>

Maddie Foss

The processes I mostly utilize in my practice today are the result of overconfidence in my skills and plenty of mistakes along the way. I hold a Master’s degree, which equipped me with valuable techniques and creative problem-solving skills that have sped up my learning process. Most of my best work comes from playing and diving into the unknown. For me, the biggest obstacle to learning is my own fear of failure and rejection. It took many years into my artistic career to continue throwing myself into trying and allowing myself to be overconfident to the point of failure and not take myself or my art too seriously. Read more>>

Mateo Seza

I’ve always relied heavily on intuition throughout my creative journey, but learning to trust myself took time. Like most of us, I’ve found that experience—trial and error—is the greatest teacher. To be good at something, you first have to be willing to be bad at it, and I embraced that mindset from a young age. I was always creatively inclined, drawn to things that inspired me, and I’d experiment to figure out how to do them, learning through my mistakes along the way. Looking back, I wish I had sought out mentors earlier. Relying so much on my intuition and self-teaching extended my learning curve. A mentor could have helped me learn faster by sharing their insights and experiences, and I could have benefited from their guidance in navigating the complexities of an artistic career. Read more>>

Sherief Elkatsha

I studied film in college, but everything I’ve learned has been through working, making mistakes, and by trying to make my own films. When I moved to NYC in 1996, I spent 5 years learning different crafts in all sides of production, first as a PA, then working in art departments of various films, tv shows, music videos and fashion shoots. I knew I wanted to someday work on my own projects, but I knew I had a lot to learn. Filmmaking is a multi-faceted endeavor, involving many different people. From my years working, I would say the most essential skill I learned is how to collaborate. How to bring out the best in people while staying true to the project. And of course, discipline and hard work! Read more>>

Justin Harris

Learning how to tattoo is a lot about learning from your mistakes. Knowing what I know now, I would say accepting failures would help myself grow faster. The most essential skill is patience when it comes to tattooing. A huge obstacle in the way of learning more would be ego, I find that tattooing is more mental than physical. Read more>>

Clay Wendel

Well that depends on which medium we’re talking about. When it comes to Chainstitch embroidery, I learned mostly by experimenting, trial & a lot of error, studying the work of people I admire & a bit of advice along the way from folks who’ve been at it longer who I look up to & respect in regards to their work/abilities. I wouldn’t like to think about the learning process in terms of what might have expedited it, it’s constantly evolving. Also, there’s value to be gained by being comfortable with learning processes in general. Nothing great comes quick at first so I feel like if you’re rushing something your focus is probably not in the right place. The learning process, in my opinion, doesn’t end if you’re actively pursuing something creative, it just progresses into different avenues. Read more>>

Lee Perfetto

I was a big fan of watching pro wrestling throughout my childhood. So, in 2012 I found a wrestling school in Oroville, CA called Pro Championship Wrestling. A couple of friends and I decided to take the opportunity and risk of learning the trade. I met Zack Reeb, the owner and primary trainer for the company. I helped to pay my training dues with video editing for the company as well, which is another skill in the wrestling world (and any world of media) that is very useful. I definitely wish I had learned wrestling in high school. I could have easily gotten a leg-up on many of the basic grappling skills at a younger age, which would have sped up my learning process. And if I had ALSO been doing more theater in high school? I’d have the perfect killer combo to prepare me for pro wrestling. Read more>>

Chris Marsol

I had been told from a young age that I had acting talent and growing up I somewhat took that for granted. But I avoided pursuing it because I knew the odds of making it were miniscule. But once I decided to pursue it in a real way, I knew I had to get training and that’s when I really learned the craft and discovered how much I did not know. And I say that from both the craft side and the business side. Read more>>

Tyranicorn

I learned how to tattoo through my friend and mentor, Brandon Blackwood. I had been getting tattoos from artists at A Dead Anchor for a few years. I had built good relationships with the artists at the shop and asked questions related to tattooing during my sessions. From those conversations, I was able to secure an apprenticeship. I had graphic design and a digital marketing background, but no former art history. The biggest hurdle in the learning process for me was being able to have a high volume creative output. During my apprenticeship, I was working a full time marketing job, and then after work I would need to continue to keep my creative juices flowing and draw a sheet of flash before the weekend. Finding the balance between work, cooking, cleaning, exercise, maintaining a social life, and commuting to and from my apprenticeship was the biggest challenge. Read more>>

Liza Rutenbeck

I have been circling around design my whole life, but finding my place within the field took time and exploration. As a child I had many interests but vividly remember using early Apple design software in first grade. Later I studied the business of design at Parsons School of Design. Learning about marketing, branding and strategy excited me and I was drawn to the idea that design, when done right, can help make people’s lives a little better. A few years after graduating I was happy to get a job at IDEO and held several roles there. My first, in business development, taught me how to communicate with clients, write proposals and design pitch decks (all practical skills for a future entrepreneur). Later I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be trained in human-centered design research and strategy by leading experts and rose to the level of Senior Designer. Read more>>

Liz Potter

I’ve always been creative, so learning to do what I do now has been a life-long journey. It happened organically because it’s just part of who I am. But to pinpoint photography specifically, it started in college when I changed majors from fine art to photojournalism. Creativity blossoms when exploration is involved, and exploration takes time. I would never speed anything up, even if I could go back in time! I often discover different ways of doing things, or have ideas I never would have considered if I didn’t take the time to play around with mediums instead of focusing on some sort of “perfect” outcome. I think that’s one of the essential skills in creativity- to allow messing up, allow time to practice and play.  Read more>>

Lisa Dawn

My favorite book as a child was called “Just the Thing for Geraldine”. Geraldine is a possum whose passion is juggling, but her parents really want her to learn a better craft. So she attempts dancing, basket weaving, and sculpting…that all end in some success, some failure, but not much happiness. In the end, her parents embrace that she is, in fact, a juggler. And a darn good one. Read more>>

Lyn

I didn’t really have much in terms of tools to learn how to make or edit videos. I had GoPro’s (and now Insta360’s) apps for setting points of view/keyframes, and would take that, export it to CapCut, and finish editing there with fine turning segments, transitions, color adjustments, music, and sound effects. Watching other reels was pivotal in seeing what others were doing (“oh, that was a great sound effect to add,” or “that panning motion was cool”) and Google was my best friend in figuring out how people did that (i.e., where to find sound bytes). A lot of learning was trial and error – exploring the options in CapCut, figuring out what different tools were, keeping them in my arsenal if I liked it, etc. Read more>>

Angel Bandong

Everything began in college. At the time, I was in an Arts & Communications program with a focus on drawing, but I was also required to take extracurricular courses within the program. So I took courses like film, and graphic design. Once I figured out I wanted to be an illustrator, my new classes specialized in Adobe programs, and photography. As I focused on being an illustrator, my instagram became my portfolio. I’ve always been drawn to social media, but not being in front of a camera. At this time in my life, I was finally coming to terms with my identity and self expression. I cut my hair, and dressed more aligned to my personality. It helped me hate less of myself at the time, as I was strongly camera shy as a teenager. I felt comfortable enough to take photos, and slowly accept my voice on video. So I showed more of myself through instagram stories, and posts of myself creating art. Read more>>

Meghan Hopkins

Practice! Practice! Practice! If you want to become a good photographer, learn and understand your camera; that means going out and photographing. I could’ve and should’ve taken photography a little more seriously when I was attending classes in college. My efforts were half hearted in the beginning, due to me just wanting to get a grade and exit. But finding your niche in this field would have you never wanting to put your camera down. In my opinion, the most important skill is understanding your camera and its settings. It’s essential for photographers to know how to shoot in Manual mode, and not constantly use the other settings as a crutch. Take the training wheels off and just go for it, you will be amazed by what you learn on your own.  Read more>>

Sharman Russell

You learn to write by reading. You want to be a writer because you love reading. Often this begins with the books you read as a child and the way they enlarged your life and, in some cases, helped you survive and flourish. After absorbing the craft of writing–through the osmosis of reading–you need to learn the craft of rewriting. Mentors can help with this, and I went to graduate school to get a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in order to find mentors. You can also find creative writing teachers in various classes, online and face to face, at universities and community colleges and local workshops. You don’t need a degree. You need people you trust who will reflect your writing back to you and show you strategies to improve and revise. Read more>>

Whitefeather Hunter

I come from a craft background, have a masters degree in fine art and entered into biosciences as an artist. My PhD was a research specialization in using bioengineering methods as creative tools. Now I practice “laboratory craft,” which is a technical way of working in a lab to create artworks from biotechnology experiments. Being proficient in both art-making and biotech methods is a somewhat unusual skill set categorized as bio-art, and it isn’t an easy field to enter or maintain a practice in. One of the biggest challenges for me along the way has been an issue of access: from expensive lab materials, to restricted spaces and institutional permissions. When I traded in my studio apron for a lab coat, I underwent dozens of certification processes and this is repeated every time I start work in a new institution. Since I typically have to conduct my experiments in a biosafety lab, especially when working with human materials such as stem cells, there are numerous regulations to adhere to. Artists have a certain material freedom that scientists don’t necessarily have, and as an artist-researcher, I sit somewhere in between. Read more>>

David W. Berner

There is no other way to learn to write a good story than to write. The doing is the thing. My very first story was entitled The Cyclops. I wrote it in 2nd grade. We made books out of cardboard in our class and we illustrated the pages. Mine was a deep sea adventure inspired by the trips to the ocean my family made when I was just a boy. I started writing professionally as a journalist when I was 21 years old. It took years to hone my craft. It didn’t necessarily come from some secret innate talent. I wrote a lot of horrible stories before I found my way. But again, it’s about the doing. Be patient. Write as often as you can. And, a very important ingredient—READ. Reading good stories, good literature, good nonfiction and memoir is essential. Writers will never be good at this craft if they do not read. Read more>>

Guise Dentertainer

HI World, My name is GUISE, I’m a recording and performing artist. As a young man I hung out with once older and wiser than I. Studying the Industry gradually, I knew if I took the time to learn the business and back end the rest is in my hands and faith. Knowing what I know now, honestly the timing couldn’t be any more perfect, if I started earlier it won’t be massive as it’s about to be. The most skill I felt that was most essential for GUISE was persistence/consistency, once public, with repetition(the father of learning), you’ll learn, study, understand and execute better. No obstacle can stand in my way, I am invictus, I AM GUISE. Read more>>

 

 

Rolando Nieves

Growing up, I pursued sports, academics and did a little bit of music and art on the side.. but my father was the first one to get me into music and my mother was the first to get me into visual art. I started taking and editing photos / videos, and doing music as a hobby. I never really made music my main thing until high school ended. My father always gave me slight nudges but never forced me to do anything I didn’t already express interest in. I met my best friend Anthony at the end of high school and he was the first person I met that shared a similar passion to music as I did. He ended up showing me how to use Ableton Live and I switched from Reason to Ableton and never switched back. I went on a very hard musical deep dive between 2015 and 2020 that made me realize this is what I wanted to do forever. Read more>>