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.

Gena Cohen

I was always a creative kid, but somewhere in Middle School I lost sight of that. Somehow life became less about enjoyment and creative exploration and more about making the grade and outer appearances. It wasn’t until roughly age eighteen when I moved to Minneapolis from the suburbs that I got ahold of some art supplies and fell head over heels in love with painting. I still remember the first painting I made, titled “Into the Light.” I spent ten hours in one sitting working on it, and I felt so in touch with the pulse of life and my own personal life-force. Read more>>

Megan Sena

As a new author, having recently started writing, I’ve learned and grown exponentially. I was able to write my first two novels in a relatively short amount of time, which surprised even me. When I started the process, I had assumed the hardest part of writing a book would be actually writing it. I quickly learned I was wrong. The most work comes in the proofreading, editing, publishing, and continual marketing of the book. It’s an ongoing process that requires work on my part every day to promote my work. Read more>>

Charley Sabatino

Music was always a part of me. I had the benefit of some amazing teachers that instilled in me the drive to improve and evolve. I always tried to expand my knowledge and experience base. My main obstacles that stood in my way were my family (non-supportive) and some in the music community (vibing, etc.) Read more>>

Jess Kristen Peterson

I have always loved pictures. I was an avid drawer as a kid and always loved animals. I was given a camera when I was around the age of 12 at Christmas time and I spent the whole night photographing a bowl of mashed potatoes with the thought that these were going to be the most beautiful and artistic mashed potato photographs anyone has ever seen. I never actually developed that roll.. Life took me in another direction and I set the camera down for a little while. Read more>>

Yeon Chung

I never received any formal training. I never went to a floral design school. Looking back, I’m not sure I would have changed anything. I truly believe that all my previous education and work experiences were the best things that happened to me and taught me most of the skill sets I needed to break into this floral industry. After 20 years of working in the creative field, I was prepared to forge my own path. All of what has happened was necessary to make me uniquely who I am. Read more>>

Olivia Richardson

I came to printmaking completely by accident. I applied to West Virginia University’s Photo and Intermedia department with an interest in becoming a fashion photographer. I was looking for a class outside of my primary studio and found lithography, which was one of the introductory printmaking courses at the time. The class description intrigued me because it mentioned using a stone to draw on and I immediately fell in love with the process and the freedom it gave me to create. Read more>>

Chen Gao

I’ve learned through education, hands-on practice, and personal exploration. While my studies built the foundation, much of what I know comes from directly engaging with materials and my instincts—whether in design, photography, or installations. Learning by doing has shaped how I approach my practice. Looking back, I think I could have grown faster by embracing failure earlier. Letting go of the need for polished results and focusing on play and experimentation helped me develop more freely. Read more>>

Heather Baxendale

I’ve been writing stories in my head since I was a child and quickly learned to put pen to paper. Most of what I wrote was terrible, all the way into my early twenties, but I’ve always been an avid reader, so I began to take on the task of reading as a writer instead of reading as a reader, and my true education began. Through college, I took every writing class I could, and that helped with the basics, but creatively, it was trusting what I’d learned through observation. Even now, I continue doing workshops and reading and listening to what other successful writers have to succeed on their journey. Read more>>

Joseph Vanwagner

Originally, I went to school for business, and I majored in hospitality; a decision that would unexpectedly lead me to an entry level service-management position at a renowned Michelin two-star restaurant. I had no idea what a Michelin star was, let alone elevated cuisine. I was immediately thrust into the world of fine dining, and I was completely enamored by it. While working my full-time service job, I started working for free in all of the city’s best kitchens that would have me. Eventually, I made my way into a full-time kitchen position, and I continued to stage (work for free in pursuit of knowledge) at the best restaurant’s that allowed me to do so. Exposing myself to so many high-level environments at such an early point in my career was crucial in my development and has been a formula for growth that I continue to this day. Read more>>

Emma Stine

I became interested in art when I was quite young, and was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged it. Probably the learning began through a combination of extra-curricular activities, including RISD’s Pre-College program, and trips to museums or old cathedrals with my family. Growing up I was surrounded by conversations about historical art and literature, which certainly has informed my taste as an adult, and has been interesting to parse out from my own work as a practicing artist. Read more>>

Sofia De’roma

My spiritual and creative studies began when I was gifted with consciousness and given the opportunity to satisfy my hungry child-like curiosity. I quickly found that I naturally excelled within the artistic realms I manifested within because of my heightened sensitivity. My psychic abilities found a home through creatively channeling myself and there they formed a long lasting bond within me. I’ve acquired the majority of my knowledge through following my intuition which has led me to what’s meant to be for me to receive. Invoking me to explore both internal and external terrains where the wisdom I need and desire is accessible. Read more>>

Tawanda Johnson

Coming from a choir background and being a pianist, rapping definitely turned heads. But what people don’t know about me is that I used to rap in my early twenties. I just decided to give it another shot. Knowing what I know now, I would have prepared more for recording as to not use as much time laying down songs. One of the biggest things would have been knowing my own lyrics. Read more>>

Keyshawn Browne

Learning my craft or rather crafts in this case was probably the most fun thing I’ve done for myself personally. I learned through trial and error, I first had to get over that fear of not wanting to fail as well as how my craft would be perceived by others. If I would’ve known what I known now when I started I would’ve sped up the process is to just take a step back, gather my thoughts and let things flow naturally, trying to forcibly do anything while stressed or panicking is a recipe for disaster in my experience. Read more>>

Sidney Raskind

I learned what I did by working in a 9 to 5 office job for 5 years in the industry that I wanted to be a successful creative in. While I was working as a social media manager, content coordinator, or an assistant producer, I was always posting and creating content for other people on new platforms that gain traction. Working in the office made me realize that it was a business and needed to be treated seriously to make it a reality. Read more>>

Justin Humbert

My path to becoming a motion designer has been very squiggly. When I was young, I started experimenting with short videos, which opened my eyes to how fun the craft of filmmaking can be. After years of editing short films, making music videos with friends, and diving into live-action video-related jobs, I eventually found After Effects. I quickly discovered that I really enjoyed creating things in this way. I learned a lot by experimenting with new ideas and poking around the internet for tips and tricks. Read more>>

Jovana Djoric

From a young age, I found myself interested in art. For the most part, I’d say I’m self-taught, minus things learned in school. While I don’t remember much of my mini-artist days, I have some silly paintings to show to them. My mom saved some framed pictures from my elementary school’s art gallery. It’s funny to look back at how goofy they looked, but it also reminds me to be carefree with my art and just have fun. It doesn’t always have to be so serious.  Read more>>

Rob Heskin

After being a guitarist for many years I was always fascinated with how records ended up sounding the way that they did. In order to do that I found the songs/sounds I most wanted to bring in to my own productions so I researched who made them and how they were made. The biggest leap for me personally was seeing that my favorite mixer at the time (Jack Joseph Puig) was doing a one-of-a-kind master class where you would live in the south of France with 13 other engineers and learn from the man himself. I did that in 2013 and it completely re-calibrated and prepared me with the tools necessary to apply all those techniques to my own mixes and productions.  Read more>>

Coleman Christian

Audio Engineering is a simple, yet a difficult skill to learn due to the massive amount of misinformation regarding the topic. Online, you can find lots of great resources, but many more that are factually errant. I began learning this skill when I was in eighth grade at church. In my opinion, this is the best way to start as churches are typically a friendly environment for learning, have equipment, need someone to run it, and can help you grow in your walk with God. At church I learned the basics of a digital console and spent about two weeks on analog. Read more>>

Michael Okon

I’ve been writing since I was 15 years old. I’m 46 now. I have about 20 published novels spanning self-help, paranormal, thriller and sci-fi. I have written 40+ screenplays (with one screenplay in particular being circulated in a major studio at this very moment). You don’t actually learn to write. A better way to put it is you write to learn.  Read more>>

Greg Van Kerkhof

Hi there! I studied music performance, majoring in bass guitar for 3 years, and I’ve taken a bunch of lessons in the past, but most of what I’ve learned as a songwriter/recording artist has been through trial and error. Basically: 1. Try make something.
2. Fail, yet learn. 3. Repeat. My biggest obstacle is a persistent case of perfectionism, paired with imposter syndrome and wildly unrealistic expectations for myself. Read more>>

Stephanie Gibbs

While I have worked as a bookbinder for twenty years, I was very intentional in choosing the craft and the profession. Originally I wanted to be a children’s librarian — I love picture books, which is part of the reason I so enjoy working with professional artists. I was also interested in tailoring and costuming — hand sewing and embroidery are active skills involved in making books. And I love research: not only history, but theory and experimentation — which serves me well in keeping my own skills and studio practice aligned with contemporary challenges and ideas. Read more>>

Nico Rinehart

Believe it or not, the most difficult part of what I do isn’t the script-making, the research, or the ideas. Tailoring all of that to do well on YouTube is the difficult part. While the most important thing is to make content that is original and high quality, some aspects could hurt or help your video which seems counterintuitive. I had to learn the patterns in videos that did well and those that didn’t. When to look at the numbers and when the numbers were deceiving. It’s mostly trial and error which is discouraging. Read more>>

Raul Rodriguez

I learned how to create content by trial and error, which involved a lot of long, frustrating days. I spent a lot of my time learning by watching other content creators and by watching people do basic editing. I also read a lot of tutorials and asked questions in forums. Eventually, I started to get the hang of it. Patience was the most essential skill. Knowing that every step forward will likely lead to a couple of steps back is frustrating, but at the end, you’ll be sprinting towards the finish line! Read more>>

Frances Garcia

I have been creatively inclined since I was a little girl, raised by people who valued creative problem-solving and encouraged those traits in me. My father is a carpenter, my mother has life-saving skills, my best friend’s parents—whom I spent half my time with—are an eco-architect and a photographer, and my abuela was a needlewoman. I watched all these people use their skills to make life more beautiful, meaningful, and fun, inspiring me to dabble in each of their areas. Read more>>

Gustavo Fuentes

I learned to craft my career by starting as a street artist in middle school and early high school. That is where I discovered how tape could help me create clean lines, simplifying my process while giving me more time to think of new designs and styles. My work has always been rooted in sacred geometry, but at the time, it was entirely self-explored without any prior context or formal study. Read more>>

Javon Young

I have been training in an ongoing acting course at Studio 24 for 3 years now. Prior to this, I had no acting experience. No theatre, no talent shows, I never really considered acting when I was a kid. So to be doing it now as an adult, it’s a funny thing to learn and pursue. With acting you have to really give into your emotions and be vulnerable. It isn’t an easy process. In class, we are taught not to judge the character or the scene. Read more>>

Bonnie Sorsby

I’ve had quite the winding road as a creative entrepreneur and artist. The root of it all is always curiosity and following that pull. That random thing you want to try? It’s probably less random than you think. We make space for joy when we allow ourselves to be beginners and just play. I consider myself a lifelong learner and truly LOVE to learn new things. Following my intuition and excitement always leads me to unexpected, delightful places. Read more>>

Markee Canada

Throughout my life, photography has been a continuous journey for me, though one I approached more casually until recently. From my early days in elementary school to my service in the military, I utilized both disposable and digital cameras purely for enjoyment and capturing memories, not yet understanding my love for the art yet. However, in 2019, I decided to take a more serious approach to photography. I sought the guidance of a local mentor who introduced me to the fundamental concepts and essential techniques in the field. Read more>>

Mk Strother

I began piano lessons around the age of 5 from my grandmother, and it progressed into a love for music. I was part of the marching and concert band in high school. After I graduated high school, I began taking fiddle lessons. I did songwriting off and on throughout the years, but I became more serious about it in January 2023. I learned that being consistent over the years would have sped up the learning process and made things easier. The saying “practice makes perfect” holds a lot of truth behind it. Read more>>

Yam Chew Oh

I make artworks and share my knowledge and experience as an educator and ever-student of art. For the former, I learn by playing, exploring, and experimenting—with an open mind, a making-up-for-lost-time hunger, and insights into what makes me happy. For the latter, I teach two courses about the everyday and creative process at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and counsel international students interested in higher education at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Read more>>

Mj White

I’ve always loved art—drawing, painting and photography were things I’ve always gravitated towards. When I decided to pursue a degree in photography, I was excited to finally take photos the way I imagined them in my head. While school was extremely helpful with the business and the technical, one of the most essential lessons I learned was to take what serves you and leave the rest. Your traditional textbook photo setup isn’t always going to produce the image you want, and that’s okay. Blurring the lines between what you learn in school and what you may want out of your project is sometimes the best way to find your groove and make art that feels authentic to you. There’s never going to be an exact right way to do things! You have to let yourself have fun with it! Read more>>

Olivia Hodson

I think I’ve always had an instinctual understanding of what it is that I’m meant to do. When I was little I would tirelessly sing and make up plays. I think the main driving force was curiosity and the will to follow it. As soon as I could, I worked privately with various coaches and on my own to develop a skillset in storytelling, specifically as an actor. I take a lot of inspiration from my life. Read more>>

Thalia-mae Nero

I’m a self-taught jewellery designer. I believe I’ve always had a creative mind, being drawn to arts and crafts. However, I never thought I was capable of designing let alone making jewellery. My passion for designing came about after creating my first pair of button earrings made using recycled fabrics. I was in awe that something so simple can become a statement piece of accessory. After creating a few pieces for friends and family, I realised I wanted to explore this passion even more. I started by watching basic jewellery making videos and online tutorials. I read a few books on jewellery making, but I am a visual learner so YouTube was my best friend. Read more>>

Michelle Mcdowell

I’ve always had a love for taking photos. My first camera was film when i was in my 20’s so I’ve always had a camera, but back my camera was stolen and then in the early the 2000’s maybe 2012, or 2013 I can’t remember exactly when but I got a small inexpensive hp digital camera and it was then that my love was rekindled. I fell in love with the fact that you could change the ISO (film speed) in a blink of an eye. From there I graduated to a crop sensor camera and it was a canon, then from there i really got serious, I then graduated to a full frame canon camera and I was just trying to photograph anything i could. Read more>>

Nellie Beckett

I learned everything about writing, work and the world by reading voraciously. I was a loner and a bookworm growing up, so much of what I learned about the world was through a daily practice of reading newspapers and periodicals: the Washington Post, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Vermont Country Store Catalogue, Ms., The Nation, BUST Magazine, the Hearthsongs Catalogue, the Tightwad Gazette, New Moon Magazine for Girls and their Dreams, American Girl Magazine, Cricket, Spider, Bitch Magazine (RIP), the Utne Reader, Vogue, zines, Hip Mama, Jane, CosmoGirl, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington City Paper, the Baltimore City Paper (RIP), People, US Weekly, Allure, Saveur, Mad Magazine, Cook’s Illustrated, Premiere, Seventeen and doubtless others I’m forgetting. It was a fun exercise just now to think of all the wonderful publications I marinated in every single day, either through my parents’ subscriptions or at the library or bookstore. Read more>>