Often we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to learn something new – we can just ask experts in the field who can draw on their experience to enlighten us. Below, we’ve shared insights insiders from various industries have shared with us.

Jam Jam Roberts | Muralist, Designer & Arts Educator

I believe outsiders are unaware of how much thought and time goes into illustration, painting, and drawing. Some people are very inspired and create on a whim, but even still it is a summation of experiences, which breeds new art..also way more doodles than people think. I have a bookshelf with around 40 sketchbooks and notepads full of ideas and doodles. Read more>>

Melissa Sutherland Moss | Interdisciplinary Visual Artist

NFT’s! To be honest, I am still learning about Non Fungible Tokens but this is something that has made its way into the art industry and I have no choice but to stay abreast. In short, an NFT is a Non-Fungible Token (a unique digital token), which many see as a certificate of authenticity, or a deed or proof confirming you own the right to display the above art on your wall or in digital wallet. Read more>>

Jelani Prew | Commercial Product Photographer

Product photography is a full-time service with full-time pricing. My pricing reflects all that goes into the process, production, quality, and execution. Oftentimes, I find clients look at it like “It’s just photos”, or “Why is product photography so expensive?”. This is typical because there is a lack of awareness of all that goes into producing commercial quality images used to drive sales and brand awareness for businesses. Day Rates, Equipment, Studio Rentals, Talent Fees, Image Licensing, Image Retouching, Art Direction, Styling, Props, Workflow Subscriptions, etc. In some cases, there can be a team of individuals responsible for each step in the process. As a freelancer, I typically wear all the hats and charge accordingly. Read more>>

Simone DeCarlo | Media Personality and Travel Influencer

As a media personality, in the world of entertainment things can happen in a very unstructured way timewise. This was so different from my predictable 9-5 life. You may get an invitation to cover an event the same day or within just hours of the event. You will have to be okay with missing out on something because of the timing or other circumstances. You also need to be prepared ALWAYS. Have your equipment such as your microphone, camera, etc ready. Have an on camera outfit ready. You never know sometimes when an opportunity could present itself and it could go into the very late hours of the night if its related to movies, music, or fashion. Read more>>

Dory, the Nelson | Director, Animator & Sequential Artist

I think that one thing would be that you have to be willing to do it yourself. So many of us in the creative industry rely on others to validate our dreams by giving us the opportunities to achieve them by working for them in studios or what have you. Not that we shouldn’t seek out these grand opportunities but to rely on them to validate the dreams we have makes us incapable of thinking for ourselves. Our dreams are who we are, so to rely on others to give us a sense of continuity on our way to achieve them creates a never ending gap between our skill and our true potential. Read more>>

Porsha Clayton | Owner & Cake Artist

That cake is not just cake, it’s edible art. I’ve been in business 3 years now, but baked as a hobby for at least 10. Now that I bake for profit and I’ve increased my skill set as far as design capabilities, I now realize how much time it takes to create something that will be devoured in minutes. Customers do not understand the time that is put into making their cake dreams come true. One cake design can take anyway from hours, days, or weeks to make. Read more>>

Jay “Pop” Richardson | Co-Owner / Director of Artist Development & Relations of The Stachehaus

Well unfortunately, outsiders, as well as aspiring artist, only see the end results. They don’t realize how much work and consistency goes into the process of making music. Key words “WORK” AND “CONSISTENCY”. Singles and Albums don’t just go Gold or Platinum, there is a lot of work, not just from the creatives( artist / producers) , but from publicist, managers, marketing teams and , distributors. Each one has to see the vision and put in work to make it all come together. Now there is no guarantee, even if all that happens, that you get a platinum hit, but it sure ups the odds on having a better song and / or album. Read more>>

Ashley Trabue | multi-passionate artist and creative mentor

Only about 14% of living artists that are represented by galleries in North America and Europe are women artists. 96% of artwork sold at auction is art by male artists, and of the 4% of art by women sold at these auctions, that art is sold at a discount of close to 50% off. Read more>>