Welcome! I’m Joel—a creator, Apple enthusiast, travel photographer, and lifelong learner.

Meet Joel

Father. Creator. Apple nerd. Teacher at heart.

A simple guy on a lifelong journey of learning, teaching, and helping others feel confident with their technology.

Where It All Began

I’ve always been a low-key person — and I mean the classic kind. Not the Gen-Z version of “low-key obsessed” or “low-key dramatic.” Just genuinely low-key.

Simple, grounded, and happiest with the basics: a rollercoaster now and then, a quiet hike through the woods, a good cup of coffee, and time with my family.

My love for teaching started before I even realized it. My mom was a teacher, and I spent countless summers helping her set up her classroom. Maybe that planted the first seed.

But the moment technology truly pulled me in came in college, when I bought my first Mac — one of the old white iMacs — so I could learn GarageBand and record the barbershop quartets I sang with.

That one decision opened an entire world.

Music turned into video.
Video turned into photography.
And eventually, all of that turned into helping others create, learn, and tell their own stories.

Creativity has always been part of my family, too. My brother Eric has been one of the biggest creative influences in my life — someone I’ve always turned to for inspiration, guidance, and honest feedback. His work spans graphic design, woodworking, 3D modeling, laser etching, and just about anything else he decides to figure out.

You can see his work at ericfeld.com.

From Apple Store Trainer to Software Engineer

Before I ever started a YouTube channel, I spent five years working at Apple.

Back then, Apple offered the One to One program, where people could pay $99 a year to sit down with someone like me for hour-long personal training sessions.

We’d work on anything they wanted:

• iMovie

• Photos

• Mac basics

• Entire creative projects

• Or that one frustrating problem that had been driving them crazy for weeks

I loved it.

It taught me patience, clarity, and how to explain complicated things in simple, relatable ways.

After Apple, I worked in IT for a school district. Teachers were constantly asking me the same tech questions — often about their personal Apple devices — and after explaining the same thing for what felt like the hundredth time, I finally said:

“I should just make a video.”

That video turned into another.
Then another.
And eventually, Learn with Joel was born.

Today, I work full-time as a Software Engineer, managing a large fleet of Apple devices for a financial company. Every day brings new challenges, new problems to solve, and new things to learn — all of which continue to shape the way I teach.

Why I Teach

If you watch my tutorials, you’ve probably noticed something:

I don’t rush.
I don’t skip steps.
And I try not to talk over anyone’s head.

Because teaching isn’t about showing you how smart I am.

It’s about helping you feel confident.

My favorite moment is always the same:

The lightbulb moment.

That point when something finally clicks and the frustration melts away.

I tell my boys all the time:

“Do something every day that scares you.”

Technology can be intimidating, but it isn’t going anywhere. You can avoid it and stay frustrated, or you can learn how it works and feel empowered.

I want to help you choose empowerment.

The YouTube Journey

My YouTube journey technically started back in 2010, when I posted videos of school concerts, show choirs, and theater productions I filmed.

But Learn with Joel officially came to life in February 2019.

I approach every tutorial the same way:

• Slow enough to follow

• Clear enough to understand

• Thorough enough to actually solve the problem

No fluff. No skipping the important parts. And no pretending something is simple when it isn’t.

Since then, the channel has grown to more than 70,000 subscribers and millions of views — something I never imagined when I uploaded those first tutorials.

I still have a dream of hitting 100,000 subscribers and earning that silver YouTube Creator Award. Maybe someday we’ll even see 500,000.

But honestly?

If I’ve helped you learn something, solve a problem, or feel a little more confident than you did before you clicked on one of my videos, that’s what matters most.

Life Outside of Tech

Technology is a big part of my life, but it isn’t the whole story.

When I’m not filming, editing, or staring at a screen, you’ll probably find me:

• Traveling with my kids

• Riding my Onewheel with Bennett and Hudson

• Screaming on a rollercoaster

• Hiking or walking the dog through quiet Minnesota forests

• Taking photos — probably far too many

• Fixing something instead of buying a new something

• Learning a new skill simply because I can

I love being outdoors. I love creating. And I love the challenge of understanding how things work — whether that’s a camera, a piece of software, or a broken appliance. I’ve always been a bit of a DIY person.

Over the years, I’ve also found myself coming back to something that has quietly been there all along:

storytelling.

Sometimes that happens through a camera. Sometimes through video. And lately, sometimes it means simply sitting down and writing.

My Behind the Lens journal has become a place for those stories — photography, travel, family, lessons I’ve learned, moments I want to remember, and the occasional thought that doesn’t fit neatly into a YouTube tutorial.

Because as much as I love teaching people how technology works, there’s a lot more to life than buttons, menus, and settings.

My Mission

My mission is simple:

To help people learn, grow, create, and feel more confident — whether that’s with technology, creativity, or simply trying something new.

And along the way, I hope I’m showing my kids that hard work, consistency, curiosity, and kindness really do matter.

If something I’ve made gives you clarity, confidence, inspiration, or even just makes you think a little differently, then this whole journey is worth it.

A Note on Supporting This Work

Everything you see here — the videos, the website, the tutorials, the photography, the travel journals, the guides, and the stories — is created by me.

There’s no production team behind the scenes.

I fund this work little by little through YouTube revenue, training sessions, and the generosity of people who find value in what I create.

If something I’ve made has helped you learn something new, solve a problem that’s been driving you crazy, or simply made your day a little easier, your support genuinely means a lot.

It helps me keep creating more tutorials, more resources, more stories, and more things worth sharing.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

It means more than I can put into words.

If You’re Still Reading… Thank You ❤️

Most people never make it to the end of a page like this.

The fact that you did tells me something:

You’re curious.
You care.
And maybe — just maybe — you value the heart behind the work.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me.

And thank you for being here.

We’re all learning.
We’re all growing.

And I’m honored to be part of your journey.