I too am a graphic designer just getting started. I got truly interested about three weeks ago and I feel your sentiment on where to get started. As my passion is to be flipping houses as well. However, I don't know your current position, so our situations will differ but at this time I'm BaF. So I've been researching how to get started and for a few days started to feel overwhelmed. I got annoyed at first with all the people saying read post, read this, knowledge, knowledge... it's like Tai Lopez was haunting me.
The good news was I did it even though it was annoying. I started with the BiggerPockets ultimate beginner guide, and since then I've read countless other articles. Here's how I, let me just emphasize the I, would say to get started. You have two options(my opinion as a rookie, yet, look into these before you do anything and maybe consult someone with more experience): if you have money or a home you're living in and have been living in, start looking for houses. Scan the MLS just learn what's out there around you. It all comes down to, you will be buying a house and doing repairs, so it's probably best to know your local market(while you're at it post a thread Titles [your town here] REI connections. See if anyone near by is willing to be a colleague. The second option as I mentioned is probably better done if you don't have money or maybe as a less involved approach to get started with the contract stuff and that is wholesaling. You find a great property below market value and you figure out the ARV, rehab costs, and a pretty good idea of holding costs. **You will need an investor that you know or can link up with to sell the contract to beforehand** you tell this investor about the property, better to not give address right away and find out if the numbers might work for them. If their interested, you put the house under contract. Your contract should have both the option to assign the contract and concessions for you to back out no questions asked, since it's one of your first deals and if you don't have money to begin with then it would be illegal to attempt to go through without the means to do so. I'm not a pro, I have no experience, it's just me here in my garage with all my books and knowledge. Lol had to throw that out there but seriously, I'm not claiming this is your ticket in, but from what I've read and people I've engaged with these paths are the way to walk.
Start with the BP ultimate beginners guide and then move on to the beginners guide to wholesaling.
When math comes up, pay attention especially if you're bad at the stuff. Make up your own numbers, write down the problem and solve it as they go along.
Once you have a basic understand of the terms and how to find the numbers associated, I would do a sample on the BP wholesaling calculator. As a free member your limited to 5 so learn it and use the others for your up and coming deals.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
