Are artists born or made? To help answer this question, we asked some of the most artistic folks we know to tell us about how they knew they were going to pursue an artistic or creative path. We’ve shared highlights below.

Elliot Anderson

I don’t come from a musical background and never had instruments around the house until I was 7 or 8 years old. However, I did grow up listening to all sorts of different music from my parents. Read more>>

Heather Wylie

I used to work in finance. I remember reading an article written by a doctor who left their medical career to pursue a creative passion. They were so happy! I know that must have been a hard choice. Read more>>

Emily McGill

I first knew that I wanted to pursue music professionally when I was very young. I grew up in a family band in Humboldt Tennessee and my parents owned a music store in West Tennessee. Read more>>

Justin You

When I was a kid, I would constantly watch reruns of Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes. The endless enjoyment I got from laughing at the same gags and silly faces made me want to draw them, too. Read more>>

Avion Wallace

I’ve known that I had a creative gene all my life. My mother is creative and taught me the same skills growing up. I would say that along the way there were signs from God that told me to pursue my creative skills professionally. Read more>>

Ryleigh Hunter

It’s kind of a funny story actually. During high school, which was not my favorite, my school offered a program called Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and there were a number of trades you could choose from, cosmetology included. Read more>>

Amy Werntz

I grew up in a very creative family and was always encouraged to be making art, however when I graduated from high school, and it came time to choose a career, I decided on Interior Design. Read more>>

Justin Lee

From as early as I can remember, I remember dad putting on Stevie ray on the TV and I would go running to his guitar and try playing it. I even stood on the guitar just like Stevie at El Macombo. I don’t think dad liked that much. Read more>>

Lyndsay Hannah McNiff

I grew up in a small farm town in rural Connecticut where the focus of your professional path was pretty black and white. If you were a good student, top of your class, you applied to a traditional 4 year college. Read more>>

Cat Makarewicz

I have always had a creative outlet in my life, but I never thought that was a realistic career path. I would make art, write stories and perform constantly. In the back of my mind I was always telling myself that these were hobbies, not ways to make a reliable living. Read more>>

Rachel Auciello

My passion for party decorating really took off when I was planning my daughter’s first birthday. This was such a fun experience and I have loved decorating for all of my kids’ birthdays ever since. Read more>>

Zinnia Moon

My life has never been without music. Whether it was my dad jamming out on the guitar or a record spinning, music was always present while growing up. My love for music came very naturally. Read more>>

Aakash Bahirwani

At the age of 21, when I encountered New York City. Although content creators had always been a part of my teenage life, especially on YouTube, I even tried to be one around the age of 12-13. Read more>>

Jordan Rockwell

February, 1989. I’m 11 years old. It was a few months after my parents split up. My father took me to see the glorious restoration of, “Lawrence of Arabia,” in 70mm at the Senator Theater in Baltimore, Md. Read more>>

Abigail Munn

I knew I wanted to be a performer for as long as I can remember. At first, the dream was to be a dancer.. My father was a lighting designer at the SF Opera so I grew up backstage. Read more>>

Ana Pedro

From a very early age, everyone around me said that I would be an artist and make a living painting. At first, I didn’t want to listen to them, I don’t know if it was out of rebellion or because I thought this wouldn’t be my path. Read more>>

Khara Seeley

After pursuing the Arts for the past 18 years I knew dancing was a gift God gave me and I always wanted to cultivate my craft in the best way possible. Since the age of three, I was developing as a dancer training with the Susan Chambers Dance Company, Ballethnic Ballet Dance Academy, and Alvin Alley. Read more>>

Nichelle Hosley

Remember the Barbie Blow-Up Furniture from back in the day? The bedroom furniture that had the green and blue daisies on it? The orange, green, and brown striped living room furniture? Read more>>

Victor Vauban Júnior

As far as I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist, but the environment did not allowed me to. I was born in a family of 18 brothers and sisters. Read more>>

Chadwick Smith

As a very young child I would steal and listen to my parents’ Steve Martin records. From then I knew I wanted to do comedy. At the same time I was also fascinated with the Muppets and Sesame Street. Read more>>

Jordan Taylor

There was always a part of me that wanted that, but I didn’t know in what direction I was going to go. As the years have gone by, I’ve been able to utilize each of my creative interests and from there I believe I’ve been able to grow more as an artist. Read more>>

Sue Hill

I spent 25+ years as a Technical Writer and Proposal Writer for Government contacting – writing about shipboard equipment and IT. After my children grew up and completed their higher education, along with an incredibly supportive husband, I realized it was time to turn a hobby that I loved into a full time job. Read more>>

Nikki Sobak

I’ve always known I was creative and enjoyed making beautiful pieces of work, it was just recently when I realized I could mix healing/recovery with art. Read more>>

Chrissy Strong

As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved entertaining. Making people laugh, making people feel good. When I was a kid, Sundays were spent down at my grandparents house. Read more>>

Blane Asrat

I grew up reading a lot of fiction and have always seen writing and drawing as twin mediums. I was one of those kids who made many little comic books and filled sketchbooks with characters and poems. Read more>>

Mattheu Tracy-Thompson

From when I was a child, I’ve always wanted to create and entertain people. My first real exposure to the field was when I took a summer camp for game development. Read more>>

Zabriel Rivers

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I realized the profound impact my heritage and culture had on others. Growing up on Saint Helena Island, I held my heritage close to my heart. Read more>>

Cynthia Tjhin

I was never an artistic individual growing up. I had seldom scored an A in art classes and the thought of pursuing art as a career never crossed my mind. Since I was a kid, in every ‘My Ambitions’ essay I came across for my homework, I would answer a ‘teacher’. Read more>>

Dimitris Nezis

Since I was a little kid the only thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a singer. Even though lots of people around me tried to dissuade me from doing it, because it is a difficult and demanding industry, maybe even dark and deceiving at times, whatever I tried to study, except for music, I gave up and I always had in mind nothing but my artistic vision, about my future. Read more>>

Dazz “King Honey” Murry

As a queer black woman and Arkansas native, I never saw representation or encountered relatable backgrounds in art forms that interested me, specifically in music. I remember being 6 years old when my Dad took me to my first parade and how infectious the Drumline was. Read more>>

MICHAEL HOLLINS

I knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I moved back home from college. I was living in Fresno for 2 years attending Fresno State and me and my roommates had freestyle battles every Friday night. Read more>>

Derae Rain

All my life I’ve been inspired and driven by the arts. I am a person that thrives in the visual medium and I am passionate about storytelling. Growing up in South Africa I was surrounded by a rich cultural tapestry and it allowed me to grow as an artist. Read more>>

Ama

I’ve always been attracted to draw since I was a little, and I used to draw pictures for my friends when I was students. Also I loved reading Manga, and I had dreamed to be a Manga artist when I would become adult. Read more>>

Victoria Summer

I started dancing at age three and I was definitely very keen even at that age to attend ballet classes. I actually wanted to be a ballet dancer but then in school I started to get cast as the lead roles in the Christmas plays and I realised I actually loved singing and acting too. Read more>>

Tuan Nguyen

I had a creative spirit at a very young age, always drawing, painting and finding beauty in the simplest things. It wasn’t until high school that a hand drafting class gave some kind of structure to my love of drawing. Read more>>

Kay L

I think I always knew I wanted to be involved in the arts since I was a child. But I believe the day I realized it and wanted to pursue it was when I performed at my high school talent show. Read more>>

JoAnn Houle

I decided that I wanted to be an artist in 6th grade after winning a drawing contest at my school and my teacher started teaching us art on Fridays. Back then I wasn’t sure what an art job was really, but I imagined I’d be a comic strip artist or children’s book illustrator. Read more>>

Jared Anderson

As kids, adults always ask what we want to be when we grow up. I would simply answer that I wanted to be happy. And from as early as I can remember, music has made me happier than anything else.  Read more>>