Do you remember the moment you realized what you wanted to do professionally? Was it magic? Was it scary? We wanted to hear from some of the most talented artists and creatives in the community and so we asked them to tell us the story of the moment when they knew they were going to pursue a creative career path.

Grace Ojewole

I first knew that I wanted to pursue music full-time when I started making music and recieved great feedback from people in the industry. Every time I doubted myself and wanted to give up God always reminded me that I’m on the right path and destined for greatness. Read more>>

Mahnoor (Maha) Yousaf

Growing up I was always a creative child, ‘the artsy kid in school’- but I was always in the pre-medicine route. I pursued this for multiple reasons, one being I wanted to help people, that was/is my driving force, and two I grew up in a culture that held “STEM” to such a high regard- it almost felt foolish to consider anything else. Read more>>

Brian Nathan

I knew that I wanted to pursue artistry ever since I started seeing music videos on TV as a kid. My brother, who is a few years older than me, would have MTV or TRL on in the mornings, playing cycles of music videos from artists I liked, such as Michael Jackson, Missy Elliott, and OutKast, just to name a few. Read more>>

Jammella Anderson

I think for me, I have always been the person who has the ideas. I can see a vision, understand the concept, know what the final product is – so it’s always been hard for me to feel like the one who CAN create the art. Read more>>

Ryan Mayall

There was really no questioning from the first day I put paint to canvas from free will. Of course there is a backstory, but ultimately I didn’t feel I had a choice. Read more>>

Christopher St.Leger

It’s funny because I think we can all be creative and artistic, and even pursue the path professionally, ie pursue it as a way to support oneself. But when I was in my mid twenties, I needed the identity of being “creative and artistic” as much as I needed the profession. Read more>>

Ashley Flynn

I have always been an artist as long as I can remember. My aunt was a painter and would let me use her “good markers, only for artists”. I am not one of those artists who was discouraged from their creativity. Read more>>

Dana Solimando

“Somehow, the wind just blows you in the right direction,” has been said many times, but I truly believe that when you put your intentions out there, the universe has a way of steering you where you need to be, albeit not always in the direction that you predict. Read more>>

Shawnece Stanciell

I was always someone who altered their own clothes. I struggled with my weight in my 20s, so I had to learn to alter my own clothes. Whenever I would cut something up to make it fit or hand sew pants to shrink the waist, I would be so proud of myself. Read more>>

Aaron Schmit

The day I traded a bottle for a paintbrush, my whole world flipped. For 15 years, booze had me in a vice grip, but that all changed the moment I decided to paint, just on a whim, really. Read more>>

KeDrick Mallett

I vividly recall racing around my home at 8 or 9, bursting with excitement, confidently proclaiming that I would become wealthy and be the catalyst for positive change in my family’s life. Read more>>

Arleena

Ive been creating ever since I could conceptualize my existence as a human. I think that the social environment I grew up in really took a toll on my self acceptance and kind of made me feel like I wasn’t “good enough” to be a full time creative. Read more>>

Pam Morgan

I took my first art lessons at the age of 12 years old. It was in the basement of a local artist’s home. She taught me to love and been unafraid to use color. After having lessons with her, I was hooked! Read more>>

Jeremy Persaud

My journey towards pursuing a creative and artistic path professionally has been a dynamic one. While the spark of passion ignited back in 2010 when I first aspired to become a professional singer, life’s twists and turns led me down different paths for a while. Read more>>

George Gallagher

“I first knew that I wanted to be an actor when I was about four or five years old after having seen the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. I told my mother I wanted ‘to be Superman.’ Read more>>

Victorious Faithe

From a young age, being an artist has been an unwavering part of my identity. Even as a child, I found solace in the act of creating, whether it was drawing in notebooks or experimenting with colors. Read more>>

Eva Català Sánchez

I remember spending hours when I was a kid just listening to music, dancing to it, and imagining I was one of the artists playing in the song. Read more>>

Definition Of Artistry

I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue a music career but never knew how I would make it happen. If I’m being candid, it has taken me a long time to gain some traction, (a lot of it of my own doing). Read more>>

 

Kee Silly

As a child I’ve always seen myself on a big stage being an entertainer. I’ve tried basketball, singing, dancing, even poetry, but none of those were my passion. I was always funny coming up as a kid, and I’ve always had a love for making people feel good about themselves. Read more>>

Lindsay Lange

I first knew I wanted to pursue art somehow in my life when I was a child and into my teen years, but was never really sure how to make it work for me. I grew up painting and drawing since I was old enough to hold a brush. Read more>>

Lindsey Bryan

I didn’t know I wanted to be a professional creative until late high school. It didn’t even occur to me that being a working artist was an option until then. Once I figured that out, I wanted it more than anything. Read more>>

KeAnte Smith

I just remember being a young child always watching tv and at an early age my grandma had me watching classics such as good times and ford and son and my love for the arts grew as I got Older just by seeing people of color on television Read more>>

Ji Woo Kim

I had a consistent interest in the creative arts growing up, but I think I really set my mind on pursuing it as a career when I was in grade 4. Read more>>

Azazus

My passion for music was ignited in middle school when I performed at a record label audition and turned class poetry into rap.  Read more>>

Swayam Parekh

At some level I always knew I wanted to draw. It has always been a part of me, its meaning evolving unconsciously through the course of my life in a way that is now central to me. Read more>>

Maxfield Strauss

This is a tricky one. I had been making drawings since early childhood, but I did not come from a family of creatives. Art was something that was generally regarded as a hobby. Read more>>

Phara Joseph

Telling stories and writing has always been my outlet. I was born in Haiti and came to America at the age of five. You can imagine, not speaking the language, cultural differences, and immigrant Caribbean parents who drilled into me having a degree was my only option. Read more>>

Christie E. Hayman

My desire to be a screenwriter started during the first season of the reboot of “Hawaii Five-0.” I absolutely loved that show and couldn’t get enough of it. Read more>>

Brian Drolet

From a very young age I knew art was my passion and love. I was in specialized art programs from as early as 5 years old I was obsessed with drawing and painting and animation. Read more>>

Cameron Hooks

I had knew for sometime that I didn’t like the idea of working for someone. Me knowing I was making someone else rich while I struggled to get by never sat well with me. Read more>>

Sarey Savy

I would say when I was about 12 years old officially. Growing up, I wanted to be a video game designer – help with character creation and animation for any console. Read more>>

Ashley Niven

I’ve been performing since I was young in the church, then soon after in theater and Bush Gardens. I was also a Sony recording artist in my teens. Read more>>

Cathy McKervey

In the 1970’s, I was introduced to stained glass while I was in college. I was captivated by the translucency and beauty of glass and how light, color and form became an emotional tool. Read more>>

Vanessa Pagano

Looking back on my childhood and youth, it’s evident that creativity has always been a defining aspect of my personality. From my unique hair and clothing style to the moments of boredom in school, where I found solace in sketching random ideas, I constantly felt a need for self-expression. Read more>>

Tre Ryan

I think deep down inside I’ve always known I wanted to be an entertainer. But being where I was from, that really wasn’t a realistic goal. Painesville, Ohio is a far cry from Tinsel Town. Read more>>

Hayden Fredriksen

I’ve loved comedy since as far back as I can remember. I would be at school quoting Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy because my dad would have it on at night in the living room – I didn’t even know what the jokes meant I just knew how they said the words made my parents laugh. Read more>>

Setareh Pourrajabi

I always knew since I was a child that I wanted to be a professional painter Read more>>

Jim Leadbetter

as soon as I picked up drum sticks at 13 years old. Read more>>