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.

Dayveonne Bussey

I would have to say when I was 8 years old. I always wanted to be aactor. I would reenact some of my favorite movies (like home alone, die hard, and so on). I love Critique certain films as well. Read more>>

Daniela Gonzalez y Perez

It all started when I was about 3. I would set up a little box and grab a handful of Halloween character sticks and have them act out a story with different voices and personalities for my dad’s birthday. Read more>>

Anjie Shi

When I was 10. I entered a boarding school, or to say a b*tch school. People bullied me because my family wasn’t rich enough to afford bilingual education. Read more>>

DJ Lanz

Since childhood, I’ve been drawn to a creative journey, particularly in music. At the age of five, I received my first Sony cassette player, immersing myself in songs and Rhythms. Read more>>

Tony Moore

As a child — like many children — I always used to paint and draw. While my father was a lawyer and mother a homemaker (it was a full-time job in those days) and also an amateur artist, I didn’t seriously think of becoming an artist until my mother rather tragically died when I was 16 years old and I went on to Grammar School. Read more>>

Heather Regal Salmon

Heather’s journey began with a distinguished career in international events production with the NBA before transitioning to Hollywood as a successful actress and model. Read more>>

Kerri McTigue

I’ve always loved art. I was always coloring and drawing ever since I can remember. However, one of the pivotal moments was the first time I saw The Little Mermaid when it came out in the theaters. Read more>>

Brittany Nicholson

My creative journey began with acting in school plays, writing short stories and in high school, I served as the lead anchor for my high school news show. Seeing the positive impact the news show had on my high school and community really was the defining moment that led me to pursuing my creative path professionally. Read more>>

Wesley Hill

I’ve connected to music for as long as I have memory, but I remember when I was 6 or 7 laying on our couch after putting my mom’s Jimi Hendrix CD, probably a greatest hits or something, and listening to the entire thing through and thinking I need to figure out how to do that. Read more>>

Kelly O’Neal

I was very young, about 5th grade at the latest. As a child in a small rural town, that presented challenges as my entire school system held less than 200 students and there were no creative course options. Lucky to have had an involved and supportive family and educators. Read more>>

Latosha Stone

I knew I wanted to work in the creative field ever since I was in high school. I had been coding websites for fanpages since I was a kid, and I was always the person local bands came to to design their flyers and logos back then. Read more>>

Jane Trieu

Art came naturally to me when I was younger. There wasn’t a particular moment, but when I was in the first grade, I remember drawing figure skaters through connecting basic shapes. Read more>>

Monroe Alise

All my life I wanted to be a entertainer. I loved seeing and hearing about people who came from very humble beginnings and flourished into someone amazing and inspirational. Read more>>

Ana Sofia Fehn

I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path from a very young age. From as early as I could walk, I loved to entertain. I would rehearse performances and cut out little tickets for my family members to attend my show. Read more>>

Jen Du

I worked in an architecture design company as a marketing specialist before becoming an independent artist and designer till now. Working with so many talented architects all around the world opened my eyes to the design world and I knew a creative career was what I wanted to pursue in the future, from that moment. Read more>>

Hope Karwoski

It’s kind of funny to talk about but I don’t remember a time that I was not drawn to this world. I think, in my bones, I have always been a performer. My parents and I spent a lot of time watching TV and movies…. Read more>>

Lindsay Evelyn Hamilton

I know it’s a cliche, but I knew I wanted to pursue acting and writing professionally since I was very young. Because I didn’t have family support or the financial means to pursue an artistic path, I tried to get good grades and imagine an a different, more “normal” life for myself. Read more>>

Tejasvi Shah

I first realised that I wanted to paint and draw when I was in school, in 10th standard. During my exams painting was something that took me off my academics and gave me peace of mind- also made me realise that there are things apart from academics that can be rewarding. Read more>>

Dolled By Dimpss

I was working as a Customer Service Representative while modeling on my spare time. I knew all along that the office job wasn’t for me. Most days, during my work shift, I would sit in my cubicle, twirling my headset just day dreaming about my next photoshoot. Read more>>

Chase Del Rosario

I was always creatively engineered growing up. I danced, did magic, played piano, did commercials and modeling as a kid, did theater, did parkour, and I was always fascinated how movies are created. Read more>>

Yilun Song

I never thought of actually becoming a musician when I first started learning music. Growing up playing piano, I always hated these lessons and practices, until when I first saw “How to Train Your Dragon”, and immediately fell in love with its score; Read more>>

Otis Kenner, III

I’ve been creating since the age of 7. I taught myself how to hand-sew, taking scraps of jean and t-shirts to make pillows, clothing for teddy bears or my sisters’s dolls. Read more>>

Jairu Ollennu

I’ve always known I wanted to do something creative. It wasn’t a choice, it was more like a compulsion. From drawing comics, to sketching characters from anime and doing hand-lettering and calligraphy – I realized that no matter how long I paint, draw or come up with creative ideas, Read more>>

Ishwari

My artistic journey began at five, performing in “The Red Hat.” This early passion for storytelling led me to music, performing since childhood. A decade at a special music school and five more years in a musical college refined my skills. Read more>>

Unity James

I had been working in the medical field for seven years at that point and been in the military for 13 years and I wanted something different for myself. Read more>>

Dorothea Osborn

At first I did not know, though, according to my Mother and Father, they always knew I would be an artist due to a particular incident as a baby. They discovered that I had “painted” the walls adjacent to my crib when they came to get me up in the morning. Read more>>

RobinAugust Fritsch

I’ve never questioned what I want to do with my life and I am being completely honest! From as early as two years old I was putting on performances for my family, stuffed animals, or really anyone patient enough to watch me. Read more>>

Marlon Richardson

I’ve known since I was about 10 years old, I wanted to be a performer of some sort. I would often find myself writing poems, freestyling raps, dancing or drawing at this age. Read more>>

Barbara Waterman-Peters

As far back as I can remember, I have thought of myself as an artist. Wanting to pursue it professionally was a goal while still in high school, but at that time I envisioned “commercial art” as my career. Read more>>

Sergio Sanchez Selva

I have always been passionate about cinema and architecture, although initially, I approached them separately. I studied architecture in Spain, and it’s a field that I enjoyed immensely due to my love for design. Read more>>

Emliss Niangne

I immediately knew I wanted to be an entertainer at the tender age of 6 actually. There was a talent show at the after school program I was in and I thought everyone who went up sucked. Read more>>

JaaLa

Great question! As a little girl, singing was always the goal. I wanted to be famous like Brandy lol! But seriously, it was always a goal to do what I love and be able to sustain my livelihood as a result. Read more>>

Versace Vampire

I knew I wanted to pursue my passion for podcasting last year, in 2023 whenever I did my very first podcast with music artist LostinVegas and self-help guru Rod the Planter. Read more>>

Irina Saryyeva

As a child, I was fascinated by drawing and would spend hours sketching on paper. My curiosity soon led me to experiment with felt-tip pens, using them to paint the faces of girls in my mother’s fashion magazines. Read more>>

Adisak Thanesanukul

As a young Thai man look up at the towering realm of the American film business, envisioning myself as a part of its magic, initially aspiring to craft props. However, as I matured, I witnessed the world transitioning into a digital era. Read more>>

Karen Mills

I grew up playing whatever sport was in season, and I went to college on a basketball scholarship. After I graduated, everyone thought I would be a basketball coach, including me, but I didn’t love coaching the way I loved playing. Read more>>

Laura Krivonak

I always loved the arts. Growing up, in school, I felt like making art was always looked at as a hobby, but not something that could become your profession. Read more>>

Carmen Perez – Stopppert

Ever since I was a little girl, I cherished drawing and painting. Our home featured a barn poster on the wall—the only art in our house and I eagerly recreated it to test my artistic skills. Read more>>

Vivi Nguyễn

Writing is actually where I got my first start as a creative! I’ve been doing it most of my life now.In high school, I wrote lengthy blog entries about the pure turmoil of teenaged life in a tumultuous household. Read more>>

Emmanuel Rodriguez

I always loved monsters and creatures. Before I knew more about creatures and such, I had a giant collection of dinosaur toys as a kid, especially the carnivores. Later, finding out I loved them because they looked like monsters. Read more>>