We asked some insanely talented artists, creatives and makers to tell us about when they know they were going to pursue a creative career.

Sammy Deleon

Before I started playing timbales, hearing the beat of a drum made my heart pump. I followed my idles like Orestes Vilatos, Ralph Irizarry, Kako, Manny Oquendo, Nicky Marrero. Read more>>

Sarah Fatemi

Since I could walk and talk! I knew I wasn’t built for a 9-5 and boy do I love attention! I’ve always loved making people laugh. Read more>>

Anne Wilkinson

I remember a time in my life when the stress from my corporate job and personal life was overwhelming. I started baking and decorating cakes to take my mind off of things. Read more>>

Chanel Moore

Hmm, I’d say I knew I wanted to pursue a professional writing & performing career after my first couple of live performances. Seeing a crowd react to something I thought only I could relate to was wonderful to see. Read more>>

Notty Taylor

I knew pretty early on in life that I wanted to pursue the art of recording as an artist or radio personality. I recorded my first song at 12 years old on my friend’s laptop and uploaded it to MySpace. Read more>>

Lilibeth Jimenez

As a kid, I loved all things art. I have fond memories of watching a show on Disney Channel called Out of the Box hosted by the lovely Vivian Bayubay and Tony James. Read more>>

Tara LaTour

I first knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts when I was very young. My biggest influence was my grandmothers. When I was young, I would spend my summers at the grandparent’s cabin in Northern Minnesota. Read more>>

Eva Gamayun

It took me 21 years to take the idea of becoming a professional artist seriously. Unlike most artists, I had no artistic parents, friends, or environment. Read more>>

Jill Dykxhoorn

From the moment I could hold a pencil, I was hooked on art. Art classes were my favorite lessons in school, a place where I was happiest. Read more>>

Marques Wyatt

I knew I wanted to pursue the creative path when something (djing) that started as a hobby, began to open up one opportunity after another. Read more>>

Samantha Hart

I grew up on a farm in a family of five girls where we were never encouraged to have individual pursuits. It didn’t matter that I wanted to play the oboe–like all of my sisters, I could only play the clarinet. Read more>>

Nola Mulherin

I knew I wanted to pursue my love for dance at a very young age. I began dancing at the age of 2 years old and began to compete and take it pretty seriously by the age of 5. Read more>>

Celest Farmer

When I started playing in college & I started performing more on campus with a friend. It helped me meet some cool people that are still in my life today & the jam sessions really brought people in to show their creative expression. Read more>>

Raul Oglivie

When i was like 9 -10yrs old. My father friend son was a Dj and he would throw parties at his house and we became friends. I would go over to his house to record hip hop music on cassette tapes and make like my own mixtapes of different hip hop music and that’s when i fell in love with Djing. Read more>>

Jess Rose Lauro

When I was a junior in high school, I felt a lot of pressure to know what my next steps in life would be. I thought that if I could not commit to a specific major or career, that I would just be wasting time and money on college. Read more>>

Jesse Ricca

I started playing guitar at thirteen and I started working with my dad right about the same time. He installed tile for homes. It was hard work, you never felt good doing it, you just knew you had to do it. Read more>>

Tanishka Juneja

To be honest, I was always inclined towards some or the other art form while growing up. Whether it was dancing, painting, singing or writing. Read more>>

Mercede Hankins

Growing up in the Englewood area of Chicago, my walks to school were always filled with a sense of wonder. One particular area that captivated me was the ever-changing vibrant murals adorning the viaducts along my route. Read more>>

Jenny Grace

I knew I wanted to do this pretty earrly on. I began writing when I was in high school and started to turn some poetry into songs when I got to college. Read more>>

Alexis Moulds

As strange as it my sound, it didn’t really sink in that I could have a creative career until a college rep from an art school visited my high school. Read more>>

Ace Allure

At a very young age, I knew that I wanted to pursue music. Originally, I was on the path to become a choreographer. I attended Uptown Dance Academy in Harlem. That’s where I learned how to perform as a professional. Read more>>

Rylee Austin

I first realized around 8 or 9 years old that I wanted to be a musician after learning how to play guitar and taking lessons from Robbin McCombs who I lovingly refer to as “Pops”. Read more>>

Natalia Jones

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally during my formative years in elementary. My family always told me I had a creative sense of self-expression and that I would one day be famous. Read more>>

Victor Neves

When I realized that through creation the possibilities were infinite, you can start from point 0 and reach the unknown, there are no limits. Read more>>

Kirsten King

As the proud daughter of a military family, I had the pleasure of growing up all over the world and one of my first memories of wanting to be a creative in a professional regard was when my family would go to The Soldier Shows on base. Read more>>

Dallas Anderson

When I was in 1st grade I used to draw all the time. Our teacher asked us “What do you want to be when you grow up? And remember, you can be anything, some things you just need to start preparing for earlier than others.” Read more>>

Kayla Davis

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path was when I was a child. Growing up I always loved watching my mom do her art hobbies and seeing her vision come to life in art form made me really excited to make my own art. Read more>>

Frank Cesario

I was in 7th grade, and needed an outlet. I was always fascinated with music, liked theater/voice acting and wanted to perform. When I stumbled upon Sesame Street’s 1985 film, “Follow That Bird” I instantly fell back in love with that Muppet charm much like I did as a child. Read more>>

Jennifer Kapnek

I do not remember choosing to be an artist. It think it is something I am, perhaps more than any other thing. Life as an artist can be challenging, at times amazing and I might sometimes wish it was a choice, but for me, I do not think it is a choice. Read more>>

Sarah Chapin

When I realized that preserving stories and creating stories are essential to the core of our being, I knew that I wanted to go down this path. I grew up with stories like Black Widow, Lord of the Rings, and Wonder Woman. Read more>>

Jim Garrett

Interesting question. It took me a very long time. I grew up with a lot of casual exposure to video production and artistic expression; my parents met while working as a news station, so I would see all the cameras, edit bays, and nitty gritty that went into the process. Read more>>

Courtney Mack

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a love for all things beauty related. As a child I would draw designs, and would even attempt to make clothes and bags. Read more>>