Over the past few months we’ve reached out to members of the CanvasRebel community to dive deeper into their stories. We wanted to learn how they got to where they are today and we heard stories that will keep our inspiration cup full for a long time. Their stories, lessons and humor have lifted our spirits and we hope you’ll take a minute to check out the stories below.

Tomas Bisi

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to USA in 2014 working as a professional sailor. Since a young age I have been competing and coaching teams internationally, which one was the USA Team. However, in 2016 I decided to pursue a new career in Tech and relocated to San Francisco to study a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Read more>>

Jalen McNish

I always was the kid who was drawing in class while the teacher was giving the lesson. Ive always made art and always made drawings. I realized once I was older how much of my life art had really been apart of. I college I played sports but at the same time I was painting my teammates and fellow athletes sports Equipment. Everything from sneakers and cleats to football gloves and hats. Around that time I realized that my creativity and ideas manifested in more ways than I thought. Read more>>

Sasha Goldstein

Art + design have always been a passion of mine. Growing up, my mother was a graphic designer pre computer era… Art supplies and the encouragement to be creative always surrounded me. When I was 7 or 8 my parents let me decide how I wanted to paint my room. Each wall was a different color (or multiple colors, with stripes, etc), but they stuck to their words and let me have full creative freedom to see my vision through! Read more>>

Lisa Chastain

I’ve been empowering women for over 20 years. I’ve worked as an academic advisor in higher education, Financial Advisor for high- net- worth individuals, and today I’m a money coach for women looking to get their financial lives together. What makes me qualified to help women like you is not my work experience. I’ve had to learn how to get my own financial life together after almost losing everything. Over the past decade, I’ve learned for myself what it really takes to make dreams come true, and it is not like Instagram would like you to believe it is (no beaches or unicorns here). Read more>>

Idris Veitch

My story started several years after I made the move to Japan from my home country of Jamaica in 2009. My intention then was to teach English and save enough money to further my studies in fashion design at FIT in New York City. My plans changed after a chance encounter with a friend of a friend who encouraged me to apply for school in Tokyo. My acceptance led to me move there where I first studied womenswear then later switching to menswear. Read more>>

Roberto Sanchez

Since my childhood, I have felt a strong inclination towards the arts. Drawing and exploring creativity through sculptures, crafts, and various forms always captured my interest. During my teenage years, I was fortunate enough to be admitted to an institution that not only offered solid training in Visual Arts but also the opportunity to train as an educator. Read more>>

Austin Greene

At the end of 2023 I was laid off for my day job of 5 years, along with the rest of the staff in my particular department. When I last spoke with Canvas Rebel, I was hyping myself up to jump head first into a full-time entertainment career.

With a wife and four children, this wasn’t an easy or logical decision. But it felt right for me, and I followed my gut. Close to a year later I have yet to go back to a regular day job.

The hypothetical dream has come true, so the real question is, how is it going? Read more>>

Richy Sánchez

I was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York where I majored in Fine Art. After obtaining my Bachelor’s I decided to relocate to San Francisco to pursuit a Masters degree in Visual Development from Academy of Art University. Since then I have been avidly illustrating all sorts of books and participating in art shows both nationally and internationally. Read more>>

Jacob Haag

I got my first camera as a gift for my Confirmation and I immediately fell in love with making videos. As I got older I began watching a lot of music videos, especially A$AP Rocky’s music videos and I was really inspired by the editing of his music videos. My sophomore year of college, my good friend and music artist, Hue Hinton, asked me to shoot a music video for his debut single. We had both always talked about wanting to make a music video together but I was always hesitant because I didn’t have enough confidence in my camera skills. I learned so much from shooting that first video and there are little tips and tricks that I learned on that shoot that I still use on my sets today. Read more>>

Ian Thomas

As a former youth coach, I’ve always been driven to make a positive impact. From Martha’s Vineyard to Molloy University, I’ve used coaching as a guiding force to empower young men and woman. But after facing systemic racism and winning a championship, I realized that basketball wasn’t the best way to make the impact I wanted. So I pivoted to focus on the non-profit I co-founded with my God-brother James Jennings. Now, I have the opportunity to make a sustainable, scalable impact on a larger scale. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m excited to see where it takes me next! Read more>>

Bicem Sinik

I was born in Turkey into a family brimming with artistic talent. My parents, sister, and even my aunt are all artists, painters, or art teachers. Growing up surrounded by their creativity, I learned to draw and paint before I could even read or write. Our home was adorned with a vast collection of books from painters all over the world, serving as my early inspiration. I am proud to be part of such a creative and artistic family, and I strive to continue their legacy through my work as a tattoo artist. Read more>>

Joseph Patrick Moore

Music has been around me ever since I can remember. As a small child when I was just able to stand, my mother told me I used to relentlessly hit the piano keys for amusement. As I grew older, I participated in the school band program from 4th grade through high school graduation. I attended college at The University of TN (and later the University of Memphis) as a performance major in Jazz and Classical. Read more>>

Julie Ter Borg

Hi! My name is Julie and I am the owner/designer of Julie Ellyn Designs. I create jewelry using gemstones, silver, leather, and have recently ventured into botanical resin creations!

I come from a very creative family, but art has always been our retreat or respite and not our main vocation. Both of my grandmothers were seamstresses, making clothes and quilts. My father built houses, farmed, and brewed beer as creative release from his day job as a Chemistry Teacher. My mother kept a huge vegetable garden, canned, made preserves, and baked as her joyful downtime from teaching Government. My brother, now a Pediatrician, gardens and is a master bee keeper in his limited free time. My day job in the field of Public Health keeps me very busy; but creating jewelry and crafting gives me peace. Read more>>

Jorie Blake Rosen

At just 12 years old, Jorie Blake Rosen has emerged as an inspirational figure with exceptional songwriting abilities. With her lyrics and melodies, she effortlessly captivates audiences, drawing comparisons to the unparalleled talents of Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift. Read more>>

Alice Shikina

When I was a little girl, about 7, I wanted to become an actress. I followed my dream all the way through my early 30s. When I was 13, I auditioned for my first play and was cast as Lucy in the musical Snoopy. Once in high school, I competed in local speech tournaments and made it all the way to nationals. During my sophmore year, I applied and got into a performing arts school for my junior and senior year. I went on to major in theatre in college. Read more>>

Marissa McCurtain

With a love for aesthetics and time management I have always been drawn to creating order and beauty! My family often reminds me that as a child I would rearrange furniture in their homes, create seating charts for holidays as well as timelines and shopping lists for vacations, so when I was exploring careers I had a very natural inclination for event design and management. This industry provided a space for creativity in a visual and logistical capacity which are equal peak interests for me. I also had the example of self employment from both my father and grandfather so the idea of being able to create my own schedule and work from home could not have been more appealing. Six years in to owning and operating Cultivate Event Planning I am more certain than ever that this job was meant for me and I meant for it! Read more>>

Jupiter F. Stone

I started from an island now I’m… well on a different one.

My parents moved to Hawai’i when they were young. They met there when they were older. Then there was me.

I was born and raised on the island of Oahu. I grew up on the west coast in a town called Wai’anae where I had the absolute privilege of spending the first 24 years of my life.

Apparently I always had, “it”. I started performing on stages at 4, I began theatrical training at 7 and by the time I was 17 – I was co-producer of the highest ranked high school news media program in the nation. In my early 20’s I got scouted by Disneys’ The Lion King on broadway and was told I needed more training than my island could offer me. I was advised to move to New York City. Read more>>

Melisa Bonetti Luna

I’ve always wanted to be a singer, but I didn’t know I would end up being an opera singer. Because of my heritage, I grew up exposed to a lot of Latin music, including ballads and boleros, but also a lot of salsa, merengue, and bachata. Because of my NYC roots, I also listened to a lot of Hip Hop growing up, which was thriving in the 90s in NYC. I was lucky enough to get accepted to the FAME school, LaGuardia, where I was exposed to other genres I had never listened to before. There I learned about jazz, opera, musical theater, gospel, art song, and so forth. I was encouraged by the school to audition for a degree in classical voice, which led me to further education at Queens College for my Bachelors in Vocal Performance, and then to the University of Cincinnati for my Masters in Vocal Performance. After my education in university, I started working for opera houses and orchestras national and internationally. Read more>>

Tomás Orrego

I’m not really sure at what age I started but it was probably very early on in my life. I think my earliest memories are of me in my room drawing and playing with toys, I was probably 3 or 4. I’m basically doing the same thing today but with more expensive equipment. Everything I do is related to those early moments and I guess that they helped me get where I am today. They taught me to never stop playing in creative ways. Read more>>

Askew, III

My photography career dates back 24 years ago as a sophomore in high school. At the time, I was pursuing a music career. I had been writing & performing songs for about 2 or 3 years roughly. But, unfortunately, I was ahead of my time in my area, so to speak, and I was never able to connect with any producers to aid in developing my chosen path. I didn’t want to keep writing to other people’s instrumentals, although I did keep performing until 2002. Sometime in the year 2000, my father gifted me with my 1st SLR film camera. The Canon Rebel 2000. From there I had a new focus. I studied the ends & outs of that camera and photography itself. I spent a lot of time in Books-A-Million reading and purchasing photography books. Read more>>

Brianne Valentino

My story began in my early years beginning with a love of photography that was fostered from being gifted a camera. From then I loved photographing nature and began to take photography classes in high school. From that point on I decided to major in photography in college. I went on to pursue a BFA in photography and won the area award in my class for my senior thesis. During a pivotal time in my life dealing with sickness in my family, both my aunt and grandma were diagnosed with cancer. I needed an escape from reality. I began to create these highly textured abstract paintings to relax my mind. Read more>>

Lucas Peltier

I started photographing sports when I was a college student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2018. I took a course in photojournalism as an elective, and it was the first time I picked up a camera. Photography was always something I overlooked as a career path growing up, but the course made me realize how important it is in journalism and marketing – the idea that a single image could summarize an entire event inspired me. Read more>>

Philip Stewart

As cliche as it sounds, I started young with heavy influence through my mother. In high school, I did a couple competitions. my teacher Mrs. Jennifer Parks, put me in contact with my chef, Vince Scherry. I credit him with the foundation of my technique and approach. He helped me understand restaurant quality food verse in-home cooking. While working, I went to college and became certified. Fast forward 10+ years, I own a private catering business, I’m the executive Chef at El Rey Ranch, and also the in-cabin dining Chef in conjunction with Mountain Man Meat Market here in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. We indulged our high-end guest with memorial food and service. Read more>>

Esther Loopstra

I grew up in Southern California but moved to the Midwest in high school. I received an AA in Counseling and later, a BFA in illustration. For 15 years I had a successful career as a commercial artist and was an adjunct professor for 10 years. After taking an intuitive painting class in 2011, I discovered that I was able to tap into my intuition and I began painting regularly in this new way. I also began researching the flow state, neuroscience, creativity, and intuition. I now use these concepts in my work as I shifted to being a fine artist, creative coach, writer, and speaker. Read more>>

Jesslyn McCartney

When I was a child, I would steal my mom’s point and shoot camera and drag a stool out into the woods to use as a tripod. I would use posting the photos I made online as a way to befriend other photographers. It was an outlet for me to feel connected with people all over the world and it gave me an incredible sense of community as a young girl. I have always had so much fun taking photos of my own life and eventually other people started asking me to photograph theirs. I am inspired by the details of every day life and the way thoughtful documentation can turn little moments into timeless art. I’m extremely sentimental and photographs are the greatest way to honor and romanticize my days as they come and go. My photos always mean so much more to me once time has passed, which is why I never stop documenting my present. Read more>>

Charles Williams

I started photography like many other people – with an iPhone hahaha. No, seriously it was an android phone. That got the attention of a friend who was a photographer also. So, as photographers often do, he suggested I buy a camera. I began offering lifestyle portraits and events and have built a pretty good word of mouth clientele. Lately I have been doing corporate and non profit events and tours as well as organizational headshots along with the occasional lifestyle session. I am so grateful to say that I was asked to capture the Celebration of Alabama Arts recently and I am still beaming from that honor! Read more>>

Derek Lott

I started in March 2018, was homeless in Washington D.C. working 10hrs/day at a car wash & decided to self-publish a Poetry book called Views From The Trap to tell My Story; which later became the driving force to finally publish my clothes as well. So May 2018 I launched the book & the apparel as a collaboration collection between my Fashion Brand, Dreams Of Rulers & Broadcasting Agency, Diamond Dreams Movement Productions. Read more>>

Kristopher Collins

I started out life as a young creative, and took Art classes at Heritage Highschool, and eventually enrolled in the Communication Design program (Art Department) at Central Virginia Community College at age seventeen. After two years in Community College I was put on Academic Probation and was almost forced to leave the college. I was able to get a second chance which I took full advantage of, and received my Associates in Communication Design (Art). I quit painting when I was twenty-three and focused on Graphic Design, screen-printing and Video production. For years I worked specifically on Graphic Design, and worked for a couple different screen-printing/ad specialties companies in Lynchburg, Va. Read more>>

Steven Cleavland

We’re Found Format – A directing duo Steven Cleavland and Kyle Kadow

Our story began about 7 years ago now. Kyle and I had just dropped out of our respective colleges and were looking for the right fit. Aimless, I had started shooting photos and video and decided I wanted to take it on full time. Kyle had started to dabble in shooting music videos for some friends’ bands so I decided to reach out and see if he had any advice. He told me “if you’re really serious get some gear and start shooting with me.” That week I opened up a credit card at Best Buy and maxed it out to get a Sony a7s – the camera that seems to start most film makers journeys amongst other things. Read more>>

Liz Alterman

I wanted to be a writer from the time I could hold a pencil. Though I spent years as a journalist telling other people’s stories, I hesitated to sit down and write one of my own. When my husband and I lost our jobs within weeks of each other in 2013-2014, I found myself reeling and at a loss for what to do next.

One freelance assignment led me to interview the co-founder of a local writing school. I asked her which was her most popular course and she said, “Memoir writing! Everyone has a story to tell.” Read more>>

TaTyana Price

I am the founder of TJPRICE Productions media company , created as a one stop business for all your creative, auditory and visual needs. As a child, I always found myself gravitating towards a camera and capturing every moment that happened around me. My career began in middle school at Louis Armstrong Middle school where I was introduced to the world of Performance and Live Entertainment. I indulged myself in any dance productions available. I was taught the introductory fundamentals of sound systems , lighting and productions through a program led by my at the time science teacher, Gregory Grambo. His guidance and teachings sparked my interest in all things live entertainment. By high school , I became a model and dancer for an all female professional dance group named Lush Varsity. Read more>>