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.

Eileen Smith

I’m a Diplomat-Turned-Public-Speaking Coach in the Washington, DC area. In my first career, I spent over 20 years representing the United States. I’ve worked and traveled in 56 countries. During that career, I spoke at the United Nations, I addressed members of Congress, and the press. Read more>>

Karizma Chestnut

Creative direction has always been a part of my life, sparking a passion for art from a young age. After graduating high school, I founded my own photography business, initially investing in lenses for my iPhone before upgrading to professional camera equipment and a laptop. Since then, I’ve been growing and refining my craft, constantly pushing myself to improve. Read more>>

Ashley Purdin

From a young age I showed an interest in art. I explored, related to and understood the world around me through art. Both of my parents supported my artistic endeavors. My mom still has a framed original from kindergarten that she would about swear should be in a gallery somewhere! At age 12, I was enrolled in a Waldorf School called “The Lake Farm” in Gardner KS. The school was only in existence for a few years. Our Main Lesson teacher, Lisa, dropped her life in Australia to come teach her nieces and nephew for their middle school years. Thanks to some really good timing, an opportunity arose for me to attend the school as well. In Waldorf Education art is used to explore both your inner world and the outer world around you. And it is used to explore every subject. Read more>>

Franko Morales

I started with coaching because I had a coach myself that helped me tremendously, and I want to give that to people.
In 2021, I went to Vegas with my dad (76 yo), a person who as long as I remember was the very first to wake up, put on a pair of shoes, and be ready for the adventure. Walk around, know the people, know the town. Read more>>

Elke Govertsen

When I was 10, I lived in an abandoned fur farm in Alaska with no running water or electricity. We lived in an old mink pen. My mother was an artist, my stepfather a fisherman/ boat builder, and my father in Montana was a physics teacher. This combination meant I was raised with a lot of figuring out how things work, to adapt and fix them, and how to make them beautiful. Read more>>

Liana Soifer

As a Korean transracial adoptee and Co-Founder of VOICES, a BIPOC Adoptee Community (aka BIPOC Adoptees VOICES), I grew up navigating deep questions around identity, belonging, race, and truth—often in spaces that didn’t reflect or understand my experience. Like so many adoptees who identify under the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) umbrella, I rarely saw myself represented, and the dominant narratives around adoption never quite fit. I wasn’t alone in feeling this. Read more>>

Kelsey Maline

I got introduced to photography in 2016 while working as a marketing assistant for a large Pennsylvania nonprofit. Part of my job was to photograph events with the company camera, and it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the job. Soon after, I was thinking about getting professional headshots taken, and stumbled upon a local photographer on Facebook who quickly became my inspiration from both a style and business perspective. I loved her work so much that I wanted to start my own business, albeit knowing almost nothing. By 2019, I had gradually accumulated some knowledge, equipment, and connections. Read more>>

Mary

I started taking art classes after school when I was eight (the lady across the street gave lessons out of her basement), and I realized pretty quickly that I loved drawing, and that it came easily to me. Through elementary and middle school I started taking more advanced classes and camps, where I learned to paint with oils and to draw from life – figures, still lifes, and my favorite: landscapes. I always felt spiritually connected with the natural world and would exaggerate the colors in my work to make the scenes more evocative. Read more>>

Omisha Chaitanya

Growing up in the digital age, I started honing my skills in recording and production, before I even knew what those words truly meant, within Garageband and Audacity to record my original music. My first digital release, “BOY”, was recorded and produced entirely on Garageband by my 15 year old self. A decade later, this passion has matured into a career where I currently work as a freelance sound designer, music producer, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer within NYC for local and international clients, resulting in credits in massive productions across music, film, television, and Broadway, such as Wicked (2024), Honey Don’t (2025), The Great Gatsby (2023 Original Cast Album Recording), Evergreen (2024) by Julius Rodriguez, Rust (2024) by Misuser and Ben Roter and many more. Read more>>

Patience D’Anunciacao

myself as a new mom not wanting to return to my 8 to 5 desk job. I asked to go part time but it was declined. I desired as much time with my baby as possible while at the same time I know I needed a career to help with daily expenses for my family. I was also dealing with PTSD and felt a desk job mentally wasn’t for me anymore. I contemplated many of my hobbies as a possibility for income with photography being at the top. Always a happy moment when a cameras in my hand, so why not start there. During this road to self discovery I fell upon a few inserpational people around me who fearlessly went after their dreams. Read more>>

Laura Freudenberg

I started my real estate career in 2015 after spending 12 years as a stay-at-home mom. When my husband had the opportunity to land his dream job, I wanted to support him while also pursuing something I had always loved—real estate. In my first year, I was honored to be named the #1 New Agent in my company, and from that moment on, I knew I had found my passion. Helping people achieve their real estate goals is not just a job for me; it’s a privilege I take seriously. Much like being a mom, real estate is about guiding, protecting, and advocating for those who trust me with such an important decision. Read more>>

Naiila Ansari Carbonell Catilo

I grew up surrounded by a close-knit family and a strong circle of friends who always made me feel seen and supported. From a young age, the arts were my language, a place where I could explore, express, and imagine beyond the world I knew. I was blessed with incredible mentors along the way, teachers, elders, and community leaders — who saw something in me and nurtured it with intention and care.

Mariah Velasquez

How I got here has been one beautiful, messy ride—packed full of ups, downs, setbacks, confusion, redirections (and even more redirections). But looking back, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Every unexpected twist led me exactly to where I am now, full of gratitude, perspective, and lessons I hope can inspire others. Read more>>

Jarell Rochelle

My professional dance career began when I was 16 years old at BBoy Hodown, my first major hip-hop dance event. It was everything—breaking battles, emcee’s trading bars, graffiti artists leaving their mark around the venue, DJs (Dj Jaze-Art Remote) spinning vinyl, and wisdom being dropped by some of the greatest dancers of the time; Boppin Andre, Akcy, Pharside, Press Play, 747, Moon, Pacman, Sifu and so many other Houston original poppers including myself. I was hooked. At first, I cared about one thing: battling. It was the rush, the energy, and the competition that fueled me. But over time, I began to see how every element of hip-hop—breaking, emceeing, DJing, graffiti, and the culture itself—was interconnected. That understanding didn’t come overnight, but now, in a position of leadership, I can’t deny how deeply those early experiences shaped everything I’ve done in my career thus far. Read more>>

Reason Ali

I’m Reason Ali, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, and my journey has been anything but conventional. I grew up as the youngest of three siblings, with brothers five and seven years older than me. Our household was a blend of hard work and passion. My mother served in the army and worked in sanitation, while my father was a self-made contractor with a deep love for music. The house was often filled with the sounds of the studio, and I witnessed firsthand the importance of dedication and the beauty of following your heart. Read more>>

Mike Fraumeni

My music journey began by chance in 7th grade when a friend assembled a rock band but couldn’t find a decent bassist. I convinced my parents to buy me a cheap bass and amp and immediately joined the band. I had already been playing trumpet in my school’s wind ensemble but something about playing contemporary music got me hooked. After that I never really stopped playing. Read more>>

Ness Kent

I’m Ness Kent (they/them), an artist in New Orleans and the founder and Executive Director of Mess Arts—a slightly frenetic, deeply magical, community-driven experiment in creative expression, built on the belief that with community and art, we can do anything. Read more>>

Lissy Alden

I said those words out loud more times that is comfortable to admit! That said my road to building MYNDY has been about chasing problem that was in front of me—until I ran out of places to work at to solve them—and then I had to create my own thing to figure it out. Read more>>

Lauren Hale-Rieckhoff

During my senior year of college, I interned in the Casting Department at Kaufman Astoria Studios, working on the CBS remake of The Cosby Show. I fell in love with the process—seeing firsthand how a single role could shape an entire scene, how chemistry could make or break a moment, and how the right person walking into a room could change everything. I knew I wanted to stay in casting, but I had no idea how to break in. Read more>>

Maya Yearwood

As a native New Yorker and the eldest daughter of South American immigrants, I attribute much of my learning and success to these dual influences. While my creative spirit has always been strong, I was often steered towards more traditional career paths. Despite this, I pursued marketing, carving out a successful space for myself across various industries. My agency, Project M Creative, grew from a lifelong passion for marketing, creative expression, and the energy and connection fostered through events and activations. Read more>>

Sophia Parker

I think my story begins as a somewhat ordinary tale. I was born into a loving family, and was privileged enough to always have what I wanted and needed. I had access to education, healthcare, extra curricular activities, and was surrounded by. a strong social network of friends and family. Read more>>

Rhys Cote

I started my journey in modeling at the age of 3 1/2 when I was a finalist on Kelly & Michael cutest kid contest. I have modeled for major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de Larenta, Love Shack Fancy etc. . My love of acting began when at the age of 6, I auditioned and was chosen to be on Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey as the Snail Whisperer. Followed by The Equalizer 2, where I was able to walk the Red Carpet in the arms of Denzel Washington. Since then Rhys has been in Castle Rock, 2 episodes of NOS4A2, Dual (short), My Adventures with Santa( with Barbara Eden), The Junkyard Dogs (with Denise Richard and Patrick Muldoon), Mech Wars Anomaly(short), Ocean Child (short) and her latest film Sheep Dog. Read more>>

Gabriel Lawler

I moved to Portland, Oregon after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Media and Information, concentrating in TV, Cinema, and Radio. Growing up in Michigan, I had always been drawn to creative expression—whether it was through music or visual storytelling. When it came time to plant roots somewhere new, Portland felt like the perfect fit: a city known for its vibrant creative scene, from its independent music community to its thriving video production and advertising industry. It’s also an “agency town,” with heavy hitters like Wieden+Kennedy and a strong presence of boutique studios that foster experimental and collaborative work. Read more>>

Stefania Ianno

As with many entrepreneurs and change-makers in the world, my story starts with personal experience – in 2011 and 2012 I was stalked by a “friend” and my life was turned upside down. Your worldview changes after discovering a GPS tracker on your car and being forced to leave your entire life behind and sit in the shadows for an indeterminate amount of time. However, from darkness and victimization comes light, growth, and a sense of responsibility. After I was stalked, I began sharing my story with friends, colleagues, and the greater community. There were a few instances in 2013 where I had the opportunity to speak to large groups of college students and at a national conference. Read more>>

Katie

I grew up in a small town called Ringgold, Georgia. It’s best known for where Dolly Parton got married in the 60’s. I grew up in the church, climbing trees, and running the streets. As an only child, I’ve always relied on my imagination to keep me company so it makes sense that I became a writer. I moved to Brooklyn in my early 20s and have built a community here that I absolutely adore. During the pandemic, I began working with clinicians and writing in the mental health field. As someone who sometimes struggles to climb out from behind anxiety, it’s been an education and a pleasure to be creative in this space. Read more>>

JAIDI

I worked over 12 years in various sectors, including accounting/finance and luxury fashion – these long years has taught me so much about work ethics, accountability, process and structure and team work. It also has taught me how to work with and speak to any level of professional/clients. Read more>>

Shannan Kym

I was brought up in a home that normalized addiction, mental illness, physical and mental abuse. As I grew into a young adult I started to slowly attract all this negativity and toxicity into my life as I was unaware of how my childhood upbringing plays such a huge impact in my life and shapes who I am into my adult years. As the years passed I became a people pleaser as I lacked self worth, low self esteem, I was lonely, depressed and I lived a life full of fear and struggle. As I grew older and years passed I suppressed my feelings so deeply that I eventually turned to alcohol. I was in a very unhappy marriage as I married a narcissist and I was confused as I thought his control over me was what love was. Read more>>

Csilla Horvath

Csilla Language Lab was born from my journey as both an artist and educator. I started my career as a performer in NYC and later earned a degree in English Literature and Education. After a decade of teaching in diverse school settings, I saw the potential in creating something more personal and global. During the pandemic, I began teaching German online, which allowed me to build an international client base. What started as a side project quickly evolved into a full-time business. Today, Csilla Language Lab blends my love for language, culture, and travel — I teach from all over the world, offering a unique, progressive approach to language learning. Read more>>

Annette Stiers Jones

I started on my journey to become a landscape photographer in January 2023. I had just quit my job in engineering, in search of something that brought greater joy and meaning to my life. I spent a couple months looking for answers, and then it just came to me. Landscape photography seemed the perfect Venn diagram of my capabilities in math, science, and art, and of what I enjoy doing – being outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Read more>>

Alla Karasik

Art has always been a part of my life, but my creative path has taken a few twists and turns along the way. I initially pursued a career in fashion design because of my love for fashion and streetwear. This led me to mastering CAD design, and as my career grew, freehand drawing and creating art just for fun took a backseat. Read more>>

Carita Hall

When I was younger, growing up in Florida, my mom would take her 2 daughters to volunteer opportunities like the special Olympics, feeding the houseless and homeless during the holidays and gift give aways with churches and non profits throughout our own community and surrounding communities. As I got older I realized that though bodywork and massage was a divine gift I definitely wanted to collaborate the efforts of educating people about alternative options to healthcare as well as reaching people within communities that had not been made aware of the alternative holistic methods of massage, fitness, nutrition and mindful meditation (as well as a host of other therapies like chiropractic, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, and sound healing). Read more>>

Keshona Harris

I began my career in education and leadership development, dedicating years to mentoring and empowering others. However, after experiencing consecutive layoffs in 2021 and 2022, I realized the importance of building a legacy for my family, especially my son. This realization led to the creation of Heiress Marketing, a full-service creative agency focused on helping businesses and non-profits authentically tell their stories. Today, we specialize in graphic and web design, digital marketing, brand strategy, and content production, committed to creating lasting legacies for our clients and community. Read more>>

Reggie Jones

My story has been a journey of passion, persistence, and pivots. I grew up playing football at DeMatha Catholic High School, competing against some of the best talent in the country. Despite not receiving any scholarship offers by the end of high school, I refused to let that stop me. Instead of giving up on my football dreams, I turned to social media, creating football-related content on TikTok. Within a few months, I built a following of around 18K, connecting with athletes and fans who shared my love for the game. Read more>>

Guy Balbaert

I’ve been a songwriter at heart for many years now, but I also release songs under my artist name READ. Hailing from a family steeped in the rich tradition of theatre writing and performance I was destined for a life immersed in the arts. Growing up in an environment vibrant with creativity I developed a profound appreciation for storytelling, which has become the heartbeat of my songwriting. Read more>>

Kristina Kendrick

I started my entrepreneurial mindset as a young girl; watching my mom work two jobs and my dad work endless hours. They always told me to follow my dreams and to do something that made me of value. From sewing and selling crafts as a young girl to growing up and having dreams of a small business.Those are the things that’s.I always focused on while in the process of making my dream come true. I sold things at swap meats and at garage sales and to friends and family. Then when I graduated college; I started finding away to connect with people that I didn’t live close to and started on online platform. Being consistent in my online presence is what has grown me into what I have today. Read more>>

Natalya Nova

My name is Natalya Nova. I’m an artist—photographer, painter, writer and filmmaker.

In my work, I explore the realms between dreams and reality, diving into universal archetypes and metaphors to tell stories that resonate on both personal and collective levels. Inspired by Carl Jung’s theory of the Collective Unconscious, I see my art as both a mirror and a lens, reflecting human mythology. Read more>>

Robert Kay

As a young boy in elementary school, my grandfather gave me a crystal radio kit. Basically the kit had a coil (to be hand wound), a few parts, a single knob for tuning and a set of headphones. Unlike today’s headphones, these had zero padding and were one of the most uncomfortable things on the planet. As I assembled the kit I kept wondering where the batteries went. After assembling the kit and adding a long wire for my antenna, I slipped on the headphones and started adjusting the knob. Read more>>

Fabiola Angeli

My story began in April 1996 when I was born. Every part of my life, from birth until now, has shaped and impacted the woman I am today. I grew up in Puerto Rico and at age 18 I moved to New York for college. In August 2019 I went to England to do my masters degree and less than a year into this experience the world shut down for the pandemic. From all the turning points in my life, this entire experience abroad was probably the most powerful one. In the months before the pandemic started, I had hit rock bottom with my mental and emotional health. I remember drinking and partying multiple nights a week, having an anxiety attack in the middle of the main building of my university while surrounded with students, and even feeling like a zombie with a frozen nervous system for a couple of days because of how disconnected I was from myself. Read more>>

Skye Paquette

I’ve been drawing and expressing my creativity for as long as I can remember. I don’t know exactly how it started—I just know it’s always been a part of me. I began with pen and paper, but over the years, my mediums and materials evolved along with my artistic style. Read more>>

Ellie Ellwand

My family is a major influence on life as an artist. My parents are both actors plus my mom is Italian, which meant that the spirit of expression, and the encouragement to express so were huge family values growing up.

I started acting young, and at first I mainly saw it as a reason to escape elementary school but soon it became a full fledged passion. One of my first roles was playing Sally Cat in the animated children’s series, Busytown Mysteries on CBC Kids, which is based on the Richard Scarry children’s books. There, I was working with this stacked cast of pro actors and I learned so much about process and talent. Soon I started working in film and theatre as well and found I couldn’t get enough of performance. I studied acting at the National Theatre School which allowed me to explore all facets of the craft. Read more>>

Lisa Guo

Music has been a part of my life since childhood. I started playing piano at five, later picked up harmonica, flute, and guitar. My passion for music led me to study at the Eastman School of Music at University of Rochester in 2019, but I soon realized my heart was in contemporary music, so then I transferred to Berklee College of Music in 2021. Read more>>

Elina Lukas

I started painting when I was very young, and learned the traditional methods of watercolour, acrylic and oil painting. My love for art renewed a few years ago when I decided to give digital art a go – and it’s been a great journey since. Read more>>

Anil Polat

It is quite true that it’s easy to draw a direct path when you look back but at the time, I didn’t know I would start on a quest to visit every country in the world. I have a background in cybersecurity and began a travel blog, one of the first, practically before social media. I kept writing, then used my engineering skills to develop several popular travel apps, and started a YouTube channel (foXnoMad). Just like foXnoMad.com, whether it’s on YouTube, an app, or in writing, my goal is to help others travel smarter. Read more>>

Cheryl Wilson

I am an abstract artist. I have my art studio in my home. I have had outside studios, but find working from my studio at home, allows me to work as long as I want!!!

I started my career as a young girl when I followed in my dad’s footsteps and joined the Air Force. My dad was in the Air Force Band, the protocol section so we traveled all over!! My mom, who was the academician was the smartest woman I ever knew. She STRONGLY told me not to pursue my art desires, but to get my degree. SO I did. I got several degrees, many certificates and eventually set up my own company and worked in the corporate world as a Risk Manager for many of the three letter agencies in Washington DC. Read more>>