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.

Jabren Barclift

When I was in school I wrote my first movie script at age 14. I wrote it because 1) I loved the art of writing and creating stories for people to get lost in. The second reason is because I could escape my own mind and enter into a reality where I could make the rules. I didn’t have a lot of friends in school so I would write characters that I would want to hang out with. This passion of writing eventually led its way into video creation and I’ve never looked back since. Read more>>

Michael Bögl

When I completed my schooling and entered university, I had the opportunity to work as a salesperson in a prestigious global software company. Although it was a standard 9-5 job, it required a daily one-hour commute to the office and another hour back home. During the hiring process, they promised to invest in my growth and provide training and further education opportunities. Unfortunately, these promises never materialized, and I found myself stuck at the lowest level of the corporate hierarchy. Read more>>

Aakash Raj

In a family of artists, my creative journey unfolded. Guided by the melodic voices and graceful movements of my mother and grandmother, both revered Indian classical singers and dancers, I discovered the power of art. As a child, I sketched Indian mythological gods and goddesses, nurturing my innate connection to the visual medium. When film editing crossed my path, it revealed the door to cinematography, a natural fit that felt as if the divine whispered its secrets in my ear. Read more>>

Lizzie Brown

It all started with my first self-portrait at the age of five. I was standing with this blue easel before me, a white sheet of paper from one of those large easel pads, crayons in the easel tray, and I wanted to be sure to use EVERY color. I was content and in the zone, drawing my brown skin, black hair pulled in a ponytail with strands hanging to the left and right, red nail polish, pink, yellow, black, brown, and violet flowers sprouting from the green grass that I stood on. I drew myself in a blue dress with a rainbow above my head. While adding the last touches to my self-portrait, a stranger walked up behind me and asked what I was making. Read more>>

Mary Meuwissen

I knew that I wanted to be connected to the art world at a very young age. In grade school, I would spend more time on making a colorful cover for a report rather than writing the actual assignment. As I continued in school. I took as many art classes that I could possibly take. To appease both my professional working parents, I decided on an Art Education path at Mankato State University. I loved school, specializing in watercolor and art history, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1975 in Art Education. Read more>>

Brittany Sword

When I was 7 years old I knew I wanted to be a professional singer. I used to watch my mom sing with reckless abandon in our living room and thought singing with that much passion must be the most freeing feeling in the world! Read more>>

Suzanne Frazier

Deciding to pursue a creative professional path, sort of creeps up on one. I have known that I wanted to be an artist since the sixth grade when I was recognized as a “gifted child artist”. I was signed up for an after school art class. I loved it until the instructor drew on my drawing “to make it better”. I couldn’t handle my feelings of her altering my intention. I quit. I refused to go to the class. I didn’t make art again for a long time. Read more>>

Tom Palmatier

In high school I was sure I would pursue a career in music. After getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education and lots of experience as a gigging musician, I joined the Army Music Program hoping to stay in for three years and then get a doctoral degree and teach at a university. Little did I know that three years stretched to nearly 38. I worked my way from a tuba player at the lowest rank to ultimately being the senior director of music in the Armed Forces and Leader and Commander of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” After retirement from the Army I needed to do what I advise many peers to do – don’t dwell in the past; decide who you are now! Read more>>

Solita Deveney

I’ve known my whole life really, but I think the first moment that really solidified it for me was when I was 4 years old. My Dad woke me up in the middle of the night to “go party with him,” which became kind of a ritual for us where we would just sit on the floor and draw. I remember how he taught me shading techniques with contrast and color, and different ways to blend graphite specifically, and taught me about translating the real world into my art. I wanted to try every medium I could, and at that point I didn’t have paint yet so I would go out to our back yard and crush up blackberries and use Fox-and-Cub flowers and Buttercups as paint brushes. Read more>>

Steven Williams

I first knew I wanted to be in the creative field during my first year of college. I did not study fashion at all, I was a psychology major. However, I was always admiring someones personal style and loved going to the fashion shows on campus. I styled my first two models and had a photo shoot in 2016. Read more>>

Alona Williams

I don’t think I remember a time where I didn’t know I wanted to be an artist. Most of us as babies sing and dance before we really talk and walk so I think I’ve just always felt it in my body. I am pretty hard wired to be creative and tell stories. Read more>>

Raul Cruz

When I was a child, a neighbor who was a teacher knew that I liked to draw, so she asked me to draw some pictures of some classical Greek philosophers for her class. They liked them a lot and at that moment I realized that what I liked to do so much, drawing, could have great social utility. Read more>>

Linda Lucas Hardy

I’ve never NOT known! Pursuing an artistic path has been brewing my entire life. Professionally however took a decision and something I went after at 53, once I awakened to the realization I was not getting any younger. Being clueless, having no help, mentors or advisers I flew by the seat of my pants and what a ride it’s been!! Read more>>

Kirk

I knew I wanted to be an artist from the very beginning. There are stories about me as a small child, drawing all over the walls at my house! I was obsessed with comic books because of the art and draw constantly. I was frequently being scolded by teachers for drawing in class. I just could not get enough of it. On my first visit to New York I was stunned by a visit to MOMA. I still remember vividly my reactions when I saw Guernica by Picasso and The Persistence of Memory by Dali. Read more>>

Matthew Hersh

I would have to say when I was taking screenwriting classes in school back in 2012 was when I knew I wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking. However, I didn’t know how to go about it at first because this isn’t an industry that has a blueprint for success. Read more>>

From Birth To Death (band name) Devin John + Brandon Lee (members)

We both have shared a passion for music since we were very young, and started playing our respective instruments early on in our childhoods. We have always had similar tastes and influences for music as well, being heavily inspired by the genres of metal and rock. We have always tried to push the boundaries of our instruments and our music, experimenting with different sounds, styles, and techniques. We have gone on to refine our sound and continue to collaborate together on new music. Read more>>

Tamia Iman Kennedy

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally, after seeing the success of Issa Rae during college. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had many interests but in a setting like college, you’re required to choose a specific lane. Of course choosing any type of career in the arts isn’t exactly supported like other careers and ultimately my interest in film and television was pushed to the side. But then I learned about Issa Rae. A woman who is not only a producer, actor and writer, but a serial entrepreneur and gamechanger in the industry for Black creatives. After seeing her excel as a multihyphenate, I finally gave myself permission to pursue a creative career as a producer, actor and writer too along with my other careers like entrepreneurship and education. Read more>>

Siani Currie

I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a professional creative career, since I was in Elementary School. My passion for the arts started even younger when my grandmother used to sew and do arts and crafts. She’d make reefs, floral décor, and sew clothes. She even help me make my own clothes for my dolls from time to time. It wasn’t until Elementary, where I became more developed mentally, that I knew when I grow up I wanted to do something in the creative field. This is when my mother has started signing me up to art camps, art summer programs and courses. We were up north, in Jersey, at the time, where artist programs were abundant. However, when I moved to the south, going into the 4th grade, my creative growth became stagnant, which is odd for a 10/11 year old huh? lol. Read more>>

Krypto.Divine

I wouldn’t say that there was a clear and precise moment when I knew to pursue this creative path professionally. What I can say is that gradually I began to notice the separation of talent level that existed between me and my peers locally. The passion was already there and once I began thinking of what I wanted to do for the remainder of my existence the no brainer choice was creating, loving, and living music. Read more>>

Brandon Lowery

I first knew I wanted to pursue a artistic path professionally was my Sophomore year in college. I was taking a art history course and we started to discuss Jean-Michel Basquiat. I was so inspired by his work. Basquiat’s work had aggressive mark making and there was a freedom there. The moment I saw his work and felt the energy from it I knew I wanted to be an artist. Read more>>

Maurice (Moe) Murdock

I didn’t know this was what I was going to do right away. I came from a household where it was always important to have good education and stability and focus on studies. At the same time I was always an artist and dreamer. So through my life I always strived to do both things (something creative yet practical). I love art, drawing, painting, video games, comics and spent many many hours drawing and painting and dabbling in computers as a “hobby”. Read more>>

Maria LoVullo

When I first started cosmetology school I was in a place where I didn’t know what I wanted out of my career or where it would lead me. I wasn’t an artist, I could barely draw a simple circle. The beauty behind art is what gravitated me towards the beauty industry. Hair wasn’t a one-size-fits-all when it comes to the art created behind the chair. I wanted to create something that helped change people in a positive way. Read more>>

Bodega Nosh

I was introduced to Fine Art at a young age such as Van Gough & Keith Haring and I grew up surrounded by creative individuals. This sparked an interest for me in Art and all things creative. As I got older I ventured in different avenues of creativity, but I didn’t start this journey professionaly until I lost my mother in 2018. Losing her made me realize how short life was and made me question whether or not I was actually living up to my fullest potential. Read more>>

Heather Moulder

My very first experience in graphic design and show posters was making flyers for my dad’s rock bands. I was in high school using Microsoft Word to design ads for venues I wouldn’t even be able to get into until years in the future. I loved creating something with a purpose, and getting to see lots of copies get printed and put up around town was instantly gratifying. I don’t know if pegged graphic design as a career at the time, but it was definitely the first time I got to see something I made at work, and I loved feeling like I had a purpose making something. Read more>>

Kris Spisak

Certain stories we hear and certain truths we learn strike a chord in our hearts. They reverberate, crescendoing over time until we can’t hold them inside anymore. Powerful tales have always been like this for me, as have unexpected facts that have crossed my path–whether these facts are related to the subtleties and etymologies of the words we speak, the history of the folktales that surround our lives, or the little-known realities lived by generations that have come before. Well-written words and well-told stories can change the world, and my pen has been primed for years, ready to join the conversation. Read more>>

Natalia Karpman

I first picked up a brush as an adult, when I had just moved to another country after getting married. I had a lot of time on my hands and didn’t have a lot of life going on, and I really enjoyed painting, and it consumed me completely. The idea to start selling my paintings didn’t actually come to me first, it was my husband’s idea – until then I believed I didn’t have an entrepreneurial gene in me. I had no idea what was possible and what I was capable of! I also had very little faith that someone would actually pay me for my art. Read more>>

James Norkawich

I first new that I wanted to pursue music professionally, is when I was exposed to jazz, jazz performance and MIDI composition classes in an after school program in the arts ( Regional Center For The Arts ) in high school. It opened a door to me in a field and style of music that I wasnt fully accustomed to, and from there on music became my life. I graduated from the program, i was awarded a 4 year scholarship in music for my undergraduate degree and then for my graduate degree as well. After that the doors opened in the field and i made sure that i was taking advantage of each and every opportunity I could in the music business. From playing to recording and even teaching, its my life. Read more>>

Radha Subramanian

I am a Data scientist by profession. Dance is my passion, my calling! I am the Artistic director of the Himalayan School of Traditional Dance (HSTD in short) that was established, under the aegis of world renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader Mohanji, when the world was going through the throes of COVID. It has been 3 years since its inception and when we started it, I had no idea that we would be where we are today – with students from across the world learning this beautiful traditional art forms of India and performing it so beautifully on stages across the globe. This is an example of the power of Grace, working through every adversity. Read more>>

Marahje

I am a creator of all things related to the human experience. I am always in the lab creating anything that speaks to me. My name is Marahje, I am a multi-disciplinary artist, model, and shamanic breathwork alchemist, who uses storytelling and vivid imagery through music, film, sound, dance, fashion, writing, and photography to heal and connect with others around the world. A major part of my contribution to the world at large is using art, healing modalities, and celestial magic to help others see the light and truth in who they are and what they share. I find that it is important for me as a vessel of creative energy to share whatever download I receive from the divine to materialize. Art is an essential part of my life. Creating life and forming it onto paper, wood, cloth, metal, and using instruments, or whatever that speaks without verbal instruction or logical reasoning behind is where the artist meets the worlds begins.  Read more>>

Patricia McManus

Creativity has always been in my blood, although, i did not initially pursue my dream to become an artist in the beginning of my professional life. In 2016, I celebrated my birthday at an art studio in Tampa. I felt so happy painting on canvas that day that I decided to return to other art classes. After attending my third art class, I realized that art was like therapy for me. Since then, my true passion for art and design led my hobby to blossoming into my profession. Read more>>

Nadya Sugiarto

The idea of pursuing art as a career came up to me back when I was a sophomore student in high school. I have always loved drawing since I was a kid, but I never thought of it as a career choice. Back then, I wanted to go for biotechnology for my major in college. Later on down the road, I realized that I wasn’t as passionate about it as I thought I was. I liked the idea of studying biology and learning what I can do with the knowledge, but I found myself not motivated enough to spend my free time learning it on my own. Whilst for art, I’m more excited to spend my time to learn, grow, and make myself better at it. I spent a lot of time reading articles and watching videos about the animation pipeline and filmmaking process back then. I didn’t know that animation is a very complicated process! Read more>>

DEMETREUS MOORER-SAUNDERS

I had first considered theatre and acting in college. I went to Adrian college in MI right after graduating in 2010. I first entered school to study architecture which shortly changed to interior design. But after having a friend of mine ask me to do a short play, I started to be intrigued by it more. I was still living in the stigma of being an athlete due to being recruited for football. After talking with my friend and doing a couple more plays I fell in love with acting. I still enjoyed interior design but the creativity seemed to be too mundane after awhile so I switched to Theatre and Business. Read more>>

Tariq Singletary

When I was in about 7th day, me and my cousins were up one night writing music for fun. From that day on, I always enjoyed making and recording music. Read more>>

Lance S

Honestly I knew I wanted to pursue being a rapper/singer full time when I released my first project back in 2019. Read more>>

Kirven Douthit-Boyd

I come from a very creative family. I was encouraged to dance almost as soon as I could walk. At first it was extremely recreational, but then I developed a deep passion for movement. I knew that I wanted to become a professional dancer after seeing a performance of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I had never seen dance like that. I was amazed at the beauty, physicality, and artistry pouring from bodies that looked like mine. Read more>>

Kaneeka Moore

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative pathway professionally was when I first moved here to Texas. I didn’t have a job at that time so I spent a lot of time at home. I have always enjoyed doing nails in my pastime. So spending more time at home allowed me to cultivate my creative side. So I started to buy a lot of nail supplies and found myself creating different nail sets for hours at a time. I learned a lot of different techniques and creative inspiration on what I like to call the University of YouTube lol. Read more>>