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.

Kelsey Davis

My journey into photography began in 2019 when I bought my first camera. Photography had always been a fascination of mine, and finally holding that camera felt like the start of something special. In college, I dabbled in modeling for a photographer, and while I enjoyed being in front of the lens, I couldn’t shake the curiosity of what it would be like on the other side of the camera. Read More>>

Kunwar Prithvi Singh Rathore

I am a photographer and artist based in New York who sometimes enjoys ceramics and painting as a hobby.

Born in a small town called Budaun in India, I was always a creative child. As the youngest of five siblings, I spent my early years drawing, painting, and doing DIY crafts with my brother. Read More>>

Tanya Gorlow

I knew I wanted to get into the arts since I was a kiddo, but I got serious about acting in junior high and high school. I got my BA in theatre and moved to Los Angeles to break into the biz. It was in LA that I learned how much I love the stage, and while there are certainly some very wonderful things about working on-camera, having the time to explore a role, making discoveries during multiple performances, and sharing a story with different audiences is what really interests me. Read More>>

Justin Nguyen

My name is Justin Nguyen, and I live in the vibrant city of San Jose, California. My journey into the world of photography began long before I ever picked up a camera. As a child, I would often sit for hours poring over my mom’s old photo albums. Each photograph was a portal to a different time and place, sparking my imagination as I wondered about the stories behind each captured moment. Read More>>

 Eric Dillman

From the age of eight, I have nurtured a passion for architecture and design. My academic journey led me to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where I studied Interior Design. Upon graduation, I secured a full-time position as an Interior Designer, thanks to my senior portfolio. Read More>>

Lisa Solomon

How did my creative journey start? I think like a lot of people. I made things with my family – mostly my mom and grandma starting from a very young age. They both were adept at crochet and knitting and making things. I learned to fix things with my grandpa also early on. Read More>>

Luana Seu

I am a Romanian photographer currently based in NYC and Europe. My work has won prestigious awards such as the Jurors Picks of the Lens Culture Awards and a finals nomination for the ReFocus Awards in Color Photography 2023. I am now 26 and I realized that I have been doing photography for over 10 years. Read More>>

SOLACE TAYLOR

When working at a group home, I was beat unconscious by one of my clients while driving him to the bank. I was left with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD from the assault. I subsequently was fired for not being able to return to work within the 12 week disability period. Read More>>

Sarah Carvalho

I’m a freelance copywriter and yoga teacher based in the NYC area, but I’ve had many careers prior to landing here!

I graduated from Boston University with a degree in Communications and started my career in Film and Television before moving into Publishing, Sales, Advertising, and SaaS. Read More>>

Denise Wilson

After 15 fulfilling years of owning and operating my home daycare, I found myself ready for a new chapter. I had initially chosen the daycare route as a way to be with my children while also contributing to our family’s income. Being my own boss and building something from the ground up was deeply rewarding, but as time passed, I realized a change was on the horizon. Read More>>

BriGuel

We are BriGuel, Brianne and Miguel. We are a duo on a mission to harmonize humanity through film and music, the 2 most inspiring mediums in the world. We met nearly a decade ago on a project and combined our (now) more than 3 decades worth of experience – and haven’t left each others’ side since. Read More>>

Jessica Libor

I have always loved art, ever since I can remember. Art’s storytelling abilities seemed magical, and I began by illustrating stories that I would write about woodland animals and young girls like myself. Growing up, I was always drawing and reading, and for college I attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Florence Academy of Art and the Grand Central Atelier. Read More>>

Chris Ahlman

I have been playing music most of my life in one form or another. My first instrument was piano. I eventually settled on playing the guitar and singing original music, which is what I do today. I started playing professionally in 2006 when I got a steady gig every Saturday night at the local Hilton. From there I never really looked back. Read More>>

Amy kalikow

My background was in advertising. I always had a creative eye but a business mind, majoring in finance in college. I was passionate about style and design, as my mother was a personal shopper. Clothing was my canvas until I was old enough to have an apartment of my own. Read More>>

Grace Thomas

I embarked on my fashion journey 15 years ago, starting at a small luxury personal styling company. As a girl from Portland, Oregon, breaking into the fashion industry was a thrilling achievement amidst limited opportunities. During my tenure, I had the privilege of styling high-profile clients, including NBA athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and self-made millionaires. Read More>>

Tracy Vontélle Green

Size Matters! For centuries, many of us have been wearing ill-fitting glasses. From our research and personal experiences many optical wearers have endured the painful line across our noses, indentation on the cheeks and headaches. Read More>>

Emma Zack

Before Berriez, I was working a 9-5 at a criminal justice non-profit, The Innocence Project. Apart from being a mental escape from my day job, I founded Berriez after noticing a gap in the vintage fashion world, especially on Instagram. Read More>>

Emily EASTERBROOK

In the heart of New York City, where the pulse of nightlife beats strongest, I carved a niche that would redefine experiential events within the hospitality industry. My journey began over 2 decades ago, tending bar at various family chain restaurants and nightclubs across the city. Read More>>

Amy Tipton

First, a little bio/background:

I graduated from Naropa University with a B.A. in Writing and Literature and received my MFA from New College of California in Writing. I worked as a literary agent for years before going freelance in 2018. Prior to beginning Feral Girl Books, I was a literary agent at Signature Literary Agency. Read More>>

Erica Robinson

To pick a chapter that is most relevant to the place that I am now means I only have to go back four years.
At that time, in the year 2020, when most people saw Covid as a time of great distress, I saw it as a way out. I was in a marriage that was secretly drowning in immense sorrow, but I put on a front for the church, friends, and business colleagues. Read More>>

Cosmin Mahadev Singh

I started teaching Kundalini Yoga and meditation over 15 years ago. At the beginning of this journey, the calling was so powerful that I actually signed up for a yoga teacher training before I even took a yoga class. From there, it felt like I was remembering things rather than learning new things, as if I had done this before, perhaps in a previous life. Read More>>

Mikaela Smith

My journey as a creative has been quite the unexpected adventure – I never imagined that I would one day walk in a show for NYFW, I would help plan a fashion show, I would photograph the secretary of education, I would be an executive producer for a documentary, or I would have people ask me for modelling/photography advice. Read More>>

Jeanette Pidi

I started my design and letterpress business in 2016, but I’m confident in saying its roots were planted in 1939. That’s the year my grandfather, Vito, started his career as a printer. Years later, my father, Lou, followed in his footsteps. Though it seems like I was born into the role, it wasn’t always my goal to start a printing business. Read More>>

Danny Archer

Danny started doing magic as a hobby when he was 29 years old. In 1988 he left his job as salesman with Apple Computer and started to work at the Philadelphia Magic Company. Working behind the counter was a crash course in performing, and Danny learned a lot about magic and magicians. Read More>>

Ode Broham

I’ve been in love with music since I was a kid. The pursuit to never grow up and to just chase what speaks to me has lead me to be the creative that I am. Read More>>

6Two Cory

I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin currently living in Los Angeles. I’ve been living in Los Angeles for 10 years. The reason for me moving to Los Angeles was for music with me having a few songs on the radio I moved to Los Angeles and started acting which lead to me to finding a agent and booking a few roles on TV. Read More>>

Natalie Contrera

I began my career in retail sales as a makeup artist in a department store. It was an excellent foundation, allowing me to work with a diverse range of clients and perfect my skills. Read More>>

Emily Shalant

I always knew I would be a fashion designer. There is a photo of me at about 3 years old with big sunglasses pushing a red shopping cart. It’s the kind of photo from the 70s that was printed on a square with rounded edges and yellowed with age. Read More>>

Megan Miller

My husband and I started Crescent Simples as a way to make better quality mixers available for home use. We were both bartenders in New Orleans and made fun flavored simple syrups to use in drinks. We always used fresh fruit and herbs and raw sugar to make them. Read More>>

Jessica Lynn

I have been making music for as long as I can remember. It sounds cliché but I never chose this path in life. It certainly chose me. I am a self-trained singer, drummer, and guitarist but did take classical piano lessons in elementary school and middle school which is really the foundation of my musical knowledge. Read More>>

Madonna Yoder

I’ve been folding origami since I was in elementary school, but the thing that got me interested in origami as a career was the Geometric Folding Algorithms course that I took in my final semester of undergrad. This course introduced me to origami research and my final project was on triangular grid mazes – a way to fold whatever walls on a triangle grid you want plus a floor, all from a single sheet of paper. Read More>>

 Roshown Gateskill

Well I got started way back in high school was originally going to try and become a microbiologist but we do this thing called senior benefit at my highschool to raise money for prom basically we out on skits and performances to raise money and acting and modeling was something I’ve always thought about and wanted to do but didn’t how but after senior benefit I decided to change my career path and go after it took a year off college to sort everything out then from there got with images modeling and talent in Lexington Kentucky and gotten to do some pretty amazing things and can’t wait for what’s to come! Read More>>

Zoe Branch

I left my career in journalism in 2020 to pursue being fully self-employed in New York City. Prior to that, I’d run my original typewriter poetry business, flora & phrase, as a side hustle for two years, and I wanted to give myself the chance to see if I could take more control over my creativity and harness it into my job. Read More>>

Samar Johnson

I am a proud “failed academic.” I left my PhD program in enthomusicology after completing all of my coursework that left me in the wake of serious mental, physical and emotional burnout. As much as I wanted to be designed for that trajectory, the fact of the matter is it was too limiting in its scope. Read More>>