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.

Marcie Scudder

When asked to share my story, I sometimes find it hard to know where to begin. So – I’ll begin with my return to art school to pursue an MFA at the tender young age of 60. It was about fulfilling a longtime dream. When entering college (at the much younger age of 17), I had wanted to major in studio art. But being the practical man that was my father, I was encouraged to pursue architecture instead. He believed, and somewhat rightfully so, that I’d be much better equipped to support myself as an Architect than as a ‘starving artist’.  Read more>>

Space Hug

We first met in a band and quickly became close friends. After we both moved on, our bond deepened, and during COVID, life brought us even closer. Erik was furloughed, and Adrianne, a single mom, needed help with her young twins. Erik stepped in as the ‘manny,’ and somewhere between the chaos and laughter, our friendship turned to love. Read more>>

Francesca Aramburo

Singing was my first love, it has come in and out of my life througout the years, but for the last 15 years or so I have committed to it.
At first, I had no idea what to do or where to start.. I was on a journey. I tried the band thing and it was great, but I quickly realized I needed to do my own thing, so I learned to play the guitar. Having this tool has given me the power to write and play where and when I can. Read  more>>

Natasha L. Mason

Although the Creations By N.L.Mason, LLC brand is recognized for delicious looking cake candles, my Brand’s origin story consists of my handmade diaper cakes. What are diaper cakes you ask? Well, I’ll give you a hint. Depending on how your recent Valentine’s Day went, you may need a diaper cake soon. Haha! Read more>>

Denzel Kazeze

Hello everyone I hope you all are having a wonderful Valentines weekend, and are cherishing these lovely moments with the ones you love. I would love to give a little background from who I am as an individual and also where I grew up within all of it as well.

My name is and will forever be as long as I don’t change it ha, Denzel Charles Kazeze. Now my name represents a lot, and I didn’t know it at first. My first name Denzel was chosen by both my mother and my father whom is from the East Africa area to be exact Tanzania . Read more>>

Paula Lovo

My name is Paula Lovo, I am a Latine artist and educator from Milwaukee, WI. I was raised by two immigrant parents who arrived in Milwaukee by way of Nicaragua and Mexico. My artist journey began with music. I grew up in the Latino Arts Strings Program, this is a space that supports grade school to high school students in classical training and mariachi music. I played the viola from ages 8 to 21. In this program, I got the opportunity to learn various traditional styles of music, participate in solo recitals, and perform alongside amazing musical artists. In my senior year of high school, we were presented the opportunity to record on La Santa Cecilia’s Buenaventura album. Read more>>

Brian Bennett

My interest in photography began at a young age. I remember my Grandpa Frank would always have two things close at hand, one a pair of binoculars, the other an old school 35mm camera. My Grandpa loved to travel around Oregon, be it a weekend trip to our family’s beach house on the Coast, fishing trip or a drive around Mount Hood, with stops along the way to enjoy the beauty of the Mountain or to watch rafters floating down one of many rivers in the state. During high school I took photography classes but did not feel the true calling until I was in my mid-twenties. Read more>>

Ashley Fortune

The journey to Letter your Life Designs began around June of 2013 (after being gifted a crafting machine December of 2012). I can remember sitting in the room that held my six foot table, washer and dryer while I came up with a name. I have always been one who enjoyed creating and more importantly gifting home made crafts to loved ones. This all began after having many friends suggest I begin created and selling my creations. My number one seller at the time was an 11×14 floating frame created with vinyl and all of a baby’s stats (weddings were close behind) but my oh my how it has transformed over the years. Read more>>

Julianna Writing

I’ve always been a hopeless romantic. After falling in love with reading romance as a tween, I started writing my daydreams down so I could read them for fun later. I stumbled upon Wattpad and wrote my first novel when I was fourteen years old. With the support of the Wattpad community, I wrote five young/new adult romance books. After winning a Watty Award in 2021, I self-published Potentially You and Me in 2022 and The Culture of Hooking Up in 2023 under my penname, lalalalawriting. Since writing The Culture of Hooking Up, I was inspired to pursue a M.A. in Sociology. I’m interested in researching anything related to gender, women’s issues, hookup culture, and relationship dynamics. Read more>>

Rashed Al-Daradka

My journey began with a deep passion for surgery, it has been my lifelong dream to become a surgeon. But for me, it wasn’t just about achieving that goal; it was about becoming the best surgeon I could be. And to do that, I knew I needed the best education possible. In my view, the U.S. offers the most advanced and rigorous surgical training, which is why I set my sights on pursuing residency there. Read more>>

Joely Hackmann

Hi There! I’m Joely Hackmann, the owner and creator of Joely Hackmann Photography. I started my business as a freshman in high school, and began the passion for capturing the beauty of life’s most important moments. My main focus is seniors, weddings, engagements and couples. Read more>>

Bryant Edwards

I never knew I wanted to do theatre when I was a kid – I barely knew what it was, honestly, besides vague memories of seeing The Velveteen Rabbit from a balcony on what I believe was a school trip. I’m from a very small town in Lower Delaware – slower lower as many call it, for better or worse. In the 90s and early 2000s there was not much of an emphasis on art there, at least from my perspective. However, following a series of unfortunate events, I ended up moving to the Philadelphia suburbs with my mom. Read more>>

Imogen Pickton

Growing up, I was always really creative and loved art. I didn’t have a specific career path in mind, so focused on studying subjects that I enjoyed for my A levels. I didn’t really want to go to university just for the sake of it so I participated in virtual work experience to get an idea of the career paths available. This is what sparked my interest in digital marketing as a career. Read more>>

Shozab Raza

I’m a Boston-based visual artist, designer, and creative technologist passionate about blending art, technology, and design. My journey started with a deep fascination for storytelling, which I explored through drawing and crafting objects as a child. Over time, this curiosity transformed into a love for visual communication, leading me to pursue a BFA in Visual Communication Design and later an MFA in Dynamic Media. Throughout my career, I’ve worked across disciplines, from graphic and interaction design to immersive installations, always pushing the boundaries of how people engage with media. Alongside my creative practice, I teach at MassArt and Boston University, where I share my knowledge and inspire the next generation of artists and designers. Read more>>

Samantha Keller

If you met me five years ago, you probably wouldn’t recognize me. I wasn’t a positive person—not even close. I was extremely negative, constantly belittling not only myself but also the people around me. I had this deep-rooted belief that my job was the end-all, be-all, and that was just how life was supposed to be—stressful, limiting, and unfulfilling. Read more>>

Lauren Trivison

My name is Lauren Trivison and I have been a content creator for almost 6 years. I got my start the summer before my senior year of college when I created an Instagram account for college age outfit ideas. Around that same time I took a content marketing internship and quickly fell in love with entrepreneurship. Before I knew it I was focusing time each day to my Instagram page and slowly yet surely grew my following from zero to 1,000 and then to 10,000. Read more>>

Jen Quirk

Mayhem started in 2022 by myself and my best friend Steve Jacobson. COVID hit our local music scene harshly. We lost several venues that pre COVID hosted. Recovering from COVID was tough especially for original music and the harder genres. Our first task was finding new venues, bars, etc .. willing to let us bring our bands in. The genres we work with seemed to intimate several of these establishments, there was resistance but we pushed on, determined. Read more>>

Dareel Sco

I started out very raw meaning little to no fans and little to no experience when it came to recording as well as performing live. I forced myself as often as I could attending open mics and every recording studio I could find from Virginia Beach to Richmond. After years of practice I now have no problem performing live or recording. Read more>>

Odunayo Aboderin

Triple DAA Clothings and Logistics is a Fashion brand located in Lagos state Nigeria, we cater for Indigenous African inspired Designs for Men and we also facilitate the international doorstep deliveries to the doorstep of our clients all over the world, Read more>>

FirstKings Love

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story in this magazine again; capturing my journey feels like an undertaking best suited for a series of testaments to God’s grace, starting from my seemingly perfect life in 2016, where success, love, and joy were abundant, to the humbling moment when pride led me to declare myself god, only to face the profound consequences of that assertion. Read more>>

Sienna Wang

I have been a classical music fan since I was a child. Though I studied engineering and then have been working in tech for years, classical music is always my comfort.
Growing up as a classical music and opera fan, I realized that many people found that classical music is difficult to approach and understand, therefore, I decided to create a space to write down my thoughts and feeling about classical music and hope by sharing my love for music, more and more people will find the connection to this beautiful art. Read more>>

Ivan Jose Cloyd

I began my journey in television at the age of 17 or 18, advocating for policy changes within my community in Washington, DC. As I grew more comfortable in front of the camera, I started exploring opportunities in acting. This led to appearances on several TV shows, and eventually, I had the opportunity to be a guest on the syndicated television program “The Right Side Forum” with Armstrong Williams. Read more>>

George Schmid

I grew up in a remote area of NJ where we had many horses, dogs and cats. I spent my spare time fishing in the streams and ponds and pheasant hunting in the winter.
I was also an avid skier and earned my brown belt in Karate by working out 6 days a week for over 3 years. Read more>>

Nelson Etok|

I started drawing when I was about 9, inspired by my neighbor Uche, who was my age mate. He would sketch all the cartoons we loved as kids, and I remember watching him with so much admiration. It looked fun, so I picked up a pencil and started drawing too. I believed passion starts in the mind, and from that moment, I was hooked. I even had a special sketchbook just for my drawings, and for years, art was simply a hobby I loved. Read more>>

Ruonan Jiang

I grew up enchanted by Disney animations, deeply influenced by their love, magic, and sense of wonder. In middle school, a teacher screened Mona Lisa Smile in class, sparking my awareness of female empowerment and individual choice. Later, Dead Poets Society moved me, encouraging me to live in the moment and carve my own path. These films didn’t just entertain me—they shaped who I am, guiding me through the journey from childhood to adulthood. Read more>>

CLAUDIA SAUTER

Claudia Sauter is a renowned Swiss Pop Art artist known for her captivating and vibrant artworks. Her creations blend elements of everyday life, advertising, business, and the environment, embodying the essence of Pop Art. Using a unique technique that combines screen printing, printing, and painting, she produces visually striking works that radiate energy and joy. Read more>>

Yong Hong Zhong

Art has been a passion of mine ever since I was a child growing up in China in the 1970s. However, it wasn’t until my family immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s that this passion began to truly take shape. We settled in Chinatown, New York City, where I spent several formative years. Living in such a vibrant cultural hub gave me access to some of the world’s greatest museums and art institutions, opening my eyes to the possibilities of artistic expression and inspiring me to pursue my creative journey. Read more>>

Katey Hicks

My name is Katey Hicks and I am the owner of a one-woman company called KT Social Media + Marketing. I officially started my business in March of 2024 and am just about to hit my one year mark – though I have been doing this for over three years now. KT Social Media + Marketing houses both social media and marketing practices including social media management, social media strategy, basic marketing like digital marketing, website creation and design on a small scale, and content creation both for brands and for myself. It’s definitely a blanket agency that aims to help small businesses have an online presence. Read more>>

Anya Mathew

I started TheFinePrint in August 2024, but it was a dream I had been shaping long before that. Writing has always been a part of me. My grandmother often told me that words are extensions of ourselves—that no matter how quickly time passes, writing preserves legacy, culture, and heritage. Read more>>

Lauren LoGiudice

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like. I got to where I am today because I didn’t give up. Period. Most of the people I started with quit a long time ago. But the main thing is that I was going to become a performer, whatever that might look like. Read more>>

Ellen Eagle

I have been drawing since age 4, and was recognized at that extremely young age for having ability. My parents and brother were completely supportive and encouraging. My parents enrolled me in art classes at the local museum when I was 4. When I was 10, my mother took me to the Art Students League of NY children’s class. When I was 12, my brother discovered the High School of Music and Art and when I came of age, he drove me to the entrance exam, and waited outside until I had completed the test. I returned to study at the Art Students League as an adult, I have now been an Instructor there for twenty years. Read more>>

Junichiro Mataga

I am a jazz pianist based in New York. I came to New York five years ago. After earning my master’s degree in jazz studies from a graduate school in New York, I have been actively pursuing my career here. Before coming to New York, I worked as a research engineer in vibration and acoustics at the Japanese electronics company NEC for about nine years. So far, I have released two leader albums. Read more>>

Yarbrough Realty Associates

We are Yarbrough Realty Associates, a mother-daughter real estate team based in Sonoma County, CA.​ Jackie started her real estate career almost a decade ago, and when her daughter Mia expressed an interest in joining her, she was thrilled! Mia took her coursework and swiftly passed her licensing exam in 2022. The timing was excellent, as Jackie also qualified to start her own team under eXp Realty that same year, based on her sales volume. We knew that we could provide elevated service to our clients if we joined forces: combining Jackie’s wealth of knowledge and experience with Mia’s tech-savvy marketing strategies and customer service experience… Read more>>

Itzel Oregon

Since i was little i enjoyed watching my grandmother picking his lipstick color. I always helped her look for the exact color she needed and i remember having so much fun in that department store. Then i grew and i asked myself about that special place where i could be for hours and the time goes by so fast. And the cosmetic store was the place that came to my mind. So i thought to study makeup Read more>>