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.

Julianna Valerio

I’ve always made art of some kind, but it was in 2018 while I was working full time as a counselor that I realized I was happiest while making jewelry. It’s just a very therapeutic/meditative process for me. I would make jewelry after a stressful day at work and it just became my ultimate form of self care. It was then in 2018 that I decided to start selling my jewelry! Read more>>

Rena-Marie Villano

I should have known I’d be a voiceover artist when I grew up because, as a child, I could never shut up. I talked to bugs I saw on the sidewalk; I spoke to my schoolmates during class (made my teachers crazy) – I couldn’t help it. I was full of words. As a young girl, I dreamed of becoming the next Connie Chung or Diane Sawyer. By 16, I had my plan: finish high school, then college (I would major in Mass Comm, minor in Spanish), and then go into broadcast journalism. Read more>>

Apurva Kulkarni

I’ve always loved cartoons and anime—they were a huge part of my childhood. In high school, I used to sketch chibi caricatures of my friends and favourite characters just for fun. But as life got busier with studies and work, I gradually let go of those “cutesy” drawings, never really considering art as a professional path. Read more>>

Diamante Murru

It all started when I was a child, watching my mom paint for her commissions. She worked on different surfaces with such creativity and passion, and I knew early on that I wanted to follow a similar path. As I grew older, especially in my teenage years, I made a promise to myself that no matter what, I would always pursue something creative. That drive led me to experiment with various art forms: body painting, photography, and different crafts, exploring each medium until I found the one(s) that truly resonated with me. Read more>>

Sam Wiener

I grew up in a very creative family where imagination was highly encouraged. My Grandpa made his money from painting, my Grandmother from playing piano, and my father from playing with sounds. My mother was always doing projects and filled our home with moments of magic. However I also knew that knowing business was important, so the beginnings of my professional exploration were trying to combine the two, finding full time jobs where thinking outside of the box were celebrated. At some point, I realized I wanted a bit more control over my own life, and painting was bringing me so much joy and piece of mind that I decided to focus most of my energy there. Read more>>

Gina Turner

I have been making mixtapes since I was 4 years old recording songs on to cassette tapes from the radio and even including my own radio drops with a microphone, I always knew I wanted to be on the radio. So going to college for Audio/Radio was a no brainer. However there was a major shift in me when I moved to LA for my radio internship… I wanted to play what I wanted to play which was house music and thats when everything changed for me… I began to dj in nightclubs during such a special time in Los Angeles and Hollywood and the rest was history… I put my radio dreams to the side to focus on being creative and to play what i wanted! Read more>>

Little Comic

My story starts at the age of 2 yrs old. I became interested in drums ironically with no drum set. I would grab straws toothbrushes, and utensils then bang on couches, tables, the floor, the bed. I couldn’t get enough of creating a beat on my own or to the music playing on the radio. People would come visit and ask what I was doing and my parents would say I think he wants to be a drummer. Read more>>

Chi Nzepuome

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally was when I was really young. I always had this innate passion for fashion, and it wasn’t just about clothes—it was about expressing myself through them. I would often style my mom, picking out outfits that I thought were cool or that told a story. Even back then, I was fascinated by how fashion had the power to completely transform someone’s look and confidence. Read more>>

Han-Wei Hsing

I started to make music when I was in high school. With a musical background in piano and drums, making music was interesting and not as hard as I thought. I quickly found the passion. When I am making music, I find myself forgetting everything. I am only focusing on the music and I love the moment, Since then, I never stopped making music. When I published my first song on SoundCloud, I decided to take this path professionally. Read more>>

Lisa McBee

I first realized that my creative path was my true calling when I was just a kid. I vividly remember stepping into the spotlight during my very first Christmas play—an experience filled with the magic of storytelling, performing, and even a bit of directing. Back then, I was mostly self-taught, participating in oral competitions, ASL storytelling, and filming small projects. Every moment on stage felt like a spark igniting a passion I couldn’t ignore. Read more>>

Emily Bourassa

I started drawing at age 37, because it had never occurred to me to learn how. My mom was the artist, and my brother, and I was the one that wasn’t very good. What would be the point at trying, when I already knew I “couldn’t draw?” But as I got older, and my wisdom started kicking in, I realized that I was feeling jealousy. Jealousy towards artists in my life, or that I had seen on Instagram, and disbelief that anyone could really make art their work. That was how impossible making art felt to me, I wouldn’t even give it a try. I started to realize that what I was feeling was actually a very strong desire and a natural inclination toward art. It was me wishing I could have art in my life, in a real way. Read more>>

Jiayi Li

I was trained as an architect at university since 17 and at that time I never imagined that one day I would devote my entire life to the film industry as a filmmaker. My decision to pursue a career in art and creativity was not a sudden epiphany but rather a series of experiences and intuitive choices that gradually shaped my professional direction. Looking back over the past decade, I realize that my passion for art and creation can be traced back to my architectural studies, a time when I aspired to become an architect. Read more>>

Brysonn Leggs

Since the early age of 4 I knew that someday I would become a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator. I would have visions of me dancing backstage of artists, becoming a teacher, and of me creating my own movements. But the moment that I experienced me having a gift as a dancer and choreographer is when I became a dancer of Fisk University’s Ladies of R.A.G.E. my freshmen year in college. It was my pride and joy. After my sophomore year I learned that I was pregnant with my daughter, Ryonn and I was mostly concerned that I would miss the opportunity to become captain. I had worked very hard to be next up in line to lead the team my senior year and there was nothing that was going to get in the way of that. And nothing did. Not even being pregnant. Read more>>

Elizabeth Boone

Pretty early in my life, I knew I wanted to pursue something in the creative field. Between endless nights of watching Disney Channel, listening to the sounds of Motown in my mom’s car, and doing small theatrical productions as a child, I couldn’t help but feel that way. However, the defining moment was when my parents shipped me to a week long theatre camp, where I played the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Before I went there, they could barely get me to speak. After I came back, I wouldn’t stop talking – talking just to talking, talking to act, or talking about my new dreams of doing something like that forever. Read more>>

Maritsa Patrinos

I always had creative interests growing up (art, music, theater, dance, etc.), but came a little late to considering it as a professional endeavor. By the end of high school, I had struggled so much with traditional education that I did not have the confidence to pick any particular academic direction to point myself in. All my classmates were returning from college visits with enthusiasm for “first choices schools”. However, I felt woefully inadequate when all the schools, no matter how many I visited, seemed artificial in some way, and I could not get myself excited about them. Read more>>

Aleen Khachatourian

Storytelling and expression light me up. Growing up, music was the default in our house. I can’t remember a day in my life where my dad hasn’t played the guitar.

For me, singing is synonymous to speaking.

I always felt the most alive during my music, theater, dance, and english classes.

I’ve spent a lot of my life on stages. I was always encouraged to pursue my creative side and I’m grateful to have such a stellar support system that has built the foundation for my dreams. Read more>>

Craig Fay

I was in University studying to become a Mechanical Engineer. It was the summer before my final year of school and I had gotten a job working in the office at a utility company. The job was pretty much exactly what I’d be doing after I graduated.
Sitting in that quiet, boring cubicle I had to pick my courses for the upcoming year. They all had names likes “Fluid Dynamics III”, “Thermodynamics II”, “Principles of Mechanical Design IV” – basically all sequels to courses I hadn’t enjoyed taking the first time. Then I remembered that back in high school a friend of mine had mentioned that there was a college that had a comedy course, and so I gave it a quick search. I knew full well that I’d never take that course. It wasn’t something that people really did and certainly not something someone like ME would ever do. Read more>>

Manda Quevedo

I think the drive to make pictures has always been there, but I don’t think I have it in me to be a full-time freelancer, partly because you REALLY have to hustle to make it work and partly because I’ve never viewed it as something that will make me a steady source of income. Read more>>

Nikolas Macaluso

Throughout the years as a child I’ve always been naturally drawn to the idea of making music. I started playing guitar with my friends and writing lyrics for songs. In 2012 at about age 14 I started getting into music production, making beats and recording tracks and instantly fell in love with it. From there I had spend pretty much every day working on getting better and learning how to take the musical vision from my head and make it a reality. When I was about 16/17 is when I decided I wanted to pursue music seriously as a career. Since then I’ve been working diligently to further my knowledge, build by brand, and develop a sound that encapsulates me! Read more>>

Georgia Grey

Ever since I was a kid I have always been one to keep my head down and make things. Most often you would find me coloring or attempting to draw images of things in my head and in real life. Eventually that branched to different mediums and canvases. I found myself drawing on everything including my Barbies. Drawing on Barbie was the first sign of where my art would eventually take me. Adding tattoos and piercings, coloring her hair was something I wouldn’t stop doing until I finally stopped playing with them. I would move to customizing everything I wore, drawing on my friends, learning to understand paint… and now my most wonderful medium of all, the art of Tattooing. Read more>>

Kodee Arbuthnott

I always knew I wanted dance to be my career once I started, but growing up in a small town in New Zealand, I had no idea it could actually become a reality. As a creative, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison and self-doubt. There were times when I questioned if I was good enough or if I really had what it took to make it in this industry. But the moment everything clicked for me was when I booked my first big job dancing for Rita Ora at the Rugby World Cup. Read more>>

Kimia Rafieian

Growing up in an academic family, I initially tried following the conventional path, assuming that’s what was expected. However, my family was unique in that they valued creative expression and always encouraged me to explore artistic pursuits alongside traditional academics. Going through various creative classes and musical experiences, I discovered that my strongest moments—the moments when I felt most authentic, and alive—were always linked to artistic expression. Read more>>

Katelynn Jasper

Most kids growing up wanted to be princesses, President of the United States, or any other fantastical job you can think of but growing up I wanted to be the one who wrote about those fantastical people. Most of my early years were spent feverishly writing poetry, fantasy, and even the occasional haunted house story to escape from the small town I grew up in. Then, in the sixth grade each student had the opportunity to enter into a writing competition for the American Legion. I ended up winning first out of my grade and going on to win third overall in my county. Read more>>

Ms Shi Mr He

During the pandemic, I lost my full-time office job. That evening, as I drove home, my heart felt heavy with uncertainty. I had taken the same route countless times before, but that day, I was so lost in thought that I drove two blocks past my usual turn before realizing it. I had always been my family’s pride—graduating with a 4.0 GPA, securing a teaching position at my university for a year after graduation—but none of that mattered anymore. My department shut down completely, and with companies laying off employees left and right, I knew that finding a new job with my humanities degree as an international student would be nearly impossible. Read more>>

Corinne Fox

Growing up, I always had a passion for the performing arts. I was a theatre kid, choir kid, and band kid throughout grade school, but when it came time to choosing a college major, I chose history. During my college years, I spent hours reading and writing historical essays and loving it (for the most part). I took a break from theatre but found a new passion in dance. After college, I started working for an aerospace engineering company (where I stayed for 10 years) as an executive assistant. Although I worked with some amazing people, I still lacked a fulfilling creative outlet. I spent my free time performing in local community theatre shows while using my free time to write historical fiction. Read more>>

Michelle Schultz

When I entered college I felt unsure of what career path I should choose. A huge decision for an 18 year old. I had always loved art and carried a sketchbook wherever I went from a young age, so I chose to become an art major.
In my first classes on perspective I knew this path was for me. I was fascinated by all the technical skills that could be used to recreate how I experienced life. Throughout my studies I saw many classmates before me graduate and shockingly quit their art and get more conventional jobs, giving up on their degree so quickly. I made up my mind to not ever let this happen to me. Read more>>

Isaiah Love

As a child, my earliest memories was of film. Growing up in a lower income household to two incredibly busy and slightly neurotic parents. They’d always sit me down infront of the TV, it was my babysitter and it was my best friend.

Hours of watching television gold like the twilight zone and classic from the greats Kubrick, Lynch or Carpenter take your pic but more than likely I’ve seen their half their filmography before hitting double digits. Read more>>