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.

Myisha Haynes

I had always created stories in my free time as a kid. I wrote and illustrated adventures and traded them with friends, making new worlds to explore and characters to fill them. But it wasn’t until after I finished grad school that I began working as a full-time artist. I took a class on creating art for mobile games, and had so much fun coming up with characters and environments that I looked for internships in the mobile game industry (which was experiencing a boom in 2014 in the Bay Area). I worked in the industry for almost ten years. Read more>>

Javon Everett

Javon Everett professionally known as Visionz2turnt is an American rapper , actor, songwriter, and producer. Javon was born and raised in Washington, DC. Visionz2turnt started to peak in his career in 2019 when he dropped a hit called “IDK” on WSHH. The artist paints the vivid picture of Washington, DC saying “The White House is not the part that I’m from, that’s just the picture they paint for the tourist”. With 7 kids this young rapper gives 100% at everything he does and each song delivered quote on quote “I want to give my kids a better life then I had growing up”. Read more>>

Jordan Dell Harris

Today, I sit here with the honor and privilege of being fifteen years into a creative career that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I have worked professionally as an actor, visual artist, singer, designer, custom framer, art director, scenic painter, teaching artist, and more. But growing up, I had no idea that any of that was within the realm of possibility for my life. Read more>>

Chibuike Mewu

I’ve always made drawings as a kid, I also read some comics. But I never thought one could have art as a career especially in this part of the world(eastern Nigeria). I didn’t see a lot of artists growing up and those I saw were mostly hobbyists till I met Ezeibe Aguwa. He released a comic book series “The Black Thunder” in the early 2000’s and all the kids and even adults were going crazy about it. Luckily for I and my friends, he was teaching in the same school where my mom taught, so I was able to meet him and got closer to him. Read more>>

Catzin Tzila

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was back in 2015. It was more than just a moment, it was a spark that ignited something deep within me. I remember being completely captivated by the energy and emotion that electronic music could evoke. There was this one night, in particular, where I found myself at a live EDM event named “SENSATION”, surrounded by people moving in unison, completely immersed in the music. The connection between the DJs and the crowd felt electric, it wasn’t just sound; it was an experience. Read more>>

Jamie And Jeena Anderson

Jeena and I participated in our church (at the time) talent show in high school. It was the first time that we performed together, just the two of us. After we played and sang our cover of “White Fences” by Needtobreathe – Jeena played the mandolin, I played guitar. People come up to us that night telling us they’d pay to hear more music from us. That surpassed our expectation of encouragement and up until then it was something that we did for fun and a creative outlet. The response that we received from that talent show was the initial mold to the desire of pursing music as a profession. Read more>>

Bella Jovan

I have loved dance my whole life. I took ballet, jazz, and gymnastics when I was a kid. I was on a dance team in middle school. I was a cheerleader in high school. I always went out dancing with my friends several times a week for so many years (still do!). After I graduated college, I studied ballroom in Hawaii. In 2007, I took my first belly dance class in Seattle and immediately was hooked! I started training with several other belly dance instructors in Seattle shortly after my first class and that was when I knew I wanted belly dance to be my career. Read more>>

Madeline Peh

I’ve always been drawing since I was a kid and wanting to try out many artistic ventures – especially comics and animation. However when I created the idea for my series The Phenomenal Playtown in 2021, that was the first out of many projects that I knew I wanted to pursue and make into a reality one day. Read more>>

Iris Hilpisch

I’ve always had a love for art and exploring all things creative. Even while working full-time in healthcare for over a decade—a career driven by my deep empathy and desire to care for others—art remained a constant, a quiet hobby I turned to for joy and peace. Read more>>

Chandra Osann

I was drawn to art from a young age. I spent hours studying magazines, cereal boxes, book covers, and even others’ handwriting, trying to understand how one could create something so visually engaging. In college, I studied design, envisioning a future where I’d work for a publication or create cards for Hallmark. But, like many artists, I found opportunities in unexpected areas that eventually led me to a career in graphic design. Over time, I rose to become the manager and creative director of a division, all while doing freelance lettering and design projects like wedding invitations, custom prints, and even tattoos in my spare time. Read more>>

Jelena

I think with a lot of things in life – we don’t always feel like we have a choice. For me, I had always known that I wanted to do something that no one has done before but I didn’t know the specifics of what or how exactly. I spent most of my 20’s living in angst with immense achievement pressure but, through a series of what I call “signs” with confetti that I began to connect the dots with my curiosity. #1 – I got glitter bombed at a party and it was everywhere for days. It’s nostalgic. #2 – I went to see Ok Go at the Bowery and there was confetti everywhere. Read more>>

Brad Noble

I’ve always had an interest in creative projects ever since I was young. I remember asking my parents for a camera as a kid, thinking of myself as a photographer. After teaching myself photo editing in high school, I went to college for art where I picked up a love of drawing. Read more>>

Jesse Yazzie

Growing up and going to juvenile and eventually jail, I would always escape through pencil and paper. I would draw people custom postcards and portaits, tattoo designs, what every anyone would pay for by way of commissary. Eventually, My Prison counsellor Quintana Anderson gave a call for artists to paint a mural in prison. This would be the first time that I knew I wanted to pursue a creative artistic path professionally. Because we could still work during a lockdown, among many other things, It truly felt like an escape. I fell in love with the process and when I learned how much people make doing it, I was sold. Read more>>

Cindy Shaoul

My second year at Emerson college during Thanksgiving break at home. I was in my mother’s art studio and suddenly I got the urge to paint something. I saw a rolled up large empty canvas and just tacked it up on the wall and got to painting. That whole week I remember feeling like I was in the right place at the right time. I finished the large canvas and had this amazing feeling and knew this is what I wanted to do. When I got back to Boston, all I remember feeling was that I needed to paint. I brought back some materials and painted in my dorm. Read more>>

Patrice Monteiro

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when strangers were willing to invest in my artwork. This is coming from someone who thought being an artist was impossible. I never imagined myself actually selling my art, that was not my original intention. I created art to heal. That same healing journey has lead me to cross paths with some phenomenal people. My collectors are some of the greatest humans on the planet. For example, Actress Milauna Jemai and Musician Jeff Driskill and his wife Nonnahs Drisikill were some of the first individuals outside of my own family who reinforced my belief that my artistic expression resonates with people who have a strong eye for unique artistry. Read more>>

Angelique Kopacz

When I was in college, studying at Penn State University, I was going down a path studying psychology. As a junior, I was taking professional development courses to see where we wanted our degrees to take us. I have always had a passion for art since I was a child, I actually wanted to study art in college, but I was advised against it as it wasn’t seen as stable or lucrative. With this in mind, I knew I wanted to study art therapy. I wanted to be able to offer therapy through a creative outlet for those who needed more or felt stifled by cognitive behavioral therapy. In order to follow this path, I changed campuses to be closer to home and started taking art courses at Penn State Abington. Read more>>

Alex Wetmore

Reflecting on my art journey, I realize that creativity has always been an integral part of who I am—it’s in my DNA. From my earliest memories, I’ve been drawn to creating art. This innate passion led me to a career in advertising, where I began as a junior art director. In that role, I frequently employed a technique known as “scrap art,” tearing and scanning magazine swatches to develop new print ad concepts. This experience planted the seeds for my future in collage art. ​ Read more>>

Pamela Whitlock

The moment I knew I wanted to design textiles was when I was 11. I was with my mom in NYC at the D+D building looking through swatch books for upholstery fabric for new furniture. I loved the small squares of different textures/colors. I was hooked. That was in 1963. Read more>>

Angela Hsieh

I grew up in a house full of sound—my sister on clarinet, my brother and I on violin, all of us on piano. At any moment, someone was either flying through a scale or stuck replaying the same bar of music for the thirteenth time. For a solid decade, we sounded terrible and the household was chaos. I feel bad, but also grateful our parents stuck with it. They were the ones who started it—Taiwanese immigrants who moved to New York in their early teens. They couldn’t afford a piano, so my mom practiced on a paper keyboard taped to her desk. They moved often—eventually landing in San Francisco, raising us three kids, and later relocating to Shanghai, China when I was three. Read more>>

Makenna Gries

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the arts. Whether doodling in a coloring book or crafting whimsical short stories, I have always loved expressing my creativity. However, my introduction into the film world, namely animated films, has defined my artistic pursuits. Having the ability to showcase breathtaking visual art and pair it with poignant storytelling? Now that is magic. As I grew, I became more and more awestruck by the beauty and power of animation, and my passion to pursue a career in the animation industry was born. Read more>>

Lauren Shippen

I’ve always loved stories. When I was a kid, I would spend nearly all my free time with my nose in a fantasy novel or sitting in front of my Playstation, and my life has never strayed too far from that. My imagination would run wild with fantastical worlds and rich characters but, though I wrote some of them down, by the time I hit my teen years, becoming a writer felt like a far away dream. I was getting more into performing and decided to pursue that once I graduated college. Read more>>

Tre Nolen

Art has always been a big part of who I am. Even as a kid, I knew I wanted to be an artist—I was always drawing, always creating, even during class when I probably shouldn’t have been. But as I got older, I started to hear the message that art wasn’t a practical path, that it wouldn’t lead to a stable career. So, I stepped away from it for a while and tried to pursue something more conventional. But I quickly realized something was missing. I didn’t feel like myself without a creative outlet. When I got to college, I made the conscious decision to return to art, and it felt like I was finally doing what I was meant to do. That choice has shaped everything since. Read more>>

Kristin Ryan

In July of 2022, I had been creating beautiful works of art to fill the walls of my home for five years. I had sold one piece to a friend and I was teaching art to K-6th graders at a public elementary school. My plan was to keep teaching art for 8 more years and maybe sell a piece or two each year to friends and family. Read more>>

Brady Frome

Hi All! My name is Brady Frome and I am the Founder and Executive Director of TippityTop Theatre Company, a unique youth theatre program in Los Angeles, CA. I’m honored to be able to share my story, my love and passion for the Arts, and I thank CanvasRebel for the opportunity. Read more>>

Laura Cheung Wolf

I’ve been immersed in the world of decorative arts for as long as I can remember. Creativity runs deep in my heritage—both sides of my family have been devoted to decorative arts for three generations. My grandmother specialised in cloisonné, the imperial art of bronze enameling, and one of the rare merchants entrusted to share these treasures beyond China’s borders, bringing them to Hong Kong and introducing the world to their brilliance. On my father’s side, the legacy continued through the creation of exquisite rosewood furniture, crafted with time-honored precision and care. Read more>>

Amanda Densmoor

My mother is a pianist and she taught me piano growing up. But she quickly realized that I loved singing. I would sing all the time in the car, around the house, and I would sing for so long in the shower that all the hot water would run out and the rest of my family had to take cold showers. Seeing how much I loved singing, my parents encouraged me to join the church children’s choir and I have many fond memories of singing there. Read more>>

Dawn Hester

My Mother was a single parent. During my senior year I knew asking/talking about college was out of the question; I had to find a job. I took the ASVAB test (military) for the Air Force. I didn’t do well (and that was okay) but my scores were good enough for the Air National Guard. Talking with the Recruiter, I browsed all the jobs the Photography popped up. I thought that was cool. After photography school, I still needed a job. FBI was hiring, I applied and was accepted. After a year (close to it) I applied for a position in the Photographic Department – was accepted. A few years I became a Forensic Photographer. I retired from the ANG after 30 years of Service. Retired from the FBI after 39 years. Read more>>

Eunsuh Eunsuh Choi
‘

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was when I was a little girl, maybe six or seven years old. I used to make dresses for my Barbie dolls—not the kind you just clip on, but ones I actually sewed by hand. No patterns, no help. I’d sit quietly with scraps of fabric, needle and thread, and just make. I remember feeling so focused and alive in those moments, like the world around me disappeared. Read more>>

Yung St4k

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue music professionally was when I was around 11 or 12 years old, growing up in Lagos. I was with my older brother—who’s now my manager—while he was writing lyrics for an artist he was working with. He came up with this line: “A million dollars for a show, I swear to God, I want to blow.” The artist never ended up using it, but that line stuck with me heavy. It lit something in me that I couldn’t shake. Read more>>

Caroline Amond

I’ve always had an interest in making art, I started keeping a sketchbook around ten years old. One of my art teachers in high school introduced me to Frida Kahlo’s work. I instantly understood her work and connected with it in a different way from other artists I knew. I remember coming home from school that day and asking my father if he could buy me a book about her. Read more>>

Bozhidar Krastev

It might sound cliché, but I’ve always known I wanted to be an actor. It’s the only thing I’ve ever truly dreamed of being.
I remember watching movies and TV shows and thinking: Wow, I want to be just like them. I want to tell stories.
So my mom signed me up for acting classes and that’s how my journey began. Read more>>