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.

C Tanner Jensen

When I was three. I remember being asked what I wanted to’ grow up to be?’ and I knew I wanted to draw pictures and be with horses. I soon found out that adults thought this was amusing. My parents were always supportive of my vision, but the rest of the world was not. Read More>>

Deonte Bolden

🎙 The Bolden Experience Podcast “Turning Pain into Purpose” 💫 There was a time when I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. After surviving two suicide attempts, I realized that God had kept me here for a bold purpose. Losing my brother Jaquan, who had special needs, changed everything. Read More>>

David Diaz

Late 90s and early 2000’s. Watching Rap A Lot, Bad Boy, Death Row, No Limit, Roc A Fella, and even Dopehouse Records inspired me to know that if they did it, I could as well. Read More>>

Evelyn Puerto

I never wanted to be writer. All through school, I hated writing and dreaded completing the assignments. When I was in high school, one of my poems won an award. On the strength of that poem, I was offered a college scholarship. I turned it down, because I didn’t want to be a writer. Read More>>

Maaac

I knew I wanted to be an artist from the first time I picked up a guitar. I always had a deep love for music growing up as it was a prominent force for me as a young kid. Read More>>

Angela Jean

Every single memory I have has me wanting to do music. My earliest memory includes sitting on my great grandmother’s lap to reach the keys,on an old upright piano. She explained the piano to me patiently. The room had cream and floral striped wallpaper and her violets grew at the window. She smelled like the peppermint candy she liked. It is a good memory. Read More>>

anthony butler

I knew i wanted to get into this field just by the way my mind thinks. I love taking pictures wearing different clothes and making them pop. I enjoy the art side of freestyling with not only music but design in general. Read More>>

Gabriella Pino Moreno

I think I’ve always known I love art and wanted to be an artist, since childhood. Art and all of it’s different forms were my favorite childhood pass times: drawing, painting, crocheting, weaving, etc. I have always loved murals and graffiti, being exposed at a young age to vibrant street art in Brooklyn and Richmond. Read More>>

Takeisha Hardaway

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative artist path profession when I knew I had a talent for music by teaching myself the piano. Then at the age of 12 years old I had a passion for music in the classical music style. Read More>>

Andre’ Renee’

I love writing children’s books. At first, I thought it was to teach and motivate, but as time passed, I discovered the truth. I wasn’t just writing books; it was a way to describe my past. In these books, I see my wants, fears, and the promise of hope. My first book was the key to opening endless doors. Read More>>

Ashley Chambers

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally while working in my career as a Registered Dental Hygienist. After being a hygienist for almost 10 years I’ve found myself lost and feeling very stuck. Almost like I’ve lost the one thing that’s always made me who I am, or the thing that’s always been so interesting to me. Read More>>

Katie Perkins

I was told I was singing and humming before I could even talk. From a very young age, music captivated me, and I absolutely loved to sing. In sixth grade, I entered my first talent show and performed the Mariah Carey version of I’ll Be There. I was incredibly nervous, but once I stepped on that stage, I gave it everything I had. Read More>>

Daniella Mallia

When I was younger I was very big into watching YouTube tutorials for makeup and I loved watching all of the OG makeup gurus on YouTube. I always loved learning from the videos and loved experimenting with makeup. Read More>>

Riley Lynch

I always loved music when I was younger, but it was around the age of twelve that I realized it was something I wanted to pursue seriously. I would spend hours in my dad’s home office singing along to YouTube videos of the pop hits that defined that time. Read More>>

Milda Aleknaite

I’ve always felt that art chose me as much as I chose it. From a very young age, creating was how I expressed myself and made sense of the world. In high school, that passion grew stronger and guided me to study art at university, where I built a foundation in both the creative and technical aspects of my craft. Read More>>

Rachel Nielsen

First, thank you so much for having me! I love the artistic community of Canvas Rebel and am humbled to be a part of it. Well, I’d say ever since I was little I pretty much knew I wanted to follow an artistic path. Read More>>

Kayla Gale Campbell

I started making art after a long time away from it after my daughter was born about eleven years ago. I started painting in the late hours of the day while she slept as a way to find myself again after early motherhood. Read More>>

Heather Cook

I knew that I was going to do something creative with my life ever since I was a little kid. I was always playing piano, singing, and making up terrible lyrics even before I knew I wanted to be a songwriter. Then, when my Dad taught me how to play guitar when I was fifteen, the creative spark became a flame. Read More>>

João José

Since I was born, my father would always steer me to music. When I cried as a baby, my dad would play the guitar and I would calm down. When I wanted to play, my dad would put a piano near me and I would play for hours. As I grew up, my dad would teach me guitar, percussion, bass, singing… and other instruments. Read More>>

Tawanna Houston

I’ve wanted to be a professional entertainer for as long as I can remember. It started when I was a kid watching Barney & Friends. (Laughs) I used to picture myself right there on the show, singing and dancing with everyone. That’s when the spark hit. As I got older, seeing artists like Michael Jackson took that inspiration to another level. Read More>>

Brittney Bjay Lawrence

I’ve been singing since I was 3 years old, I was always listening to music it calmed me it excited me I could learn a song in minutes, I would wake up singing, my aunt thought that I was writing love letters to boys but they were songs, I always have Melodies in my head and I just put lyrics to them music keeps me sane at this point. Read More>>

Shelvy Paredes

In the 8th grade I was given an extra elective by mistake and that class was Theatre with Mr. Francisco Padura at Howard Doolin Middle. Read More>>

Ruchika Nambiar

I’ve always known I would end up pursuing a creative career; I’ve never considered the option of doing anything else. In fact, I’ve never even thought of it as a “career” per se. Creative doing and making has simply been a way of life, right from when I was a child. Read More>>