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.

Shaine Adams

For as long as I could remember I’ve always wanted to model. The idea was put into motion before I could even truly process it. There’s videos of me only days old with my dad whispering to me “ You’re going to be amazing. Watch out Naomi Campbell and Iman because my baby has been born”. So funny to think about now. When I turned 6 my mom took me to my very first photoshoot, and I remember for years my grandmother and I would watch Americas Next Top Model endlessly while role playing. Read more>>

G Anthony Joseph

First of all, it’s an honor to be featured in your wonderful magazing. When I as 10 years old, around 1971, my mother enrolled me in a Martial Arts school. I have been working out and practicing ever since. The system of Martial Arts I learned (known as the TCF Martial Arts System) requires constant adaptation, creation, thought, especially in the midst of unplanned combat attacks. More importantly, it translates to dealing and overcoming life’s obstacles to attain all the goals I wanted for my life. Read more>>

Jonathan Yacoub

It’s ironic that this is the question I landed on, I was literally just having a conversation about this the other day at a graduation party. 99% of Coptic Egyptian American lads are either a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or dentist. That’s not an exaggeration. So when I tell people from my community what I do for a living, it always raises eyebrows. Read more>>

Marina Phavixay

When did I first know I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally is by knowing that college isn’t for everyone. After my years in education and after graduating high school was a “What am I going to do next? “ for my future outlook. Read more>>

Tiffany Ramos

As a child I was always artistic. Instead of dolls I always asked for art supplies. I enjoyed anything and everything that allowed me to be a creative. I always wanted to do something creative with my life so now that I’m able to it’s really fulfilling. Read more>>

Michelle Ammann

I’ve been an artist my whole life. Everyone in grade school knew me as the girl who could draw. But when college rolled around and it came time to choose a career path, I chose to become a teacher. Growing up, I genuinely loved school and I loved my teachers– so much so that I wanted to be just like them. Although my passion for art was always with me, I never considered pursuing it professionally. Read more>>

Samantha Correia

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally after giving other paths a try and finding out it wasn’t for me. The first career I wanted to pursue was being a veterinarian but was talked down by my heart surgeon father. He wanted me to be a surgeon like him. Read more>>

Lucio Leonardi

when I was 15 and I started composing in various musical groups, but I already knew it from before, since I started studying the piano when I was 6 years old. Read more>>

Jesse Taylor

In 2014, I sort of spontaneously applied for a dental hygiene program at a local technical college. It wasn’t something I was passionate about, but I felt an immense pressure to “figure things out” as a lot peers my age were graduating from college and getting jobs. I got in to the program and decided to give it a try. I had no idea what else I was going to do. I learned pretty quickly that it wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Gina Levantini

I’ve dreamed of being a working artist ever since I was a little kid! I don’t remember an exact moment but I do remember being in middle school, making little punk rock monster necklaces (each wearing their own band tee) to sell in an Etsy shop. Whatever strange art fixation I was on at the moment got listed into that Etsy shop. Read more>>

Jimmy Dalessio

I always loved art, as far back as I can remember. My parents were always very supportive of my artistic journey. Ever since I was a kid, I was always drawing and creating some kind of art. I would draw dinosaurs after watching movies like Jurassic Park, which later branched into monster movies like Alien, which introduced me to one of my favorite artists, H.R. Giger. All throughout school, I would be the kid doodling in their notebooks, always having the best time in art classes, Read more>>

Karen Bankhead

It’s possible I was first bitten by the entertainment bug when the circus came to our town. We were living on the Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona and saw the Ringling Bros/Barnum Bailey circus. I remember being beside myself because there were a few children performing alongside their parents — tumbling, swinging on trapezes, riding elephants! Read more>>

Maribel Ramirez-Bohnenkamp

Honestly, since the early age of four, I had known I wanted to be an artist. We’ll fast forward to my senior year of high school in 2009 and I attended Fine Arts Day on a whim at our local community college. The energy every student gave on campus was infectious and at that point, I had not applied to college let alone think that I had what it takes to be an artist. Read more>>

Paul Smith

I knew from as far back as I have memories that I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to draw, no matter what. I spent my youth obsessively drawing on anything and everything. Many times to the consternation of my parents and teachers. As a working-age teen I sought out jobs that would put me in close contact with creatives. I followed this plan throughout my life with pretty great success. Read more>>

Mindy Colton

I showed a talent for art at an early age. My art-loving parents encouraged my artistic endeavors and enrolled me in classes at nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art when I was five years old. I continued to study with private artists and at the Art Students League of New York. I was accepted into the prestigious High School of Music & Art in NYC (now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts), from which I graduated at age 16. I knew that being an artist was my main goal. Read more>>

Timothy Wisniewski

Years ago, I was invited to present at an art show in Beloit wisconsin. The man who invited me was someone I looked up to a lot. But I had been told by some peers that my art was weird, and troubling. Nonetheless this man loved my work and it was his show. So, I said ok. The problem was, I was just a broke punker in my 20’s. Read more>>

Janine Wilson

Probably around three years old I knew that my life had to be one of creativity. As a child, I was surrounded by music. I didn’t come from a musical family, but music was always around me whether it was at church, the radio constantly being played in my home, or at cultural events, I was just always aware of music and drawn to it. I started taking piano lessons when I was seven years old, but the piano wasn’t exciting enough for me but it did give me the fundamental music theory that I would need to pursue other instruments. Read more>>

Mikel Wintermantel

I have been an artist since my early teens, I attended State University of New York’s Potsdam Star Lake summer art program in the Adirondack Mountains at age 14. Being immersed in that comprehensive program was a serious undertaking that gave me the confidence and drive to pursue the arts as a career. It was a college level course and the other students were serious artists. The experience was beneficial and gave me insight into what the creative world could be like. Read more>>

Pinchia Jen

Art has always held a significant place in my life, beginning from a young age. Expressing myself through drawing provided solace and joy during my school years. As a typical Chinese student, caught in the struggle to get higher scores, drawing became my refuge. It was one of those things that calmed me down and free me from all the pressure. As I matured, my passion for art grew stronger, and I realized that it is more than just a hobby for me, it is a part of my life. Read more>> 

Christina Moffitino

About 10 years ago, I had graduated college and I struggled to find work. After desperate searches, I became an assistant for a media company. It was a full-time office job that fulfilled my adult needs at the time, but it definitely crushed my soul. I was teaching only one cardio dance class a week on my day off to keep my creative teaching juices flowing, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy my soul craving. There were times I had to work late and I was itching to be in dance class. Read more>>

Silent Quill

I’ve always known I wanted to be a professional creative. Early on, I just didn’t know what that looked like. I was raised by hard working folks who believed that as long as we went to school and did well, we’d find a good job and everything would work itself out. I’ve worked many different jobs in many different fields. Some great, most not so great. The one thing they all had in common was none of them held my interest beyond a few years. Even now, I currently work full time with a local non-profit doing homeless outreach. It’s good, meaningful work but I’d rather be focusing on my craft. Read more>>

Matthew George

Not that long ago really. About four years ago, half way through my sophomore year at the University of North Texas. At that point in my life I had been taking photos and creating videos for about 3 years as a hobby. This is when I had starting falling in love with the creative process.I had no interest in any classes unless they allowed me. Read more>>

Ed Gage

I’ve always been a huge fan of entertainment for as long as a I can remember. Especially film and music. When I first saw a movie called Back To The Future as a 3 year old, it changed my life forever. I wanted to become an actor and a musician and do movies. By the time I was 24 and graduated from Florida Atlantic University, I relocated to Hollywood to make my dreams a reality. Read more>>

Yelena Krivosheyeva

I always knew that, since I was very little. As a child I was involved in endless creative activities: theater, dance, painting, you name it. But my journey to choose a creative path as a profession wasn’t immediate. Pressured by my culture, society I was a part of at the time (Russia that is) and primarily my family who always wanted me to have a steady job, I spent a lot of time trying to make them happy. Read more>>

Mai-Han Nguyen

I think towards the end of high school. I went to Georgetown Day high school which had a well supported Arts Department, and I was taught painting techniques by my teacher Michelle Cobb who is a plein air painter. At first I took the classes because I already enjoyed drawing, but Michelle treated her students like they were professional artists and I think that encouraged me to be sincere about the work I made. Any time I wasn’t in class, I was in the art studio even during lunch and free periods. Read more>>

Karyn Millet

After spending 14 years in publishing and public relations, I decided to pick up a camera and joined the creative side of things. Having all those years of previous experience in the industry really helped me and I started shooting right away after a couple photography courses. This was quite fortunate I know. When you “re-invent” yourself career-wise after some experience, it is such a great opportunity to blend it all together in a way that is successful and satisfying. It’s wonderful to approach an industry from the creative side now, but while fully realizing the editorial and marketing goals from the publishing and pr perspective. Read more>>

Maria Jacobs

When I was eight or nine years old, I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing a How High the Moon. It was a live recording where she took chorus after chorus of an improvisational scat solo singing. from that moment on I was sold that I would become a jazz vocalist. As God would have it, he blessed me in many other ways also making me an author and a college professor, and I am so grateful to Him. Read more>>

Jazmin Akea

I first knew that I wanted to pursue a creative/ artistic path professionally as a child, and I was showcased in musicals and plays as early as elementary school. Throughout the course of my career, I have been trained in both pop/operatic vocal styles/ Dramatic Theater at the Second City/ On-Camera Acting. Read more>>

Q Prodigal

Music has been apart of my life since the minute I was born. My mother was a talented singer and would make mixtapes for me and my sister. I wrote poetry a lot growing up and performed in talent shows dancing. All of those things came together after I graduated High School and went out into the world on my own. I had to make the decision to leave what I was doing in college and follow the passions that had followed me my entire life subconsciously. Read more>>

Stacy Kenny Mitchell

I’ve been on an artistic path since I could pick up a crayon. Pursuing that professionally took a bit longer. I considered going to art school, but felt I’d miss academics too much (I love math). I have a degree in English literature from Bryn Mawr College, which definitely helped me to write better, and I looked for creative opportunities so I wouldn’t loose touch with my artistic side. From there I kept flip-flopping between jobs that were tangentially creative and full-on creative, never quite finding the right balance. Read more>>

Ben Elder

Music was the first thing I attached onto when I was younger. I was blessed to be born with a really great ear for music. I don’t necessarily come from a musical background – but my Dad played a bit of guitar, and we always had a piano around. I remember spending hours with these instruments figuring out how to play songs I liked by ear. Read more>>

 Jason Welsh

The Renegade Jason Ray Welsh Is A Retired Army Combat Veteran who was injured in Iraq in 2008. He was in many different bands of various genres in the Midwest and traveled all around the country singing and performing with His Family Gospel Band the Heaven Bound Express growing up. Read more>>

Hyun Jeong

Since I was a child, I have always been passionate about creativity and art. I loved losing myself in books, imagining myself as a part of the stories, and being captivated by the beautiful illustrations. These childhood memories sparked a strong desire within me to pursue a creative path in life. When I moved to the U.S., my love for creativity only grew stronger. I realized that I didn’t just want to write stories; Read more>>

Bastiaan de Nooijer

I am born in Spain, and raised in Africa until I was 18 years old. My whole life I have attended an American International School, and have experienced many creative processes throughout my life. When I graduated High School, I moved to Netherlands to study at university. Read more>>

Agustina Forest

I’ve always felt compelled to draw, even though I never allowed myself to dream of being an artist. I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Being an artist in a country where everyone is struggling to make ends meet can be tricky. I have a memory of being 17 years old hanging out in the kitchen with my mom. I wanted to make her a joke so as a prank I said I was going to pursue fine arts as a career. I seriously thought it was not an option for me. But then the right people came to my life. Read more>>

Jodi Minnis

My parents, Erica and Anton, are creative individuals, and they surrounded themselves with other creatives and artists. My mother, who is professionally an architect, drew paper dolls with me and always urged us to use our imaginations. My father, who is professionally a barber, modeled from time to time and filled our home with good music. Read more>>

Christine Pfister

There was no first for me. The art world picked me. I come from a business background. I never decided to pursue a career in the art world before I came to the United States. It basically was offered to me, and I said, YES. Read more>>

Dawnice Kerchaert

Art making was always my passion. It began as a child and progressed through drawing and painting of all kinds. As a career I began as a technical illustrator, and layout and design artist at advertising agencies. I didn’t know any other way to earn a living through art. It was in my third year of college that I took a required drawing class, something I didn’t think was necessary because I had plenty of experience drawing. Read more>>

Gina Owens

Music was my first love. When I was 3 it became obvious I wanted to be a singer when I would serenade all of the ladies at church. I was barely making sentences but could somehow sing an entire Dianna Ross song. When I was 4, my parents signed me up for my first local talent show. That’s when I knew the stage is where I wanted to be. I remember standing in front of my town wearing cowboy boots and feeling like I was Shania Twain! Read more>>

Dawn Xintong Yang

When I was five years old, my family moved from the northern part of China to the southern part. At that time, the South and North were quite different in terms of culture, habits, cuisine, and even language (in the South, most people speak Cantonese, while Mandarin is more prevalent in the North). As a young child, I experienced a cultural shock and couldn’t make friends because of the language barrier. Read more>>

Art Jacobs

I was around 16 years old when I felt a path in artistic pursuits was possible. I had created a series of charcoal portraits out of disciplinary curiosity, I.e., the challenge of creating a believable 3 dimensional image on a 2 dimensional surface. Shortly thereafter, requests for commissioned portraits. Read more>>

Rhonda C R Burton

As a child I knew I wanted to create…to be an artist. I remember waking up at night and finding my mother painting in our kitchen, She would set up still lives of cups and saucers and plates, of cracked eggs in bowls, anything she could put together. Watching her made me think that creating art was something I wanted and needed to do, it made sense to me. Read more>>

Tara Struss

I was definitely born with a natural love of performing and music. I remember being very young, 3 or maybe 4 years old, and loving hearing any music at home or in the car with my parents. On a family vacation when I was about 5, the hotel had a piano player and I was dancing around as he played. When he stopped, I thought the applause was for me! So I’ve always had the bug as they say. Read more>>

Alexandria Siah

I’ve always wanted to pursue an artistic path in life, but had no idea what. I still remember my father telling me, probably as a joke, that artists wouldn’t be successful unless they were dead, which was true for many famous artists we know now like Van Gogh. I wasn’t really good at any of my other subjects in school either, so as a child I thought it was the only thing I could pursue. However, it was after watching the Prince of Egypt for the first time that that notion of “this is the only thing I can pursue” became a passion, Read more>>