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.

Kala Cullars

Burnout and self-betrayal forged the creative path for me. I have always found solace in the quietude that is co-creation with the Universe. After spending many years in the slumber and staleness of what it is to labor in the carnivorous, capitalistic dream of another, I died within. I realized, with real eyes, that I just wanted to be happy and live with purpose. No outside entity was forcing me to chase a paper trail instead of taking the paper and creating art or poetry. I was up to my neck in fear, but free. There was the uncertainty with how I would stretch out my equity over the course of however long. I had no knowledge of the industry, no connections in the art world, no mentors, support, etc. However, I had a deep knowing that if I made a decision and committed to my dream with the utmost discipline that I could muster, it would materialize. I needn’t know the how, I just needed to have faith and take consistent action. Each day I decided to invest my time creating and learning. In my first year, I wrote three the content for three books and applied to any and every event, festival, and opportunity I could find. In hindsight, I have always known who I came here to be. I allowed fast money, the skepticism and criticism of others, and limiting beliefs to dictate who I was able to express as. In the end, I realized that possible is what I decide it to be. Read more>>

Bryan Ruby

Growing up on the ballfield, Country Music was always playing over the loudspeakers wherever we went. I started out like anyone else- as someone who casually listened to the music and hummed along to my favorite songs. Everything changed when I picked up my Dad’s old hand-me-down guitar- a 1982 Kramer- and started teaching myself a few chords and songs. Playing guitar casually turned to bringing my instrument on the team bus during baseball roadtrips- a perfect way to kill some downtime in between games. As I became more serious with the guitar, I started to experiment with writing my own songs and playing them for friends and family. One trip to Nashville later and I was hooked, convinced that Music City was where I needed to be. I saved up my money, worked as an Uber driver in my hometown, pooled enough cash together for first month’s rent and a bit of spending money to get me started in Tennessee, packed everything I owned in the back of my truck, and made the move to Nashville. After four years in the country music capital of the world, 22 songs I’ve written have been recorded by country and pop music artists, and many more are on the way. Within the last year I have started putting out songs of my own, which has been a terrifying but worthwhile pursuit as well. Sometimes I still feel like that kid on the baseball field back home, humming along to my favorite country songs in between innings. I believe in order to do something at a high level, you need to really have a passion for it and a purpose that sparks you every day. For me, the music flame lit up a long time ago, and it’s not burning out any time soon. Read more>>

Christopher Soriano-Palma

The first thing I wanted to do was become an actor, actually. I was a theater kid first, and a book nerd second. In hindsight, though, I was more suited for the written page than I was for the stage having written my first story back in elementary school, a short picture book about dragons, now lost forever. Read more>>

Sarah Harris

Throughout my life, I have always loved building and creating things. I love seeing something come to life, taking an idea in my head, and turning it into a tangible object. In the last few years of high school, I began taking art classes and discovered the potential of Art as a profession. However, I did not initially plan to become an art major when I entered college. I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” I kept gravitating towards art classes. Even when they were not necessary for my degree, I signed up for them anyway. As time went on, I began to realize that Art was more than just a hobby for me. I ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree in Art and professional education. I feel incredibly fortunate to do what I love every day and have the opportunity to share my passion for making things with others. Read more>>

Caleb “Note” Davis-Barney

For me the art was always something I gravitated towards. Unfortunately, growing up in the environments I did as a youth I wasn’t aware that the arts was an option and didn’t have many opportunities to explore it outside of the home. I can remember I’d always draw, or sing, or dance, or make my own alterations to clothing but I didn’t fully begin to embrace it until the latter years of high school. I started noticing that I couldn’t keep myself away from creative expression and that was the spring board that propelled me to seek higher education on the matter. Read more>>

D’essence Romero

Since the tender age of 11, the dream was to be on national terrestrial radio as a radio host, which then evolved into a TV Personality with the dream of having her own syndicated televised nation-wide variety talk show. Radio/ TV were her best friend being that she was the only child, it was her escape into a world of entertainment like no other. Radio allowed her to hear her favorite personality bring an artist/ celeb to light- someone that was able to become friends with her favorite singer or group as she would lock herself in her room. She would pick up a “play” microphone and sing away as if she was the singer, if the radio was not on- D’essence would pretend to host her own live show on her camcorder. She was always fascinated with celebrities and music. Read more>>

Seth Brown

Most of us dream of a day we can hang up our day jobs and devote all we are to our creative passions. Just shy of five years ago at a dive bar on the Rouge River in Southern Oregon I had my moment. Read more>>

Presley Tennant

I was always the shy kid growing up. I never wanted to do anything to put myself in the center of attention and I would always hide behind those around me until I found music. At first it was only singing around the house, then it was karaoke nights at the local Mexican restaurant, to vocal lessons to singing competitions near my hometown then by the age of 13 I was in a girl group called the 5LPs or 5 Little Princesses. I never knew the music industry was a thing. I grew up in a very soccer oriented family so I thought that was what I was going to do for the rest of my life, but once I was in that girl group I knew I was going to be in the music industry. I finally felt like I could be myself and just let go of all the worries and just live in the moment. I loved being on stage, and being around other creatives like myself. I was able to just express myself freely and was taking it all in. At that time I was in school, going to rehearsals in Los Angeles and playing soccer, so I convinced my parents to homeschool me and made the decision to take on music full force. I was all in. It was the best decision I ever made. At 16, I ended up on season 16 of NBCs “The Voice” and now I spend a week out in Nashville once a month writing, & I also get to open up for some of my favorite country artists all the time. I am very fortunate to have the support system I have behind me and to have them back me all these years. It’s always scary starting something new especially when you dive in head first from a young age, but I couldn’t imagine ever doing anything else. Read more>>

Andie K

Haha! Well… I must’ve been 9 or 10 years old, sitting in a mathematics class, trying to understand the math problem my teacher was discussing. I’m sure my eyes had glazed over because I was bored out of my mind. Suddenly this woman I had never seen before comes into our classroom. She announces that anyone who wants to audition for the school play should come with her. No one moved. No one showed any interest whatsoever. So she starts to leave. At that moment, I realized if I went with her I didn’t have to stay there and finish that math lesson. Read more>>

Jessie Jiang

This might sound cliche to most of the artists, but it is a Ghibli movie that motivated me to pursue an artistic career in the creative industry. I’ll never forget the first time I watched “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ” with a rented DVD back in the 2010s while I was in my hometown Nanchang. My parents had entrusted me to the care of my grandparents, believing that the tranquil, rural setting would help me concentrate and prepare for a crucial aptitude exam for high school admission. However, surprise, I would rather use the time when no one is around to watch anime and cartoons. I did face a fair amount of scolding when my grandparents returned from their errands and discovered that the old TV’s shell was still warm – evidence of my secret indulgence. Read more>>

Devon Stoebe

I first knew I wanted to pursue Photography after I had my first daughter! I had taken Photography classes in school but just as an elective for creativity! Once I had my daughter, I wanted to photograph her milestones all the time but being a stay-at-home mom and on one income with my husband it was too much to invest in someone else taking our photos all the time! I knew I could do it and loved the medium, so I one day started to research cameras, editing programs and then sat my husband down and told him I wanted to start a photography business and ran with it! Read more>>

Tajay Forsythe (Mr. Goo)

I wouldn’t put a time on it if I’m being honest. I had a lot of artistic influences around me from birth, from fashionable uncles and neighbors, to my most direct influence my older cousin who is a well known multi-faceted visual artist in Jamaica Nicoy Wood or most popularly known by his Nom de plume JigzSaw 3D. I was always “borrowing” his pencil crayons and pastels for as long as I can remember and I’ve always been known as a an artsy kid. I remember charging older kids in Prep school to draw Dragon Ball Z characters for them, which eventually evolved in different artistic avenues fast forward 20 plus years, I’ve dipped my fingers in Tattooing, acrylic painting, pencil art, wardrobe styling, fashion design, jewelry making, creative writing and most recently establishing myself as a taste maker in my niche. Read more>>

Arielle Sarria

I have always been a creative person and enjoyed expressing myself through all sorts of mediums, but I never took that passion seriously until the pandemic. My 9-5 job shifted to a fully remote position and I found myself with lots of free-time on my hands. To fill the time, I focused a lot on creating. It was a way for me to process the stress of the pandemic and find an outlet to relieve some of that stress. Soon, my tiny one bedroom apartment was overflowing with creative projects and pieces I made by hand and I didn’t know what to do with all of it. The process was always the best part for me, but once the piece was finished, it would be stuffed into a closet or given away to a friend or family member. Read more>>

Yatta Rose

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I witnessed the profound impact my storytelling had on people’s lives. As I began to write and share my stories, I received heartfelt messages and inboxes from readers who expressed how my narratives had saved them, helped them heal, and provided them with much-needed inspiration. These interactions made me realize the incredible power of creativity to connect with and positively influence others. It was at that moment that I felt a deep calling to dedicate myself professionally to the creative arts, knowing that I could use my talents to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives through the magic of storytelling. Read more>>

Melisa Valdez

Being from the Dominican Republic I came from an artistic family where music, dance and art runs in our blood. Family gatherings always included entertainment. I grew up having a passion for movement and people connection was an organic practice. In school I remember joining the drama club and dance groups because I loved performing. From a young age I knew that I was destined to be in spaces where I can impact and empower others through my talents and energy. After graduating high school, I decided to pursue a career in entertainment and took a leap of faith to follow my dreams… Read more>>

Agho Ekhator

I’ve been drawn to music since a very young age, but never thought I’ll pursue it as a career, moving to the USA from Nigeria. Music helped me with my transition as I had lost my grandma and it was a very difficult moment. I started playing around with instrumentals online and realized I was really good at it. Fast forward to 2019, I finally discovered the meaning of my name Agho (preservation) from that moment I knew music was my calling and my means of fulfilling my purpose to preserve my culture. Read more>>

Jonathan Kordich

I drew quite a bit when I was younger, but started getting into photoshop and other adobe software when I was in high school. Some website at school mentioned that CSULB was the best school for graphic design, so there and then I decided, why not? During my time at CSULB, I had to take all of the art foundation courses as a pre-graphic design major. Once I took my first figure drawing class, I really struggled; I was pretty bad at it. Having not really drawn regularly for about a decade, it was a big adjustment. After going through plenty of hurdles with mild success in that class, I decided to major in illustration when I was 19. Read more>>

Franklin Fuentes

I remember seeing “Film Class” as an elective in middle school and intuitively selecting it without knowing what to expect. On the first day of class, our teacher showed us “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” The film had me in awe. It was everything I enjoyed in films. It was black and white with a slight twist of horror and comedy. Previously I had been introduced to “Sunset Boulevard” and “Psycho.” Those films are classics and continue to be staples to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Read more>>

Marc Fajardo

Since I was a kid my aunties would encourage me to perform for them. I would lip sync to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers or a song from Fiddler on the Roof when I was 7 years old. In junior high they would tell me to breakdance in front of other filipino parents at our family parties. And then they would encourage me be an ‘artist in the Philippines’. So it was always in my head. What really encouraged me was when I did background on the first Iron Man and I was on set for three weeks. That was when I was bit by the acting bug. Read more>>

Scott Gengelbach

Ever since I can remember, the arts, in some way, have been part of my life. My grandparents were founding members of a small theater group in Los Angeles called Kentwood Players. My grandfather directed and built sets and my grandmother acted in the plays they had there. As a child the first thing I wanted to be was a movie director. When my grandfather was in the planning stages of a play he would let me read the script and he had the patience to sit down and have me explain to him how I would direct the play (only a saint would take the time to listen to the ramblings of a ten year old). Read more>>

Alex Mondine

When I was 3 years old I told my mom I wanted to play guitar so the girls would chase me like a rock star. 20 years later that’s yet to happen, however, I fell in love with the instrument when I got my first guitar at the age of 5 and have felt a calling instilled on me to be a professional musician ever since then. Read more>>

Stephanie Ngo

I’m Stephanie Ngo aka Steph Eats n Travels, a Vietnamese-American polyglot born and raised in the Bay Area, and my favorite things in the world are food and travel! I first learned about digital nomadism when I was a teenager and became enamored with the idea of living and working from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. I am about double that age now, and after having graduated from university and working in the tech industry for the past 7 years, I realized what I should really be doing with my life is pursuing my original dream of digital nomadism! I started my YouTube channel Steph Eats n Travels in 2020, starting with a focus on Bay Area food reviews then broadening my scope to international travel vlogs. Read more>>

Adrian Rashad Driscoll

I’ve actually wanted to be in entertaiment since I was a really young child. At 4 I would love to sing and dance for my family. We were from a really small town (Barstow) so there wasn’t really a scene but I did everything I could to entertain. At 5 I would sing the iconic song from the Bodyguard at Wal-Mart and get people to buy me legos in exchange for my performances. I’m sure it was embarrasing to my mom and grandma. At 6 I started acting in the church in a play and from there I was hooked. Read more>>

Michael Ash Sharbaugh

It was love at first listen — Duran Duran’s “Is There Anyone Out There?” I was thirteen-years-old, sitting at the dining room table around Thanksgiving-time, finishing My homework before My school’s Thanksgiving break, and that tune came on. I had just purchased the cassette, and THAT song came on. I was floored! The forelorn lyrics accompanied by a dark — yet infectious — bed of cool, ‘mysterious,’ synthesized sounds arrested My imagination, and — suddenly — I wanted to create something just as beautiful, if not more lush and lovely. THAT moment was when I knew I wanted to compose poetry and music for the rest of My life. Read more>>

Rebecca Cristancho

I took to crafting/creating at a very young age. Learning to hand sew and making little creatures from clay around the age of seven. Basically any craft kit or project presented to me, I became enamored with. I recall being taught by my mother, grandmother and great aunts. They always encouraged the creative in me and greatly influenced my infatuation with fashion. An intuitive eye for style and the desire to create has been a common thread through my life. There were varying degrees of output but Im not certain there’s anything I could have done to speed this process up. I believe I am exactly where Im supposed to be at exactly the right time. Read more>>

Billy

I realized I wanted to pursue a career as an artist when I was a kid; but on a professional level, I started taking it seriously in undergrad when I really started developing my hand and my own voice. After graduating and moving to California for a bit I was learning how to balance working multiple jobs while finding time to draw and plan projects and apply to artist opportunities. Those six years in California led me to apply to graduate school, where I am currently completing my MFA at Pratt Institute. I am learning a lot about how I want the trajectory of my career to go and am currently putting in the work to meet those goals. Read more>>

Rita Stern

As soon as I could hold a crayon I knew I wanted to be an artist. I did all sorts of crafty projects when I was young. But when it came to deciding what I’d do to earn a living I chose a practical career and became a teacher in NYC. I got my masters degree, which was mandatory, in Art Education. I incorporated lots of art while teaching and took satisfaction in that. The last 2 years of my career I taught in an art-integrated school in Washington Heights. It was fantastic at first. But I’d been teaching for 10 years at that point and the politics of the public school system coupled with the lack of parental interest was very discouraging. I also had a 3 hour ride on 3 trains from Brooklyn each day. Read more>>

Robert Plaza

Growing up I watched a lot of films. I remember afterwards I would usually watch those DVD extras, the behind-the-scenes clips of how the film was made, and I remember just feeling mesmerized at the whole process of how a film is made. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and something I wanted to try. I also generally loved stories and storytelling and overall creating things. I had a lot of passions when I was a kid, I sort of wanted to do everything haha. but the thing that stood out to me though was the camera. I remember becoming very infatuated with cameras, especially the ones I saw in the behind-the-scenes clips. These big Panavision film cameras attached to these large cranes or dolly tracks, and using these tools to create a story was just fascinating to me. Read more>>

Lupita Huizar

Although I’ve always ‘wanted’ to be a creative growing up, there was a point in my life where I started to become a young adult and realistically thinking and needing to have a game plan for my life.. My senior year of high school I had made the decision to give up music to focus on my extenuating circumstance at that time. Not long after I would graduate high school and spent some time focusing on finances. Then, shortly after deciding to major in communications in college. However, that was very shortly lived. While receiving community college registration help from my older brother, he had convinced me and signed me up for a music class for “easy credits”.  Read more>>

Katelyn McManis

I first knew I wanted to be an artist when I was super young, probably about 7 or 8 years old. I loved to draw goofy looking characters and illustrate fun little stories about things that happened in my day. Once I got to highschool and was able to learn more about specific paths I could take as an artist. I didn’t fully decide I wanted to be an illustrator/graphic designer until I started college. Read more>>

Barbi Dorfan

at school, I was always under the impression that I was useless at art – perhaps unenthusiastic teachers or more likely uninspiring teachers and very traditional forms of art. As I got older, and had my children I left the traditional workplace and started dabbling in drawing, painting, ceramics, and eventually mosaic art. I came to realize that I enjoyed it very much. I started developing my own style (an ongoing process) and started getting commissions for my artwork. Read more>>

Johnny Otto

When I was about 9-10 years old my father took me to the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit to see some of the art that I had only up until that time see n in art books. The museum had all of the classical, well known artists and these amazing Renaissance paintings, most of which I had seen in books or at least heard about. But there was this mysterious room in the museum filled with a type of artwork which I had never seen in photos or even heard about: African Art. I was transfixed, amazed and even, you could say, haunted by what I had seen. For years I would doodle on my note books in school, these tribal looking figures that I remembered experiencing. Ever since then I have been trying to recreate the energy and emotion that I felt. Read more>>

Morgan Szewczyk

I knew early on I was different. At a young age I always appreciated art, oddities, and differences. I was lucky enough to have a mother who understood that and preached to me that I can “do anything.” And I think that is where this all began. Read more>>