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.

Young’n Destined

I knew I wanted to become an artist almost as soon as I started my education journey in elementary, I always had the desire to be on a stage in front of a crowd performing whether its dancing, singing in talent shows or even that national anthem. Once I got to middle school my desires became a little more serious as I had a vendor introduced to me that started teaching me the basics of creating music, which then made me fall in love even more with the path to ultimately decide this is what I want to do, and as I’ve grown throughout the years the more serious the choice gets. Read more>>

GERARDO SUAREZ

Music has always been part of my life, since I was a little kid I would play the drums and different instruments at my cousins house. It always made me feel at peace somehow. I had no idea that I wanted to take music seriously, till I was a senior in High School. We had to make this project in class about what we wanted for our future, I was 17 and completely lost… My mother was the one to encourage me to take the risk and live my dream, but wasn’t till I played for the first time in front a big group of people that I wanted to make people forget about their problems through my music for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Josh Thurston

I owe a lot of my creativity to my dad. When I was a child he would draw with me every night, which laid the foundation for me becoming an artist. As I grew older and went through middle-high school my art sort of went on the back burners, until I turned 18 and got my first tattoo. Seeing the shop environment and the other tattoo artists, it hit me that I can make a living drawing on people’s skin. Read more>>

Isiah McCalla

Back when I was in highschool, 10th grade specifically, I was in this state of free flowing as a creative. I was always keeping up with fashion, photography, and music. Uncertain of what creative “field” I wanted to be apart of, I decided to involve myslef with all of the fields that stood out to me. I used to run an instagram page promoting aspiring models, designers, etc, and at times I would put myself on there anonymously with whatever designer garment I had currently. It had a huge following, so seeing how I’ve made connections with some individuals, and where some of those people are now, really made me know for sure that I wanted to do this artist life professionally. Read more>>

Roanen Campbell

While I always knew I was meant to do something special or at least bigger than the norm, i just didn’t know what. I constantly was told I should model or asked if I was one already. At first I never could see it. Then it grew on me, I reached out to photographers on models.com, agents and models on Instagram to really figure out the next steps and just never looked back. I was constantly inspired, and it wasn’t hard for me to excel because everything I did and what I did it for was authentic. I’ve always loved dressing nice since I was a young pup so putting fits together was nothing , and after I learned my face as far as picture taking goes it was a wrap. It became second nature and living in La my hustle was just different then having the opportunity to work with the brands and people I looked up to as a kid I can’t even see an end I want to be the best. Read more>>

Vago Galindo

I feel like I’m lucky since my mom wanted my brothers and I to be in something “artsy”. I was always involved in extracurricular activities after school: painting, singing, making crafts and that sort of stuff. One day my brother, David, asked for a guitar and when my mom brought it home there was no turning back, I got obsessed with music. There’s something cool about making noise and seeing a reaction from other people. I come from a small city in Northern Mexico and making a career in music never crossed my mind, it just didn’t seem like an option until I was in college studying Industrial Engineering and I had my midlife crisis when I was 18. Read more>>

Daniel Wright

When I was very young, probably 5 or 6, I always had a desire to become en entertainer. I absolutely loved music, and would often sing along to songs in the car. I remember getting my first radio that had a CD player in it when I was about 7 I think. I would play CD’s for hours, singing along, pretending like I was giving a concert and performing for an audience. I had a huge imagination when I was a kid. Film though, was what really inspired me the most. Being able to watch a movie and be transported into that world that the characters are in, to be able to feel what they feel and see how the story transpires really inspired me. I remember thinking to myself “that is what I want to do when I grow up”. Read more>>

Amber Hinrichsen

I’ve always loved creating since I was a child. I was always drawing, panting and making presents for my friends and family. Learning how things are made fascinates me and I like to be hands on. I’ve practiced in many mediums and found my love for glass in college. I’ve recently begun working full time for another glass artist and my dream is to have my own shop one day. Read more>>

Matt Bauer

I grew up playing piano, guitar, and painting / sculpting so I always hoped to have a connection to the arts in some way. After college I drove out to California with my best friend and drove up and down the coast camping until we found a place we liked. It ended up being near Leucadia beach near Oceanside, for around a year I surfed and worked as an art director / graphic designer for a real estate development company but found it pretty uninspiring. Read more>>

Sonia Jackson

I initially pursued a path in the corporate world, serving as a human resources manager within diverse industries like banking, finance, research & development, and aerospace. The turning point emerged when I sought to propel my career forward and enrolled in an empowering coaching program. Interestingly, nearly 90% of my fellow participants were from the entertainment industry, sparking engaging discussions on production, direction, acting, stand-up, and the creative process. It was exhilarating. Read more>>

Seth Imperial

It all started when I was four years old, I went to the movies with my family all the time. I remember watching “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and I immediately fell in love. I became obsessed with the vast worlds they created, how big they were, and how much they suspended reality. I ultimately knew that this was something I want to do. I saw movies as an opportunity to escape from the world and do anything I want. So I started to create. I made YouTube videos, wrote cringey scripts, and made my friends audition for the roles. It continued as a hobby until the end of 8th grade. There was a school assembly about a multimedia academy at a vocational high school. Read more>>

A Dub

I knew as early as 11 or 12 years old that I wanted to make music. I fell in love with rap and hip hop and it became the one thing I was ever truly passionate about and wanted to give my all to. I started writing and recording music when I was 13 and have been doing it ever since. I am 37 now and have been doing live shows since 2006 when I was 20 years old. I have influence from other genres like punk rock (old school), classic rock, reggae, jam bands, edm and more! A Dub can be found at Www.facebook.com/adubhdx Www.instagram.com/adubhdx www.youtube.com/@adubhdx www.adubhdx.bandcamp.com www.youtube.com/SkunkHazard and music on all streaming platforms by searching ADubHDX or A Dub. Read more>>

Michelle Grimm

I’ve always known that a traditional career path wasn’t meant for me. As a child, I was constantly engaged in drawing, painting, photography and crafting. I vividly recall the excitement I felt, even at the age of 10, when learning about artists like Keith Haring, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Helmut Newton. Art ignited my curiosity, made me laugh, and prompted me to scrutinize society and culture. Growing up in a small town, it dawned on me that the world was far more expansive than I had initially perceived. Read more>>

Maya Pinz

Being a creative professionally wasn’t always the plan. I always loved art, and I had teachers throughout my life encouraging me to continue exploring my creativity. Regardless, even at a young age I was fully convinced that it wasn’t the “smartest” option for my future. As I got older, I started attending a college preparatory school that really focused on higher education, particularly in STEM. Being the youngest of three children, I saw both my siblings go to school for STEM related fields and definitely felt that I should do the same. Read more>>

Suzanne Edmonson

I have always loved expressing myself through art. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in college, I worked as an assistant to an illustrator. I saw first hand that one could work as an artist professionally while making a living. Soon after that I was hired as an Art Director by the top ad agency in Dallas. It was an incredibly imaginative business and a perfect outlet for my creativity. During my advertising career, I oversaw the creative artwork aspects for campaigns with major agencies, clients and businesses, but I never stopped painting. Read more>>

Keren Hashalom

when i helped my mom during her recovery from cancer , i used to spend so much time creating art for her and when i notice how Art heal , i decided to continue professionally so many people in the world can feel the power of Art AND HEALINGS Read more>>

Ashley Echavarria

My love for creating started at a young age and was inspired by the strong maternal influences in my life. When I was a child in Mexico, my grandmother and I would make bows for Christmas baskets. To this day, I remember how carefully she crafted every single bow. The ribbons, the little pine cones, the berries – it was all a work of art. My mother is one of the most creative people I know. She is a costume designer in Mexico. I spent many late nights as a young teen helping her finish up ballet tutus (I barely knew how to sew!) or hair style brooches for recitals. Back then, I thought there’s no way I would do this for a living! Read more>>

Karen Eden

As a child I always knew I could sing but it wasn’t until I was 15 and my music teacher at High School introduced me to session work in studios. I sang on jingles for TV and radio and I sang back up vocals for many bands. Read more>>

Irina Gorbman

Irina Gorbman is a contemporary, intuitive, abstract artist with a background in mechanical engineering and international relations. Her art journey began after a medical condition that required prolonged recovery. She turned to the study of art to heal herself and found that art creation was, in fact, a healing meditation. At some point, friends and family strongly suggested that Irina submit a portfolio for an exhibit. Since childhood, Irina had dreamed about working in interior design. So, the first portfolio of artworks was submitted to the annual Architectural Digest Design Show in New York. The invitation to exhibit was received, and that became a turning point – a justification that “yes, I can call myself an artist, and the fact that I am a self-taught, outsider artist is all right.” Read more>>

Dana Cattani and Chris Smejkal

We have both always been drawn to creative outlets and have incorporated aspects of creativity in our professional lives as much as possible. But it wasn’t until five years ago when we jumped into the world of ceramics. Dana had released her book, The Official Christmas Elves Handbook in 2018 and began doing local events to promote and sell her book and artwork. It was at one of these events that we met Marcella Cloud, one of the directors of The Macoupin Art Collective in Staunton, IL, and learned they had a pottery wheel course starting a few weeks later. Read more>>