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.

Tommi Rose

When I was about fifteen I went through my first really awful breakup. I remember waking up the next morning and being in such a terrible headspace. I felt so drained, exhausted, hopeless, and utterly alone. My mom told me that I wasn’t going to school that day, and she took me into our family room and put on ‘Superbad’ (which I had never seen before). I laughed all the way through, and I just remember watching this movie thinking, what an incredible power filmmaking holds. On one of the absolute worst days of my young life, I was laughing. Sometimes art challenges us, makes us see the world a little differently, and sometimes, we just need a distraction from the world when it gets too heavy to bear. Read more>>

Natalie Briscoe

Since childhood, I have always wanted to be an artist in some capacity. It’s a cliché, but I have been drawing as early as I could pick up a crayon. I spent my days getting messy at my mom’s kitchen table working on my various art projects. I got really excited when we had to make something physical or a visual aid for school projects. I actually enjoyed putting together booklets and getting to do drawings for posters in school, which I think is where my budding love of visual design began. I have always had a love of picture books, and it was something I thought would be fun to do, but for a while I didn’t think it would be possible to make a living as an illustrator. Read more>>

DeVante Capers

Art has been part of my life since going from elementary school to high school. I started getting into the arts back in early 2012 when I became interest in dance and starting taking hip hop classes at Joy of Motion Dance Center in D.C. which led me join a dance crew, Kaution a year later and few years later in 2015, I went on a solo journey in all styles/freestyle dance with Studio G and had practice sessions on Friday nights, and I found a new home and new family. By 2014, when started going back to school at Prince George’s community college, it was a whole new world of learning and discovery. And yet, I was trying to figure what major I wanted to study, and visual arts communication was the best fit for me because I love to create, know how to draw, paint, write, etc. Read more>>

Zelda Kimble

Honestly, I think I was born to be an entertainer. Even as a baby, I would always know the right face to pull to make a stranger laugh or gush over me when I was out in public. My parents were always great about letting me explore a myriad of hobbies when I was younger, from soccer to swimming, which led me to dance! I was in ballet for a few weeks when I was kicked out of the class for being a “nuisance” and from there I was put into theater classes, and a lifelong love of acting was born! I spent summers at a performing arts camp, I auditioned for every play and musical we did at my school, and I even spent weekends taking classes at an art school. There was never really a question of what I wanted to do when I grew up, I have always wanted to be an actress. Read more>>

De’Vante The King

I started my creative journey at the age of 12, exploring music and poetry. However, it wasn’t until I turned 15 that I really discovered my passion for being an artist. My brother, who is a photographer/videographer (@HourVoyses), introduced me to Dame Drummer. Dame had an inspiring vision for a docu-musical called “Black Daddy: The Movie,” aiming to showcase the life of a black father actively involved in their child’s life. I had the unique opportunity to be the only young person interviewed for this film. Upon learning about my aspirations as an artist, Dame Drummer asked me to craft a song about my relationship with my father. This moment marked not only the recording of my first song, “Dear Pops,” but also ignited a fire within me to pursue being an artist further. Read more>>

Mel Taevin

It wasn’t until I reached my teen years that I found my voice. When I was 13 years old, I wanted to try out for the school musical. That year was The Wizard Of Oz. I never sang in front of anyone before, and it was time for the big audition. As a practice round, I sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to my parents, and they were impressed. That was the moment I realized I could probably do this for real. From then on, I joined a gospel choir which taught me how to appropriately sing, and from then on vocal art is an element I’ve been pursuing as a musician. There are so many amazing vocalists out there, I quickly realized I have a lot to learn from those around me. I’m grateful to have the opportunities to learn, and form my own craft within the lessons. Read more>>

Tavion Dixon

The day I knew I wanted to pursue music was in the 3rd grade. I already grew up around music with my family playing it constantly around the house and especially at my grandmother’s house. Every holiday, we would visit her, and she had a stereo and a massive collection of records and cassette tapes in her living room. Most of those holidays at her house would be full of sounds for most of the day. During those early years of my life, I would discover oldies, RNB, hip hop, rock, blues, and jazz, from listening to all the music she had in there. This helped me develop my love for music and my fascination would grow as I have gotten older. The spark for my creative path was lit forever when it came to my elementary school’s awards ceremony. Read more>>

Charity Troy

Growing up in a small town in Alabama didn’t expose me to a lot of art, but luckily my grandmother was the art and math teacher at the high school and my mom would take me to her college art classes when I was young. I also had a high school teacher ask me to compete with my art for Beta Club. All of this plus living in a historic town brought me to the college major of art history where I could interact with artists in museums and galleries. While I was working on a graduate degree in art history at Syracuse University, I attended an art opening that changed my life. The art works were cubist deconstructions and the gallery brought a violin player who composed snippets of music for select paintings. The audience had the pleasure of watching visual art inspire sound that night. Read more>>

David Thiele

When I was very young, around age 11 when I got my first guitar. I taught myself how to play and always seemed to have a great ear for music. I could hear something and figure out how to play it fairly quickly. As I learn how to play guitar, my brother Mike also learned to play the drums and we had a band together. I wrote most of the songs and also produced and recorded the songs for the band. We played at the local clubs around Chicago. I was the 15-year-old lead guitarist doing hair metal solos. I guess I just always seemed to have an interest in the creation of music and producing and mixing. Read more>>

Liz Holtan

Thanks for having me! I knew I was creative from a young age and that I wanted to pursue the arts. I come from a really musical family, which definitely helped foster and nurture my creativity–whether it was doing a sing along at our cabin or encouraging us to play out in the woods using our imaginations. I think the path I took evolved over time, as most things do. First, I knew I loved singing. I took part in school and community productions, including summers with a musical touring group. In college, I learned how much I enjoyed theatre as well. While living and performing in NYC, I booked my first television audition. Turns out, I loved that too! Most recently, in addition to acting, I’ve enjoyed adding writing to my creative life. Read more>>

Jaylen Brissett

I first knew I wanted to produce music after watching a genius deconstructed video where a producer was breaking down a beat that they made. As I was watching this video I was very astonished to see the music making process. This led to me taking music tech courses in high school and majoring in music technology in college. Read more>>

Francesca Eluhu

My love for music started at a very young age. My mother says I used to dance in the womb whenever she played music. My uncle is a musician in the French Caribbean, so I grew up going to his jazz performances; I would constantly make my family late to school singing Whitney Houston in the shower. If you had asked me what I wanted to be at 5-years old, I would have said singer or artist. But somewhere along the way, I decided a career in music wasn’t very practical. So my dream was deferred as I pursued an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Economics. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 and I lost my job, that I really spent time re-evaluating what I wanted from life. I began to learn audio production and realized I wanted to be in the studio creating music with others as a recording artist. I decided to start a record label and form a band. Read more>>

Kristae Peterson

I knew I wanted to be an artist while sitting at the kitchen table with my grandmother as she taught me how to paint with watercolors. I didn’t even care if I was good at it, I just knew it was what I wanted to be. Read more>>

Ruei-Ci Jhou

I have had a passion for various forms of art since childhood, whether it be painting, taking pictures by my phone, or personalizing my backpack with stickers. During that time, I envisioned a future as a painter. However, it changed when I had the opportunity to visit a film production set. Witnessing someone working behind the camera, orchestrating actions that unfolded on the monitor, was a transformative experience for me. At that point, I had limited knowledge about filmmaking and cinematography, but I was captivated by the sheer “magic” of the process, and an inner voice exclaimed, “I want to do this.” This revelation occurred during my freshman year in college. During the summer break, I decided to intern at a film production studio. Although I was still a novice in understanding cameras and cinematography, I immersed myself in the environment to observe their work. Read more>>

Hailey Foss

I was about twelve years old when I first performed in front of an audience. It was for a musical theatre showcase, and I was singing “Ice Cream” from Anne of Green Gables. I had this brown curly wig that bounced every time I moved and it made the audience laugh. I just remember it was suddenly like I stepped into this weird new confidence I found, and feeling the energy of the audience pushed that further. It was an adrenaline rush and I was like “Oh, I gotta keep doing this”. Then, a couple years later, I had my first experience on a film set as an extra, which is a great low stress job for a first timer because you do a lot of sitting around and watching. And boy I watched. I was so entranced with all the cameras and equipment, and seeing all of the crew work together. My mind was blown with how much work it took to set up a single shot. It was a completely different form of art. And again, I was in love. Read more>>

Arieas Woodard

When I was in elementary school, I remember using up my parents disposable cameras taking photos of my dad’s cars. This was before the first iPhone, so our house was filled with photo books. On my 11th birthday, I was walking around my party taking pictures of everyone. I was extremely shy about it so I would do it discretely. It was almost like a secret. I didn’t know what photography meant, I didn’t even know what art was to mean. No designers or artist in my family. Once I got in middle school, I began to learn about photography and other forms of creative expression and began to explore more. Read more>>

Astolfo Maria Cicerano

When I was little I liked to draw all the plants and animals in my grandfather’s garden, I made my own colors by extracting pigment from the plants and I have continued to have this relationship with the surrounding reality until today, it’s what I’ve always felt like doing. Read more>>

Emily Reed

After a string of abusive bosses, I had finally had enough. I wanted to build something that was entirely of my own creation and that no one could take from me. I wanted to see a more direct correlation to my results—monetarily and objectively. There’s nothing more tangible than dreaming up a new design, putting in the work to bring it into reality, and selling it directly to a customer at a market. I am finally in control of the whole process, from start to finish. Read more>>

Rashana Miller

Well a few yers ago I was in education and just got a job as a Vice Principal in a high school in West Philly (where I’m from). I was really excited about it, but a couple weeks later my husband got a major opportunity in Richmond, VA. So we ended up moving. I was devastated! I got there and couldn’t find work. People weren’t even getting back to me about volunteering! So i allowed myself a break from the search and in the meantime I thought I’d do something I’d always enjoyed…making stuff. I saw that a local arts studio was offering a jewelry metalsmithing class. After that first night i was hooked! I knew I never wanted to stop doing it. There of course were so many doubts, because it felt like such a departure from what i was doing career wise. But I couldn’t shake it. I started to realize that art was my path. Read more>>

Milad Mardakheh

I first came to the realization that I wanted to pursue music composition professionally when I was 16. Growing up, I was a nerdy kid who was into computers and tech, mainly because of the exposure I got due to my dad being an engineer. But I had also been learning the violin, and music theory since the age of 9, and fell in love with it. By the time I was a teenager, I had taught myself the piano and was playing the violin in youth orchestras. Music was already an established and significant part of my life at that time. It was revered and enjoyed in my family, with my mom and dad, uncles and aunts playing instruments and singing as a hobby. Read more>>

Sylvia Marina Martinez

I came to art after 20 years trying to make a career in both public health and the music business work. As a highly motivated ACoA, I was able to be a very good worker in every job I did. But, it was after a massive stroke I had at at 44; where I ended up paralyzed temporarily on my left side and hospitalized for 3 months . The thing that helped me through it emotionally was keeping an art journal where I drew and wrote daily. I would lose myself in the process of making art and it became a lifeline to my spiritual self, which led to me having a better overall attitude and motivation to do the rehabilitation. When I was ready to think about going back to work after my long recovery, I decided to learn photoshop to see if I could transition into a creative career by adding the photoshop skills to my project management skills (I thought I’d apply for jobs in project management within the design world). Read more>>

Jas Khansourivong

Growing up, I spent countless hours watching Youtube videos of creators putting themselves out there and discussing topics of things that they enjoyed. It always comforted me to know that simple acts such as creating skin care routines, putting together outfits of the day, and trying out new foods, interested so many people around the world. It makes me feel seen and appreciative of those who see beauty in the mundane. This inspired me to start creating my own content, in hopes that it can provide comfort and familiarity to anyone out there who needs it. Read more>>

Joshua Monroy

I was a big nerd in high school. I earned a scholarship and was pre-med, spending a lot of my time during summer breaks in medical conferences and learning camps related to the medical field. Meanwhile I loved music and always dreamed of somehow being involved in the music industry. Keep in mind this was 2001, long before YouTube or many of the tech advancements we have today. I met a doctor during one of my medical conferences that asked why I wanted to be in the medical field. It got me thinking, “what made me choose this path?”. One word came to mind: MONEY. He said that unless my heart was truly in something, I would likely never be happy doing it. That was it for me. It hit me so hard. Read more>>

Shelita Bee

I first knew that I wanted to become a singer- songwriter and an entrepreneur when I was in elementary school. I was about 8 years old. My mother would order tons of CDs from a company called Colombia House. She would put on music and walk around the house singing at the top of her lungs as she would do housework or she would just sit in the family room and jam. She always encouraged me to sing along with her. So, she and I would sing around the house together. I would take some of my favorite CDS from her collection to my room and put them into my stereo and stand in front of the stereo with headphones on and sing while pretending that I was in a recording studio. When I got into middle school, I would write songs for a Hip Hop R&B group that my friends and I started. Read more>>

Mashawi Riley

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally ever since I was about 7 years old, and that path of music and fashion has always been apart of my roots and upbringing. When I was growing up in school I was always very active in taking extracurricular activities such as band class, vocal lessons and plays etc. In elementary school to high school I played the trombone and took vocal lessons every year. I would perform and sing in school talent shows and music assemblies, I was known as one of the Singers in my different schools. As well as I would play the trombone for our Spring and Remembrance assemblies and much more. I have won some talent shows and competitions along the way as well as received awards for being creative and entertaining.  Read more>>

Danielle Piloto

From the time I was very young, I gravitated toward expressing myself visually. I would draw and paint in my free time as well as in school. Growing up my father liked to oil paint and introduced me to it. He mainly painted landscapes, but I was drawn toward the human form, realism and narrative art. Read more>>

Jourdan Blue

As a kid, I enjoyed singing, but I always thought of it as more of a hobby than a career. Growing up, I sang in church and when I got to high school, I joined theatre. Performing on stage in front of a packed audience gave me a feeling I’ve never felt doing anything else. I could feel the crowd’s energy from on stage and that’s when I knew that I wanted to keep performing. During quarantine, I started writing music and posting singing videos until one night in 2021, I get a call from a friend of mine who told me they sent one of my videos in to American Idol. They wanted me to audition! I set up a zoom call and the rest is history. Once the competition ended, I quit my job and I’ve been pursuing music full time ever since! Read more>>

Yasamin Sarabipour

When I was 5 years old my parents enrolled me in an art school which was focused on providing pupils with minimal directions but ample freedom to be creative in their design and painting technique. Over the next 10 years of attending classes, the experience of interacting with fellow young artists inspired me to challenge my painting style and remain fascinated with various forms of artistic design and technique. During my time there, I submitted one of my paintings to the Kanagawa biennial world children’s art exhibition and won the gold medal for my entry. Later as a teenager, I got interested in Iranian handicrafts, folk wear and textiles. I joined folk dance classes and the elegance and vivid colors of the traditional Iranian dance costumes absorbed me. Read more>>

Yuanjie Chen

This is a pretty good question. As a student in a painting program focused on record landscapes, rigorous modeling, and excellent skills, I never considered myself an artist. I paid more attention to the presentation and appearance of my work. I supposed I could be a painting teacher to instruct people how to make some beautiful things. However, with the growth of age, I realized that is not my thing. It’s a little hard to pinpoint the accurate clock or day I wanted to be an artistic professional. Still, when the following two feelings came up, the foggy goal of what kind of professional I should be in the art world gradually became clear. Desire of expression. It is more about an impulse I have to do. Thinking and introspecting are my mannerisms. That is my healing way for my sensitivity. Read more>>

Renee Hunt

I knew I wanted to pursue my creative career during my freshman year of college. I had entered my first semester majoring in Architecture but I quickly discovered that I had no passion for it, especially compared to my classmates. During that time I was required to take a drawing course that I loved and was counseled by my friends and professors to switch my major. My drawing professor said to me “Artwork pours out of you”. Read more>>

Feimo Zhu

From my earliest memories, a profound passion for drawing has coursed through my veins. It became a defining aspect of my identity, so much so that my family affectionately bestowed upon me the moniker of “The Prolific Painter” – a title earned through the ceaseless flow of my artistic expressions. Reflecting on my childhood, a particular anecdote stands out vividly. At the tender age of five, while the house lay still in the absence of my family, I seized a ballpoint pen as my instrument of creation, adorning the sheets with my whimsical doodles. Rather than meting out reprimands upon her return, my mother, with boundless grace, chose to foster my artistic spirit. Instead of criticism, she encouraged me to refine my craft. This pivotal moment I marked the genesis of her unwavering support for my artistic endeavors, setting the stage for a lifelong journey of learning and growth in painting. Read more>>

Christina Massey

When I was 14 years old, I got my first paid gig as an artist. A local business owner commissioned me to paint a mural in their restaurant. I can’t recall how they got my name or contact information, but it was a small town, so that tends to happen. I remember being both honored and excited and nervous all at once. At that point I already knew that I loved making Art, and had a talent for it, but I lacked any examples or exposure as to what it really meant to be an Artist. Something about this stranger believing in me, at such a young age, made it seem possible, and I was determined to figure out how I could make my career as an Artist. Read more>>

Ulunda Baker

As a child growing up in poverty and episodic homelessness, I found freedom in my voice, writing, and storytelling. I was around 15 when my dad got out of prison and my mom was going to move us around again that I realized I might be able to get a better life if I one day use my life as a testimony. So I started speaking, writing and story telling. Read more>>

Maya Songbird

I first knew that a creative life was for me at the age of 4 and on. Every family gathering they would line the kids up and ask us what we would like to be when we grow up and I always said a singer and my cousin would say things like marine biologist and doctor but I had faith that I would be a singer/artist and here I am. It wasn’t always easy though and my grandpa told me if that was what I wanted to be I’d have to figure out my own way but also stay true to myself, morals and integrity. Read more>>

Zachary Caplinger

My father was a professional musician as well. His name was Dennis Caplinger. He sadly passed away a couple years ago, but he still is one of my greatest mentors and inspirations. He was a respected bluegrass musician and recording artist. He bought me my first guitar at the age of 10 or so. We would play music all the time together in my younger years, and in my teens I began to show serious interest. I began accompanying my Dad to all of his shows and recording sessions. I would often set up his gear for him, and then just sit and watch and learn. Those experiences were invaluable, and taught me many musical lessons, but also demonstrated the importance of professionalism and being a good person. Those years with my Father cemented my desire to pursue a path in music. Read more>>

Alli DuBeau

My mom was a makeup lover while I was growing up. She was straight out of the 80’s with the big curly hair and jewel toned eyeliner wrapped around her eyes all blown out with metallic lips and (a little too much) blush to literally go anywhere and everywhere. I would sit in her bedroom and watch her do her makeup every morning, just completely enamored by her creativity and the choice to get up early and lose sleep to make herself feel good with the power of makeup. She was always a Clinique lover, which is more of a “natural” brand when it comes to color but I vaguely remember the first time she wandered over to the MAC counter and I was just in total AWE of how beautiful the artists were, the amount of intense colors, textures and sparkles everywhere you looked and the overall vibe of the space. Read more>>

Hannah Cail

I first knew I wanted to be a model since the early age of 5. I used to watch back to back episodes of America’s Next Top Model with my mom and I always said I would be on there some day . I would play dress up and pretend the living room was my runway. By the age of 14, I was having photoshoots for fun and it gained the attention of everyone! Read more>>

Markus Muse

I knew I wanted to be an artist when I found out that I could learn about the world through my understanding of art. The world is such a complex place with many moving parts. Art helped me understand the intricate systems of organization that makes up creation as a whole. Just as an example I can draw a shape with just light and dark, that shape, whatever it may potentially become cannot become anything without the dark and the light. Without these basic things nothing can truly exist. Just something as simple as this helps me break down much larger ideas into smaller more digestible ones. Once I knew that my perspective could become healthier through Art I could then dedicate my life to it professionally. Read more>>

William Curry

I started playing the clarinet and viola at the beginning of 6th grade. After two years I had a revelation that I could express my feelings through my playing. The climax of this epiphany was when I had what might be called an out-of-body experience. I was 13 and playing viola in a rehearsal youth orchestra. It was music by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, the overture to his opera “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.” I had the distinct feeling I was floating over the orchestra.. If this had happened while I was in. math class or playing baseball my life would have had a totally different direction. A spiritual experience , especially at a young age, is an unforgettable and consequential one. Read more>>

Ovtcome

I believe the first time I knew I wanted to pursue my artistic path was in college It’s where I really began to discover my voice and gain my confidence. I was always a writer so applying that to making songs was an easy transition and ultimately it all just led to me really taking this thing seriously. Funny story, I was at a talent show/open mic and a good portion of the school was there and my college roommate was performing on the piano. Next thing I know he calls my name and I was taken aback but I couldn’t let him down so I stepped up and the rest is history. Read more>>