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.

Connie Sandusky

I had a full time corporate career which included international travel. When in different cities I would take in the local culture, which usually included the arts. Read more>>

Kel Brown

When I moved to Austin, TX during the summer of 2011. I slowly found myself getting more and more into the graf and street art scene at that time and it all became history from there. Read more>>

Richard Cullen

I was torn from a very early age. I knew, almost instinctively, that I was supposed to make sensible, practical choices. But I was always a bit of a dreamer. Read more>>

Stef Nuñez

I always wanted to be a writer, but never thought that journey would lead me here. I wrote fan-fiction stories all through middle school, and in high school I ran for student council. Read more>>

Nicole Bruckman

I first knew I wanted to be a full time artist when I was in 5th grade. My teacher told my mother I should take art lessons outside of school because my drawings showed promise. Read more>>

Renee Kuharchuk

For me it started when I was in high school. Growing up I attended a small school which didn’t have much in the way of creative outlets. Read more>>

Ashish Raisinghani

It’s funny I always wanted to be a guitarist , but at 21 I had given it up cause of college, work and just being with the wrong person who wasn’t supportive of my music career, but after the pandemic and a successful path to a Visual Effects career I decided to give the guitar thing a shot again and here we are ! It’s been an amazing ride and I am glad I came back. Read more>>

Sandra Chlebek

I knew I wanted to be an artist at an early age. As a child, a pad of paper and crayons would keep me occupied for hours. I was constantly creating. Read more>>

Halie Alexander

I think I always knew that I wanted to be a musician, or at least in a creative field but I never thought it was realistic. I thought I would grow up to be a cellist in a symphony, or maybe a graphic designer but that didn’t pan out for me. Read more>>

Julian Michael

June 23, 2008, in a little cafe on 103rd and Amsterdam in New York City, I got my first taste of stand-up comedy. It was…not great. Read more>>

Caitlin Conlon

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a reader. Growing up with no other children in the house, being raised by my grandmother, books became my best friends and confidants. Read more>>

Rachele Liba

Music and art was foundational with my upbringing, so entering the industry was no question. I began my journey writing music reviews, then eventually entered the world of PR, where I gained invaluable insights into the intricacies of the music business. Read more>>

Emily Mercedes

I had made some nostalgic watercolors for my brothers for their Christmas gifts one year. The same year, my husband got me a gift card to a local print shop. Read more>>

Josh Bright

I knew I wanted to be a musician from around 3-4 years old. I grew up in a very musical family, and everyone either played an instrument or sang. Read more>>

Lindsay Short

I started drawing at a very young age. I still have sketchbooks from when I was seven, that have drawings from when i would set my stuffed animals up into still lifes. Read more>>

June Guralnick

My journey began in a tenement in Washington Heights (a Manhattan neighborhood made famous by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical). Read more>>

Bobi Zhou

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally during my high school years in Milwaukee, thanks to an inspiring art teacher Mr.Dietz. Read more>>

Carmen M Young

I knew from a very young age that I loved to create art of all kinds. I loved paper, pens, paints, and markers – always having some creative project in progress. Read more>>

Daniel Chiaccio

Ever since I was a kid! My initial dream was to be a hot wheels car designer, I would draw for hours and hours. My designs were pretty extreme, lots of rocket boosters and fenders. Read more>>

Jerry Brown

I don’t think a creative path was a choice. I was born this way. As soon as I could talk, I lied about everything and made up all kinds of wild stories. Read more>>

Jason Robbins

I was always drawn to the spectacle of performing, as far back as I can remember. One of my first and core memories was seeing KISS perform live on television and as much as Gene Simmons scared me to death I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>> 

Dan Aponte

In my childhood I used to draw every cool art piece I came across… I tried to mimic every aspect of it to its tiny detail. Because of this practice, I developed a skill for drawing. Read more>>

Mercedes Austin

For me, I’ve been an artist all my life, however, it wasn’t clear how I could turn that into something professional. I watched my mom struggle with that her whole life and putting food on the table had nothing to do with her art. Read more>>

Tristyn Tate Tucker

I grew up intensely quiet and anxious. Other than a neurotic practice of journaling every single day, songwriting was one of the only ways that I was able to express myself. Read more>>

James Talmadge

When I was around three years old I was intrigued by a small framed picture on the wall across from where I sat at the dinner table. It was a picture of three small boats on the shore of a rocky beach, and it was marvelous. Read more>>

Mael Morningstvr

If you told me anytime between the ages of 13 to 25, that I make music and this is my career path, I don’t know if “Past Me” would believe you, I don’t know if they would be happy, in shock, or just simply laugh at you. Read more>>

Allison Santos Costa

From when I was five, drawing countless pictures of horses, to my high school years when I started to explore different mediums, I always dreamed of being a professional artist. Read more>>

Brigit Celznick

I truly feel I have been an artist all my life. I was so drawn to any arts and craft as a child. I am very thankful my mother made a nurturing environment for my creativity in my younger years. Read more>>

Ruby Flores

When I was a kid, I was always doodling and daydreaming. I knew I wanted to do something with art but wasn’t sure what that could be. When I was in college, a friend had asked me to help him with his student film. Read more>>

Karlan-Lawson Kelley-Williams

Oh man, that’s a fun question! I believe it was when I was first offered a paying job to ghostwrite a story for someone. They gave me an outline for their novel – a list composed of the major plot points they wanted. Read more>> 

Payton Goldston

I grew up singing in choirs and writing songs around the age of 12, yet taking it more seriously at 17, I truly began my musical career after moving to Tucson, AZ and meeting/working with my close friend Rob Mercury who let me record in his studio. Read more>>

Giffy Pluggo

I went to a Benny The Butcher concert a couple years ago and did a meet and greet. I rapped for Benny and that led me to connecting with his management team and they invited me to perform at SXSW. Read more>>

Linda Riddle

I never saw myself as an “Artist” or a “Creative.” Just someone who loves flowers and enjoys creating with them. It wasn’t until I began selling my Botanical Candles at markets and receiving feedback from people who praised my creativity and artistic talent that I truly realized it myself. Read more>> 

Hell•Doubt

Jackie Alex: Singer, composer, frontman, founder. The moment I knew I wanted to pursue music as a profession was when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My dad took me to a Foreigner concert. Read more>>

La’Charles Trask

In the 7th grade my friends dared me to audition for the school play, The Wiz, seeing that I was the class clown and all. Was I going to back down? Read more>>