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.

Jamir Smith

I remember reading Right On, Vibe and Word Up Magazine and wanting to be an editor as I was mesmerized by the pages and the fashion. I then decided to mirror that into my real life and connect with creatives during the pandemic. Read more>>

Kayla Dame

I knew I wanted to pursue a professional dance career during my freshman year at Bridgewater State University. I remember performing at their annual dance concert and being one of three freshmen chosen out of the cast. Read more>>

Meet Gabriella Lin

I knew I wanted to become a singer-songwriter during my first year of middle school. I really struggled to make friends and the relationships between me and my teachers weren’t so great around the same time too, so I became more and more introverted and reserved… Read more>>

Leila Henry

I have always known art would be a part of my life. I was a very shy child. Like, EXTREMELY shy. In fact, I somehow thought it would be fun to invite my entire kindergarten class to my 5th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese’s, Read more>>

Tia Mitchell

I fell in love with the art of acting when I was 10 years old. I credit my love for the arts to my mother, who at a young age exposed me to the wonderful world of theater, film and music. Read more>>

Rose & Juno

I taught literature, creative writing, and theatre arts in public high schools for over a decade, and overall, I relished it. Although I’d always written poetry, stories, and metaphysical texts as a hobby, writing was just my personal, spiritual practice–like breathing or loving–and part of a life worth living. Read more>>

Jonathan Pinson

My mom use to take me to church as a child every Sunday. She use to sing in the morning choir and would allow me to sit next the musicians playing. Read more>>

Helene Galek

I can honestly say I don’t remember a time I didn’t want to perform but if I had to pinpoint a year, I would choose age 5. I was given ballet and tap lessons because my mother thought it would be nice for a little girl to have that training. Read more>>

Raspin Stuwart

I’d say I first remember having the drive to make music at the age of 12 when I laid eyes on my first guitar, but I know it was long before then… it was probably when I came out of the womb! I also started making art (sketching, painting…) in my tween years. Read more>>

Emily Burdette

When I was six years old, I remember watching the movie Curly Sue. In the film, the little girl belts out a song. “So find yourself somebody to love!” I mimicked her and sung out the line. Read more>>

Remy Connor

I was 13 years old and began to learn magic: David Blaine’s first TV special just ended and I thought magic was cool. But it wasn’t until the next day when everyone was talking about it that I thought I would start to learn magic.  Read more>>

Jett Prescott

I’ll never forget my first live show as a solo original artist – it was at a bar close to my hometown in Pennsylvania. I had a little stage experience from performing covers, but focusing entirely on originals was new for me, and I had absolutely no idea if the audience would even care. Read more>>

Matthew David Garth

As a child, I dreamt of entertaining the world. My humor and creativity were my superpowers. But corporate life slowly dimmed that light. Fifteen years felt like a constant battle, my creative ideas suffocated by endless “no’s.” The toll it took was heavy, leading to a difficult divorce. Read more>>

Malia Catalina

The first time I knew I wanted to purse music professionally was in college. My freshman seminar class was designed to help us navigate classes, our mental health, and getting involved on campus. Read more>>

Partywatcher

Since I was around 11 or 12, my parents had identified that I had a great voice. My dad had me learn a bunch of old 70s Latine crooner songs from the likes of Danny Daniel & Nino Bravo to perform in front of family and friends. Read more>>

Alyssa Luckey

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to help others, but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered how to do so through my creative work. Growing up in a small town in rural Wisconsin, I often felt isolated and misunderstood. Read more>>

Kate Egnaczak

My career as a creative was identified for me at a young age by my family. Before I could walk, my grandmother bought me a Stickley drawing table while my parents enrolled me in art classes and kept me stocked with art supplies. Read more>>

Jorge Navarro

I cannot pinpoint an exact moment when I wanted to become an artist. Rather, it was influenced by my family context, personal interests, and a constant quest to think about and reconfigure the world that has always been present in me since I can remember. Read more>>

Aaron Sommers

In 2017, a friend had invited me out to an anime convention. I had never been before; I had the time so why not? It ended up being one of those Aha! moments, that changed my life. Read more>>

Jasmine Williams

I grew up in acting school, so performing became my favorite thing to do. From then on, my song writing developed over time. I gained popularity in high school and around New Orleans as a creative. Read more>>

Erik David

I knew from a young age that I wanted To perform in some capacity. I love Being on camera and I love making others feel seen, heard and laugh. I’m very opinionated but not in a “know it all” type of way. Read more>>

Siwei Xu

On my journey towards artistic creation, there were two “epiphany” moments that helped me make up my mind. The first event happened during my childhood. Read more>>

Angelica Artifex

I knew I was going to work as a creative ever since I was a kid. One Of my first jobs after school was assisting at an accountant office … and I lasted a one moth, that’s when I bed that office work was not for me. Artistry was it ! Read more>>

Ren’ee Jevning

I have always been about DIY projects even when I was just wee little Renée. I can remember growing up with my mum and two brothers, things were tight financially after my dad passed away in a car accident. Read more>>

Liz Borden

I knew I wanted to a musician at a young age. I also acted. I performed from the age of maybe six years old. I could have been younger. My mother put me in ballet at seven and that didn’t work out because I am just not ballerina material. I took lessons. Read more>>

Safiya Sayyed

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path was back in 2009 when Michael Jackson passed away. Michael has always been my biggest inspiration and the reason I wanted to become an artist. Read more>>

Mariano De Luca

I was always surrounded by Still Photography cameras, my dad used to shoot stills as a hobby, but in reality my first contact with the arts was thru Music and playing an instrument. Read more>>

Evelyn Lee

Reflecting back, it’s pretty interesting. I always wanted to be a painter as a kid. In middle school, I often got caught doodling during study hours. Read more>>

Taylor Engle Anderson

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path when I was around 7 years old. I was always drawn to creating. I’d use paper and colored pencils to design outfits and bring imaginative worlds to life. Read more>>

Lori Solley

Since grade school, I’ve had this creative inclination. However, it wasn’t until college that I seriously considered pursuing art or teaching. Initially I was studying biology, I took an art appreciation class that reignited my interest in art. Read more>>

Jennifer Vasquez

When I was 10 years old. I would hear my mom singing her ballads across the hall. This inspired my love for music. I started writing songs at the age of 10 as well. They consisted of a lot of rhyming. Read more>>

Patrick Hart

At a junior college in Yakima, Washington. The class was conducted by the college and the production they were doing that I auditioned for was “the Crucible” and I got the part of John Proctor. Read more>>

Nicky Serrano

I was living and working in Barcelona, Spain, in the late 1990s / early 2000s. I was fortunate enough to get several opportunities to show my work at local bars and cafés, and it was a really positive experience Read more>>

Ritu Raj

I was living in San Francisco, and March 2020, Covid lockdown happened. And we were confined to our homes. I think I needed to do something and I ordered some 2x2ft canvas, and some acrylic paint. Read more>>

Cole Pu

The first time I decided to become an artist was when our primary school teacher asked us what role we wanted to play when we grew up. I said I wanted to become an artist. Read more>>