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.

Jamel Mcduffie

Sometime around 14-15 years old, after being immersed in sports my whole life I originally only seen myself having an athletic career. I was pretty good at basketball & football in particular however I understood that my physical stature put me at great disadvantages for that. I knew was strong academically maintaining a 4.3GPA throughout high school. However the thought of going to a university to not play sports or to study a major outside my natural interest didn’t satisfy me. A young discouraged kid felt the need to evaluate his other strengths and talents as I recognized that a career in athletics may not be fruitful long-term. Read more>>

Beth Lederman

I have wanted to be a professional keyboard player for as long as I can remember. My father played piano and I started taking lessons at age 5. I started playing in bands when I was 19 years old and have been doing so ever since. It’s not an easy path! For most of my life I have been able to support myself with gigs, but sometimes I also had other jobs, especially when I was younger and just getting started. Read more>>

Kenna Noel

back in my youth, i went through a lot of mental health issues. drawing was the only escape that i had. when i would draw, my brain went quiet and it was a sense of peace.i realized i wanted to be a tattoo artist when i was 14. after high school, i reached out to a local tattoo studio to come show them my art. i got the position as a tattoo apprentice. i was in this studio for around 8 months and it was a horror show. i would deal with sexist remarks and mental abuse. i was ready to give up. in january of 2024 i reached out to an all female tattoo shop on a whim. Read more>>

Laura Cheadle

I grew up with my music in my soul, I often say that I came out of the womb singing! My father is a legendary musician so I literally grew up with famous musicians in my basement. I knew that this musician lifestyle was full of incredible adventures! When I was a teenager, I became broken hearted, picked up a guitar and have been rocking and rolling ever since. Nothing compares to the feeling of singing to a crowd and having them completely immersed in the songs you wrote. Read more>>

Jena Fisher

Everyone has a certain talent or reason to live on this earth. When I discovered mines, I was both young and heading into high school. As a young kid , I grew up watching kid like shows and cartoons. Watching shows with my mom was childlike memories for me as well. I started to watch Americans Next Top Model and that really got me motivated to be a model. Growing older , I’ve took interest in love doing makeup and hair. In school , I came across Accouting skills. Read more>>

Kate Jade

Since childhood, I dreamed of being a storyteller, whether it be through writing, art, or any other creative medium. My grandmother was an author and I saw how much joy creative writing brought her and I found a similar spark within myself. As someone who finds a great deal of purpose in spirituality, naturally, this is what I gravitate toward writing about. Read more>>

Dirty Deathwish

I was 15 years old and rap music was basically my whole life. I would often times find myself skipping school to stay home and work on music. I was performing at every talent show, open mic, freestyle battle, you name it. I even made a demo tape that circulated throughout the whole city. Most of the feedback I received was positive so it motivated me to continue honing my craft. By the time I had finished High School, I was recognized as one of the top rappers in the city and from there it was like I knew I would be doing this forever. Read more>>

Pamela Dylag

I never resonated with the traditional 9-5 work theory, although I definitely tried to fit into it through the beginning of my twenties when I worked full time for the first time as an adult. I knew I desired freedom & creativity, I was always creative as a child but was constantly pushed to find something “stable” and “traditional”. My sister and I had an idea to open a craft cocktail bar in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District when I was in my mid-twenties. I loved this idea because we wanted it to be a creative space to connect people together and also host an array of artistic events. I was able to imbue my love of design, experience creation & cocktail menu innovation to build a beautiful space. Read more>>

Aura

In 2017, I was 20 years old and had been 2 years into community college unsure of what or who I wanted to be in life. My father, older brother, and older sister were musicians, and I had watched their musical endeavors unfold my whole life. Ive seen the pros and cons of what a life dedicated to music could be, and before that November I wanted no parts of it. In the midst of my anxiety, I decided to put on my favorite songs from my childhood just to bring me back to a mental space where I could feel like my most child-like self and escape the thoughts of the future. Read more>>

Carrington Moore

I’d always been involved in the arts, in my own way. Mostly, I drew and painted for friends and family and for my own enjoyment – much to shy to ever show anything online. I was content with this for a long time. I was working at Sprout Social, a software company that specializes in social media, when I started seeing professional artists coming through the trial funnel. I had a chance to see their social media and learn how their business works, and that was the first time the seed was planted that I maybe would one day change something that was a deeply loved hobby into something more public. Read more>>

Amai

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was in 2019, but it was between 2023 and 2024 that everything truly solidified for me. I’ve been doing art since 2018 and have even had solo exhibits, which were incredible experiences. However, it wasn’t until these recent years that I truly embraced my identity as an artist and felt that my purpose was to walk in that truth and create. Read more>>

Coach Kody

Coach Kody began on the after school playgrounds of Los Angeles. Initially he would make songs for his groups to help with attention or to get them excited about learning new topics. The way kids would react to hearing their names in a song was infectious. This was all before the streaming era and once it became more accessible to release music, he began making songs for all kids and families. Read more>>

Irez

I was born and raised in orange county, roughly 35/40 mins away from the Capital of Entertainment (Los Angeles/Hollywood), and that in itself was enough to inspire creativeness. I grew up playing sports and having a passion for music. They sort of went hand and hand for me. When I wasn’t at practice or playing sports I was in my room listening to music or downloading music from Napster (Which took about an hour to download ONE mp3 back in those days haha). Read more>>

Frank80

I kinda figured it out early on—I don’t know. All my life, my name weighed heavy, and expectations of me were higher than ever. I never saw myself working a corporate job; but, I have always seen myself as a successful creative businessman. Music has been in my life since I was first born, and throughout the years I’ve learned a lot in the industry that is still relevant in this climate. Read more>>

Agnes Chu

I was about 8 or 9 years old when I auditioned for Taiwan’s BBC Radio Broadcast Choir 中廣兒童合唱團 and made it to their highest level of the performing touring ensemble. Singing with professional conductors, opera singers, being on TV and touring all throughout Taiwan, filled my heart — it was food for my soul. I knew then that this is what I wanted to do when I grew up. Read more>>

Gracie Fagan

In middle school, I began writing music, starting with simple arrangements for my string quartet. However, my compositions quickly grew to include larger ensemble works. As I progressed to high school, I continued expanding my writing, composing pieces for orchestra and band. These musical creations would often take shape during my chemistry and physics classes, which I was also passionate about. Read more>>

Amber Martinez

The first time I knew that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally was in 2010 when I was creating art and gifting it to my family and friends. To hear their feedback was encouraging and that lit a bigger fire inside. It was when I started participating in small pop-ups and trunk shows that I knew I could do even more, so I set out to create a small creative business. Here I am fourteen years later! It still feels just as exciting as it did when I started. Read more>>

Weiling Peng

I’ve been passionate about art since childhood, with one of my earliest memories being doodling on my grandparents’ walls at the age of four. My family’s encouragement nurtured my love for drawing and expressing the imaginary worlds in my mind. Initially, I pursued Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, hoping to enter toy design, but I soon realized that the constraints of physical manufacturing didn’t suit my creative aspirations. Read more>>

Kyle Hagerman

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue the artistic path professionally was during my third year of high school. I grew up playing multiple instruments on and off, but the one that stuck with me to this day is the drums. I’ve been at it the longest since I was about five years old and was the drummer in my middle school band. I always tap around on different objects with my hands, so I think it was my parents’ way of subsiding my anxiety and theirs by putting me in our garage with a drum set! Read more>>

Valeria Lipovetsky

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was when I realized how much joy and fulfillment I felt from sharing stories and connecting with others through my content. It wasn’t a single moment but more of a gradual realization as I saw the impact my work had on people. Early on, I would create content just for fun—sharing pieces of my life, thoughts, and experiences. As I started to receive feedback from viewers who felt inspired, entertained, or even comforted by what I shared, it became clear that this was more than just a hobby. The turning point was when I saw the power of storytelling to build communities and bring people together.  Read more>>

Sherry Kear

I’ve always known I wanted to entertain folks in some capacity. The story is attention ole age of 3 I would to carry around a box and a stick and I’d stand on that box and speak into that stick and would repeat “Now Ladies & Gentlemen” . I was the kid at the family gatherings that was asked to sing and perform . Had runway shows I would model our new clothes for the school year. My mom actually narrated! Theatrical fam. Read more>>

Laura Reyes

When I was younger, I always loved to draw, but it wasn’t until around 7th grade that I started taking it more seriously. I began creating characters with longer stories instead of just short ones. When I entered high school, I was so excited to finally have the opportunity to take art classes. Unfortunately, my middle school didn’t have many art resources, and my high school didn’t have much more, but it was still a big step up. Read more>>

Sebastian Galvez

I remember being amazed by a drum since the very first time I saw a drummer playing. The dynamism that the instrument requires was probably the first aspect that I noticed about playing the drums. When I was younger I spent a lot of time pretending and playing with pots and pans or anything that I thought could make a similar sound. The day that I realized that I wanted to pursue a creative path as a drummer was actually back in 2003, that was the first time I played a real drum set. This moment was truly important to motivated me to continue studying and learning. Read more>>

Duolin Ge

I grew up in an artistic family. My father is a film director, and my mother, who was an actress in her youth, later became a makeup artist. From a young age, I was immersed in an artistic atmosphere and excelled at painting during my childhood. Every week, my father would take me to the cinema, a tradition that lasted for many years and accompanied my childhood. I still remember the sense of awe I felt when I first watched the Star Wars series from Hollywood. The impressive lightsaber duels and the majestic fleets left me wondering how they were created while simultaneously mesmerizing me. Read more>>

Matt Haffner

I grew up with creatives in my family. My grandfather was a master engraver. I had an uncle that was a photographer. Another uncle was a jeweler / metalsmith and musician. My dad, who was really influential to me, was always making things, taking on new projects, and sketching ideas. It wasn’t really a family of artists but creativity was always around me. I was fortunate that when I did choose to pursue a path in the arts it was supported. I think that support partially came from being a terrible high school student who barely graduated. Once I decided to go to college there was a feeling of relief from my family.  Read more>>

Christopher Aguila

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was rooted in a childhood experience that now feels like a foundational moment. I was a shy kid who found solace in the land of make-believe. I have a vivid memory from when I was growing up in Long Beach, CA. My mother had a beautiful rose garden in the front yard, and I used to mash up rose petals in bottles of water, pretending to concoct love potions as a wizard. This was long before the world knew Harry Potter, but in my own little universe, I was deeply immersed in the magic of storytelling. Read more>>

Ruby Del Mar

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally after the very first show I played with my previous project, Transy Warhol. It was August of 2021, and we had only been solidified as a band for a couple of months at that point, but we were itching to get started as a gigging band, no matter the quality of show or performance. As a way of getting our feet wet, we decided to throw a house show at our practice space, which was the home of our rhythm guitarist, Simone’s, parents, and invite a few people we knew. We built a crude stage out of plywood, and had to borrow PA equipment from Simone’s cousin, who also ran sound for us. Read more>>

Jeremiah Locke

I’ve been immersed in creativity for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a household where my mother was both a performer and a designer, she was my primary inspiration to chase my own creative passions. Unlike my peers who were into sports, I found myself drawn to dancing, singing, and drawing on walls. As a teenager, I delved into art classes and theatre, which really helped my creativity shine. I’m a natural performer, always putting on a show wherever I go. Read more>>

Andrew Denicola

The first time I knew was when I was Sixteen Years Old. I had played the saxophone for a few years but didn’t know if this would be my career. After a terrible first-year experience in my regular high school band, my mother found a magnet arts program that helped my development. At the time, I was already taking private lessons, attending jazz camps, and playing in an after-school jazz program. But, this experience in particular helped push this decision. Read more>>

Skye Morriseau

I’ve known that music was what I wanted to do in life since I was a young kid, as early as 5 years old. It all started from me watching Hannah Montana. That was my first glimpse of the kind of career I would one day want! My mom says that as a baby, I would sit in front of the mirror and practice my facial expressions and that I would never stop singing. I guess it was just written in the stars. Read more>>

Jeff Holder

In many ways, I always gravitated towards hobbies that were creative. In middle school and high school, I performed magic shows. For awhile I wanted to be an artist. I won an award in 6th grade because I drew well for a 12 year old. Today, I still draw well for a 12 year old. So, art wasn’t really that promising as a career. In high school, I saw lots of movies and I realized that I was alway reading and memorizing the writer and director credits, memorizing the names. Read more>>

Lucas Smith

I have always had a natural inclination toward art, knowing deep down that I wanted to be an artist. I was fortunate growing up with multiple mentors who nurtured my talents, guiding me along my artistic journey. I drifted from actively pursuing art over time but felt drawn to create again after relocating to San Diego from the Midwest in 2021. Read more>>

Rohini Mathur

I have always been a creative person at heart and art has always been a significant part of my life from early childhood days. I remember the only class I looked most forward to it in elementary school was my art class! I was actively engaged in a lot of creative projects and art activities all through my high school and received numerous accolades for my creative endeavors. But somewhere along the way, the pressure of pursuing a formal education and corporate career took precedence over my passion for arts and the creative field. Read more>>

Damon Schindler

I didn’t know I was creative really until after high school; I went to public school and just did slightly above average of what was required and wasn’t really inspired by any teachers there. Skateboarding however during that time saved me as it offered an outlet of freedom and community outside of social norms, for those times and friends I am forever thankful. My initial motivation after high school was to live on my own indoors, eat food and have a job that has a lot of time off. I love my free time and good luck with that at that age, unless you’re wealthy. Which I wasn’t and still am not. Read more>>

Jastin Taylor

I believe that if you truly love something, that love will stand the test of time in your life. When I think about my journey to first becoming an active professional wrestler, it wasn’t necessarily “one moment” that solidified my path, it was the realization that wrestling was a love that never parted from me. When I was a child and first saw wrestling on T.V., I was enamored with guys like Macho Man Randy Savage, and the Ultimate Warrior. They seemed like superheroes that had come to life. And I fell in love with this show where I could see these muscular comic book looking heroes duke it out. Many of them were my idols growing up. Read more>>

Miguel Manrique Chirinos

I never decided it specifically. Since I graduated from school, I only knew that I wanted to keep drawing, I didn’t know how back then, so I looked for options that allowed me, somehow, to keep doing it. I think I was just too stubborn to quit drawing, and of course, my family was a big support. Read more>>

Alaina Herman

I was lucky enough to grow up with a musical parent, and that exposure helped me to very quickly become aware that music was my greatest passion. My dad is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist outside of his 9-5, which means that some of my earliest memories include watching him perform for family and friends at local venues, and dancing to his songs around the house. I began singing almost before I could talk, and writing songs at age 7. Read more>>

Kat Hawley

I knew very early that I wanted to have a creative path in life. I’d say at the age of nine. I was in the school chorus, choir at church and I also took acting classes. I was a shy kid when I was young and the urge to want to express myself and perform in front of an audience gave me that extra push to get out of the shyness. I became very serious in my singing and stage performing when I was 15. Read more>>

Aaliyah Munguia

I firmly believe that people fall into their passion by uncontrollable circumstances, in a way it becomes a protection from reality. Reflecting on my childhood – the youngest, only daughter, first generation and from a low-income household- I realized that I felt lonely and misunderstood. It is the worst feeling that no matter where you went, you were either overlooked or overly judged. My only escape was on screen or in literature. I was captivated by the comfort I felt within a story, and it truly transformed my mind. This went beyond the surface, and I gained a deep love for storytelling. Read more>>