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.

Wendi Yvonne

I embarked on my creative journey 20 years after the universe tried to hand it to me. I grew up in a small town in Washington State. The year I was graduating High School, I was at the local country fair and these ladies came up to me and asked me if I was interested in Beauty School. They liked my look, and my makeup, and thought I would be great in the industry. They even offered me a scholarship. But I had a sister 1.5 years older than me who had decided she wanted to go to Beauty School. I was a scholar-athlete in High School, Drum Major for the marching band, and participated in the local school paper, and drama club. My sister struggled to find her footing so when she announced that she wanted to go to Beauty School, I didn’t want to step on her dream. So I didn’t end up taking advantage of the opportunity.  Read more>>

Dylan Quint

Immediately after picking up the trumpet, I knew it was something I couldn’t give up ever. I almost immediately made a decision to continue on this path for the rest of my life. It was a no brainer for me and I am sure there are other creatives who have the exact same story. Whenever anyone asks what my plan B is, I always say there isn’t. It isn’t even a possible outcome in my mind. That’s why I trust the process and always ask questions. Read more>>

Evan Ponter

I grew up in a small town in the coal region of Pennsylvania. If you weren’t pulling anthracite from the hills, you were breaking your back in the metal factories. If you weren’t doing either of these things, you were shooting guns in the military or shooting heroin in the Turkey Hill parking lot. I didn’t see myself reflected in any of these options, so I took the creative path. I got lost in books about faraway lands, distant pasts, and mythical beasts. I started writing in notebooks and filling pages with my own stories. I couldn’t yet take a red eye to the big city, but I could escape in my imagination. I remember how freeing that felt. I have been chasing that feeling ever since. Read more>>

Briyan Lambey

I can’t think of a specific moment, because I feel like it’s always been a part of me. I am Belizean and Guatemalan. When I was young we would take trips to Guatemala and my parents said that I would dance in the middle of the street for tourists. I grew up loving music, dance and fashion. It’s been such a part of me that my life has always just sort of led me into those areas. All that to say it’s been so natural and innate that it never really felt like a choice, more like a purpose. One step has naturally led to the next step and here I am! I get to do what I love and do that thing that I was created for. Read more>>

Chase Dearring

I’ve been an artist my whole life! The 1st drawing I can remember had to be when I was 4 years old, I drew all 4 Ninja Turtles. Since then I was always sketching. But, throughout the years it had become just a hobby where I’d occasionally draw t-shirt, logo, and tattoo designs for people/organizations and later getting into painting. It wasn’t until 2022, when my wife was pushing me to get back into my art, that I got back into painting. I recall a specific event where I was at Starters in Southfield and I ran into a childhood friend I knew since we were 6. He was introducing me to some people he had with him. Then he called me out, saying, “Hey, this my boy Chase! Read more>>

Kaia Culver

In high school, I was always drawing. I never took an art class, but I would always be drawing on any surface I could find, in my journal or on my friend. I even did henna on my free time, as if the need to draw was an itch I constantly needed to scratch. I never thought of it as anything serious, it was just something I enjoyed. All of my friends always told me I should tattoo when I was older, but I had no idea how to get into that field. After high school, I went to a community college, and so I was 19, a business major, and going to college to complete my associates degree in General Science. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so my plan was to finish that off and then find a well-paying job right after graduation. My big change happened during my sophomore year, when my dad recommended I take a charcoal drawing class, because he believed that I would do more good in a creative field. I decided it was a good idea, so I took two semesters of a charcoal drawing class and absolutely fell in love with it. After that point, I decided I wanted to redirect my career to a more creative one and ended up acquiring a tattoo apprenticeship before I even finished my degree. I’ve been tattooing professionally ever since. Read more>>

Adrian Lazos Martinez

The moment I realized I wanted to pursue a creative path came in 3rd grade, in Mr. Ferguson’s class. I drew a picture of Ash and Pikachu from Pokémon, free-handing every detail with care. I gave it to my teacher and to my surprise, he hung it above his desk for the whole class to see. As an 8-year-old, that was a huge boost of confidence. It made me feel like my art was valued and it planted the seed for my creative journey. I’ll always be grateful to Mr. Ferguson for that—it was a small gesture, but it shifted the course of my life. Read more>>

Keerthi Reddy

My story is truly inspiring—a blend of resilience, passion, and pursuing dreams despite life’s challenges. From childhood, I was drawn to creativity, fashion, and dance, even as you pursued a career in microbiology, reflecting my curiosity about the world. While growing up in a traditional Indian middle-class family, creative pursuits were not prioritized, and like many, set my dreams aside for early marriage, raising children, and family responsibilities. As kids grew and left for college, I reassessed life, realizing much of my time had been devoted to others.  A turning point came in September 2022, when a serious injury—a misdiagnosed Achilles tendon rupture—left me bedridden for months, forcing me to reflect on my passions and goals. Despite doubts and physical struggles, I have decided to chase a long-standing dream, encouraged by a friend who had once been a beauty pageant winner. Though middle-aged and physically challenged, I pushed through the difficulties and entered the pageant, eventually being crowned Mrs. Bharat Curvy.  Read more>>

Amy Sell

About 2 years ago I started working at bakery part time to fill in some income gaps and about 6 months into that job, we had some small chalkboards that we used to write specials on. When the owner didn’t have time to keep up on them she asked if I could take that on. Since I knew a little about drawing I thought I could do something ! I didn’t expect to like doing them so much. I asked to take some boards home to practice and I couldn’t stop. I did so many boards with markers, chalk, etc. I started buying better chalk to practice at home and then I began to use my front porch as my new canvas. Read more>>

Michal Sosna

I think I was around 14 or 15 at the time. I was really into black and white photography, developing the images myself in a makeshift home darkroom. I even had a few of my photos published back then. But I couldn’t see myself pursuing it full-time—it felt like something was missing. Then, the images in my dreams started moving, and I realized there was something called cinematography. The moment it really clicked for me was when I watched Ingmar Bergman’s Persona in the theater. I was so immersed in the film that I found myself thinking the exact lines of dialogue before the characters even spoke them. That’s when I knew—I was completely in love with moving images. Read more>>

Stephen Thomas

Music has always been in my DNA, even before I was born, as I am my mother’s miracle child. While she was pregnant with me, the only time I would move during her ultrasound was when she drank Mt. Dew or played music — usually, it was both. This might explain my love for Mt. Dew growing up! (Lol.) I truly fell in love with music in elementary school. I sang at talent shows and, when my school put together a play, I was chosen as the lead singer. After school, I would record in the school’s small portable studio. It was then that I realized how much I loved and enjoyed music. During my middle school years and into high school, I knew I wanted to record music in a professional studio. I started searching for studios in my city, and as I did, I became fascinated not just with recording, but with the whole process. I loved the engineering side — moving files, experimenting with new ideas. Read more>>

Thibault Gulielmo

I have always loved drawing, at school when I was little I drew for friends who asked me to do their project… from a very young age I was already intrigued by tattoos, first by my father who had several prison tattoos and by the Biker magazines that my mother bought me and that I leafed through in my room in the Parisian suburbs (I am from France by the way), all these motorcycles, these tattoos, these pretty girls and these great wild spaces of the West very quickly made me dream of America! A few years later I finally got myself tattooed but time passed and reality quickly took over and it was only a few years later that tattooing reappeared in my life through a friend who had managed to get a tattoo machine (at that time the internet barely existed and it was difficult to find this kind of equipment if you weren’t in the business), it didn’t take me long to start practicing on my first guinea pigs, I’m of course talking about my friends and close family (Tattoos that I would do better a few years later!). Read more>>

Dauve Hairston

I always knew I wanted to pursue dance since I was 4 to 5 years old but there was a specific time when I was younger I played sports ( basketball to be specific at the time ) and I was trying to balance both but dance just took over all my time and energy. I vividly remember my coach and mom just being like “ We don’t think you want to play sports “ And of course Mainly watching Michael Jackson all my life that was when my dreams were formed as a dancer and it has never been the same since for me.

Hector Diaz

Since I was 13 years old, growing up seeing the work that my grandma did in her tailor factory in New York, I always had an interest in Fashion. We came from humble beginnings so for us it was important to always use what was around us and think of ways to improve the clothes we already have vs purchasing brand new pieces. This philosophy is what would spark my design principals of only using what’s available to create leading into my brand today. Read more>>

Clifford Watkins Ii

As far as music is concerned, I’ve had a love for music and hip-hop for as long as I can remember. The first time I ever rapped on stage in front of an audience was in third grade for our black history program. I did a short rap about Thurgood Marshall. I remember getting off stage and people affirming me and telling me how good of a job they thought I’d done and that made me want to keep rapping even more. Now I believe it was God who gifted me but back then I never knew why I was never afraid of the stage. I definitely got nervous waiting for my turn but once I got on stage all my nerves went away it was like I was in my zone. My parents Cliff Sr. and Carolyn along with my aunt Lin helped me to get practice speaking at my childhood church Morning Star where I would memorize and recite Easter speeches and eventually get to read announcements to the entire congregation. Read more>>

Honesty Gant

It’s hard to pinpoint when I knew I wanted to be creative because art and creativity have always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a family with people who appreciated or practiced the arts outside their traditional careers. For example, my grandmother was a nurse but loved to dance. One of my uncles was in the Air Force but loved music and reading. Another uncle used to play the drums and now has a thriving barber business, and two of my younger uncles and aunt are excellent at drawing and painting. My mother constantly exposed me to the arts and encouraged me to read and write often. So, in grade school, I began writing poetry and song lyrics, and by the time middle school came around, it evolved into writing short stories. I suppose you can say storytelling was always engrained in me, but it wasn’t until my mother went back to college to receive her Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts that I knew I wanted to tell stories through film. Read more>>

Maurice Alpharicio

I found my passion at an early age, 4yrs old to be exact. My first solo was at my Pre-K graduation, I sang The Temptations’ hit “My Girl”. I’ve been singing ever since. Read more>>

David Zvanut

I was in college pursuing a BFA and working as a cook in restaurants. One job had me cooking catfish in a place called Captain Catfish. The manager told me she did not like catfish, so it was OK to keep all the food under heat lamps until it was not good, as we had many slow nights (I wonder why). Another restaurant fired me after I did not show up for my early morning shift even though I warned them I would not be there because my son was being christened that morning. That was the last time I worked for anybody but myself, and art was the way I would escape. Read more>>

Sunmi Kim

When I was younger my mom used to made me try many activities. For example, Taekwondo,Hapkido,swimming,drawing,playing pianos..est. but I never felt like really interested in or good at it,but there’s one time she took me to a dance studio and the moment I took my first dance class I just felt it this what I’m supposed to do! By the time I was only 10 but I’ve never felt that confident and felt so happy. Because I used to be very a introverted and shy kid. But in a dance class I was very confident and so sure even though it was my first time. And ever since then I still feel the same way. I’m a dancer and performer. Read more>>

Meagan Marsh Pine

I knew I was interested in art at an early age, but I didn’t take it seriously as an option until college. I entered my undergraduate program with a lot of college credits due to Minnesota’s Post Secondary Enrollment Option, which allowed me to take college courses for free as a high schooler. Because of this, I entered school at the Junior level, prompting me to need to declare some sort of major in order to enroll for classes. I was freshly 18 and the only field I knew I was interested in was Art, so I became an Art Major, thinking I would change it at some point. Spoiler–I didn’t. Read more>>

Mara Shane

I knew I wanted to be an artist ever since I was born. As a child, I could fall into the world of creating with a blank piece of paper and some colored pencils, or whatever else I could get my hands on- ink, highlighters, or pencils. It was what calmed me down and at the same time infused so much joy through my whole being. My parents and my sister are all creative artists so it’s in our blood. My father’s parents wanted him to be a lawyer but after he tried to appease them by going to law school, he shortly dropped out and went to art school instead. He then created his own business drawing renderings of homes, commercial real estate, and hotels for the building industry.  Read more>>

Gwyneth Amy

When I was little, I often created art out of found objects and drew pictures to give as gifts to family. Sometimes, that was a little rock painted with an image that became a cherished object or a picture I drew that was carried for decades in a wallet. As I grew and started taking art classes at school, I could not get enough of it, often also spending countless hours at night painting or drawing only to have a few hours of sleep before heading back out the door to walk to school. I lived in the art department and refused courses that were not needed to graduate just to have more time in the art rooms. My teacher and mentor, Johnathan Hewey, encouraged me and pushed me forward at every step, ensuring that I had chances to show my work and didn’t miss submitting art to the scholastic art competitions. To have someone rooting for me helped me to believe in myself. Read more>>

Shistine

Honestly I don’t really know if I ever seriously considered a non-creative career. I grew up knowing that I was in love with making things. I was lucky to have found clay and ceramics pretty early on and got into photography too. When it came to going to college I did as a lot of 18 year olds do and just picked what I liked and hoped it worked out, so I studied photography. It’s been an interesting path I’ve taken since, moving through different jobs and figuring out a good balance between supporting myself and fulfilling my creative needs, but I’m very happy with where I’m at right now. I have a full-time job in the creative field that I can rely on for income that still leaves me with the time and energy to pursue my own creative projects and for that I am grateful. Read more>>

Megan Stout

“How long have you been drawing for?” “When did you know you wanted to be an artist?” “Have you always wanted to pursue in the creative field?” These are some of the questions I’ve been asked often in my life as a creative. It’s a mixture of yes, no, kinda, and sorta? I’ve been drawing, painting, and making since I was old enough to hold a tool — so probably 2? However, it wasn’t until junior year in high school that I realized I wanted to do something art related and truly felt this was something I could do. Read more>>

Melania Maldonado

From a young age, singing was an integral part of my life. My childhood was filled with music, and I eagerly participated in school recitals and public performances whenever I had the chance. I vividly remember when my mother asked me what I wanted to do with my life—I confidently declared that I wanted to be a singer, a dream I’ve steadfastly pursued ever since. Her encouragement to seek professional training ignited my passion for learning. This journey took me to the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba, where I honed my craft. I later became a vocal coach in Ecuador and New York, specifically in the Bronx. These experiences not only deepened my skills but also inspired me to start my own business, where I can exercise both creative and pedagogical control. It’s incredibly fulfilling to share my love for music and nurture the next generation of artists. Read more>>

Ruby Joy Ketchum

To pinpoint the exact moment is a bit tricky… My whole life I’ve always been a massive fangirl. I’ve loved all things movies, TV series, music, books, etc. Being from Nashville, Tennessee, I fit the cliché and grew up in a household that thrived in the country music business, and always knew I wanted to be in music or movies. But I can say, when I first watched Titanic as a little girl I became so infatuated. I watched every cast and crew interview, obsessed over behind the scenes videos, and needed to know everything about how the film was made. That made me grow up with that fangirl mentality of geeking out and gobbling up every ounce of information about a project and the people behind it. Once I became an adult, there was no other option than to chase the dream of simply being on a set/being in the room with the types of people who make these projects we love. I became serious about moving to New York and studying acting when I was 20 and have been working ever since. Read more>>

 

Claira Barilar

As far as I can remember, I’ve been an artist. Drawing on the bathroom wall, spilling paint in my bed- all of these led to the artist I am now, even though it didn’t seem that way at the time. Throughout school, I was always known as the artistic or creative one in my class, and so it was no surprise to anyone when I ultimately majored in art in college, and then in graduate school. I personally don’t think there was ever another path for me, and I’m right where I’m meant to be. Read more>>

Ernesto Guerra

I have always enjoyed painting since I was very young, however I never thought I could make a career out of it. I studied Hotel management and worked for in the hotel industry for many years. I was able to gain experience very quickly and climbed the ladder of success. One of many stressful days changed everything when I began to hear a loud ringing sound in my ears. it turned out to be something called tinnitus which was life altering for me. I literally thought I was not going to be able to live life this way. I decided to leave my career in New York and moved to Houston to be close to my family. While trying to adjust to this traumatic time in my life I began to paint again. Immediately I noticed that when I painted the ringing in my ears would almost go silent. I was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude to find my unexpected form of medicine. I began to paint daily and continued to enjoy the medicinal benefits that came with the practice. Today I have become a much calmer and grateful person because of art and I try to inspire others to heal through the power of creativity. Read more>>

Carlito Lopez

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path was back in 2020. I had dabbled in voice-over work for a few months, but everything clicked during a particular session. I remember standing in my makeshift home studio, headphones on, and as I brought a character to life, I felt this rush of excitement. It was like discovering a hidden part of myself that had been waiting to emerge. I loved the idea of not just reading a script, but of crafting a whole personality and story with my voice. That moment was transformative; I realized that this wasn’t just a hobby for me—it was a calling. The thrill of storytelling and connecting with audiences through these characters ignited a passion in me that I hadn’t experienced before. I wanted to explore every aspect of voice acting, to hone my skills, and to dive deep into this art form. From that day on, I committed myself to pursuing voice-over work professionally, knowing that I wanted to share that joy with others. It felt like stepping onto a path I was always meant to walk, and I couldn’t be more excited about the journey ahead. Read more>>

Thea Vaporis

. I come from a long line of creative people and a group in a very creative household. Both of my parents are artists. As a small child that was fostered and nurtured. My dad worked as a photographer and I got to be alongside him on some very cool projects that included working for Ralph Lauren, as well as couture projects featuring Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Christian Lacriox. I grew up attaching art classes, and dancing, and even was able to model as a little girl and a teenager Read more>>

Naomi Stoodley

When I was thirteen, my cello teacher revisited the dreaded question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I responded, “I want to do what you do.” If you had known my teenage self, you would understand that, until that day, I had never prioritized music. Instead, I focused on earning good grades. As a beginning player, I skated by in the middle school orchestra and, to my surprise, received principal chair by a narrow margin each quarter. I assumed genetics predetermined musical talent, and I wasn’t raised by musical parents. But the answer I gave my teacher was sincere, and only now do I recognize the factors that influenced my career trajectory. Read more>>

Michelle Trimble

I always knew that my career path had to be something I was passionate about – not just a job. I fell in love with chemistry in high school, and thought about going into pharmacological research, but realized in graduate school that lab life just didn’t suit me. Instead, I took my passion for chemistry into the classroom, and taught high school chemistry. I loved getting students to those light-bulb moments when they made connections they’d been struggling with previously. Fast forward twenty years; I was still thoroughly loving my avocation, continuing to grow professionally, and finding joy nearly every day with my students in the classroom. Around this time, I picked up quilting; I found a meditative quality in the repetitive motion of piecing and machine quilting. I made a variety of functional quilted items including personalized birthday placemats and a memory quilt for my mother in law.  Read more>>

Erika Pifher

The first time I knew that I wanted to become an artist, it felt like an awakening. Having been an art teacher, I was familiar with technique, theory, and the creative process, but there was a moment when I began to see art through a different lens—when it stopped being just something that I taught and became a calling. While observing my students work— their raw expressions of creativity—made me realize I had more to give, not just to teach, but to create. Teaching others how to bring their ideas to life is powerful, but the first time I realized that my ideas demanded their own space and expression, was transformative. There was a shift, where the energy I gave to teaching needed to be redirected into my own artistic journey. Read more>>

Leesa Csolak

Shirley Temple was my early inspiration as I recall being a preschooler singing and dancing with Temple’s movies and music. By the time I was in grade school I was producing and directing garage variety shows dragging my friends or neighbors into the wonderful world of story telling and performance. Dance class, vocal lessons, and acting classes were considered recreational and kept my high energy tendencies busy between academia and religious study. In junior and senior high school I was performing regularly in every option possible. I continued to have opportunities to audition and perform thrown at me from all angles. Influenced by a small circle of adults who had no knowledge of the performance arts world, auditions in New York City or the consideration of a degree in the arts was simply out of the question. With no information highway in the 1960’s and ’70’s, an aspiring dancer, singer, actor living in rural areas of the Garden State with two highly academic parents had little to no detailed information necessary to even remotely get the parental support for such a thing. I headed into higher education as an engineering/bio double major. Read more>>

Robin Towle

When I was in third grade I became interested in drawing clothings. I love that women used to wear long gowns all the time. On play dates with my best friend we would spend hours drawing dresses. I wasn’t the best artist , but I knew detail. As I watched old movies with my Dad I would keep an eye out for details in the clothing I could add to my design. Read more>>

Annely

I love art, I love the form of expressing yourself through art. I feel as though Art is mysterious and can only give you a sample of the full thought behind the artist. Art is a reflection of not only the artist, but also the person who buys it. It must reflect both correctly, but also give two different sides. I love creativity and being able to express oneself without having to say anything. I love seeing people have the boldness to express themselves through hidden meanings and talent. I wanted to tie all these components together into one objective that would inspire my business. Read more>>

Lydia Spears

I have a pretty classic answer. I knew I wanted to work creatively as a little kid. I was super ambitious as a child, and I had a passion for drawing. I started with little characters. Girls with triangle dresses and triangular noses. I would tape together pieces of paper and make drawings “life-sized”. As a kid, I went to afterschool which meant I spent a lot of time at school hanging out before I went home. In fact, my most vivid memories are from after-school care, playing family between my fingers, turning them into people, and walking them across the desk. Read more>>

B Row

I’ve always been creative, I get it from my mom. I can’t say there was a specific time, but there were definitely very important moments that lead up to me staying in pursuit. When I start writing raps and Melodie’s in class and on lunch break, it kinda just stays a part of your day to day, so it never was draining, it was fun for me. That’s what started it. For me, I think listening and admiring music also is what lead to me continuing to pursue. There’s not many things I can say genuinely makes me happier than when I make my new favourite song. There’s no better motivation than execution. A big moment when I decided I had to go big or go home was when I had dropped out of university and was doing music full time, it really made me double down on doing what I keep telling myself I can achieve. Read more>>

Isabella Diaz

When I discovered music production, that’s when I could really envision a career as an independent artist. I’d always loved singing and writing music, but this was definitely a turning point for me. Nowadays, there’s so much access to professional music software. We no longer need to schedule studio time to make records or release albums. When I first learned that I could release music independently, without being signed to a record label, I couldn’t wait to get started! I spent about a year experimenting with digital audio workstations, and then I was ready to release my debut single, “How Many Hearts”! Read more>>

Mônica Lóss

I grew up in a small town called Soledade in southern Brazil, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where contact with art was very limited. Despite this, I always sought to find beauty in the mundane and ordinary aspects of the world around me, even as a child. Creativity was something I consistently tried to cultivate in my daily life, but I had no idea that it would be possible to build a professional path as an artist. Read more>>