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.

Jamaine Oubre

My first time I was 8 years old growing up I consistently watched americas next top model with my mom I gained a love and passion for modeling from that day forward I always said I wanted to be a model or a dancer to my mom both were my two talents I embraced! I started by just taking pictures on my phone getting familiar with a camera at a young age and learning expressions emotions and angels movement I took notes from americas next top model and applied to my everyday life I was grateful to have a mother and grandmother who notice my passion for taking pictures which eventually grew into a passion for fashion now modeling and fashion are my top 2 I’m great with putting things together making it look great have a great sense of style I still have that family support and since then I have invested in my career of modeling and fashion using my social media platform to be a example and also inspire others to be as unapologetic with their clothes as I am. Read more>>

Carrie

My watercolor art business, Carrie & The Brush, was a COVID-19 baby. There wasn’t one moment in which I made an intentional choice to start a business, rather, it grew out of a hobby, which morphed into a side hustle (and then a bigger and bigger side hustle that takes up every ounce of my free time!). I had always enjoyed art since a very young age, when my dad would sit with me and teach me how to draw simple 3-D objects. I later took figure drawing and painting classes at an artsy high school in New York City, and then in college, added on a Fine Arts Major once I completed my major in Public Policy, as a fun way to spend my senior year. I grew up in a family in which both of my parents had corporate jobs, and I never considered a career in art, Instead, I went into advertising – the most creative corporate job I could think of – and found the content to be repetitive, the culture egotistical, and the work to be too surface-level. I went back to graduate school to become a psychotherapist, and until COVID-19, that was my sole career. Read more>>

Debjit Das

It was after I got kicked out of college. Just for a year, my grades were too low. That was when I felt like I really woke up. Until then I feel as if I had been operating on “NPC” mode. Finish high school, go to college, get a job, yadda yadda. This moment essentially completely reset me and forced me to ask, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” Read more>>

Loossi Hou

I’ve been passionate about drawing since I was a child. After graduating from university, I worked at a company in Beijing, doing graphic design that had some connection to drawing. However, after a few years, I gradually became weary of the repetitive nature of commercial design. During my spare time, I picked up my passion for drawing again. As I delved deeper into my exploration of drawing, I began to wonder if I could combine my drawing skills with my graphic design experience to enter the illustration industry and make a living from it. So, I decided to quit my job and became a freelance illustrator. Read more>>

Alberto Lara

Since I was a child I always dream to be an actor , but I wasn’t easy at that time , because in my country Nicaragua family doesn’t see you in that path , is more like common careers like medicine or laws , but I remember Alberto as a kid sitting in front of the tv ready and dreaming to one day be part of that dreams Read more>>