Are artists born or made? To help answer this question, we asked some of the most artistic folks we know to tell us about how they knew they were going to pursue an artistic or creative path. We’ve shared highlights below.

Poul Lange

I have always been drawn to creative activities. As a kid vacationing on my aunt and uncle’s farm, I would make detailed drawings of the livestock, and as a teenager I took evening classes in classic print techniques instead of doing sports like most of my friends did. Read more>>

Mariah Reading

I grew up in a very artistic household with parents that always encouraged my brother and I to be creative. I took all the art classes in middle and high school, but it wasn’t until my junior year that I realized I wanted to pursue art professionally. There is an incredible “Student Craft Institute” program for Maine high school students to attend the prestigious Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle for a weekend. I was chosen for this program, and although I already considered myself a passionate painter at the time, I was worried I would not be cut out for the grueling studio hours required of art majors in college. But this program gave me the confidence to dive into that decision. Read more>>

Jane Ugah

From a young age, I have been lucky to have a family, surroundings, and experiences that nurtured my creativity. While it is hard to pinpoint exactly when my passion for art ignited, I know it has been a journey of growth and discovery. One highlight that stands out is when I was selected for an artist residency program. It was an incredible opportunity to explore new places, connect with fellow creatives, and showcase my art to a wider audience. Seeing people’s reactions and hearing their feedback was truly eye-opening, it made me realize just how much art can touch people’s lives. This experience strengthened my decision to pursue a career in Arts, and I am excited to contribute my creativity and grow professionally in this field. Read more>>

Bhakti Bahadkar

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was a moment I’ll never forget—it started with a single cake, but quickly became so much more. Back in 2015, fresh out of my bachelor’s in Bioinformatics in India, I was fascinated by the world of data. I dove into my career as a clinical research data analyst, loving the challenge of precision and the satisfaction of finding patterns in chaos. But as much as I thrived on logic and numbers, there was a part of me that longed for color, texture, and creativity. Read more>>

Piera Klein

I’ve been immersed in creative expression for as long as I can remember. Since early childhood, I was drawn to the arts—singing, dancing, drawing, painting, acting, and writing songs on guitar and piano. At seven, I was invited to sing on a children’s album, and even at that young age, something about being in the studio left a lasting impression. But I didn’t take it too seriously at the time—I was also a competitive gymnast training for the Junior Olympics and a strong student. With so many interests, it was hard to know which path to follow. Read more>>

AngelDust

Growing up, I studied my oldest brother while he was in his creative mode. Watching and listening to him singing, the artists he kept in rotation, the song choices, the instruments he played, and seeing that light flow through him it inspired me all at the age 5. I recall singing, “The World’s Greatest” after music class in kindergarten confidently out loud as if no one was around and boy oh boy did I get snatched right back up to the music room by the music teacher to sing along with the piano haha! Peace, clarity, content, and calmness filled my body and I knew in that moment, this is who I want to be- one with music. Read more>>

Tayia Hayes

For as long as I can remember I’ve been told I have way too much personality. That I was hard to contain. For a lot time those types of statements made me feel so outside of the norm. I’ve always felt like a spoon in a drawer full or forks. I’ve always felt out of place. The internet is the first time I truly felt “in place”. Where there was always someone who could relate to me, agree with me, or even empathize with me. I began my influencer journey in 2019 during the height of COVID. Almost immediately people were interested, so I thought maybe all this personality has a place in this world. Maybe my joy and “over expression” is okay and even welcome. Read more>>

Randeep

Looking back, the spark was always there — I used to edit photos and audio back in high school just out of curiosity and joy. I didn’t fully understand where it was leading at the time, so I took the more “practical” route and studied IT, thinking it made sense since I was good with technology. But that path left me completely drained — no fulfillment, no excitement. The day I decided to pursue audio engineering was the first time I felt a sense of inner relief. From there, I naturally picked up photography and videography, and each step in that direction felt more aligned, more fulfilling. That’s when I knew — this wasn’t just a phase. It was the path I was always meant to be on. Read more>>

Quentin Forbes

I started street promoting long before I started DJing. I was working for Ultra Music Festival and traveling for the show cross promoting at other festivals. I got into it right at the EDM boom era between 2012-2015. It was a great time and I learned a lot about the industry at that time. I picked up DJing halfway and started writing my own side path all while promoting. Read more>>

Harry Teng

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path the moment I handed in a blank exam sheet in middle school. Not out of rebellion—my brain just refused to cooperate. Years of tutoring had numbed my curiosity, and the only thing that kept me grounded was secretly sketching manga on my desk (which my teacher enthusiastically erased). Read more>>

Patricia Wallace

I always knew I wanted to pursue writing, but it took a long time for the thought that originated in the back of my mind to move to the forefront and become a conscious effort. From childhood, I have been an avid reader and have constantly written short stories, descriptions, and scenes from things I observed in everyday life. My interest in the written word has always been my passion, but I put my creative writing desire on the back burner as I continued through life, finishing college and getting “regular” jobs that allowed me to develop and flex my writing muscles. Technical writing, marketing writing, and editing became the backbone of my career, and I was content to continue along this path. Read more>>

Carole Jolly

When I was in elementary school, my Mom’s best friend, who was an artist, invited me to take classes with her. I loved it, mainly because she was such a nurturing giving patient person and I was needing that in my life. It sparked a lifelong devotion to painting and creativity. But it was always a sideline as I pursued a career in international development then counseling. Read more>>

Jared Lee Gosselin

Since I was a kid really, growing up in Detroit in the 1980’s was a really interesting time. I remember getting my first cassettes with my dad, RUN-DMC “Raising Hell” and The Fatboys “Crushin”. Hearing Jam Master Jay slay the turntables was just mind blowing to me, I use to dream of DJing and cutting up records like Jay it was an obsession, I didn’t end up getting my first DJ set till I was a little older around 15yrs old but once I did I would spend 8-10 hours a day scratching records and putting together DJ Battle Routines. A friend of mine around the same time told me something that always stuck with me, she said if you are going to do something, do it and don’t stop and thats literally been my mantra ever since. Read more>>

Derricottie

One day I was driving my car with my 6 year old stepson Jarvis riding in the passenger seat. I was singing with the radio. After I stopped singing, I noticed from my peripheral view that he was staring at me for a long time lol. So I looked at him and he said “Dad, I can’t wait to see you on stage.” Two weeks later, I had Jarvis with me again. This time I wasn’t singing at all. Out of the blue, Jarvis asked “Hey dad, can I be in one of your music videos?” That’s when I knew I had a special gift. Who would have thought a child was the reason why I began pursuing a music career. To this day, I am grateful for my stepson Jarvis recognizing I was a gifted singer. Read more>>

Alana Oxford

I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was in second grade. My teachers from then really encouraged my creative writing, and by the time I was in sixth grade, my teacher shared with me that there was a summer writer’s course for kids at our local community college and she thought I’d be perfect for it. I took that course and loved it. All of that cemented in my mind that I’d be a writer “one day.” Read more>>

Shun Man Cheung

My interest in watching movies started when I was a little kid. However, I only started learning how to use a camera when I joined the multi-media group in high school. Since then, I have been teaching myself about filming and joining student competitions. But I wanted more. I want to learn how to be a professional filmmaker and be able to shoot a film that is shown in the cinema. Therefore, at 18, I decided to leave for Los Angeles to pursue cinematography professionally. Read more>>

Mary Veiga

I grew up on a beautiful farm in Maryland where I spent my days riding my horse and exploring on long walks. I enjoyed drawing horses and farm scenes from a very young age. My artwork gained recognition and awards from the time I was in preschool and continued along with my desire to practice and learn more. I knew from that young age that I loved drawing and painting and that it was a part of who I was. So naturally I pursued Art as my career. Having an art career in and of itself is creative and I enjoy the challenge. Read more>>

Alex Kehm

I feel like I always kind of knew, deep down, that I wanted to do something creative. I just didn’t know what exactly. For a long time, I thought I’d be an author or an illustrator. When I was a kid, I wrote short stories and drew constantly. I used so much paper that my family literally started giving me stacks of it as gifts. I was known as the art kid in school, and I did a bunch of art classes and summer camps for drawing.  Read more>>

Jeanne Will Victoria ONÉLIEN

From an early age, I’ve always been drawn to the colors and shapes around me. I’ve always had this ability since kindergarten. And from the age of 8, I expressed everything I wanted to say in words through drawing. It was my way of communicating with the outside world. Read more>>

Leichen Wagner

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember—ever since I could hold a pencil, it felt like an extension of my thoughts. One moment that stands out is a preschool drawing assignment; I remember looking at my finished piece and noticing that it stood out from the rest. Even at that young age, I felt a quiet thrill, a spark of confidence that maybe this was something I could be good at. That simple assignment planted the seed of a lifelong love for visual expression. As I grew older, that passion expanded beyond drawing to include television, theatre, and literature—worlds full of imagination and storytelling that fascinated me. Eventually, I discovered that there were actual careers behind the things I loved. That realization transformed a childhood hobby into a lifelong pursuit. Read more>>

Alex Springs

As a child, I’ve always been drawn to music and the way it brings me joy, but I never thought I would pursue it as my career choice. In middle school, my mother told me about a performing arts high school that her friends daughter attended, and thought it would be a great fit for me, since I felt that I never fit in the normal crowds at my local public schools. As soon as I started attending that school, I knew exactly what I was destined to do. From joining choir, to the classical guitar ensemble, and playing the viola in Orchestra, I loved nothing more than I love performing music. Read more>>

KinkedNitemare

I’ve always been involved in the creative arts, whether through theater, speech, music, or content creation. Around 2015, my husband mentioned streaming, which I had only seen him watch and dabble in himself. I started to research the demographic on Twitch and realized there were not many streamers that presented as black Femmes (Which has increased since 2016), so I made a conscious choice to entertain with a full-face cam and be very open about anything I encountered both in games and in stream. Read more>>

Taylor Landress

I don’t remember ever making a conscious decision to pursue music. It’s just always been there. I’ve been singing since I could talk, and I wrote my first song when I was six. It had one verse, a bridge, and a chorus. Riveting stuff. I performed it at my elementary school talent show with all the passion and seriousness a six-year-old could possibly possess. Read more>>

Erich Riedl

I had lost a job as a server at a restaurant in my early twenties and had already started creating upcycled light fixtures. The very next day I started building out some furniture pieces out of reclaimed wood and architectural salvage I had saved. I loaded up my red 1955 F150 a week later with all my goods and was an able to offer them to a new cool furniture boutique in Laguna Beach. They bought it all and sold it to their customers within a few weeks. At that moment I knew this was the lane I was meant to be in. Build all day and jam music all night! Read more>>

Burriell Osborne

I first knew I wanted to do creative full time when I started to apply for jobs and I wasn’t feeling it, I applied for a job in my local mall I quit the next day. I want to do something I like and going to have some fun with. Read more>>

Harsh Kumar

I still remember the moment like it happened yesterday. I was just a teenager when I got cast in a local theatre production—Deepdaan of Panna Dhay. I played Chandan, the son of Panna Dhay, and it was a role that demanded vulnerability, strength, and heart. As I stood on that stage, delivering my dialogues under the glow of stage lights, I felt something shift inside me. The audience wasn’t just watching—they were feeling every word. I could sense the silence, the stillness, the tears. And in that moment, I realized this wasn’t just a performance. This was power—the power to move people through art. Read more>>

Janie Miller

I’ve always seen the world through pink lenses and loved being surrounded by beauty whether is was a lilac bush at my grandmas house or the pink tea cup and saucer she would give me tea in after school. So I started collecting China and beautiful candle stick holders from my grandmas and aunt homes. My auntie would take me to garage sales. My parents told me I was a horder . I would steal flowers from neighbors yards to make beautiful arrangements in my dad’s empty beer bottles I was a weird kid! After my three kids were grown and perusing there dreams I decided to start decorating events for my friends with my China , vintage goblets and linens. Read more>>

Silvia Poloto

I was not exposed to anything artistic growing up.
I followed in my brother’s footsteps and got an Electrical Engineering degree (from the best University in Brazil). After 5 years of school, and a couple of years in a dull job I decided to go for a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Soon afterwards I had an opportunity to spend one year in the Bay Area for work. Read more>>

Kaylie Ringer

I moved a lot growing up, but when I was 11, I was in a very tiny school that didn’t have an arts program, but they did sign up for an outside arts competition once a year. That was when I was asked to step in because someone dropped out of the group. I had no idea how much I would love this. At first, it was the challenge of memorizing all the lines, and I memorized everyone’s lines! During the competition someone forgot their part and I stepped in to help out. I fell in love with the whole process: the memorizing, the teamwork it took to bring it together, and being a part of the story. I don’t know the exact moment in the competition, but a piece fell into place and I felt whole. I realized there is nothing more that I want to do with my life and I knew I wanted to be an actress. Read more>>

Erlynn Sincere

I’ve loved fashion since I was a little girl. I used to watch my mom get dressed and was always fascinated by how she put different pieces, patterns, and textures together. It felt so effortless, but also really creative. That’s probably where it all started for me. Read more>>