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.

Moyi G

When I was younger I would watch the grammys and admire the artist performing. It was Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, the amazing performances on stage. It was the music video dance sequences and the way the artists expressed themselves through music and dance. I told myself at a young age I wanted to be a singer and a teacher. I wanted to somehow combine both make an impact towards the younger generation. Read more>>

Amie Easton

I actually never thought I would pursue a career as an artist until I was in my early 20’s. I always enjoyed drawing for people and making people laugh, so I often drew funny cartoons for my friends and family. Growing up without any real connection to the internet or cell phone access until I was 19, I started to turn to painting to fill any slow times and cope with any life stresses. Art was so relaxing, I pursued any course I could afford, from Radio announcing, illustration, live drawing, marketing, graphics & car decals and 3D animation for game designing. If I could enrol, I did. Read more>>

Drew Ashworth

It was my dream from as far back as I can remember to make a career out of performing and creating music. My parents say I was singing before I was talking and loved to dance even as a baby. My dance skills have since faded but, I got pretty good on the guitar and people seem to enjoy it when I sing. Reality meant that until 2017, I kept a job that paid my bills. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to be in a position where I can focus on music as a career. It was not always the case. Read more>>

Deontae Henderson

I discovered my passion for a creative path professionally during my junior year of college. After realizing my dream of becoming a professional athlete might not happen, I embraced my love for reading and writing. Inspired by my mom’s suggestion, I decided to write a children’s book with a message about chasing dreams despite obstacles. That’s how “TO THE TOP,” featuring the determined turtle named Koa, was born. Writing became my career focus, allowing me to inspire young readers with meaningful stories. Read more>>

Mel

Since I was about 13 years old, I enjoyed being creative. I wanted to paint even though I wasn’t skilled at it and I loved to write poetry and short stories. I fell out of love with the creative arts until I was about 18-19 years old and I was introduced to Photography. I actually graduated college with my BS in Photography but I didn’t know I wanted to pursue this professionally until my last year in college. I just loved creating and it was a form of healing for me and to be able to freely express myself. Read more>>

Cadex Herrera

My earliest recollection of being fascinated with the idea of being and artist was when I drew on the blank pages of my moms encyclopedia collection. A library she held dear for they were the only books we had in our house. She had bought them at a sale from the local deacon in our town of Benque Viejo Del Carmen in Belize. We were a family of limited means and paper was a luxury that we couldn’t afford. The encyclopedias had blank pages in the front and back and I used them to sketch all my creations until she found out. Suffice to say she was not very happy and after being reprimanded for my artistic transgressions she bought me a line exercise book that I immediately filled with drawings. I was entrance by the idea of invention, creating images that would transport me to other worlds that would isolate me from the hardships of our daily life. Read more>>

Alyssa Ryan

I have known that I wanted to be an actress since I was 3 years old, or so I’m told by my family! Acting has always been a love of mine and I always hoped to pursue that professionally. Life takes crazy twists and turns so my path hasn’t always been an easy one but I have been steadily working towards making this dream a reality more seriously since 2018. My work with OPT has allowed me to become more involved with the theatre community in Columbus and I have been able to pursue my acting with several other local companies in film and theatre. Read more>>

Sarah Liz Bell

I’ve known I wanted a career in the arts pretty much since birth! Both of my parents are artists, family members on both sides are heavily involved in the performing arts, and I grew up surrounded by theatre and music. My dad was the Technical Director at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio and took me and my sister to many rehearsals; the theatre students were basically our babysitters. I performed all the time at the church where my mom works and any chance I could get at school. I just found so much joy in performing and creating with others, I couldn’t envision my life without it, so pursuing the arts professionally was a no-brainer. Read more>>

Tom Sarver

I attended Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia in the 1990’s. I wanted to learn every craft they offered but eventually gravitated towards painting. There wasn’t a lot of crossover between the departments back then. I also started work in a subject that the school didn’t offer — puppetry. It started as doodles in a sketchbook. Then paper cutout characters. Then I found a bunch of scrap wood and made a whole collection. I made paintings from arrangements of these characters and started performing crude shows where characters struggled through the awkward moments of life. Art school was an incredible experience. I may not have learned the most practical skills, but I gained the confidence to realize large-scale independent projects later on. Read more>>

Shana Boatswain

There’s a hotel in new york called The Plaza. At 5 years old dreaming of packing bags, jumping on planes, living at the plaza with my family, owning a restaurant, and becoming the next member of the Mickey mouse club. That’s when I knew my life was meant to be different. Sitting on my roof on 91st Street Brooklyn, New York, sketching the sky line or writing poetry. The creative Gemini I was born into has always meant to be more than what society deems average. Read more>>

Shane Bond

I was about 10 years old and my father had my twin brother and I sit down and watch Austin city limits with Stevie ray vaughn and after seeing that, guitar was all I could and still currently think about. Read more>>

Sherina Mikasa

I knew I wanted to be an actor, comedian and filmmaker at a very young age. All I loved to do as a child was play. I like to have fun and make people laugh and when I learned that you can do that for a living at the age of 7 years old, I decided that that is exactly what I am going to do and I’ve been in the pursuit of it ever since. Read more>>

Thom Whitney

For me, this is something I have always known. Although, I would say that everyone says they want to be an artist until they find out what it really takes to earn a living that way. Looking back to my college days, I made a declaration to myself that I would find a path in life that allowed me to be creative no matter what. I have always loved art of all kinds and I had an upbringing that exposed me to art, engineering, story telling & archeology. These have been reoccurring themes that have shaped my life and career choices. Read more>>

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I was about 8 years old, although, I didn’t know which direction to take. I grew up singing in the church, which strengthen my love for music and singing. I also took various music-based classes including chorus, gospel choir, secondary applied voice, and orchestra. When it comes to the cosmetics direction, I watched many beauty influencers on YouTube in the early and mid-2000s like Jackie Aina, Youkeyy, MalibuDollface, and Misschrissyjaye. YouTube was almost like a school for me, with each and every creator teaching me different techniques and tricks. I learned how to hand stitch my first wig and cut my first crease from YouTube creators. They inspired me first to become a makeup artist and wig maker/stylist, then a professional content creator. Read more>>

Shirley Yvette Coppet

As far back as.Elementary School, being introduce to crayons and paint. That opened up a whole new world for me. Growing up in a low income house hold full of love never knowing the struggles of not having because my hero was my mom, she always found a way to fund my creative mind. I remember always wanted to grow up and live that Bohemian life. After high school and working for a few years I ended up joining the military and put my painting on the back burner for twenty years, fast forward military retired, full time abstract artist. Read more>>

Marre Gomez

Since i was a small kid i lived in my own world and i always knew i wanted to be an artist. i was different than everyone but i knew i had a power in me to change the world and help people. Read more>>

Jeongmin Koo

I’ve been painting since I was young, when I couldn’t remember exactly. If you show even a small picture to your parents or friends, you will like it or pay attention to it. After seeing people’s reactions, I was also excited and wanted to draw more. But of course I didn’t know that I’m going to pursue that as my future career. I had many dreams before I was 15. I wanted to be a Taekwondo player, a baseball player, and a robotics engineer. However, the fun and passion to work hard for them did not last long. So I was thinking about what job I really like and can last for a long time, and I vaguely decided that I wanted to work in the animation industry, thinking about the past when I liked animated films. I prepared a portfolio to go to a high school that specializes in animation, but it failed. Read more>>

Remy Norasingh

I knew ever since I was a little boy. My father is a musician, and growing up we always have a studio setup at home. So I would watch him, record his artists and make their music, but he only let me watch. “Or so I thought” when he wasn’t home, I would sneak in there , and jam out, make my own music, and dream of having the world jamming out to my creations. Read more>>

Deanna Stanton

There was never an exact moment I can point to of when I knew I wanted to pursue dance professional, I just knew that I loved dancing and creating choreography and I never wanted to stop. I started dancing when I was 2 1/2 because of a doctor recommendation for my hips. I created my first piece of choreography with I was 12. I auditioned for the Baltimore School for the Arts for High School and was accepted into their dance program. I spent my freshman and senior year here & learned so many tools not only as a dancer but a choreographer as well. I had incredible teachers that believe in me and encouraged me to continue creating choreography. Read more>>

Carmen Einfinger

I was born in England but raised in Brazil, where my parents’ separation occurred when I was just four years old. Sadly, I never had the chance to see my father again. At 19, I made my way back to England, and at 24, I embarked on a new chapter in Canada, specifically in Toronto. It was during my time there that I began to explore Primal Therapy, while also urging my mother to share details about my father. Read more>>

Ashtin McNicoll

Oddly enough, I accidentally started my business. To sum up a very long story, one of my best friends died while we were in Kenya together on New Years Day in 2018. I came home with survivor’s guilt, so I was completely heartbroken while also being jet-lagged. At the time I lived alone, it was 2 months before my wedding. I woke at 3am one day and just started painting again. I had been an art student at LSU originally but ended up switching to Child & Family Studies (as a more affordable choice). I was just painting things on my camera roll, like my new home I would soon be sharing with my husband in a few months. That got attention by everyone who came to visit. I painted people’s homes as gifts for Mother’s Day that year, posted in on Instagram, and by December of that year I had painted over 90 orders worth of homes and buildings. In that time I made a business Instagram and the ball just kept rolling. Here I am, 5 years later. Full-time gig. Read more>>

Martha Lubbers

I’m not trained as an artist, rather creating has always been an innate part of my being. My parents were musicians, my mother’s father an artist, my grandmothers were women with multiple creative outlets. I think I got my first camera at 10, wrote my first poem, and learned to knit around the same time. My school path focused on the literature side of my interests, while art was just something I did in the margins. When our boys were born, my inspirations were channeled in that domestic vein – even my job was at a yarn store, where my knitting skills were put to use. I continued to write poetry in my spare time, but it wasn’t my priority. Read more>>

Kelly Phelps

I have the unique experience of having an identical twin brother whom I shared nearly everything with. From the very start we were always very creative and making things with our hands . The problem was we grew up in an artless factory town. Growing up in the mid west there was a certain expectation to take the factory jobs that paid a decent living and that became your livelihood. At the time if your parents worked at factories like GM, Ford, Chrysler or the local steel mills and foundries they could get you employed and your career would be set. Read more>>

Siquoyia Blue

At the age of 16, I had a profound realization that I yearned to embark on an artistic journey. Although I had been singing since I was 12, it wasn’t until I reached 16 that the notion of pursuing a career in music truly struck me. It felt as though the universe itself was beckoning me, urging me to inspire and reshape perspectives through the power of music. Read more>>

Shawn Boissinotte Alexis

I always knew since I was a kid that I wanted to pursue the career of an artist. I was always this imaginary child perceiving a multitude of things so in a way I knew I was always going to share my gifts with the world I just didn’t know in what capacity. It became serious for me when I was I started rapping at around age 17 and being fed up with the mundane way of life and deciding I want to create my own reality and not live in someone else’s. Read more>>

Jeff Kristian

I was four years old when I saw the cover of Death of Superman in 1992. The anguish on Lois Lane’s face as she held a lifeless Superman blew my four year old brain straight out of my skull. I had never seen such raw emotion depicted in a comic book, or anything really before. Even though I was too shy to speak, I knew at that moment that I wanted to be an artist. I would use my art to move people the way that image had moved me, without ever having to use my voice. Read more>>

Amanda Harris

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path the moment I laid eyes on the vibrant world of cartoons on Nickelodeon and Disney. A spark ignited within me when I was 8 years old, but I knew deep down that my destiny was intertwined with the realm of creativity and artistry. Those animated characters and their captivating stories became my muse, fueling my passion and setting me on a path towards a future where I would proudly collaborate with the very companies that had enchanted my imagination. Read more>>

Sean Barragan

In middle school, at the suggestion of my peers. I had been drawing since I was about 2yrs old and by the time I was 13 in middle school, I had gotten pretty good. Many times my classmates would stop to marvel at what I was creating and would tell me I should sell my art. At 13, I then postulated that I’d have my business started by 2015 and I did! Read more>>

Hyunse Kim

Since I was a kid, I’ve always had this deep love for traveling. It’s been an incredible way for me to explore different places, uncover amazing stories, and gain all sorts of new experiences along the way. I truly believe that each adventure I’ve had has given me opportunities to learn and grow. As I went through life, I started getting really interested in fashion. It kind of crept up on me and became a big part of who I am. That interest pushed me to follow my creative and artistic path. Going to Parsons Fashion School opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. Read more>>

Jorion Dawson

I remember I was 13 years old and I still had my goals set for being an engineer. However, I still played saxophone and really liked jazz. Jazz had always been a big part of my family. We would always listen to smooth jazz on the San Antonio radio 101.9 on Sunday mornings. I don’t remember the exact date, but the radio station decided to have a smooth jazz festival at The Mall of the Americas. The night we went, I remember that I had a really rough day and I had been dealing with personal issues that I couldn’t seem to get through. We get to the concert and every artist there blew me away. Each one had a different voice, but you could feel the emotion leave their instruments as they played. That concert not only made me forget about the day I had and the issues I had been dealing with, but inspired me to love music the way I do and become the musician I am today. Now I play music with the intent to bring joy and inspire others the way it did for me. Read more>>

Suleika Luna

Since I was young, I’ve always been interested in all things that push me to create. From painting, writing, acting and even jewelry making. As I got older, I tried to take a more serious approach and it didn’t fulfill me as much as my creative hobbies did. I’ve love following artist and lifestyle creators on YouTube and thought if they can do it why can’t I? So I stopped overthinking about it and a little over a year ago, started taking my content creating seriously. Read more>>

Sam Blasko

I grew up singing and knew it was something I would always want to do. One particular day in a voice lesson, my voice coach explained to me artists’ and singers’ didn’t always write their own songs. She told me to go home and look at my CD’s to try and find the songwriter credits. I was absolutely shocked that in most cases it was entirely different people writing these albums. It was then I realized I wanted to be a songwriter. Read more>>

Noor Ul Hannan

I believe I have been a creative since I was a kid. I was always drawing, painting and even experimenting with fashion design. Even though, I did not receive any formal training in the field of Visual Arts until after high-school, I was always working on it in my own time, whether helping my loved ones with their businesses and marketing or even simply picking up a camera and other tools I could attain, just to create and capture the essence of my experiences. Belonging to a brown family and culture (I was born and raised in Pakistan), almost swayed me to study and practice in the field of Computer Science/Engineering. Read more>>

Sydney Key

I remember watching the WIZ as a kid, particularly the scenes of the actors singing and dancing, and thinking, “That’s me. That’s where I belong.” As a Professionally trained Actor with over 15 years of experience and 23 years in Dance, I love the connection between performer and Audience. As a theatre Professional, I have dedicated my life to the craft and understanding the tremendous love and devotion that is behind my choice. In this Profession to be in theatre and film, it requires an enormous amount of work and sacrifice and it is often difficult to maintain life and work balance. Being an actor in Film and Theatre is mystical, magical, compelling and consuming. In my Field my job is to connect people and take them through an odyssey of emotional experiences. Read more>>

Brandon Epps

I first knew I wanted to be a singer-songwriter for in 4th grade when I first saw the Usher “My Way” video. I knew then that I wanted to sing, dance, and travel the world doing music. Usher has been one of my main inspirations and as a child seeing him in that video definitely inspired me to pursue music. I’ve always been a singer as I grew up singing in church choirs, but his music inspired me to step outside the box of church and pursue music in a broader sense and on the world stage. Read more>>

Frank Dambra

From an early age, I have possessed a heightened sensitivity to auditory stimuli. The moment I first encountered a minor 7-9 chord as a child, I vividly recall experiencing a surge of warmth and inspiration that coursed through me like an electric current. It was around the age of 15 when I made the conscious decision to wholeheartedly dedicate myself to music. However, at that time, it felt more like a possession than a mere disciplined effort. I believe that for many musicians, the emotional response to beauty acts as a catalyst, creating an outward appearance of discipline when, in reality, you are fully enraptured in the essence of the art itself. Read more>>

Lucas Elliott

When I was 13, my parents, aunt, and uncle took me, my sister and my cousins to DIsney World for vacation. I was already drawing a significant amount by this point, and my parents thought it would be a good idea to take me on a tour of the animation studio there. I remember walking in a hall way with viewing windows above a large room. In that room, all of these artists were drawing at their desks. Our guide told us that they were developing artwork for an upcoming feature film and that they while they couldn’t reveal the film, we had an opportunity to see all of these amazing artists hard at work. After that they took us to a large room with an animators drawing desk up on a stage. From there we got to watch someone draw all sorts of disney characters. Read more>>

Keely Irvine

I started playing around with makeup toward the end of high school but never really took it seriously then. I moved 5 hours away from my hometown for college and decided to start posting my makeup looks on social media. I wasn’t good at it, I still needed a lot of practice. But I loved it so much. I spent my first year far away from home getting some missing science credits before becoming a full time dental hygiene student. With the start of covid, I found I had a lot of free time on my hands since I didn’t have to go anywhere. I practiced makeup in between those science classes, and I felt as if my makeup skills were improving very quickly. Read more>>

Arundhati Pethe

I have always been an artistic kid in my classes. Doodling in my sketchbook, drawing comics, and making my classmates laugh have always motivated me. Every time, I have tried to excel in capturing the lighter moments of daily life. I have gifted caricatures to my professors after long lectures, which have made them smile, and this has always felt like a small successful adventure. While growing up, I watched many animated movies that motivated me to channel my inner creativity in various ways. My liking for art inspired me to pursue architecture as a teenager. Read more>>

Betting on the End

For all of us, we have been a part of a music project since we were pretty young. At some point early on, we all realized this is more than just a hobby or something we would do for a year or two and hang our hats to reminisce on our youthful days of being in a band. We know that what we are doing in this project resonates with people, and that we put our hearts and souls into what we are writing, which people see. The passion behind it is really how we know this is what we should be doing with our live. Read more>>