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.

Nicholas Lee

As a child, I always felt that my path in life would be in the arts. Although, I was not sure how one becomes an artist. As I got older, I learned how hard artists work for little to no pay. I decided to go to college for my undergraduate degree in Art Education. This decision was practical for me at the time. In my junior year of college, I decided to go on the New York trip on a whim. Read more>>

Sandra Bruce

I was 5 and I called everyone (Mom, Dad, my perhaps one of my two sisters) into the living room to announce what my future career would be. “I know what I want to do when I get older! I want to be a singer!” I did everything I could to train in order to support my ‘calling’. Read more>>

Aeon Cruz

I have always wanted to be an actress, since I was little and first watched the Disney Channel. I grew up taking theater classes and doing plays, but never really got encouraged by anyone to pursue my passions so I roamed aimlessly through life not really knowing what to do. It wasn’t until years later when I was playing music in a band and our manager asked me to be in a film project that sparked a whole renewed excitement and love for acting. It was at that moment in my life that I knew that’s what I had to do. Read more>>

Diana Custance

I think I’ve always sort of known that I would end up doing something creative. Using my hands and creating art always came a lot easier to me than certain other subjects in school did, so I quickly accepted that fate for myself. I think the hard part was finding that one art form for me. The one that superseded the others. I don’t know if there will ever be just one for me though as they are all so beautiful in their unique ways. Read more>>

Isabelle Chia

Towards the end of 2021, I was reflecting on the year and thinking about my goals for the upcoming one. As I pondered the question “Where do I see myself in 10 years?” it struck me that I’ve always enjoyed creating things with my hands, but why don’t I create things from hand anymore? I felt a strong desire for more, realizing there’s so much beyond what I can do with my laptop and tech tools like Adobe. Read more>>

Carolina Ballesteros

I have always been extremely creative since I was a little girl. As far as I can remember, I wanted to be an actress, a model, a designer, a singer, a dancer, and many more things I can’t remember now. The entertainment/fashion industry have always fascinated me. Read more>>

Tim Steinruck

I was 13. Growing up in a musical family I was always in a creative environment. We lived in a pretty remote part of Northern Canada and the thing I always looked forward to every week was performing with my family at our country church. Dad was the organist and my Mom was a Sunday School teacher. I loved singing in the choir. We would rehearse these “solos” that we’d perform prior to the sermon. Read more>>

Kseniya Janyan

I was very young. My deda (grandfather) was going through the unmerciful trials of colon cancer and it was very evidently taking its toll. His English was never good but he did enjoy American movies. The memory is a bit blurry but we were at home in Cairo, it was late into the night. I remember hearing a man’s laughter coming from downstairs. Read more>>

Jack Dunphey

I also knew I wanted to be in a band. When I was a little kid, I must have been no more than 3 or 4 years old. I told my now late Grandma, Evelyn Dunphey, that when I become a rockstar someday, she could come to all my concerts for free. I used to pretend to be in rock and roll bands when I was in Kindergarten, I remember walking around my classroom telling kids I was in a rock and roll band…called Green Day. Read more>>

Hope Smitherman

I’ve always enjoyed crafty activities but considered them just a hobby well into my 30s. It wasn’t until my husband’s career put us in a financially stable place that I was able to even begin to dream of being an artist full-time. When I was laid off in 2010, we decided that I didn’t need to be in any rush to re-enter the workforce and should instead spend some time pursuing my creative interests. I haven’t really looked back. Read more>>

Chandana Ramesh

I have been into art and have loved to draw ever since I was a kid and I’ve been told that whenever I was given some paper and coloured pencils, I would be engaged for hours on end. Initially, it started off as just a fun hobby with me half joking around that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. It was around my late middle school or early high school years that I started to take art more seriously and started looking into ways that I could turn it into a career and the different options that were available to me in this field. Read more>>

Becky Denton

I was in college when things began to stir about being a singer on a bigger scale. Read more>>

Camilla Gratton

I grew up in a household filled with music. My parents were both in the industry so I was exposed to many aspects of the music industry at a young age. I had tried musical theater as a kid and then really got into choir in middle and high school. Then I decided I wanted to keep pursuing music in college. All of those things affected my choice to pursue music professionally but, I still remember the exact moment that I decided I wanted to do it. Read more>>

Aaron Gilbert

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I first saw someone tuft a rug of a design they took off of the internet and how cool it looked once it was done. To make something from scratch that can now be used in your house as home decor is genius Esp when it’s a design that’s personal picked out by the customer. You never have to worry about making a product they won’t like, because each piece is personalized to them and chose by the customer. Read more>>

Taylor Pate

Since I was a little girl, I always knew I was an artist. Drawing with colored pencils and crayons, as most children do, became a source of happiness and self-expression for me. I remember in the second grade when my school yearbook selected my flower drawing, which I made during art class, for its cover. That was the first time I think I really felt pride and confidence in the art I was making. Read more>>

Your Best Nightmare

As a child, I was probably four, I decided I wanted to be a performer thanks to the femme force Britney Spears. It was around the time “Baby One More Time” came out. She could dance, she could sing, she could do it all; and I wanted to do that, too. I had her CDs; I had a Britney Spears barbie; I sang along to her songs; I even dressed up as her for Halloween one year. Read more>>

Yaya Ortiz

I started playing music when I moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts.I had just started playing ukulele at the time. I would go to open mics and busk around the city. I was trying to start an all girl band and at the time but Covid just happened and we had to quarantine. During that down time I figured it was time to learn how to play guitar. Once I picked it up I just felt so deeply connected to country music. Read more>>

József Gallai

Even as a kid I was a film buff, we had a lot of VHS tapes at home, but I first started thinking about making films and taking steps towards it around when I was 20. 2015 was a turning point, since then there has been practically no stopping. Read more>>

Yvonne Rojas-Cowan

My artistic spark ignited before I could even speak; my earliest memories are of me sitting in my father’s lap, mesmerized as he conjured a house into existence on paper, complete with a picket fence, dancing leaves, and chirping birds. I was hooked. I’d beg him to draw “the house” again and again, until one day, the clumsy crayon in my own hand began to echo his strokes. Read more>>

Antonio Heath Jr

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path as a career in 9th grade. I always loved to dance as a kid, but I didn’t become aware of my passion until 2009. When I was coming up in Michigan not many people around my neighborhood were into dancing the way I was. YouTube was by bestfriend. It was where I found my love for dance first. Read more>>

Sivan Raz

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had multiple career paths I was struggling to choose between. Both my parents are scientists, and I was always drawn to science in addition to the arts. And to history. And to travel. And to linguistics. And- you get the point. When I was in my final year of middle school, it was time to select majors for my highschool education Read more>>

Ryan Wilson

I’ve always been interested in music. I can remember growing up, hopping in the car with my mom, and her having the oldies station blasting on the radio. We would sing along to lots of Motown and The Beatles. There’s something about those 60’s melodies, and mostly innocent lyrics, that were very appealing and satisfying to listen to. Read more>>

Kim Albright

From a young age, I was very artistic but I went to a school that pushed math and sciences and felt I needed to pursue those subjects after leaving high school. I knew I was good at art and very creative and always thought I could tap into that as a hobby whenever I wanted. After studying Biology and then Architecture at university, I didn’t feel convinced they were my calling in life. I decided to take a break from studying and moved to London. Read more>>

Ashtyn Sibinski

Since a young age, and I mean young as in since I could hold a crayon or paintbrush, I’ve always found myself drawn to creative practices. Throughout grade school and high school, I took my art classes seriously and always honored the projects I was asked to complete. When I got to college, I decided it was time to learn everything I could from the art and design faculty and turn a creative hobby into a career. Read more>>

Kate Ebling

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative career as far back as I can remember. I began creating artwork with my mom at the kitchen table as soon as I could sit up and grasp onto things. I can vividly recall the colorful salt dough sculptures we would make, and printmaking with potatoes. I have so many great memories creating at the kitchen table as a kid. Read more>>

Trudi Nye

I have always been artistic, and have dabbled in all kinds of art designs and mediums. My favorites have been painting, calligraphy and wire/metal work. I originally wanted a hobby that I could do in my living room, to spend time with my (late) husband. I saw a ring on someone, couldn’t find any like it to purchase, so I decided to try to make it myself. And I did. I loved it. So did my friends, and that is when I decided to try to sell my designs. Read more>>

Jacquelyn Pileckas

I was really lucky in that I attended a performing arts high school starting at the age of 14. Before starting at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, I hadn’t really heard of opera beyond the famous Looney Tunes “What’s Opera, Doc?” short. Between our yearly trip to NYC to attend productions at the Metropolitan Opera and our productions of everything from Dido and Aeneas to Hansel and Gretel, I caught the opera bug. Read more>>

Jessica Giles

As a child I was fed a narrative that success is determined by financial status, wealth, and obtaining a certain social status. I excelled in academics and was led into pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. My entire life revolved around my studies, and a few years into this program I hit a mental wall. I did not feel like I was being true to myself, but I had no idea why or how to change that innate feeling. Read more>>

Laura Todd

I knew that I wanted to become a painter around the same time I was just learning how to read and write, so, I’d say early school age. When adults ask that question to children, “What do you want to do for work when you grow up?” a child’s response will nearly always be honest. A child’s mind isn’t preoccupied with how practical a job is or how much money they’ll make. Read more>>

Diego Fidelis

I think my whole life led me to this creative path I’m in now. Art and music have always stirred in my blood since I can remember. As a child, I used to draw on the actual surface of a big bright blue Formica table that my family had in the kitchen. I would fill this table with my drawings every day. The good thing is that my mom would clean this table every night, ensuring I would always have a blank canvas for the next day to let my creativity flow in the child’s universe: imagination, freedom and infinity. Read more>>

Doug D’souza

In the early stages of my career, I developed a passion for Engineering Mechanics. I was always curious about how things work and the mechanics behind them. However, my career path was disrupted when I faced an unexpected accident that left me at a crossroads. Read more>>

Dylan Duncan

I used to draw as a kid all the time. In fact, when there were drawing contests in school all my peers would say “well, Dylan is going to win anyways…”. Flattering, but I remained humble. I practiced every day in my oversized pad of paper, listening to movie soundtrack and coming up with ridiculous scenarios ranging from dogs hypnotizing cats to standing bears plugging a hunter’s gun barrel with his finger. Read more>>

Diana Angelson

I was 5. I decided that I had to go to America, and become an actress. Read more>>

Linwe Telperion

I’d been dancing for a number of years with a troupe, had more recently branched off as a soloist but was figuring out what I wanted to do. I did local festivals and a few private events but hadn’t yet settled anywhere. A good friend said “well you love the Renaissance faire, you should perform there” I never thought a faire would actually hire me, yet 2 months later I found myself performing at a faire. Read more>>

Alexis Marrero

It may sound cliche, but I’ve always been passionate about music. At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a singer and would sing all around the house for everyone. I began to write little songs and sing with friends at the age of 12 and at 15 years old, I taught myself to play the ukulele. We were on a family vacation, and I begged my mom to get one for me. So she decided to buy me one, and I started teaching myself “Riptide” by Vance Joy right in the hotel lobby. Read more>>

Rodney Johnson

When I was extremely young. I auditioned for an Arts middle school doing illustration, stayed for music and taught myself graphic design before I was in high school. There was no real plan B, to be honest. Drawing anime characters or making music were things I got to practice early and latch onto. Read more>>

RAJIV KHILNANI

I would say in 2013. While the first sentence of this paragraph sounds very simple, the truth is the process of coming to that realization in 2013 was fairly windy. I have been painting, exhibiting and selling my art for about 30 years now. Frist in my home country and then in the US since 2000, the year I immigrated to America. Read more>>

Quentin Garzón

I think my parents knew that I was gonna be an artist before I did. So when I say 7 years old they took me to see my first Broadway show: Les Miserables. I remember that I basically had the whole show memorized and when we went to see the show (in orchestra seats numbered 2-4-6… coincidence?) my dad said to me you can’t sing along with the actor’s. Read more>>

Amy Rimmer

From a young age, I knew art was going to be a part of my life. When I was in high school, I worked towards accomplishing achievements that would benefit me for an art degree. Upon graduation, I enrolled at a private university as an art major. As thrilling as it was, life threw me a curve ball. My grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was a crushing blow and changed my perspective on the world. Read more>>

Jack Schilder

I wanted to be an artist ever since I was a little kid. But I ended up pursuing a career in the engineering field. I discovered I needed money to live. So, my art was always more of a hobby than anything else. Now that I have been retired for almost 10 years, I have now become a full-time artist, and loving every minute of it. Read more>>

Charline Mahroug

There’s something rather strange about my artistic career: it was around the age of 14 (at the end of my secondary school years in France) that I learnt that there were possible studies towards the artistic world and, as a child who loved to draw, I followed this path without even projecting myself into an idea of a ‘career’, I always had this ambivalence that being an artist wasn’t a ‘real’ job because I didn’t know anyone around me who had really become one and I was told quite often that it wasn’t the way to earn a living. (Maybe it’s a very French thing to think like that haha). Read more>>

Carole Jones

Artists are born and then they are made. Two halves of a whole. Born with the gift and then honing that talent through training and directing that gift into something that is called “Art”. From a young age I was always attracted to the fine arts. Whether I was drawing, painting, building with clay or practicing hand embroidery, I was always in the midst of creating something with my hands. Read more>>

Bakari Hayes

This life was chosen for me. My mom did this too me & she didnt even know it. Read more>>

Nyjah Monique

It’s like I was born with a creative bug deep inside me. I knew that I had to ride the artistic rollercoaster. I went from designing trendy fashion pieces, playing musical instruments, or curating the ultimate playlists; my life has been a symphony of creative chaos. Read more>>

Yixuan Wu

It all started with my grandfather, an engineer and talented self-taught artist. As a little girl, I was always amazed by the quick yet lovely sketches he did in the corner of his notebooks. Inspired by the pure beauty of his artworks, I started my drawings next to his. Occasionally, he would ask art-related questions such as “You are such a thoughtful little artist! I like that face you created for your little mermaid… Read more>>