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.

Del Ro’Yale

I first knew that I wanted a creative path when I Around 12/13 years old. At seven years old. I taught myself how to play piano and write songs for fun, I also practiced songs that I like. Read more>>

Monica Ng

Growing up in an Asian household, it was expected that I’d study hard at school, get good grades and get a safe and reputable job as either an accountant, lawyer, doctor or some other office job. Read more>>

Keith Swanier II

My very 1st performance was at the JAZZ FEST which is 1 of New Orleans biggest events every year. To this point I had never performed before. I literally only had 3 songs recorded yet I had an hour on stage. Read more>>

Ethan Hauskins

It was embedded into me that I was here to be seen and help others feel seen. I always knew the path that I would walk would be encapsulated by the creative spirit. Read more>>

Megan Lassen

I think I first realized that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path when I was in grade school, all because of the art teacher! She was so nice and always had candy in her smock pockets. Read more>>

Tony Dinero

I was a teenager when I knew that being a producer was a path I wanted to travel down professionally. My pops would always tell me: “you have to network and know people” … and this is when I was in 8th grade. Read more>>

Matheus (MASH) Granjeiro

I started my musical “journey” at the young age of nine. I started playing piano and was first classically trained. Later on, I was playing more and more instruments, such as the drums and the saxophone at my middle school and high school concert and jazz bands. Read more>>

Cylla Senii

For me, I always knew that I wanted to be an artist since I was a child. I had a little scrapbook throughout school, and on the back, it would ask what I wanted to be for every grade. Read more>>

Torey Butner

I had a tiny inkling I would pursue an artistic path when I was small. Always painting (my messes at their best), always sculpting (play-dough was my material of choice), always drawing (walls were my favorite canvas), I’d spend my time coming up with new ways to entertain myself and my siblings. Read more>>

Naomi Gonzalez Kahn

Since I was a young child I was interested in the stage and films. Born and raised in Mexico City, I’m a Los Angeles based Production Designer & Costume Designer for film, TV, and live performance. I have twenty years of experience working professionally, in the performance industry. Read more>>

Alejandro Bonilla Jr

Between watching my father make paintings and comics, Then getting accepted into The High School of Art and Design like he did, along with discovering my passion for acting. Read more>>

Jen Diver

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path for my own well being starting several years ago, but the “professionally” part came sort of by accident in 2021. Read more>>

Runze Qiu

I first knew that I want to spend my life pursue a career of storytelling when I was in the high school theater club, which I joined only out of curiosity. Read more>>

Kyonna Floyd

I’ve harbored a deep passion for the arts from a young age! Initially, I viewed it as a pastime for enjoying with friends and expressing oneself. However, my perspective shifted around the age of 14 when I became heavily involved in my church’s drama ministry. Read more>>

Julie Brown

The last thirty years I have worked in the home cleaning and organizing industry. Growing up in a home with eighteen siblings, we always had chores, and house cleaning was a natural career path for me. Read more>>

GARY SCHOENBERGER

I’ve played music most of my life. I always sang. Read more>>

Ching Chung

Growing up in suburban Ohio it seemed that in between school work and lessons I’d find myself either with my nose in a book imagining the scenes in technicolor or drawing and making something seemingly out of nothing. Read more>>

Yimeng Sun

My artistic journey began in elementary school, where my parents enrolled me in art classes for fun. As I progressed through high school, I recognized my passion for art and sought a more structured approach to learning. Read more>>

Santiago Acebras

I remember perfectly the second I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It actually happened when I was a 13-year-old awkward kid. Read more>>

Cody Gill

I first knew I wanted to be an artist when I was 18 years old. I had a pretty unconventional childhood where I was thrust into the stunt industry at the age of 5 and pursued that until I graduated high school, I never really had a choice as to what my future would be. Read more>>

Wendy Burns

I would say that my first desire to be a professional singer/artist, was at the age of 16. I come from a musical family so I knew that a musical path was what I was born to follow and that I wanted to perform it professionally. Read more>>

Jonathan Meng

Music has always been a big part of my life, growing up I played instruments ranging from piano to trumpet to even learning how to play the drums. When I entered college I was pretty focused on my professional career but always had music in the back of my mind. Read more>>

War Pact

“Growing up having my dad play sick music all the time with me in the car. I remember listening to just the low parts of the song and I thought it was cool. I wanted to just hear that part only so I would listen to just bass tracks. Read more>>

Jamie Rodgers

Honestly, this is not something that I knew I would be pursuing. When I was younger around about 5 or 6 years old, I drew a lot. Later in my younger years, I started drawing clothes for my Barbie’s. Read more>>

Hunter Flynn

I left home after high school with a full academic scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University and decided to major in Biomedical Sciences with intent to become an Anesthesiologist. Read more>>

Vicki Perkowski

That’s a very good question. I was actually sitting at dinner with my daughter, Tiffany, one evening. At that point in my life, I had retired from being a high school teacher/administrator for over 30 years, and being a realtor for the last 10. Read more>>

Michael Allen

Like many comics artists I know, I’ve been drawing and reading comics for my whole life. I would sit and trace panels from different books in my notebooks and make up stories about different monsters that my friends and I would draw. Read more>>

Victoria Ippolito

I first knew I wanted to pursue acting at an extremely young age. I was lucky enough to attend performing arts magnet elementary schools and was introduced to theatre in kindergarten by my teacher, Mr. Boston. Read more>>

Aubry Pullara

I have always known that I was an actor and artist and that I was made to be that. From a very young age I remember going to plays and musicals, watching movies, and listening to music and how these all spoke to my soul in a way that I didn’t feel from anything else. Read more>>

Dylan Flaherty

Dylan: I have always had a very creative side, since I was a child. I used to draw, play piano and I started acting from age 10-18. But my true love was always music, even before I ever thought to pursue it, I loved it. Read more>>

Winston Williams

I remember watching Prince sing and play guitar, he had a movie called Graffiti Bridge in 1990.It was about love, music and pain. I knew then I would become a entertainer. Read more>>

Denzel Davis

I knew I wanted to pursue being an artist when I first started writing music I have fell in love with music I always used to listen to music I always used to be intrigued by music my family always to listen to music musicians in my family that play music so that’s how I knew I wanted to do music professionally is once I wrote my first song I fell in love with it Read more>>

Sicilly Cortez

I always wanted to pursue a creative path professionally but saw it more as a dream than a reality. Attending New York Fashion Week for the first time inspired me to pursue my dreams. Read more>>

Graham Mallany

My first semester at the University of Guelph Ontario. I was enrolled in a general arts and science program and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I was skipping every class except music, to practice guitar and watch John Mayer’s Neon (Live in L.A.) on youtube. Read more>>

Keith Long

I started taking art classes at the Junior School of the Art Institute in Chicago when I was seven years old. I remember, somewhat later, when a friend of my parents asked me what school I was going to go to, and when I replied that I was planning on going to the Art Institute, he looked puzzled, then said, “That’s a college, isn’t it? Read more>>