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.

Cobus Nell

As a kid, I always wanted draw. In kindergarten our teachers always given us coloring drawings of cars, trees, dinosaurs, etc. for us to learn draw inside the drawing. Read more>>

Gabe Lopez

I knew when I was five years old. There was just something about the way that music felt to me. It just felt completely like the right path. Read more>>

Yiyun Chen

I moved to the States with my parents when I was 20 years old, back in 2008. Very similar to other Chinese immigrants, we all started out working at a restaurant or grocery stores. Read more>>

Kehinde Mayowa

Although I was born an artist and I love making drawings right from my tender age, but I never knew I could pursue it professionally until one day, when one of my grandfather’s friends came to visit and he found me making drawings from books illustrations. Read more>>

Melanie Matthews

I knew from a very early age that i wanted to persue an art based career, of coarse at that time maybe at 13 or 14 years of age I had no idea what form that would eventually take. Read more>>

Yazmin De la Torre

I was born in a magical town called Jerez, in Zacatecas, Mexico, a place where natural beauty and history are harmoniously intertwined. Read more>>

David Urbanke

I loved the arts from a very young age. I’m an only child, and spent a lot of my youth drawing. I was fortunate to have supportive parents who encouraged me to be creative and enrolled me in art classes as well. Read more>>

Victoria Johnson

It may sound strange, but I have found that I never needed to pursue a creative path; it has always been an intrinsic part of who I am and what I am called to do. Instead, I needed to learn how to step into this calling boldly. Read more>>

TAHARA ROBINSON

From a young age, I knew I wanted to be part of the entertainment world. At around four years old, I was already participating in school dance recitals, and plays. Read more>>

Sarah Beim

I ended up in film by accident. I went to a vo-tech hoping to do theater for writing but I didn’t end up auditioning because I didn’t want to act and while I love theater, the program wasn’t a fit. Read more>>

Arsh Pal

Arsh Pal is a 14-year-old artist and philanthropist. I started my journey when I was 8 years old. While exploring various hobbies my lean was always towards artwork. Read more>>

Becca Stabile

I was nine when I was in my first school play. I was cast as Molly in “Annie.” I was so committed to my role that I would stay in character, even at home. Read more>>

Heidi Minghao He

Choosing the path of tech art is not easy. It is a challenging yet exciting journey, especially as a foreigner sustaining a living in a foreign country. Read more>>

Alexander Poone

When I was about 9-10 years old, my friends and I in school used to make our own versions of games that weren’t available in Lesotho. Read more>>

Kimitra Black

Unfortunately I was raised by a television by day and by dancehall clubs at night. I was lonely a lot of my younger years so I looked to media, The Lizzy Maguire movie turned my world into a frenzy. Read more>>

Aaliyah Lane

At a young age I always appreciated art. From 7th grade up to my Senior year in high school I always took an art class but high school was the start of me getting into writing. Read more>>

Mykal

I knew at a very young age I wanted to do something creative with my life . Music has always been something of interest to me , because my father is a songwriter and a musician. Read more>>

Ed Gage

When I saw the movie Back To The Future as a little kid, I immediately wanted to pick up a guitar and act in movies. That movie alone changed my life as a kid. Read more>>

Christian Ward

I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path several times in my life. The time that sticks out to me most is when I was eighteen. I had just graduated high school and my father said he would send me on a trip. Read more>>

ASHER YELO

I started producing when I was 11 years old on GarageBand simply because I found such joy in creating sonic landscapes and worlds I could dive into. Read more>>

Kyle William Harper

My parents were married to other people when I was conceived so my birth created two divorces, and I was never really part of either side of the family and I grew up mostly on the street. Read more>>

Terrance Smith

I have been an actor since I was eight years old in theater. I got my start at The Springer Opera House here in Columbus, Georgia. I went to college at Columbus State University, CSU, and I majored in Marketing and minored in Theater Arts. Read more>>

Betina Fink

In college I took some art classes and got hooked. Through the camaraderie of my professors and studio friends I began to love the experience of being a painter and of making a life somehow in the arts. Read more>>

JIngyi Han

When I was very young, I developed a fascination with drawing, often picking up a paintbrush and scribbling pictures on the walls. Read more>>

Ellie Martin

I think I’ve always known that I was going to be an artist. By chance, I was born into a small lineage of artists, including a couple of grand-uncles who made their names in children’s books and wildlife art. Read more>>

Yan Jiang

Since kindergarten, art has been a constant in my life, but it wasn’t until high school that I knew I wanted to pursue it professionally. This change came when I met Mr. Matthew Hug. Read more>>

Lana Medicine

As I began to age, I gradually fell into who I always meant to be. Throughout my life, I have always been extremely expressive and animated. Read more>>

Larry Maynard

I have been in the creative arts for most of his life. While serving in the US Navy, I advanced my photographic skills while visiting and traveling throughout Europe. Read more>>

Jacy “Prolific” Jones

I used to get in trouble for reading, and writing when I was a kid. I’d get in trouble in school for reading in class because I wouldn’t read the lessons. I would read the “Fun” books. Read more>>

Ryan Cleaver

Growing up, I always knew I didn’t want to work an office job. Spending time at my mother’s job made that perfectly clear to me, I needed something more fullfilling and meaningful to me. Read more>>

Arizah Thompson

The moment I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the arts was way before I acted on it. During my junior year of high school I took my first photography class in addition to being in choir, theater, and fashion design. Read more>>

Syante

Be it sandpainting in elementary school, calligraphy-ing, writing “novels” a la Enid Blyton, or even “tattooing” my classmates with gel pens, I’ve always been drawn to the magic of art. Read more>>

Freddy Centeno

Freddy Centeno, better known by his stage name “DJ MARKANO”. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, he currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. Read more>>

Charlotte Fenton

I have many people and experiences to thank for why I got into acting and filmmaking. When I think about how this all came about and what sparked my passion and love for this industry, I think back to my childhood. Read more>>