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.

Molly Brandt

There were many moments in time prior to entering college that I thought about the prospect of being a creative and pursuing music. I eventually decided not to major in music in college to instead pursue politics and economics. Read more>>

Brianna McCabe

When it comes to writing in general, I’ve been told that I’ve always had a “gift” for it by my mom and teachers throughout my entire life (though I never really believed them due to Imposter Syndrome, I suppose) – but I don’t think that I ever actually considered that I could do something with this creative fire within me until college. Read more>>

Ashley Lane

I knew I wanted to start a piercing and jewelry business after I had a horrible experience with a tattoo shop. I had been running my own nail business for 8 years and as much as I loved it, I was looking for something to add more variety. Read more>>

Jeremy Bradford

Growing up, I was one of those kids who’d tell people that I wanted to be a filmmaker. But the first time I really knew it came at the end of my senior year of high school. Read more>>

Bruce Helander

As a grade school student growing up in Great Bend, Kansas, I had an extremely difficult time academically and could barely achieve a passing grade in typical subjects like reading, writing and arithmetic. Read more>>

David G. Brown

IInitially, the appeal of creating art was a journey of self-expression as a means of exploring my identity, beliefs and values. Secondly, as I developed my skills, I found it allowed me to challenge social norms and inspire change. Read more>>

Joshua Ginsburg

I first knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally while I was in high school. I grew up in Las Vegas and began playing trumpet at the age of ten. Read more>>

David Navarro

The ah-ha moment hit me just over twenty-five years ago, but my professional creative journey began as a progression of incredible happy accidents.  Read more>>

Sierra Lee

I’ve known I wanted to be an artist my entire life. I’ve drawn since I was a kid and dabbled with paints here and there but always enjoyed creating for as long as I remember. Read more>>

Scarlet & Geoff Gross

Our path to a Merlot Embargo was long and winding. We had both been musicians since college, “professional” to one degree or another. Read more>>

Camille Bright

The moment I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts professionally was during my junior year of high school when I attended the New York Film Academy acting summer program in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Adele Billotte

Hello everyone! I’m Adele, and I’m thrilled to share a bit about myself and my journey in the world of dance. Currently, I’m a student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City, where I’m living my lifelong dream of becoming a professional dancer. Read more>>

Kev Martinez

I was 19 years old when I did my first live audition. At the time, the thought of auditioning terrified me. But for some reason, I felt a pull… I had zero expectations of actually getting casted, and reasoned that if I didn’t get in, at least I could cross it off my bucket list. Read more>>

RJ DeMarco

I knew I wanted to pursue music when I was in middle school- I was always kind of picked on by other kids, and I honestly found my community with the music nerds (because I that’s exactly what I am!) Read more>>

Fanny Grande

Born in the United States and raised in Venezuela, Grande’s artistic journey began in her youth, laying the foundation for a career that would earn her recognition as a three-time Imagen Award nominee, along with a plethora of accolades for her contributions both on-screen and behind the camera. Read more>>

Isabella Griefer

I was very creative from a young age. I loved drawing, playing with my mom’s sewing machine, and writing. However, there was one thing I’ve always been obsessed with; mermaids. Read more>>

Tulio Sasaya

I’ve always been a bit on the fence about pursuing content creation as a legitimate career. I grew up in an immigrant household, so ideas of prioritizing education and going down a more traditional career path were deeply cemented in me.  Read more>>

Gian Marco Dela Cruz

I was always a fan of creatives and the arts before even understanding that it was possible to pursue it myself. In middle school I taught myself how to dance just by copying all of Chris Brown’s moves in all of his music videos like “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “Run It.” Read more>>

Elaina Whitesell

Joey: I was fourteen, homeschooled in rural Pennsylvania, and playing guitar at least 2 hours a day. It was the early days of YouTube and somehow I found videos by people like Pomplamoose and Alex Goot who were making music, seemingly all the time. Read more>>

Allen Barooni

It all started in my junior year of high school when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I took an art which taught me about various materials and techniques in art. Read more>>

Lizley Avila

Realizing that I wanted to pursue a creative art path professionally was a gradual but undeniable realization. My family and I moved to the United States from Mexico when I was very young.  Read more>>

Tyler Browne

I remember partially by recall and partially as was told to me by my grandfather, that when the marching band paraded through Mainstreet at Disneyland, I climbed up on top of a dining table and began dancing. Read more>>

Mikaela Holmes

Performing has been a passion of mine since childhood. I was incredibly shy as a kid, but that quickly changed when I discovered my love for singing, acting, and dancing. Read more>>

Omaru Washington

My eldest sister Jenneh was a big part of my creative journey and realization that I wanted to create art for people to wear. She owned a big tailoring shop in Monrovia, Liberia where she would design and sew for the most influential women. Read more>>

Iron Gulla

Music always been a huge part of my life. No matter what I was doing it was always a way to express how I’m feeling. A way to escape from reality many times and create my own and a way to manifest. Read more>>

Chasnie Houston

Coming from an artistic/ musically inclined family I knew I was going to end up being one or thee other. An actress or a singer. Read more>>

Caroline Allen

I was in my 20s after graduating with a journalism degree. All I wanted was to land a newsroom job, fight the good fight, give voice to the voiceless. Read more>>

Benedikt Sebastian

From a young age, I was immersed in a world of creativity on our family farm in Nelspruit, South Africa. The vast landscapes and diverse cultures surrounding me sparked my imagination. Read more>>

L. Trey Wilson

I don’t know if there was an actual first time that I recall. It feels like it was always a part of me. I was an only child so I was very accustomed to playing by myself. Read more>>

Arthur Gay

I was a teenager, maybe seventeen, when I first discovered that film was not just as a medium of pure entertainment but an artistic medium. Read more>>

Kelinda White

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was when I was very young—I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember. Read more>>

Kiri Hartig

I knew I wanted to be in front of the camera on my very first day of High School. The morning announcements were broadcasted on every tv in school each morning, and I saw a girl on screen sitting behind a desk telling us about the pep rally after lunch in the gym. Read more>>

Cynthia Quiles

I always knew I wanted to be a performer but growing up as a free-spirited and feisty Puerto Rican kid in the South, the path to Hollywood wasn’t always clear. Read more>>

Dylan Duff

When I was a kid I was always captivated by movies and TV. I would get lost in the worlds that they created and dream of where I could fit into them. Read more>>

Marcy Mahoney

I’ve been writing and drawing since I was little. If we rented a movie and I loved it, I would watch it over and over and then draw/write the story out after my parents returned it to the video store so I would be able to revisit it. Read more>>

Jason Koharik

I have always been creating. A creator. A maker. An artist … it took me a very long time before I was comfortable saying that word about myself. “Artist” — I realized as I made my way along my path, I never had to quote “ Find myself” others around me would say those words as if they were searching for something. Read more>>

Obet Rivera

I love music as far as I can remember, I always love lyrics that says something to me and melodies that can evoke emotions. Read more>>

Jennifer Oliver

Hello, My name is Jennifer Oliver. My passion for being a creative artist stems from an innate desire to express emotions, ideas, and stories through visual and tactile mediums. Read more>>

Jailan Williams

At the age of 16 I decided to commit myself to a career in music. During that time, I was a junior at South Florence High School located in my hometown Florence, South Carolina. I was a trombonist for my school’s marching band and concert band. Read more>>