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.

Kerry Lee

When I paid the first extra’s talent after working a project for me Read more>>

Unchu Littlefield

To be honest, this current path in life was a bit of an accident. Read more>>

Skye Dumont

When I was 3 years old, I heard a Chopin nocturne for the first time and I remember vividly that’s when I knew I loved music and wanted to create it forever, in which I have been unwavering. I had one of those mini keyboards with music built in, and one of the pieces was Chopin’s Op. 9: No. 2 in E-Flat Major. I remember playing it over and over again because it had such a profound impact on me, even at that incredibly young age of 3 years old. I was deeply moved by it and absolutely fell in love with classical music in particular. Another moment I remember is being 5 years old and my grandma was playing Beethoven’s 5th symphony before dinner (she would always play Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and I remember running around her house and pretending to “conduct” it. I felt that energy and passion flowing through me and I couldn’t help myself. What’s more is, it wasn’t just a child “playing around” it was a genuine connection, raw emotion and deep understanding that transcended age and everything else that was day to day “real” life. For me it felt like becoming one with the music. Read more>>

Jay Tha King

I’d say I first realized I wanted to pursue a professional creative career my Junior year in High School. That’s when I became “Jay Tha King”. I remembering practicing freestyling and creating songs prior but never thought I’d begin recording them over a microphone. It was during my Junior year an artist by the name of “Lil Snupe” passed away. He inspired me to chase my dream and master my craft from his talents alone. It was then I began rapping for others at school, whether in the bathroom, locker room or during weight lifting training. It became something I was doing daily and noticeably becoming better. Soon after I recorded my many songs with just an iPhone- however the computer I started with crashed so I had to start all over. During that time I learned about soundcloud from some other artists at school, collabed with one and released my first song ever. Its been a journey ever since. Read more>>

Anne Depasquale

As a child, I intuitively knew I was destined for an artistic path, and it remained my sole career aspiration. My passion for design was solidified at 14 when my mother, a high school acquaintance of Betsey Johnson, introduced me to her iconic Soho boutique, and I was struck by the kaleidoscope of colors and energy, cementing my desire to build a design career in New York City. Read more>>

Destiny Basnight

Modeling, acting and music have been my dream since I was small child. I always loved to entertain and put on a show. When life was hard , it was amazing to escape into my art, become some one else or put my hurt in my music , my testimony. The Stage feels like home but I’ve grown a passion for film. Here in Indianapolis just 2 years back I finally connected with a promising group of actors called the cre8tors. Working with writer and director Eric Washington, I’ve been in about four stage plays and I’m currently working on two film projects. Which helps sharpen my acting skills and land me a role in a film film called out the gate written and directed by Jm and Benjamin. I’ve done some extra background work on the popular TV show the Chi. Read more>>

Dana Donnelly

The desire to create was reawakened in me during my own reawakening that I call my mirror moment. Six years into an abusive relationship after 2 years of contemplating how I would leave, I looked in the mirror and finally saw a glimpse of myself. I had an epiphany moment, I literally said to myself “You were made for more”. It was in that moment that something in me had woken up, the blinders came off, and I realized I had been living the past 6 years or more of my life as a heavily watered down, unhealed version of myself. That day in early 2018 was the first day of the rest of my life. Between 2018-2020 while on my healing journey I found my purpose unexpectedly in the midst of trying many different jobs, I realized I am here to empower others. This is where the idea to become an entrepreneur in personal development industry was born. Read more>>

Tom Day

I grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis. There I was equipped with a lot of creative outlets that a lot of kids don’t have access to. My parents enrolled me in art lessons with a local artist named Carol Conrad. Her instruction artistically propelled me forward to be well prepared and to be as excited about the visual arts as possible. This is when I knew I’d never stop creating! Read more>>

Maya Shoham

I find myself telling this story quite frequently recently, which I’m happy about, it’s always important to remind yourself why is it that you do what you do. Well… if I have to think of one specific moment… I was 5 years old, sitting on my grandparent’s bedroom floor and watching “The Sound of Music”. I have to admit, I haven’t seen this movie in years, and I can’t remember every plot detail or song, but what I can remember is how it made me feel. I was hit with so many emotions, I cried, I laughed and burst into song and dance with Julie Andrews. I couldn’t believe something could make me feel so much, and it became very clear to me that I wanted to do the same. I wanted to be able to make other people feel. Read more>>

Adrianna Taffel

I was born on a Friday the 13th and my initials spell “ACT”, so I like to say I was cursed to be here… I’ve known I wanted to be in entertainment from a very young age. As a kid, I remember forcing my parents to rewatch famous movies over and over again so that I could pause the TV each time to write down their monologues. At the same time, I would terrorize my poor grandmother and some stuffed toys into acting in plays that I created weekly. I’ve always known I wanted to tell stories and have been very lucky to have a family that supported me in this. Read more>>

Kelly Kasle

In the state of Texas, 6th graders are given the opportunity to pick an instrument to learn in band or orchestra. I went to instrument try-out night to pick an instrument, and similarly to Harry Potter’s wand choosing him, the bassoon chose me. I perfectly fit the profile of a bassoonist – tall, skinny, long fingers, brunette, good at math and science, a bit quirky and endless curiosity to know “WHY.” Read more>>

Naylah Campechano

I was born in New Jersey to a loving hispanic family who played music all the time and for me I feel like that impacted my mind so much since I was little. Listening to different sounds in the music was so mesmerizing to 3 year old me. Something about music made me feel so full of life and color. I remember when my parents bought me my first microphone, a plastic pink one and a pink keyboard, to me that was the best gift I have ever received. I would always dress up and sing along in the mic to the Christian songs my mom would always play. One thing that has had such a huge influence in my career is pop music. When I was 4, I had discovered the song “Break Free” by Ariana Grande and that basically changed my life, I knew what I wanted to be, a pop singer. Read more>>

Akili Ni Mali

I first realized I wanted to pursue a full-time career as a recording artist through my passion for acting. I began acting at around 8 or 9 years old and discovered how much I loved evoking emotions in others through art. Theater and storytelling allowed me to educate and move audiences, and some of my most profound life lessons and healing moments came from specific songs or scenes in movies and plays. My love for music was influenced by my parents, who played a variety of genres at home—everything from jazz and R&B to funk and rock. It wasn’t until I received my first guitar at 12 that I developed a passion for songwriting and recording. This desire to create my own music led me to analyze the musical elements of my favorite tracks. I began to appreciate musicians in a new way, admiring how they could transform studio recordings into something even more magical in live performances. At one point, I considered pursuing musical theater, but I realized I thrive artistically when I’m writing my own music. Read more>>

Yiru Xue

I first realized I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally through what felt like a quiet but profound nudge from fate. In high school, after casually sketching in my notebook during class, my teacher, who had been watching me for a while, pulled me aside and suggested I consider studying art. It was as if she saw something in me that I hadn’t fully recognized yet. Until then, drawing had been a quiet joy, something I did without thinking too much about its future. But her words stayed with me, echoing in the back of my mind. That suggestion felt like one of those small, unexpected moments that, like a marble in a Rube Goldberg machine, set everything into motion. When I shared the idea with my parents, they were more supportive than I could have imagined. And so, without realizing it, I stepped onto the path that led me here—to the world of illustration and storytelling, where I found my true voice. Read more>>

Katie Birenboim

I’ve known I wanted to work in the theatre as long as I can remember. The story goes that at two years old, when my grandparents took me to see my first show, a regional production of Peter Pan, I cried at intermission, because I thought the whole experience was over. I have been trying to make that feeling last (way past intermission) ever since. I was hooked! I started by doing community theatre, mostly with an amazing organization called Play Group Theatre, that never, ever talked down to us kids or “dumbed down” the material, and taught us to respect every single person who has a hand in the theatrical process (a lesson that has served me well in my career thus far). As I got older, I always knew, however, that it would be really tough to forge a professional career in the business. Read more>>

Alvin Jimmy

I was 11 years old when I was first exposed to skits being uploaded on YouTube. I remember seeing Ryan Higa’s parody of “Never Say Never.” I loved the video so much that I always wanted to do something similar and entertain people. In 2011, a famous viral Indian song called “Why This Kolaveri Di” broke YouTube records in India. My friends and I decided to make a parody of that song titled “Why This Kolaveri Di for Failures.” We uploaded it to YouTube and shared it with our close friends and family. Although we knew nothing about singing, shooting a video, or editing, our friends and family appreciated the humor we conveyed through our lyrics and the effort we put in as a group of 13-year-olds. Read more>>

Choni Ribeiro

I’ve always had a deep love for art, influenced by both my mother and aunt. Though neither of them pursued it as a career, their passion for creativity always resonated with me. I never thought I would follow that path either. My academic journey took me in a different direction—mechanical engineering—where I earned a master’s degree. Throughout school, I used to draw in class frequently, but when freshman year of college became more demanding, I stopped doing so. Read more>>

Dale Cizmadia

I think everyone has that one ‘aha’ moment, but for me, I’ve been lucky enough to experience three. The first was when I was just two or three years old, walking out of E.T. and starting to cry. I didn’t fully understand why, but the film had such an emotional impact on me. The second was at 13, seeing a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cleveland Playhouse. I left the theater feeling inspired, and it hit me—if I could create something that made others feel the way I did that night, I’d be fulfilling some deeper purpose. And the third was watching Clerks. It was a game-changer. Seeing people talk like my friends and me on the big screen completely shifted how I thought about movies. So my work draws from this blend of magical realism, showtunes, and that raw, relatable dialogue you see in Kevin Smith’s films. If you look at the shorts I’ve created, you’ll find those influences woven throughout Read more>>

Triggerrun

Life in music started at an early age. In general, the members all grew up in the church including singing in the choir and leading youth services, etc. However, it was not until high school that TRIGGERUN would begin to make their presence felt by appearing on the stage of the World renown “Showtime At The Apollo” and change the world of Hip-Hop with an eclectic dance ensemble that would reintroduce Hip-Hop dancing world-wide and dance spin-offs like America’s Best Dance Crew, You Got Serve and Stomp The Yard! Read more>>

Louisa Foong

I’ve honestly known since I was a kid that I wanted to follow a creative path. Music has been this constant thread throughout my life—I just loved it from the start. My earliest memories are of being completely absorbed by melodies, tapping rhythms on any surface I could find, and just getting lost in the sounds. I would memorize the lyrics to songs after listening to them just once, and it felt like the music just clicked with me in a way nothing else did. My family was a huge influence, always surrounding me with different kinds of music. My parents and grandparents would sing along to Chinese classics, and our house would constantly pulse with Malay/Indonesian tunes, Bollywood beats, and the latest pop hits. It was like living in our own little international music festival, and that exposure really shaped how I see music today. Read more>>

Shilpa Johar

The moment I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally wasn’t sudden. It was a series of experiences that gradually revealed themselves over time. Growing up, I was always fascinated by stories and the way they could transport you to other worlds, but the real shift came when I was studying Psychology and Journalism. During that period, I was learning to understand human behavior and communication, which made me realize that storytelling was more than just a pastime, it was a way to connect deeply with people. Read more>>

Kayden Simpson David Simmons Iii

Kayden: It honestly predates back to when I was a young kid. When I was in middle school, I filmed vlogs with friends and family and posted them on youtube. I was inspired by my favorite creatives at the time, like Latoya Forever and De’arra Taylor. I edited my own videos, released them in a timely manner, and was dedicated to showing my everyday life as a middle-schooler. Fast forward to my first year of college, which was so life changing, the experiences I went through encouraged me to start a podcast. I wanted to share my wisdom, personality, and swag everywhere I went. Read more>>

Leah Laiani

I first knew that I wanted to become a rapper and do music when I was 3 years old. I would go around the house rapping and trying to freestyle. Read more>>

Isaiah Santiago

Growing up in the Spanish pentecostal church at a young age I was always exposed to music, it was not until my parents joined an evangelical church (that follows most of the same practices of the pentecostal church, without all the strict “rules”) that I was able to join and perform in services, theatrical plays, and worship. I enjoyed performing whether it was acting, or pantomimes, dancing, etc. My love for music started in the church as well, I was exposed to multiple genres and styles of music, and it wasn’t until I was in charge of choosing music for prayer nights that I realized I wanted to become a DJ. I loved the power I had when mixing music, the control of the crowd and how music moves people to feel. Read more>>

Dani Guillory

I have always been creative since I was a little girl. I always found different ways to express that side of myself, whether it was through talent shows, painting, drawing, or anything else that drew in my attention. So being involved in art in some way, shape or form has just been a part of me always. Of course as I grew older, thinking of acting or any type of creative career just started to seem like such a far fetched idea. Once reality hits, bills come in, real life happens, thinking of expressing myself creatively and following that type of dream starts to feel like it’s “just a dream” or like it’s something you just do for fun but you can’t take it serious because life is serious. Read more>>

Colin Shotts

When I first moved to Nashville, I was a film, creator and photographer. I’ve always had a passion for music, so naturally, I surrounded myself with the up-and-coming artist of the area, and tried to make as many connections as I could. This led to me having more and more time behind-the-scenes as far as being in the studio and watching the whole process unfold. I often got to be backstage and see all the inner workings of a musical artist. This was the first time I decided to pursue this as a career for myself. I saw firsthand that if these guys could do it then, so could I, especially with my given skill set. Read more>>

Tyra Green

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I was age 12. At age 12, I started Gymnastics and months later I was introduced to Track and Field. I met the Track Coach and started my journey as a Track athlete. When I turned 14 years old, I use to receive monthly Fashion Magazines in the mail and I fell in love with Fashion and Modeling. A year later I signed with my first Talent Agent. Today, I continue to train and compete as a Track Athlete for Atlanta Track Club along with booking Modeling jobs, as I have recently signed with (V Management Group). Read more>>

Tristan Butler

I always knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry but not in the way I’m doing it now. It all started in my senior year at Norfolk State University at my internship. The internship I enrolled in was with a local TV show in my area called BME Presents. During this internship I learned that this was not only a TV Station but also a record label. After I graduated college I continued to hang around and learn from the executives on the label and learned from them and started to travel with them and participate in different music industry events they were apart of. Once they signed an artist I started to build a solid relationship with him and my career grew from that point on. Read more>>

Hellene Alabi Williams

When I made crotchet purses for my female family members and they were all so happy Read more>>

Austin Young

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I had gotten ahold of my grandfather’s RCA video recorder, and that’s when the spark for filming took hold. It was around the time Saving Private Ryan came out, so naturally, I became obsessed with making war movies. With no editing software, I had to get creative, using two VCR units to chop Hollywood explosion scenes into my home footage. That process of making something from scratch really got me hooked on the whole creative experience. Read more>>

Zulfiqar Ahmed

I first realized I wanted to pursue a creative path during my teenage years, but the signs were there long before that. My mom filmed a lot of my childhood on a VHS camcorder, and looking back now, I see how significant that was. Watching those tapes with her made me appreciate the importance of preserving memories and creating new ones. Ironically, it laid the groundwork for what I’m doing now with music videos, as the hints of my future were there all along. Read more>>

Michelle Slavik

I took my first dance class when I was 3-4 years old at daycare. I bawled my eyes out at my first recital and did not want to perform. If my parents had to predict my future at that moment, they never would have guessed I’d become a professional dance artist. After my short stint in dance as a toddler, I dabbled in the usual sports such as basketball, softball, soccer, and gymnastics. As the youngest child I tried everything my older sister and brother did. Read more>>

Cynthia Álvarez

Since I was a little girl, I knew that makeup and creative artistry were my passion. One of my most vivid memories is a Christmas when I was 9 years old, and my dad gave me a Barbie makeup set—a toy, of course. I would often spend hours in front of the mirror, trying out different looks and immersing myself in makeup tutorials. As I grew older, my passion didn’t fade; in school, my friends would line up for me to do their makeup for events, always saying, “You do it so beautifully.” Read more>>

Larrissa

I grew up in my church choir but never considered myself a singer. I danced competitively until college, then the title morphed into NCAA cheerleader. Outside of movement, my expression was mainly channeled into poetry and theater until August 2023. Last summer, my marriage was falling apart and the upright piano in my living room was my only reprieve. Turning poems into songs helped me navigate heartbreak. Once I learned how to write a song, I couldn’t stop. Read more>>

Jungmin Lee

When I was a child, I liked to spend time drawing on textbooks and behind of calendar papers. I liked to play with my younger siblings by taking videos of mock up news, music videos, singing, dancing, and acting in a living room as a family concert. At that time, this open mindsets and fresh way to see the world inspire the present version of myself want to keep this spirit of childhood, which I hope to share that energy with more people through my art. I enjoyed thinking in my head and imagine the fantasy world with characters. Dream is a big part to me where I feel free and curious about what happened during the sleep and past. From these interests, I wanted to pursue a creative path, such as television show producer, product designer, and animator. Today, I hope to explore diverse art and design fields as a maker. Read more>>

Caitlin CJ” Jones-Basler”

I guess this is a good place to start, because originally I was on the path to becoming an Anthropologist with a focus on culture and cultural diffusion before switching my major in college to Studio Art. I have always loved drawing, I grew up in a rural area of northern California. A “more cows than people” kinda place. I Loved horses and started working at the age of 13 at a nearby stables to help pay for my own horse’s board and feed. I loved to draw the horses. Being far away from people I had a lot of time for drawing, painting and reading. Often drawing or reading while at the stables waiting for a ride back home before I could drive. This may also be why I found a love for the study of human cultures around the world, I could read books about places really different from where I grew up and I wanted to learn more. Read more>>