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.

Yiyi Liu

“When I’m on stage, playing with my bug-filled, glitch-ridden game and creating electronic noise, it hits me—I was born to do this!” I’m an artist who uses game bugs to create audiovisual performances. My interest in glitch art began with my failures in game development. Every time I see a model twitch uncontrollably on screen due to a faulty physics algorithm, I realize it has the potential to become a strange, uncanny visual experience. Read more>>

Alisa Stern

I loved creating art when I as growing up but I was also very interested in science and always assumed I would follow that path and study science in college. I took some advanced science classes in high school including an independent study class where I got to come up with a project and spend all year working on it. My project started as a serious research paper about zoology but ended up as an multi-media presentation full of illustrations and animated graphics of animals. I realized that even though I loved science, my favorite part of this project had been creating the art so I decided to pursue animation and film in college instead of science. Read more>>

Bailey Dejonge

After graduating college I pursued a career in the field of my degree, About a year or two into working full-time, I found myself looking around and not feeling inspired. There wasn’t anyone around me who’s job I wanted, I felt no desire to push to the next level or climb the corporate ladder. After some serious self reflection, I discovered that I was in the wrong room. During this time, I met my now boyfriend, David, who had found a way to create a career out of his passion. It was the first thing that attracted me to him and what has always inspired me in our relationship. I wanted to feel just like he did every day: waking up with a clear purpose and drive. Read more>>

Marika Simon

Since I can remember I was always looking for ways to entertain. Being an only child inspired my imagination and my creativity, I knew growing up that I wanted to tell stories to the world. The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally came when I was very young. I remember being absolutely mesmerized by storytelling—the way it could transform reality, evoke powerful emotions, and even make you feel like you were experiencing something completely otherworldly. Growing up, I was that kid who was always staging little performances, immersing myself in characters, and creating stories that brought magic to everyday life. Read more>>

Melody Yasaman Baha

I grew up performing from the age of four, singing and acting in front of family and friends. Whether it was in musicals, recitals, plays, or my school drama class, I was always on stage, and I loved every moment of it. Performing felt completely natural to me and became a vital form of self-expression. Since I struggled to share my feelings with others, I found my voice through performance. Read more>>

Tia Louise Cooper

After a few years of working within corporate America and feeling “bored” after while, I realize I need and crave a creative working environment. I need to do things that are fun, stimulating, difficult, challenging and makes me feel whole at the end of the day. This is why, now I wear many hats because just staying the same and staying stagnant doesn’t serve me nor does it help me to become the best version of myself but when I feel pricked, challenged, pushed, I then become into WHO I AM and WHO I’m supposed to be. Read more>>

Britney Orina

knew I wanted to be a creative before I knew what being a creative was. Being a first-generation Kenyan-American, I was raised with the expectation that I had to be a doctor, nurse, or lawyer. Despite that, I frequently found myself drawn to creative pursuits. From imagining visuals to the songs I’d listen to on the radio, writing scary stories in my journal, sketching outfits on a book of croquis from the book fair, to creating furniture, houses, and clothes for my dolls growing up. Despite being told to steer towards academics, I realized that my passion for different art forms could be channeled into something bigger. Read more>>

Monet Anais

I was 13 years old and new to my church choir. Sure, I sang in musical theater and my mom tried to give me voice lessons (was really shy and resistant), but here my growth began because of my choir director. She saw something in me, started giving me solos and soon invited me to the recording studio to sing on children’s albums. The first day we recorded in the studio, I recall getting a check at the end of the day and I was absolutely shocked. I had no idea I could have that much fun, do what I love, and make money for it! This gave me confidence and fueled my passion to pursue a career in entertertainment. Read more>>

4dj

The first time I knew I wanted to really pursue, my artistic path professionally. One day I found this beat on YouTube. I went to my brothers home, whom had a home studio. I asked him if he’d make a song with me. I let him hear it, he then asked what I had in mind. When he first heard my verse he was hesitant. Due to it not being what he was use to. I leaked the song on social media unfinished. Pressure was created after I gained fans asking me to finish the song. That’s how i gained my artist name 4DJ Read more>>

Dana Bloeser

From a young age, I loved anything beauty related! Starting at eight years old, I would rummage through my mother’s makeup and hair collection, experimenting to recreate looks from my Seventeen magazines. By the time I was 11, my passion had turned into a career aspiration when I began assisting with hair and makeup for my older sister’s friends for their homecoming dances, proms, and other special events. Read more>>

Lauren Burke

I’ve always been a creative person, growing up I saw my mom sew all of my Halloween costumes and flip furniture. I was the kid rearranging my room and asking to redecorate any chance I could get. When my husband and I renovated our first home I realized how much I love interior design. We always had the dream to custom build so when the opportunity came I was so excited to design everything myself. As we were nearing the finish line we decided to forgo a lot of trim extras, like beams and accent walls because the costs just kept adding up. My husband is handy and assured me that he could make whatever accent walls I wanted happen. We moved in and weeks went by. In early 2020 as a stay at home mom, I was busy with our three young kids and my husband with his full time job. Read more>>

Adeana Berry

As an only child, I spent a lot of time in my own world. While other kids were busy with Barbie dolls, I was all about drawing, playing with Play-Doh, and trying out different art ideas. I think I always had this natural pull to create, and my family totally supported it. They’d sign me up for art camps, classes, and proudly put my work up around the house. The moment I knew I wanted to go pro with art actually came later, in high school. I remember visiting Savannah, GA with my family, and they casually asked if I’d thought about college. When they pointed out the Savannah College of Art and Design, something clicked. It was like, “Yes, this is it!” I suddenly knew art school was where I belonged. The idea that my creativity could be my career was a lightbulb moment, and it felt amazing. From that point on, I knew I was all in—art was my path. Read more>>

Kristen Reitz-green

I have lived a life in the arts but not the path I thought it would take. I spent my early life in pursuit of a career in classical music as a french horn player. I’m a graduate of the Hartt School of music and the Juilliard School and spent years traveling the country performing with broadway show tours before settling into Seattle and becoming a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. I also taught horn at several universities. It wasn’t until I had a major health scare and a move to Vashon Island that I began to consider visual arts. I had two small children and needed to make changes to accommodate that, so I took a year off of my performing engagements and took my first art class at the age of 40. Read more>>

Sophelia

Music has always been a big part of my life. I started playing classical piano at age 4 and one of favorite childhood memories is the many sleepless nights of my mother playing piano outside my bedroom, trying desperately to get me to sleep. Our house was filled with all kinds of music—from The Rolling Stones, Santana to Madonna and ABBA. The moment that made me realize the power of music was when I saw Rent for the first time. I was in the front row, sitting right next to the speakers, when they started off blasting “Seasons of Love”. What I felt there I had never experience before and it became and obsession, an addiction trying to feel like that agin. I’ve never been an outspoken person, I definitely prefer to listen instead of talking so it’s through music I express myself, my thoughts and feelings. Read more>>

Joël Brodovsky-adams

I can’t identify a moment so much as a period of time. I completed a post bachelors studio certificate in ceramics at NSCAD University in Halifax, Canada. This was my first experience attending formal “art school” and my time there was pivotal to my career – my work transformed from small scale functional table ware to large scale sculptural work. Prior to this program, I imagined I would be a production potter, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to devote myself to it full time. This program lit a different fire in me, I knew I wanted to commit myself to making the work I started to develop there. Read more>>

Fernando Tosetti

When I was a child, storytelling fascinated me. Like any other kid, I loved hearing stories, watching movies, reading books and magazines—whatever the source, as long as a story was being told. I’m Latino, born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, where storytelling is second nature in our family. On my dad’s side, my grandpa, or vô, would teach me important life lessons through fables and short stories; on my mom’s side, my uncle would take me to movies or art museums. Little did I know how profoundly these experiences would shape who I am today. Read more>>

Gary Curtis

I’ve been a fan of standup comedy since I can remember. I always considered myself the entertainer of the family. When I was in elementary school, I would fall asleep watching BET’s Comic View. But growing up in New Jersey, with no ties to entertainment, it seemed unrealistic to even think of pursuing that path. When I got to college, I rose in the ranks with a couple friends as the premier party promoters. From meeting so many people and putting on different events, people begin inviting me to host shows. One night, I was invited to host the City’s Annual Step Show. And as I stood on that stage and made a sold out theater of over 2,000 people laugh multiple times, I realized that it was the most natural I’d ever felt and the most fun I’d ever had working. The next day when I went into my banking job, the security guard said, “What are you doing here? I saw you on that stage last night. That’s what you should be doing.” I said, “You know what? You’re right.” I called my friends who moved to LA for music and told them I’d be moving there in a month. Read more>>

Tony Kim

I started pursuing animation right after I watched Frozen. Before that, I had no idea about the CG industry. I didn’t even know it existed, and I hadn’t watched much 3D animation at the time. But Frozen was a massive hit in South Korea, and I had the chance to see it. I wasn’t into Disney princesses or even animation in general, but I immediately fell in love with the movie. Everything from the animation to the backgrounds was so creative and beautifully designed to serve the story. Before this, I had studied and worked in the fashion industry. However, I didn’t realize how much paperwork was involved as a fashion designer, and I found it wasn’t for me. When I started to worry about my career because of this, watching Frozen inspired me to pursue a more creative path specifically, in the animation industry. Read more>>

Jennifer Desantis

I have always felt comfortable, like I could BE myself when creating art. I remember feeling this way as a child, drawing, coloring, painting, and crafting. Collage came to me at a specific time in my life, and I needed to do something healthy and constructive with my hands – my whole self really… So, here I am in 2010, finally ready to kick some really bad habits… and I started collaging at a relative’s house. They had scrapbook papers, a piece of cardboard, glue, and a TIME magazine, and gave me permission to play with it. I had dabbled in collage before, loving the creation out of destruction mode of operating, and once I started, I found I could not, and did not want to stop. I was working part time at Edible Arrangements, and had little money, and got most of my materials at the Dollar Tree and Big Lots/Ocean State Job Lots at this time. Read more>>

Maria Prussing

For as long as I can remember, Ive always loved drawing. In school my favorite projects were always the ones that involved creating art or stories. A core memory I’ve always tied back to wanting to pursue art professionally was one day in middle school, there was a local art contest my school was holding. Of corse I joined and created something I was very proud of and was certain I would win at least something if not first place. Once the results came out, I ended up winning first place! One of the judges came up to me and my mom who was there at the time to not only congratulate me but stressed to my mom that I absolutely needed to pursue this as a profession or I would be wasting my potential as a young artist. Having an adult tell me that it was possible and encourage me struck me to my core so much that I decided that from then on out I would try to take art more seriously so I can work my way up to a professional level. This was always just a hobby for me but the thought of being able to draw and create stories for a living excited me knowing it was now a possible dream to attain. Read more>>

Adriana Luzzatto

For as long as I can remember, creativity has been as natural to me as breathing. It wasn’t a single moment that defined my path; rather, a collection of small, defining moments drew me to a life filled with art and ideas. Growing up, I was always creating. Drawing, painting, crafting—anything I could find became a part of my projects. I remember designing my own birthday cards, creating posters for imaginary movies, and turning my bedroom wall into my own evolving gallery. In school, I’d weave creativity into everything I touched. My teachers would smile and say things like, “You should really consider art as a career,” and their words became little signposts along the way. Read more>>

Rene Guitarrista

When was the first time you knew you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally? Give us the backstory, so we can understand the context and the circumstances and re-experience that moment with you. Hello. My name is Rene Guitarrista, and I am a professional musician. I create the music, write the lyrics, and play lead guitar with my three-piece band, the Hedonistic Punk Vatos. We are from the DFW, Metalplex in Texas and we only play original music, no covers. I emphasize this because it is much harder to create new, original music, than it is to cover a song or sound like someone else, and this differentiation is a source of deep pride for me. Read more>>

Joshua Carter

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path professionally was in 2016 when I started working on beat tapes. I had always been a fan of artists like Alchemist, J Dilla, and Madlib, whose work inspired me with their ability to push boundaries and tell stories through their sound. At that time, I hadn’t created anything of my own but felt an urge to contribute something fresh and meaningful to the hip-hop landscape. Read more>>

Tina Pollard

The more time I spent working with the silver and stones, I fell in love with designing and creating one of a kind jewelry. My marriage was coming to an end and I knew I wanted to pursue being a jewelry designer and creator full time. My jewelry was selling at markets, festivals, and events. I knew it could possibly work for me, so I got out and worked hard and hustled with social media. I have taken two classes/sessions of silversmithing and want to continue to learn and grow. My jewelry is available in six stores. My online store/website is currently under construction. Read more>>

Ivy Delacy

When I was four years old, I played a Sega Genesis for the first time at a family member’s home. I was instantly hooked on the bright colors and silly cartoon charm of Bubsy, a 2D platformer featuring a cat who attempts to defeat alien invaders that want to steal his collection of yarn balls. On my next birthday, I fell at school and sustained an injury that required stitches. When I awoke in the hospital, groggy from anesthesia, I was presented with birthday gifts: a Sega Genesis of my very own, along with the Lion King and Aladdin games. I was thrilled. I didn’t even want to go to my birthday party that evening; I wanted to go home and play my new games! (But I put on my pink princess costume and went to my party, nonetheless.) Read more>>

Zay!

I actually started making music when I was in college. I was making these goofy rap songs for fun, and then this guy I knew told me he produces and asked me to get in the studio sometime. And by studio I mean the closet in his dorm room haha. I didn’t really know if he’d be any good, so I reluctantly said yes. I ended up being really wrong, and he ended up being really good, so we had a lot of fun just creating different tracks. The turning point was when we made this one song called “It’s All Luv”, which is released by the way. After we finished that song, I knew we made something really special, and for the first time I felt like an artist and not like I was just messing around making songs. Read more>>

Fleur Optekamp

My journey into a creative path began in the early 90’s during high school. I moved from Munich, Germany, to a small, quaint town in Virginia. The change was significant; transitioning from a vibrant city brimming with various inspirations to a quiet Southern town where the beautiful river was the main inspiration for creativity. That was quite an adjustment. My interest in visual arts had always been encouraged by worldly and charismatic mother, who took me often to different art museums globally. I began to realize that I was ready to create art myself. Upon starting at my new school in Virginia, I enrolled in a studio art class taught by a stylish, enlightening, and influential teacher. She encouraged me to explore various art projects and introduced me further to both modern and historical artists. Read more>>

Tuti

I guess it’s kinda hard to pinpoint exactly when I wanted to pursue this artistic path..Music has always been with me from young and even in my teenage years in high school me and my best fiend would make music together and I would hand out mixtapes at school trying to get people to check us out. When I was about 19-20 I started making music on my own and I guess that’s when my own fire started. I was getting a lot of good feedback on instagram and I kinda just went even harder after that. Read more>>

Qian Wang

My journey towards becoming a composer began during my high school years. At the time, I was primarily a pianist, but one day, I found myself pondering a simple yet profound question: What would it be like if someone else were to perform my music? Driven by curiosity, I attempted to compose my first piece on traditional sheet music, emulating Mozart. This sparked a creative journey that soon led me to my first production experience on my iPad, using GarageBand. I vividly remember creating an electronic dance track, and the sense of accomplishment that came with completing it was overwhelming. It was then that I realized I was bringing something into existence that had never been in the world before—a unique and exhilarating feeling. Read more>>