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.

Westley Smith

I fell in love with writing when I wrote my first short story in fourth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Applegate, assigned the class to write a Halloween story, and I got the writing bug from then on. It was the first time in my young life that I realized that I could create my own stories and didn’t have to rely on others to write the kind of things that I wanted to read. I could make them myself, so that’s what I did. Read more>>

Jordyn Cifone

I definitely knew I wanted to be connected with social media in someway shape or form. I’m now 25, since I was 15 I always got told I resembled Kylie Jenner, so I bought her very first lip kit when it was just LipKitByKylie I remember I got the shade Posie K, and then when she dropped one of her first eyeshadows the Burgundy palette i got that as well, then I decided to launch my makeup page.. I started diving into makeup really when I was 15! I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup yet so I would just play around in my room and one day I decided to post the look I made using Kylie’s palette and never in a million years did I expect her team to see it! Read more>>

Xin Yi Wu

I have always enjoyed doing art since I was young, Doodling and sketching on my assignments and test papers during classes was a way to pass the time. I wished to become an artist but I never dared to dream of becoming a professional due to the nature of being born in a conventional Asian family. I recall it was before high school when I watched a Korean movie called Along with the Gods and I was intrigued by the VFX and aesthetics. It wasn’t particularly related to what I want to pursue right now and it opened up my eyes to the entertainment industry. There was also an artwork done by a Japanese artist Akizone and I came across it on Instagram. Read more>>

Andy Michel

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was rooted in my childhood. Creativity has always been an integral part of my life, shaped by the times I spent crafting with my family. Those moments gluing, painting, and creating taught me that art wasn’t just a hobby; it was a way to connect, express, and build something meaningful. Read more>>

Meisha Brooks

I never dreamed of being an artist. It’s strange. Not out of lack of support, it just never popped into my mind. I have a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Harvard, spending time at MIT as well, specializing in humanoid robotics and prosthetics. At no point in college did I even consider pursuing my current career but something was always pulling me in that direction. One instance was my quitting of track. I was a champion D1 400m sprinter and decided to leave that behind so that I had more time to try musicals and other creative extracurriculars on top of my engineering course load (I’m working hard to turn those track star skills into action star skills so watch out world I’m coming!!). Read more>>

Tiffany Ratongaranto

There were two moments: The first moment was when I got my Master’s degree in France (I majored in Urban planning, a degree that has nothing to do with artistic field) and I was supposed to find a job. But to be honest, I was not seriously looking for…I just wanted to draw during that time and it felt so good to get back to my arts after a long time of not drawing! For the record, I lived in France for over 8 years and during that time, it’s like I had almost forgotten that I was also an artist. Deep inside me, I felt that something was off in my life and I realized I didn’t want to be an Urban Planner. So after graduation, the only thing that mattered to me was reconnecting with the artist part of my soul. Read more>>

James Taylor

Starting a photography business was never my primary goal. I had always heard horror stories and was even warned once that “it will suck your creative soul.” I understood why people advised against it—I had a strong artistic foundation, and they feared I might lose that spark. To combat this, I decided not to make photography only a part-time job. Easing into the business at my own pace turned out to be the best decision for me. I’ve always enjoyed variety in my work, so balancing creative projects part-time with commercial work has been a fulfilling approach. Read more>>

Dajah Callen

I’ve always been a creative person. Since I was a child, I gravitated towards drawing, arts and crafts, just about anything that involved making something. I’m not sure why, but I never thought I could be an artist full-time and make a living. It might’ve been the media depictions of the “starving artist” that deterred me when I was younger. However, once it came time to figure out what I wanted to get my college degree in, my mom suggested Graphic Design. I had never heard of it before but it was the perfect fit for me personality wise. During my final year of college, during the pandemic, I used some of my savings to buy an Ipad. Read more>>

Kimberly Redmond

My junior year of high school is when I knew that media was my passion. I started to look into different schools and looking into radio stations and television stations that I could possibly intern with. Read more>>

Gary Thomas

I’ve always wanted to be an artist. To live the life of an artist and have my art generate what I needed to live. My problem early on is I didn’t know how to do that. I recoiled from the business side and didn’t pursue the knowledge and skills I needed as a young artist to have any level of success or ability to sustain that. Read more>>

Alina Xu

When I was a year old, my family held a unique tradition to celebrate my first birthday—something many Chinese families do. It’s called the “Draw Lots” ceremony, where different items like an abacus, a pen, a toy, and snacks are laid out for the child to choose from. Each item is said to symbolize a potential path or interest in life. As the family eagerly watched, I crawled toward the items and picked up a pen. My relatives laughed and joked, saying I was destined to be a scholar or an artist. Read more>>

Sal Vance

When I first got into acting classes with John Homa, It really took my craft to the next level and really made me buckle down. Once I started to book work after taking his class I feel like I really hit a corner that made me want to do this full time and gave me a passion that I haven’t felt since playing sports. Read more>>

Jed Brian

I’ve always had the creative/artistic but for as long as I can remember. From drawing, preforming in front of people and storytelling I’ve always loved to be creative. My interest in making films was after I saw Eli Roth’s “ Hostel”. After seeing that film it inspired me to go out and try to make my own film which I later did. Read more>>

Ryan-oneil Edwards

I was blessed enough to attend a performing arts high school. While I wasn’t as musically, educated as a lot of of my peers, I found myself constantly thinking about my music classes and not so much any of my other classes. I loved full day rehearsals working through scores trying to figure out music sectionals breaking the music down and of course creating my own. I guess I knew from high school I wanted to pursue music or something creative professionally. Read more>>

Yiyang Shen

My name is Yiyang Shen; people also call me Robert. I am a professional editor now working in Shanghai. Before my career, I studied film editing at the School of Visual Arts, where most of my classmates and friends were full of creativity in making films. Read more>>

Marlene Slaughter

Art always took a backseat in my life. Like many other people looking to choose a career, I began my search with finances at the forefront. I decided at about 14 that I wanted to commit to becoming a pediatric anesthesiologist! I knew I possessed the patience, attention to detail, and empathy required to be successful in that career. I began taking pre-college courses in order to fast track my journey into the medical field. I researched and applied for numerous summer programs at local colleges and really set my sights on accomplishing my vision. Read more>>

Lindsay Clark

I was always drawn to writing, poetry and music from a very young age – so rather than deciding to pursue it professionally, it was something that landed more naturally for me and in some ways chose me. I was deeply interested and curious about it, so it was easy to spend a lot of time on it without really thinking about it. What I didn’t realize until much later was that I was choosing it professionally. Because I spent so much time with my own creative process and musical education, it simply became my profession because those were the skills and talents I had developed over so many years. Read more>>

Camthe1

I grew up playing the piano starting at the age of 3, so music has always had a huge role in my life ever since I could remember. At an early age I explored my creativity by writing original compositions at the piano, while also fully notating the pieces. I’d say this developed my discipline as an artist, and it’s something I carry with me to this day. Music just always came natural for me, so it was a gradual process over many years transitioning from being a classically trained pianist to the multi-genre music producer that I am today. Read more>>

Ryan Maw

I first knew I wanted to pursue Choreography on Film specifically from a Country dancing musical movie I assisted and danced on titled “Something Here” back in 2021. This was my second time working with Choreographer Paul Becker, who has choreographed Wreck It Ralph, Julie and The Phantoms, Disney’s Descendants, and many more. Witnessing his creative process of creating for camera absolutely blew my mind. I grew up a competition dancer, where you only have one front/audience while performing on stage. For TV and film, your audience can now be at any angle, any distance, and any tracking movement possible. Read more>>

Jonovan Godinez

Formed in San Francisco California, our band Project Haze is an Indie Alternative Rock band with a wide ranging discography that showcases its passionate love of music. We incorporates rock guitars and acoustic instruments with modern elements of electronic synths and drum machines. Come to one of our shows and you will headbang, slow dance, and laugh! We explore different sonic nuances and draws influence from bands such as The 1975, Coldplay, Tame Impala, Green Day, and much more Read more>>

Jesus Andres Pernia Acosta

Desde que tengo mis 10 años de edad mi madre y abuela iniciaron su negocio como vendedoras de joyería y bisutería, en mi familia siempre a exitido el Amor por lo artístico, lo hecho a mano! 2 de mis tías son diseñadoras y tienen sus marcas de accesorios en Venezuela que es mi país natal! Siempre me vi envuelto en este ambiente creativo! Cuando llegue a los Estados Unidos en el año 2017, descubrí en mis días de soledad! Que debía explorar y explotar ese gusto y el talento de crear y empecé con unos pocos materiales a crear piezas con “ sentido” como yo les llamo a cada una de mis creaciones! Read more>>

Nathan James

It all started when I was 10 years old, when I got my first CD for my brand new CD player at the time. The CD was of a boyband called Plus One whom I really enjoyed listening to as a kid. Listening to that album over and over again, is what got me started and interested in music and playing instruments. Read more>>

Marcus Knight

I knew very early on that I was always creative. From a very young age, I had assembled Broadway musicals in my brain. I was a keynote speaker for my action figures and Lego sets. I was creating full productions on Microsoft PowerPoint, with animations and soundtracks included. I was showing my friends short stories I had written in minutes. I was watching and consuming TV and movies that were made up of fun, fantastical stories that transported me to different realms, different universes, and different timelines. In every space that I was a part of, my brain went creativity first. Read more>>

Sara Secora

From a young age, I was always drawn to the creative side of life. What started as a passion for writing quickly expanded into painting, but the true turning point for me came when I discovered the world of voiceover. Although the path that led me here was an unexpected one. In 2011, I launched a YouTube channel where I shared my love for video games, focusing mostly on horror and indie titles, and occasionally unboxing nerdy collectibles. Read more>>