We asked some insanely talented artists, creatives and makers to tell us about when they know they were going to pursue a creative career.

Noelle Diane Johnson

I knew early on as a kid how much I loved theatre and performing. My early years consisted of pouring my energy into dance classes, vocal recitals, and school plays. The first time I was recognized for my talent on stage I was in 7th grade and got an award for my participation in theatre-related activities. In high school, my love and seriousness for the craft increased with more access to classes and after-school activities, and I decided to move to Philadelphia to be an actor. Read More>>

Ianthe Marini

I was stifled by perfectionism as a little girl. I was constantly getting in my own way refusing to practice (piano, flute, singing, dancing) if anyone could hear or see me making mistakes. We actually got a key to the basement of the church down the street so that I could practice without my family watching my learning process. Read More>>

Lucia Lee

I didn’t always think that I would become a professional artist. I actually studied STEM in college, got my degree and everything. I was never that excited about my studies, but in typical good asian daughter fashion, I resigned myself to live a life that was expected of me. I loved art, and did think about a career in it, but the adults around me convinced me that I just didn’t have “the talent” to succeed. Read More>>

Jasen Bellamy

At the age of 49, I walked into my boss’s office, sat down, and said, “I’m going to move in a different direction with my life, so I’m quitting.” Just like that. First, he laughed uneasily. Then he asked if I was serious. Then he asked what I was going to do. So I told him my backstory. Read More>>

J Rod Wald

I decided to go to college. That’s where I realized that my clock was running out before I had to grow up. That forced me to get serious about music as well as my career as an artist. But I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting in a history class my freshman year of college, and I was not paying attention. All I could think about was bright lights and sold out shows, and I was so convicted with a vision that I believed God had put on my heart. Since then, I have been very serious about how I can make my dreams come to life. Read More>>

Sarah Croibier

I think I always knew I was a creative person, before I ever even knew you could make a living out of it. I always had an attraction for things that stood out, sometimes out of beauty, sometimes out of disruption. I had a thing for things that forced you to look at them and have an opinion about it. Read More>>

Weizi Huang

I was sixteen or seventeen — that restless age when you’re suddenly expected to choose who you want to become. At the time, I didn’t have a clear plan, just a quiet pull toward something that felt bigger than myself. Conveniently, it was also around then that I found myself surrounded by stories — in films, especially. Not just movies, but moments — characters who felt startlingly real, scenes that clung to me long after the credits rolled. Read More>>

Torie Hilley

Ever since I was little, I was fascinated by science and nature. But I also loved art. I was constantly playing outside and always drew my own thing (I never colored within the lines). My parents enrolled me in every nature and art class for as long as I could remember. I even volunteered at local wildlife rehabilitation centers in high school and through college and started painting when I was 12. I continued these passions throughout my life and received a degree in Animal Science and Minors in Biology, Equine Science, and Studio Art from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California. Read More>>

RJ

The realization came to me in thanks to the persistence of others outweighing my own reluctance. My parents always pushed us to explore our passions, get involved, and be bold. I was a little Filipino kid living in a rural town an hour from Detroit. I was on the basketball team, of course. Also track and field for a little bit. Also the swim team for a hot second. I thank Mrs. Debbie Brown of Oxford High School for her constant encouragement to join the improv team, which led to the choir and drama club. Read More>>

Joe Ruperd

It’s your 8th birthday, you get home from school and before you walk into the house, you drop by the mailbox as you always do to grab what’s inside and bring it to your parents. Like most days, you are tearing at the seams waiting to blabber on to your parents about some animal fact you had learned at school that day. Read More>>

NAN LU

I first realized that I wanted to pursue an artistic path during my undergraduate years, when I encountered glass as a material. Before that, I had an interest in art, but I hadn’t yet found the medium that truly resonated with me. I still remember being in the studio, watching glass transform under heat from something rigid and solid into something fluid and alive. In that moment, I felt its dual nature—fragile yet strong—and I came to see glass as almost a living presence, capable of carrying my reflections on the rhythms of life and the fleeting nature of existence. Read More>>

Jaclyn E.

From a very young age, I knew I wanted to pursue music professionally. I started piano lessons at three and was always singing, on road trips with my iPod, at home with YouTube lyric videos, or mimicking artists I admired. Read More>>

Daniel Garvey

So to start off, I would say my answer is pretty unconventional… I really enjoy the idea of being a professional, but also not being financially dependent on my creative pursuits. I feel like a lot of my favorite artists have what really draws me in because of their willingness to just go for it, and pursue whatever interests them most. I find so much validity in that perspective. I really enjoy the freedom of exploration, and that inherently leads to a lot of failure, but a beautiful kind of failure. The kind that grows me the most. Read More>>

Khrusha Parekh

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path from an early age. I was always drawn to making things, whether it was using spare materials I found around the house or crafting something new from old Ferrero Rocher wrappers. When a family friend first mentioned the field of design, everything just clicked. While my peers were trying to choose between becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a CPA, I was already focused on a creative career. Read More>>

Bryson Steen

Honestly, I feel like I was born a creative. As early as five or six years old, I knew deep down that I wanted to pursue a creative path. I started off drawing, just little cartoons and once I got access to an electronic device, I dove into apps like Adobe Illustrator and PicsArt. I taught myself digital art and started designing for others, which opened the door to photo and video editing. That curiosity eventually turned into a real love for graphic design. Read More>>

Repolly Oba

it was in 2014 when i participate in and art workshop and for the first i saw artist from different place coming to create art i became fully convinced that this is what i wanted to do. but right from a very young age, age 5 to be precise i have always known that i had the potential to be an artist. over time i grew interest in science and electronics but this interest died natural or should i say through divine intervention after failed attempts to study electrical electronics in the university. Read More>>

Ras Chibuzo

I knew from very early that music was the path for me. I grew up in Time and Patience, a small village in Jamaica, surrounded by nature. Singing as a child gave me a euphoric, blissful feeling, it was more than just fun, it felt like my purpose. By the age of nine, I was already writing songs and shaping melodies. That was when I knew I didn’t just love music , I wanted to live it. Read More>>

Haven

The first moment I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path began when I was just six years old, writing short stories and children’s books. I was always fascinated by the way words could create entire worlds, and that passion evolved as I grew—by the time I was 9 to 12, I shifted to poetry. Poetry gave me a way to express big feelings in a concise, creative form that felt more immediate and powerful. Read More>>

KRAUZER

From a young age, I felt an undeniable pull toward creativity. I was always in plays, making music, and building worlds in my mind. Read More>>

Sarah Finnigan

My intent to pursue a creative career started at 12…but it wasn’t the same creative pursuit I’ve now made my career! I joined band in 6th grade, found I had an unusual aptitude for the tuba, and immediately had a singular focus on music. I did not realize I lacked what was needed to succeed in creative fields until I went off to college for it, and was gifted art supplies to fill my free time. I fell in love! Read More>>

Roland Turner

The first time I truly knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was at 7 years old. I had always been drawn to music—from playing instruments to experimenting with beat-making software in my bedroom—but it wasn’t until I produced my first full track that everything shifted. Read More>>

Antonio Martinez

When I first started putting out my music I didn’t know how to get music royalties. But when I started working with the distribution company Distrokid then I started learning about earning money from my art. It was slow at first, but once I learned how to promote my music better I was earning a little more. I started to save as much money as I could for two years and when I was ready, I upgraded my studio equipment. Read More>>

Christine Weeks

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path professionally was in high school. Although I drew and created from a young age because my mom was an artist, I seriously considered it being my career when I was accepted to Pratt Institute from their National Talent search in my senior year in 1985. Read More>>

Meaghan Beech

I went through the motions of going to college, getting a degree, and eventually landing my first ever “big girl job” in the fall of 2021. It was a sales job at a Fortune 500 company—Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. I thought, this is it, this is the dream! I’ll probably put in my time and stay here until I’m old and ready to retire. Read More>>

Michael Chrouk

i’ve always been a foodie. In today’s time you can actually make a living off of what you already love to do. So I’ve decided to take that leap of faith and put myself in a position where I can earn and take care of my family while bringing everyone closer together through food, which can be considered a universal language. I want to use my earnings to take care of my family, bless other people, whether that is a random act of kindness or helping a struggling business. I just want to be able to be a blessing and spread positivity and let people know that there are still good people in this crazy world. Read More>>

Mona Mengnan Chu

I think the first time I truly knew I wanted to pursue a creative path was when I was still working as a journalist in China. I was trained to observe and record reality, but very often I felt that the most powerful parts of people’s lives were invisible in the headlines; they existed in emotions, gestures, and silences. I started to realize that film could capture those dimensions in a way reporting could not. Read More>>