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

Spenser Chambers

I have had many jobs in my life. In college, I constantly changed what I thought I wanted to major in. I have a couple of degrees in health care but still felt as if something was missing. Read more>>

Jamila Houston

I’ve always had a love for art and fashion. When I was young I would draw and design clothes in my free time. I originally wanted to be a fashion designer and I really used to spend all my time drawing & designing clothes. Read more>>

Marcella Colavecchio

I realized I was a creative at a very young age. As an only child, my parents always encouraged me to keep busy by doing something with my hands. I always had a coloring book and a marker in my hand. Read more>>

Marley Desinord

I knew at the age of 7 I wanted to pursue being a DJ. Growing up, To start off with I have always loved music. My father would always play all kinds of music from R&B, Hip-Hop, Country, and even some Rock n Roll. Read more>>

ROBERT MARTINEZ

When I was in High School (class of 97) we went to Nashville on a band trip to the Grand Ole Opry. That was the first time I ever traveled outside of my hometown Houston and it was also the first time I ever one a major award. Read more>> 

Alexandra Tayara

I was 19 years old and living on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. I had just left college in Southern California because it didn’t feel like I fit in or belonged there. I had tried going to college right after high school because it felt like that was what I was “supposed to do”, but it really wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Mariia Golubieva

Today’s education system and all sorts of courses help determine whether your child is more inclined towards creativity, business, or whether he is a future doctor, etc. I grew up and was brought up in the communist system of values, when you have to be what you say. Read more>>

Elizabeth Colazo

Despite having painted most of my life as a hobby it wasn’t so early on that I considered this pastime as professional career. When I first arrived at the United States, I began experimenting with jobs that had nothing to do with my essence, these jobs made me feel like I was going down a path that was not my own. Read more>>

Diamond Holts

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative or artistic path professionally was when I was around 20 years old. I have always had this dream to help African-Americans in the criminal justice system just because of what I see on a day-to-day basis, what I hear or even the things that pop up when I research about African-Americans in the criminal justice system. Read more>> 

Janai H.

In 2015 I taught my first class at DSST Cole High School, students engaged and interacted with Hip Hop culture, dance, and meditation. These were things I desired at school when I was their age. I attended Denver School of the Arts, the poms team and Hip Hop club at OHS. Read more>>

Mayra Mobilia

12 years ago I began design¡ng and making bikinis for myself. I was not thinking about creating a business at the time. After getting many complements from family and friends, I decided to design and create bikinis to sell. My surprise was the satisfaction of my clients. Read more>>

Vallissa Branscomb

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I made my first set of heels. I was immediately blown away at how nice they had turned out. I wanted to make something to remember my mothers by so I took different patterns from items and put on chocolate. Read more>>

Kris Wong

I started Kris Wong Design in 2020. From when I was young, I always enjoyed expressing my creativity. I loved to draw, paint, and create things with my hands. I was always dubbed the “creative one” in school. Read more>>

Bieunkah Anwojue

I have always loved art and have been drawing since I was a kid. My mom kept every piece of artwork that I ever created and a giraffe that I sketched in high school sits in my office today. Drawing has always been a way for me to express myself and my feelings. As a kid, I drew a lot of animals and florals. Now, I draw mostly fashionable women and illustrations for children’s books. Read more>>

Jenifer Livesey

When I was a kid I remember sitting down and being absolutely in love with art. Drawing, coloring, painting you name it I really wanted to do it. After a frustrating experience in high school art I moved away from all of it until I had my little girl 15 years later. Read more>>

Swetha Shenoy

I am a self-taught artist. And I don’t have any formal education in art. Like many other immigrants, I moved to the United States for my Masters in Computer Science. Read more>>

Kyle Emerick

I worked for a CNC machine manufacturing company as one of my first jobs and was always interested in machinery. I built my first CNC machine partially from a kit and flirted with basic sign making, posting on social media and it started to take off without even trying. Read more>>

Tyree Leopold

I knew I wanted to pursue music professionally when I was in college studying business for my major but was somehow stuck in a class learning about history. Music than later became my business that didn’t require a degree like most businesses. Read more>>

Prince Chijioke

It’s funny because I remember being an eighth-grader coding HTML websites, creating digital art of anime characters, and dabbling with game design programs. However, back then the only future path I understood was in healthcare. Read more>> 

Manuel Zamudio

Well my father was a part-time artist. He was a painter. And of course he was a fan of art. So I grew up drawing and doodling since I can remember. I’ve never really stopped. But unfortunately I lost my father when I was young at the age of 10. Read more>>

Susan M Gibbons

I had my first inkling that I was an artist when I was 8 or 9 years old. I received a stuffed orange daschund with a white beret from my uncle. He said, ‘it was an artist’, and I thought, ‘that’s what I am, an artist’. Read more>>

Emmanuel Gorrin

My path as an artist has been anything except linear. If I drew it out as a timeline, it would probably branch out in multiple directions, gnarling and weaving like a banyan tree. Read more>>

Eddie Pinero

I have always loved creating and using various methods to tell stories. The most important idea i attribute to success in a creative space is not being afraid to wander. Before I found my home as a speaker and built a business around the craft, I explored the things i loved to do. Read more>>

Jerry King

My pursuit of photography professionally as far as I was concerned was really never an option. Photography for me began as an impulse purchase. I bought a camera from Best Buy and spent a weekend exploring with my new toy. I was hooked immediately. Read more>>

Obinna Idoko

It was after my Secondary School education, I wanted to apply for a course in the university but I didn’t know which course to apply for. My aunt advised me to apply for fine art and I agreed. I went for drawing tutorials so that I could get better for my screening exam, after drawing became something I couldn’t stop doing Read more>> 

Laura Murray

I have a degree in Mathematics and Economics and I always thought that I would go into a technical role for a large corporation. After spending a few years working in Information Technology consulting, I knew I had to make a switch. Read more>>

Draper Wynston

I truly love this question because it allows me to go back to what got me truly in love with the arts. I always watched television and loved watching movies. I told myself that looks really cool and fun. Read more>>

Latrell Conley

I grew up as a dancer performing w/ my Aunts dance company, and that was my first introduction to costumes and wearing makeup! Before shows she would do everyone’s makeup and I would be so fascinated w/ the process and couldn’t wait for my turn. Read more>> 

Natasha Mayet

I remember the exact moment when I decided to pursue a professional acting career. It was nearly ten year ago, as I left the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy and looked over the street of Burbank at the Warner Brother Studios, I looked over at the posters on the studio walls, and over the horizon as Hollywood and decided that I wanted this. Read more>>