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

Frank Meyer

I have always known I was going to be an artist. When my brother and I were little kids, we would put on these silly plays for our parents, using our pets and stuffed animals as the cast, or lip sync songs and jump around like we were in a music video, and we made short films. We also went to a grade school in the San Fernando Valley with lots of children of show-business people, so were always surrounded by art and the creators of art. Read more>>

Emily Valentine

I have always been creative and I’ve had a passion for drawing and painting from a very early age. However, as a teenager and young adult, I didn’t think that being an artist was a viable career option, so I decided to take a “safer” path. I went to university to study animal biology, but after three years of undergrad, I decided that route wasn’t for me. Uncertain about my career, I stumbled upon a conversation between professional artists Tim Packer and Brooke Cormier. Read more>>

Chaim Machlev

Prior to becoming a tattoo artist, I was a computer technician living in Israel. I was managing many people in the company I worked for and was working many hours a day. It wasn’t until I turned 30 years old that I decided to get my first tattoo. Little did I know that this experience would change everything for me. After getting my first tattoo, I realised what was missing in my life was creativity. Read more>>

Melany Meza-Dierks

I first knew I wanted to be an artist when I was 14 or at least, that’s when I announced it. I knew even before then. I felt it. Creating was something that made me feel accomplished and gave me a sense of being. As an only child, it kept me occupied and distracted from life’s downfalls. I grew up with a stutter that didn’t stop until I was 12. I had already changed schools a few times and making friends was tough. So, I drew portraits of the other kids to make friends. Read more>>

Max Madly

Art has always been an omnipresent force in my life in some way or another. Growing up, I spent a l0t of time painting with my grandmother in her studio. She was exceptional at her craft, but never fussed over her work. Her process was messy and chaotic but simultaneously enrapturing and meditative. She always helped me feel so free and in tune with myself while creating. Painting or doing anything creative were the few times when I felt safe in my own skin as a kid. Read more>>

Yalian Li

My passion for writing was sparked during my middle school years when I found myself consistently drawn to fiction stories. While my peers were occupied with homework, sports, or music practice, I found the most pleasure in putting my thoughts into words. As I progressed into high school, I became increasingly interested in the world of filmmaking and wondered if I could translate my writing skills into that medium. However, I had doubts about my abilities and wasn’t sure if it was the right path for me. Read more>>

Sydney Belle

I’ve known what I wanted to with my life since the moment I could walk and talk. When I was little, I would put on shows for anyone who was willing to watch. Sometimes people would make fun of me. But even at a young age, my mom prepared me for the haters! Content creating has been the best way for me to express myself and entertain since covid began. I love to make people laugh and smile, so it’s a dream come true to get to do it everyday. Read more>>

John Michael

In all honesty, I knew that I wanted to do something with design from a young age. In elementary school, I would always draw graffiti letters on my school work and constantly draw throughout class time. That then transitioned into picking up the camera and uploading photos to Instagram. I become the guy who always had the camera on him at all times, traveling all over NYC in just 11th grade. Read more>>

Jilsa Manayala

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/ artistic path professionally was when I was a sophomore in high school and debated the idea of being a creative writer. My school had this writing competition and had a prize if you won first place. So I decided to take the competition seriously to see if I could make it as a writer. So I spent hours developing drafts, revising, and getting advice from my English teacher. Read more>>

Pelly

Professionally was never the overarching goal, it was always personally. Music communicated with the essence of who I was like nothing else from a young age, poetry and words were like dancing to me since I was a kid, a blank canvas to fill the space with your creative individualism and experiences. A story you get to tell. When I was in my early 20s, Read more>>

Zumbambico

I was 12 years old and had just started taking painting lessons. These classes became my happy place. Plus, by the end of each year, our teacher always planned a show where we got to exhibit the pieces we had been working on through the year, and the experience of showing my paintings was also very gratifying to me. Read more>>

Maite Pinto

For me this is something that has happened organically. I have been drawing and painting since I was so little and the year I had to choose my career I somehow knew that I wanted to study Fine Arts. I did not think too much about how I was seeing myself in the future professionally but I just wanted to keep doing what I like and enjoy the procces of it. I was curious to learn more techniques and more about art in general. At that time I was quite young and naive and I did not think too much about how was I seeing myself in the future professionally. Read more>>

Martin Tran

A while back, I was with my friend on a hunting trip in Eastern Oregon. We were hiking up a hill to wait for anything sight. Then suddenly, I saw a couple of mountain goats and elks running at the other end of the hill so beautifully with an amazing view behind from where I was hiding. It was so beautiful that a thought occurred to me, instead of hunting for these animals for sport, Read more>>

Maurice Johnson

I am a product of the 80s culture. My favorite hobby when I was a kid was playing video games and I always had a passion for drawing and Art. I remember sitting in class with issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, and Game Pro Magazine drawing maps and pictures from my favorite video games. At the time I was living at military bases so I was used to moving ever so often. Read more>>

Imani Washington

I initially realized I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally when I started to recognize the significance of love. Loving myself and prioritizing the way that I feel only opened my eyes to the unhappiness I felt on the basic path I was leading down. Graphic design is something I’ve been doing as a hobby since I was about 12 years old, so once I entered the state of love I was able to see that I was happiest when I worked on my passions. Read more>>

Natascia Bachini

My passion for pastry was born from an early age, when I spent whole days in the kitchen with my grandmother. Those scents, those recipes and that craftsmanship have accompanied me throughout my life, transforming passion into work. Over time I have studied and perfected my technique to achieve results that today are a source of pride for me. Read more>>

Shaun Moore

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally as a Music Producer in the eleventh grade of high school. But before that, my interest in music actually began when I was in elementary school. In the fifth grade I joined the music program and started learning my first instrument which was the Bassoon. My parents and music educator at the time quickly realized that I had a natural gift and talent for music because I was doing so well without the assistance of an instructor. They immediately became very supportive of my endeavors. Read more>>

Kristine Frazier

I have always been a creative. I’ve tried my hand at many different crafts and forms of art. At the beginning of Covid I came across a video of someone pouring resin. I immediately tried my hand at earrings and keychains and fell in love. I started posting on social media and requests started streaming in. I sold a few items, however, my work at that point was barely worth posting (in my opinion). Read more>>

Justin Emord

When I was in high school, I watched the Trans Siberian Orchestra play Madison Square Garden. The combination of story, musical proficiency and visuals was a sensory overload in a way I hadn’t experienced before. About a week after that when I got back home, I went out and got recording software and started writing and recording myself. Read more>>

Jad Mallah

I first knew i wanted to take acting to another level is when I started doing comedy sketches on my instagram and noticing people enjoy it and are really having a good laugh and so am I! So i decided to take it more professionally and travel to the United States of America and learn the craft of acting at the well known Stella Adler academy Los Angeles, and be more professional at what I do and thru the journey I decided to act in movies as well because thru a acting technique you become more and more confident about your acting skills. Read more>>

Sharyn Richardson

I was raised in a family that valued art including two who made a livelihood creating it. I learned to think in images and, even in early childhood, remember trying to turn those thoughts into something beautiful. I simply assumed I could draw or paint, unlike the experience of so many others. In high school a dynamic art teacher asked me to help clean the studio and began mentoring me. By the time I was ready for college, the plan was to make a life as an artist. Read more>>

Megan Wolf

Being creative has always been a part of me. From me insisting on wearing exclusively yellow and purple socks as a child, to trying to sew my own pair of shorts after one single home economics class in middle school, to decorating cardboard boxes in college, I knew in my heart I’d be doing something creative for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Lyndon Ehlers

When I was nineteen I landed a job working in a TV production studio, an independent news contractor specifically. I worked as a production assistant and later promoted to a video editing position working on local newscasts for cities in other states. At the time I was also playing music and had been struggling to understand self-promotion and how to stand out in the extreme metal genre. Read more>>

Vanessa Williams

I was 11 years old when my teacher gave us an assignment: Write a poem about home. This was a difficult topic for me, but I put my all in it and ended up getting an A on the assignment. Something happened after that; I never stopped writing. I joined a Ministry Performing Arts group called Tribe of Judah and I used poetry to tell people about God. I never saw myself as a professional poet. Read more>>

Chadwick J. Coleman

As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved creating. Even more than that, I love the feeling of being inspired. Something that fascinates me about creative individuals is how elusive the origin of their ideas can be. While they may be able to pinpoint a specific trigger that sparked their imagination, the process of translating that spark into a tangible creation is often difficult to articulate. It’s as if there’s a magical element to the creative process that defies easy explanation. Read more>>

Kristin Trotty

I’ve always known music was going to be a part of my life, just not how large. I think the earliest thought of wanting to do it professionally was in high school, when my dream career was computer programmer by day and jazz performer by night. I had dreams of working from my kitchen table in pajamas and then going out to dimly lit, extravagant clubs. Read more>>

Shanna Kunz

I have always been drawn to creating of some sort. I started drawing at a young age, drawing from life and drawings womens fashion. That led me to sewing and creating my own patterns which helped me learn to visualize something before starting. It wasn’t until my children were born that I found painting. I took my first watercolor class and fell absolutely head over heels with painting. Read more>>

J’Lyn Downes

Throughout my childhood I was always very creative and gifted. My earliest memory is me at 3 years old dancing around the living room and singing Mariah Carey’s “We belong together” that was blasting on the tv- courtesy of my mother who was watching me, through the kitchen. I loved the fashion versatility in the music videos, the melodies and even though I was young I knew that one day I’d be able to move people artistically, the same way my soul moved. Read more>>

Lady Syren

I think some part of me has always known I’d have artistic pursuits. Even the idea of choosing a “pen name” my 9th grade year, was in preparation to one day publish a book. I was so young, writing about subjects that extended well beyond my years and my experience. But I felt safe and more confidence doing so. With safety, comes freedom, and the audacity to dream of course. So, I don’t think I cemented my desire for being a creative professional, or believed it was an obtainable goal until much later/my early 20’s. Read more>>