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

Desarae Dee

I first knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path in high school. I knew deep down within myself that music was going to be a long last part of my life, but at the time, I didn’t know in what capacity or how that would look. I was passionate about music (playing and creating) and I also loved teaching and sharing my knowledge with others. Read more>>

Amelia Gossman

Like many other artists, I have enjoyed creating art since I was a child. Illustration has always been a natural way for me to communicate. Throughout grade school, I continued developing my skills. By the time I was a junior in high school and I started thinking about college and my future career path – becoming a professional storyteller felt like the obvious choice. Read more>>

London Beck

I feel that empowering and loving the universe and those within it has always been my destiny if you will. As early as I can remember, I’ve always possessed the vein of ambition and felt as though the only limit I would encounter was the one I had set for myself. At 4 years old, I was belting out whatever was on the radio during car rides with my mother. Read more>>

Hanyue Song

In my formative years, I embarked on a journey of exploration, diving headfirst into the world of drawing and crafting. These early endeavors served as the building blocks for my future creative pursuits. However, at that time, my artistic inclinations remained confined to the realm of personal enjoyment, separate from the formalities of academic study. Read more>>

Judith E.oise Hooper

My mother was a trained opera singer and for her it was very important that her children have an appreciation of the arts. It was one of those moments where the fates were kind because my three brothers and I were born with the desire to create. So we were raised to sing, dance, write, draw, whatever creative way we wanted to express ourselves. Read more>>

Kendra Morrison

I have followed a meandering path toward pursuing art professionally. Although I completed a degree in fine arts, my early adult career was in the areas of publishing and marketing, two professions that were very creative in nature, but not representative of my previous artistic pursuits. For fifteen years, I dabbled in painting and other artistic endeavors in my spare time, and eventually returned to university for a masters in education. Read more>>

Pedro Noyola

I think ever since I learned guitar I’ve wanted the play in a band, even if deep down I didn’t want to admit it. I tried to start bands in middle and high school, and even joined the school-sponsered rock band. A couple years would go by till I would meet my favorite band, Muse. That’s when I really knew I wanted to pursue being a professional musician. Read more>>

Vaughn Hartley

I’ve actually always been a maker/the creative one, but didn’t think I would ever be able to do that full time. So I did the next best thing that I thought would be a career, but also let me be creative- photography. It wasn’t long after graduating I realized one of the few ways to make money in this field is either weddings, advertising, or people. Read more>>

SL Harby

When I was very young, my father introduced me to reading. As an only child, and a latch key kid to boot, I was often alone for stretches of time. I spent that time with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Robin Hood and the Ct Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The characters in these great works of fiction became by friends and through them, I was able to see a world beyond my limited experience. Read more>>

Metra Farrari

I have always been an avid reader. In fact, in middle school, I’d call my best friend and ask her if she wanted to come over and read. During high school, my parents went through a very tumultuous divorce. Luckily, I was able to escape into JK Rowling’s world of Hogwarts. Reading saved me; it made me feel safe and was a wonderful escape from a grim reality. I was indebted to authors that let me escape into their heads and imaginations. Read more>>

Kiontai Lawson

I chose to pursue an artistic/creative path professionally because I am deeply passionate about the power of storytelling and artistic expression. Through my creations, be it stories, music, or other artistic works, I aspire to connect with people on a profound level and evoke emotions that transcend time and boundaries. Read more>>

Katayoun Amjadi

Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to have a creative life. I was one of those kids that never quite fit the world around me, so much of my time was spent exploring the inner life of an imaginative, if somewhat pensive, child. Reading, writing and drawing were my companions…along with the many street-wise, stray cats of Tehran. Yet for all the naive yearning for the solitary artist’s life, I’m pretty risk averse too, so I tracked a more predictable career in architecture for a short time. Read more>>

Spenser Olson

It has been mentioned many times before, but I was teaching myself how to play piano at age 3. It did not take long to come to the conclusion and realize that music is what I wanted to do with my life. Throughout my grade school years there were times where I contemplated taking different paths but ultimately I knew music was the career for me. Read more>>

Shaun Crawford

Probably the first time I watched “The song Remains the Same” that Led Zeppelin movie. There’s a shot of Jimmy Page starting the solo to “Stairway to Heaven” where it’s him with his Double Neck guitar as a mirror image. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen and that’s when I knew I had to be apart of music some how. Read more>>

Kaylee Keller

My mom tells me when I was about five or six years old, I came up to her and told her that “God told me that I am going to sing and act when I grow up”, and then I just ran off to play with my toys, like any normal day. My entire life I have had a passion to sing and act and I truly believe this is part of the purpose God has created me for. Read more>>

WERIEM

I always wanted to be follow a creative path, specifically as a visual artist. I have a vivid memory of myself at four years old, sitting at my father’s desk and drawing cats, while announcing to him that I wanted to be an illustrator. In first grade, when I learned my first poem, I aspired to become a poet. At the age of eight, as I developed a sense of fashion, I expressed my desire to be a stylist when I grew up. Read more>>

Jill Malek

About 5 million years ago, I graduated from college with a Visual Arts degree. With an emphasis in painting, it was clear that it would be a long haul to reach a sustainable lifestyle, so I took a stab at different paths that led to a multitude of career snafus. I was all over the place. I tried entry-level marketing jobs, admin jobs, waitressing (I was charming but not the most skilled wine opener), temping, and anything that could help me earn a living in the working world. Read more>>

Brandon Bustamante

I had to be about 16 years old when my older brother heard me rap. He told me to take it seriously and to start making mixtapes while I was a Jr. In highschool. I made 3 of them by the time I graduated and after that I knew I wanted to pursue music and production as a path for my life. Read more>>

One Death

Carlos Cereceres- Vocalist/Rhythm Lead guitar – I grew up in the music industry always with my father setting up gigs and watching him perform and Record. I started learning guitar at an early age folowing my father’s footsteps. I began joining and forming bands as early middle school and even through high school in various styles. I then went perfecting my vocals in college and I haven’t stopped since. Read more>>

Shane Schmeichel

My parents tell me that I started talking about the violin as a very young child. I started playing the summer before 4th grade and vividly remember the day we picked up my rental violin. I was not allowed to take the violin out of the case and I remember how difficult that was for me, all I wanted to do was play the instrument! Playing the violin is a key reason my life has taken me on the paths it has. Being a musician taught me patience, resilience, strength, creativity, and team work. Read more>>

Geechie Dan

I knew I wanted to get into Hip Hop when I was teenager in the early 80’s. I was listening and recording snippets of Hip Hop Parties, block parties, park Jams, live performances of Hip Hop from late night radio shows that were popping up on the airwaves in the wee hours of the morning. Read more>>

Kyerrah Robinson

I knew that I wanted to pursue acting professionally after I won the “ Best Actress” Award at my high school’s award show. It was my first time auditioning for a school play, so to land a main role and receive an award for it gave me all the motivation I needed to continue on with my career. Eventually, I went on to earn my degree in Visual and Performing Arts: Theatre Concentration. Now I work as a part time acting instructor while still living my dream of being an actress. This is just the beginning for me. Read more>>

PhoenixFIRE

I knew as a young child that I wanted to be involved in music. My mother said that I was humming before I could talk. At the age of 8, I started performing in talent shows. Then at 16 years old I began my professional career singing background vocals for local bands and then celebrity artists. Read more>>

Tamya “Byrd” Thompson

As a child I always wanted to uplift people. As people we go through everyday life experiences, we need someone to explain to us the route to life meaning. Some people don’t know what love is and most think love hurts when it doesn’t. But if you don’t know….this BIG WORLD small world will tear you down and make you feel as you have no one to support you, love you, and listen with real solutions to help you. Read more>>