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

Lily Perry

My mother is an artist and her mother was an artist as well so I’ve always been around art and enjoyed it. Straight out of college, I felt like I should take the “sensible” career path so I worked in fashion buying for many years after school. It wasn’t until after I had my first daughter that I decided to resign from my job and the intense schedule and travel that it entailed. Staying home with her I had more time to paint again and after a few years of painting as a hobby I decided that I didn’t want to go back to the corporate world and that I wanted to paint full time and make it a career. Read more>>

Vanessa Verdeaux

From a very young age I remember wanting to be an actress. I was always singing and dancing, or putting on shows for my family and friends. My Mum used to moonlight as a dinner theatre Director in downtown Toronto, and I always remember feeling so comfortable in that environment, like it was my kind of people. I couldn’t see a movie without recreating my favourite scenes after the show. I just have always loved the feeling of expressing myself, and connecting with others. Read more>>

Michael Mucker

I was sitting next to my grandfather watching television. I looked up at him and saw the reflection of the tv in his glasses and was in awe with what I saw. I immediately thought, I wonder if I can draw that. Read more>>

Rosa Caballero

As a little girl I still remember coming home from school to watch MTV. All these musical pictures coming together to create a little movie. I found it amazing. I was in love. Watching movies, tv shows, and even commercials. I was so intrigued. How was it made? How did they do that? Simply astonished and at that moment I knew I wanted to be a part of that world. I wanted to be hands on and in that environment. As I got older the closest things to that environment was theatre arts and drama club. I was in everything that I could be in that had to do with being creative. I was in plays and improve. I loved the behinds the scenes the directing, set setting, and the chaos. I loved to express myself and get lost in a new world each time. I remember it felt like a high, such a rush every time we had a performance no matter how big or small. After high school I went to college for film and video production to follow my dreams. I shortly got pregnant and dropped out and got welcomed to my 9-5 life. A mom, a cooperate career, and following the typical system sociality had for people like me. Go to work, pay bills, pay mortgage, pay taxes, and do it all over again day after day. Even though I was so blessed to meet amazing people through my work. I felt empty inside with my spark dying down. Once covid hit, I picked up a camera during quarantine and haven’t put it down since. I remember something I had forgot about. That rush and enjoyment. I feel so right and at home when shooting. Shortly after I got into the wedding scene. I love shooting weddings since I’m a hopeless romantic and love love. I blame all the novelas I watch growing up. I shoot everything and anything. I just love being creative and capturing the moments to be cherish a lifetime. Read more>>

Tina Gharavi

This backfired terrifically. It became a drug, an addiction. I would creep downstairs in the middle of the night watching films like Some Like It Hot with the sound turned right down and my face 3 inches away from the screen. I spent a childhood watching films like Some Like It Hot, Deer Hunter, The Searchers… Lawrence of Arabia. I watched these dramas, soaps, and comedies and learnt the language of storytelling. I watched, dissected and analysed. Why did it make me laugh? What made it powerful? Why was I crying? What didn’t I believe? How did they do that? Moving images, both film and TV, took a hold and have never let me go… Read more>>

Trek Manifest

I had always been rapping at a young age and thought the whole “I want a record deal” thoughts. But wanting to take it seriously as a profession? It was 2008. I had graduated from college the previous year and I didn’t have many options besides what my degree offered. I was doing shows and recording here and there but at that point, I saw the impact I was having and wanted to pursue it beyond just as a hobby. Read more>>

 David Schatanoff

This is an interesting question. I’ve always been a creative kid and leaned into music going into high school and college. So the plan was always to try and find a way to make a living doing the creative things I enjoyed doing. I moved out to Los Angeles after working at a movie theater in Central Pennsylvania and decided that if I was going to do anything creative as a career, it probably wasn’t going to happen there. Not to say that there aren’t some spectacular musicians and artists making a living in Central PA; I just new that if I wanted to go for success I knew there were more opportunities to make that happen in Los Angeles and New York. I just happened to have one of my best friends from High School that decided to move out to Los Angeles. He visited a friend out here to scope things out and he had a similar epiphany. Read more>>

Theo White

It all started when I was really young. I’ve always been a part of talent shows and the performing arts from elementary school through high school. My parents even paid for my acting and modeling classes right before I went to college. But then, the momentum slowed down because I was focused on my athletics and classes in college for which I received a scholarship. Then after graduating college in 2019, I came back home and started working without thinking about the entertainment industry. After the passage of some time, I received an email from the acting and modeling school, where I took my classes, inviting me to audition for a talent tour in Los Angeles. I decided to audition for a chance to meet with some prominent and notable agents. Once I was accepted, I was “over-the-moon.” I was so excited that I immediately booked my flight ticket for the trip and took my mother with me. While in Los Angeles, I was involved in multiple workshops that were led by other agents, casting directors, and actors. It was truly amazing and exciting. I also took a tour around Hollywood to look at celebrity houses and major studios. This just added fuel to the fire for me to pursue this acting and modeling career. Towards the end of the trip, I performed a monologue in front agents and managers. Afterwards, I sat down with each one of them in a “Speed Interview” process which turned out to be a huge success. After this whole experience, I just KNEW that I wanted to be an actor and a model. It was like I was bitten by the performing arts bug and now I am on this creative path for the long term. I am seizing opportunities that come my way that will allow me to develop and grow as a performing artist as I prepare for that “big break!” Read more>>

Amanda Li

I’d known since I was a child I wanted to be in music but never allowed myself to pursue it cause of all the limiting beliefs I grew up with. Being a child of immigrants, I was told that pursuing music doesn’t pay the bills, so I played it safe and found a job in advertising. I’m a marketing consultant by trade and I remember sitting at my client’s office 4 years ago having to do another asinine task. In that moment, my soul gently nudged me and said it was time to start making music. I know it sounds crazy and woo-woo but when I get these taps on the shoulder, I always listen. That was the moment I knew, and that started my last 4-year journey with music. Read more>>

Kaleb McNack-Williams

From a young age, my fascination with clothing and design was evident, as I found joy in sketching outfits and exploring various aesthetics. It wasn’t until my teenage years that I realized this passion could be more than a hobby. One defining moment was when I attended 2023 F/W NYFW, witnessing the transformative power of artistic expression. Inspired, I embraced the idea of merging my love for clothing with the broader realm of creativity, realizing that a career in the artistic path was my true calling. Read more>>