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

Daniele Jones

I’ve been a maker and creative person. As a kid, I’m sure I drove my family and friends crazy with all the homemade present I gave. It was an incredibly experimental and playful time though. I know I learned a lot about materials and glue and how to make something by trial and error. Read more>>

Tommy Anderson

I had always been interested in being creative when I was a professional firefighter/medic in the Wisconsin State Capitol of Madison. This started my interest in photography, writing, and cinematography. Read more>>

Jon Landers

I think it started with going through a divorce from a 29 year marriage that put me into a very dark place. In the three years following my divorce, my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer, my dad attempted suicide because of my mom’s condition and my brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Read more>>

Tomeka Allen

It was my sophomore year in college. I was in the middle of taking writing and directing classes. I began to notice how my peers responded to short plays that I wrote in class. Jay Putnam was my instructor and he was a pillar in my writing career. In my directing classes, I also began to notice how my professor began to spend more time with me in my craft, shaping me and encouraging me to glean as much as I could, because there was something special about me. Read more>>

Brienne Brown

I was an art kid and loved to draw and paint from a young age. I started private art lessons at age 11 and continued to take art classes throughout my school years. However, I had never planned on a career as an artist. I didn’t think I could make a living as an artist and I had other interests. Read more>>

Khan Turgut

For me personally, it was never a realization in life. Since I know myself, I have always been super creative and kinda drawn into creativity. From 14 on, I decided to do fashion and 9 years later here we are. I never really got distracted or wanted to change my path from there on. And here we are today. Read more>>

Katie Bloom

I have always thought of myself as a creative person. I didn’t always know the right way to channel this creativity, but I did know that art was the field in which I felt the most fulfilled. I was born in Manhattan and raised in Florida by native New Yorkers, so the rich culture of New York City has played a big role in my outlook on the world. Read more>>

Anthony McRae

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a career as an artist was when I saw Michael Jackson performing on the screen. When I saw his live performance of scream with Janet Jackson It made me so excited. I was watching how Michael conquered the stage. Even in the moments of silence between his sets, all he had to do was breathe and people were going crazy and throwing so many clothes and items at him. Read more>>

Carlo Chavéz & Omar Brito

We never thought of taking a path like this, but during the time we started, both of us were going through a rough patch. It all started as a joke from Omar, about how he was feeling. We noticed there was creativity and innovation in the drawings of sad frogs he began making. Read more>>

Debra Tonge

From a very young age, I was wildly curious and independent, pursuing every creative desire that came my way. My mum used to recall the many times I was caught covered in paint due to sneaking off to the art room in nursery school when it was not allowed. I remember devoting loads of time to childhood creative endeavors, including dance classes, puppet performances with imaginative narratives, and fashion-related craft projects. Read more>>

Devin John & Brandon Lee

Devin: my dad played the drums in bands and taught me how to play as well, and my parents introduced me to my favorite bands and musicians from a very young age. I was in my first band at the age of 10, and played my first show at the age of 11, and from there I knew this is what I wanted to do. Read more>>

Lilla Rafii

When I was young I remember my aunt gifting me my first makeup set. I must have been about 5years old at the time. I remember getting into it and thinking wow this is so cool I want to do this everyday. As I grew older that feeling stuck with me. When I got into middle school and into high school I would stay up late watching YouTube videos of people doing makeup. Read more>>

Obdulia meza Hegde

“I’ve always felt an inclination toward the arts, even back in elementary school when I would get lost in drawing and crafts projects. But in high school, those creative pursuits took a backseat. I ended up studying accounting and international business in college, and built a career in finance. Read more>>

Rhia Hurt

Making artwork and expressing visual ideas has been part of my creative process from an early age. I found that when I had the opportunity to merge my artistic work with a professional path, I felt more connected and inspired professionally. Read more>>

Erniel Chacon

I think since I was a child. First, when I studied piano at age 9 and then when I decided to study visual art. I grew up in a cultural family, my grandfather was an actor and my grandmother taught handcrafts in a high school. These situations made me interested in the creative/artistic world. Read more>>

Rae Groover

As early as I can remember, I’ve always taken a liking to putting pencil to paper. I think Tom and Jerry was my earliest masterpiece, haha! But seriously, after being introduced to video games like X-Men vs. Street Fighter and animated shows like Sailor Moon and Digimon, and being amazed by the dope artwork on the casing and in the user manuals, I knew I wanted to create something just as amazing. Read more>>

Angela Reynoso

I always knew I would be an artist since I was in the womb. But like, really. All the time I heard stories about how I would dance to music in my mami’s belly. I guess I was so excited to get out in the world, I was actually going to arrive before schedule. Read more>>

Ana Sofía Navia López

I always knew this is what I wanted but I also knew that realistically this wasn’t what most people wanted from me, particularly in my home country, Colombia. Growing up in an environment where art wasn’t considered proved difficult for me to feel confident in my work. Read more>>

Daniel Jacobs

I have been creating art ever since I was a child. My mother and Nana were artists and they were always a huge inspiration to me and the reasons I started creating. It wasn’t until later in my life however that I found a true passion in the arts. Read more>>

Maka Zedelashvili

I started engaging in creative activities when I was just three years old. From a young age, I knew this was my true calling, so I dedicated myself to it with all my heart. Making such a definite and clear decision at a young age can lead to one of two outcomes. Read more>>

Jonathan Blank

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative path when I attended a Cirque du Soleil show, was pulled out of the audience by the clowns, and asked to entertain a couple of thousand people without being paid. And I thought – so this is what it means to be an artist! Read more>>

Wanda Lloyd

I have always enjoyed being a writer and a reader of literature. My parents set up a small library of sorts in a closet in our home, and as a child it was my pleasure to sit on the carpet floor in that space and read books. Read more>>

Paugh Shadow

I guess it came soon after 9/11 when I lost my job due to the events that occurred that day. I was walking the streets of NYC where I saw a film crew making a short film called 24 floors under NYSea. I asked what they were doing and the director told me and I thought it was interesting since I always wanted to do movies and I thought well now I have no excuse not to try it out since I have no job and nothing holding me back. Read more>>

Sheri Marie Ptolemy

I’ve always loved to sing, I used to sing to my dog Max and the birds at my window as a kid, so my parents enrolled me in vocal lessons when I was twelve. I was also very obsessed with poetry from a young age as well and read every poetry book I could get my hands on. Read more>>

Cate M. Turner

I have one distinct memory of five-year-old me, sitting at the dinner table with my parents. My mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I didn’t hesitate with my answer, “I want to be an author!” Twenty-three years later, I typed “The End” on a completed manuscript. For a week, I pondered what to do with it. Read more>>

Shawn Xiao

I was interning at an investment firm as an assistant after finishing my bachelors in business. After several months of working long hours on very boring and repetitive work that did not rely on any of my skills I got worn down. I felt lost and unable to see the path forward. Read more>>

Rebecca Maurer

I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally from a young age, with a strong influence from a high school art teacher who fostered my love for art. My journey led to majoring in Film at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and eventually led me to a full time art teacher in Los Angeles Read more>>

Ramona Stelzer

I started painting over 20 years ago back in Germany. When my family and I moved to California in 2011, life got busy, and my artistic journey took a pause. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I reconnected with painting in 2020. By early 2021, the realization struck me – it just felt right to turn this passion into my profession Read more>>

Alicia Hayes

From a young age, I knew my true calling was to be a storyteller. It all began in 5th grade when I wrote and designed my first bound book titled “The Pencil”, igniting my love for crafting and sharing stories. Embracing my penchant for drama, I gladly capitalized on being accused of being too dramatic! Read more>>

Maranova

To be honest, I think I’ve been singing since the moment I figured out I could. My journey started at a pretty young age, around 5 or 6 years old, and my parents would always catch me singing along to my favorite songs on the radio. I’d turn anything into a makeshift microphone – hairbrush, remote control, you name it. Read more>>

Linda Good

As far back as I can remember, I always knew I was going to be a musician—like I didn’t have a choice I the matter. Sitting in front of a piano felt like a very safe space, and playing the guitar was like having a big piece of musical armor to shield me from the world. Read more>>

Tracey Ko

Great Question! In retrospect, I have always loved to create, especially creating things with my hands. I think part of enthusiasm for creativity might be hereditary and part of it is my up bringing. And I cannot talk about any of these without telling you about my parents’ story. Read more>>

Aly Jade

As a singer, the joy of using my voice as an instrument to convey emotions and stories likely played a pivotal role in steering towards a musical path. The act of singing is a powerful form of self-expression that resonates with both me the performer and the audience. Read more>>

Natasha Lucas

I suppose you can say that ever since I was a kid I always wanted to do something creative. I guess it just took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. For the longest I wanted to be a graphic novelist but my illustrations just weren’t that good. I’ve been obsessed with geek culture and comics and superheroes my entire life. Read more>>

Marco Logsdon

A professional artistic path…if presented with that question after finishing college in the late 80s, I most likely would have responded with a blank stare and shrug since I did not know a path like that existed. Don’t get me wrong; I knew artists in New York and larger cities managed to make a living creating art. Read more>>

Fraktal Carter

I realized I wanted to pursue my creative photography as a career when I started combining my freelance job as a production lighting tech and my career as a performance artist altogether. To be seen as as PA , your photos and videos are your resume, they want to see what you can do, the “WOW” factor, the mind bending tricks that it takes years of practice to be able to do. Read more>>

Pam Harris

I left my full time career in Education to pursue Entrepreneurship full time in 2022. I became a vintage reseller and made a living from thrifting women’s clothing and accessories then reselling them to women who loved vintage. I created an instagram business page where I showcased all of my thrifted items for sale by styling them for my followers. Read more>>

Kerry Long

I grew up playing baseball from the age of four up until my Freshman/Sophomore year in college, at NC State. Throughout that time, I thought that baseball was my purpose in life and had huge aspirations of going pro. However, during my second and third year in college, and after a few life experiences including injuries, my passion for baseball started to slowly fade and I realized that it was most likely not my purpose. Read more>>

Michael L Garcia Jr

My journey started in Mcallen, Texas in the early 80s. My childhood was not normal, In fact it was horrifying cause my father was not a very nice man at all. Music and movies were my only escape for a few minutes or hours away from my dark reality. Read more>>

Renata Jedynecki

I started making mosaics for my self.They decorated my entrance to the patio.They sparkled beautifully in the sun.One day when I invited my friends to meet for coffee in the garden I heard how inspired they were by my works..They asked if they could order something similar from me. Read more>>

MOZAIA

I wish I could pinpoint a time, a moment where it clicked in me that I wanted to pursue music. But I honestly don’t recall a time where I didn’t know I wanted to sing and perform for a living. Both of my parents have pursued music as singers, songwriters and musicians throughout my upbringing; I grew up in that world. Read more>>

Ashley Marie Richiez

I’ve been painting and drawing for years; as long as I can remember. But I never truly considered pursuing my art professionally until 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before this, I had created pieces for myself, my family, and my friends. However, it was during this time that prompted me to take a significant leap into my art. Read more>>

Veronica Scharf Garcia

I was living in South America as a kid and would visit my aunt, a great artist. She would give me magic markers and big sheets of paper. There was art in different stages of progress all over her house. It was a great environment. Her kids were making pictures on the tables, floors and everyone was doing some sort of art making. Read more>>

Lorin Morgan-Richards

When I was young, I struggled with dsylexia and doodled and joked to manage stress. Art has always been a way to express my feelings and interests. I create art to not only bring forward a message but to feel less alone. With dsylexia, I often over analyzed things. In K-12, it was easier to accept failure to work on my art that I knew I had control over. Read more>>

Kristiana Roemer

As a child, I used to assume that singing was something everyone did in their life, like talking and breathing. I was fortunate that my parents were always playing records and CDs at home or playing the piano and singing together with my sisters and me. I began writing little songs early on, too, so to me it had always been clear that music and creating would always be part of my life. Read more>>