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

Delta

We were both psychologists and that was our job. In the pauses from the work we used to draw all time or to experiment colors or visiting art exhibitions in museums . We never thought art could be a job, but maybe it is not a job: it is the only thing you can do if you’re an artist and fortunately someone else give a value to your art and you can earn money. That is what happened to us when we fell in love and we become a couple: our passion for art and the desire to create become unstoppable and we could only give it more and more space. Read more>>

India Hines

I have always been a very creative person. My mother told me as a child that I could do anything I wanted and I believed her and that’s where I gained my confidence. If someone tells me ”No” I use that NO as inspiration to help me achieve my goal. As a young girl in my 20’s I was approached about modeling and instead of really pursing that path (although I did model and was selected to model in a magazine), I was never really interested in that profession. Read more>>

Caitlin Morris

As a child, I always assumed I would be a professional artist. My earliest memories include a deep connection to art and a constant need to create. In addition to my innate aptitude for drawing and painting, I have always been keenly aware of being different. Even as a child, I understood the term “Artist” to be a catchall for odd, nonconformist, gay, eccentric, overly sensitive or deeply introverted people, and I always knew I fell into this category. Read more>>

Chris Rhoadz

Ever since I finished high school I was trying to make a choice between doing something creative or doing the norm. I had always acknowledged my creative side, I learned to play the guitar the I was a kid, made music casually, even tried to start a band a few times in high school. Read more>>

Michaela Paladio

I was seven years old, training in the basement with my dad to be a boxer. I loved boxing at the time, along with several other avenues of self defense and creative routes (singing, piano, performing). He went upstairs after we finished sparring, and it was just me, the mat, and the basement. Read more>>

Shannon Vaught

I’m not sure there was an exact “light bulb” moment, so to speak. In high school I used to draw all the time, and from it received a lot of odd jobs; tattoo designs, portraits of pets and people, murals, etc. Eventually I went to college to pursue an art degree. I had been painting for a few years at this time and painted a picture of my puppy, just for fun. Read more>>

ALEXANDRA SHATOKHINA

I remember this moment very well. I was in my 4th year of Art University, and I had to decide which specialization I would choose. There were several directions available to me: interior design, visual design, web design and painting. I was sitting on the train somewhere between Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk, and asking myself: what do I want to do? Which specialization will bring me the most satisfaction to my ambitions? Design could bring more money…Read more>>

Agustin Espina

I can remember this specific moment: I was about 14 years old, and I was playing my keyboards (an organ that my parents bought to me when I was 7 and my first synthesizer0. For some reason, I realized at that very moment that “this is what I wanna do for the rest of my life!”. Read more>>

Minjoo Kim

My days as a restless 17-year-old teenager were ordinary and dull as I spent many sleepless nights tossing and turning concerned about my future. I was very indifferent to everything at least until my music teacher made us watch the musical “Aida”. Read more>>

Nadiyah Mahmood

I knew as a child sitting in class drawing on the margins of my notes that I was probably going to be some sort of artist but I didn’t expect to be a mehndi artist! I was just as surprised as my parents were when they noticed I was buying so much henna powder and supplies. Read more>>

Amaya White

I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a creative path, I just didn’t know what path to take. Throughout my schooling, I was always pushed to play an instrument. I played alto saxophone and found myself picking up percussion. I was encouraged to go to school for Music Education with a principle instrument. It took me years to figure out that my true passion was for producing and songwriting. I had to venture off on my own to really understand where and how I wanted to go about my career in music. Read more>>

Maribel Hernandez

To be honest, I never considered myself a “creative”, quite the opposite actually. I do, however, have a deep deep passion for travel. Ever since I was little, I always saw myself going to exotic places and living out adventures I saw people doing on TV. There’s nothing more enthralling to me than to be submerged in a completely different way of life than my own… Read more>>

Daniel Pradilla De Bedout

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with the human ability to tell stories. Not only the ones that we invent or imagine — but also the ones that are based on our life experiences. My story begins with the people who made it all happen: my parents. They have unconditionally supported me since the beginning. Read more>>

Apollo Clone

After high school I was really depressed and lonely, being so far away from home (I went to college in Montana, kind of the middle of nowhere.) That’s when I started really getting into Rap & Hip Hop. It inspired me. I would get high and journal my feelings into creative rhymes because I’ve always excelled at writing. Writing quickly turned into free-styling, and shortly after, I bought Pro Tools and taught myself to compose. Read more>>

Smoke Delgado

Growing up I was always creative. I use to always sketch and color etc. I was weird with it through. Everything would have to be exact. From outlining my drawings with markers to shading with colored pencils, which had to be sharpen. The moment I knew I was destined to be a creator was when I was in the 5th grade. I got really close with my art teacher, and I would get fabric from the art class, with permission of course. I would use my action figures as manikins to sew little shirts and pants with thread and needles haha. I’ve been creating ever since. Read more>>

Melanie Biehle

Becoming an artist was quite a journey. I wasn’t exposed to much art when I was growing up, but when I was 19 I started meeting working artists and other interesting creative types. They taught me a lot about art, design, music, and culture. Back then I always felt like being an artist was something that other people could do, but not me. It seemed way out of reach. Read more>>

Gretchen Bauer

With a mother and both grandparents being incredibly fashionable, I was influenced from a very young age. At the age of 12 fashion became my focus, passion and obsession. I can remember back to when I began planning my outfits and then becoming interested in searching for the most unique items that no one else had. Read more>>

CLAUDIO PARENTELA

It was around 1995 that for a series of circumstances I found myself facing a crossroads, or rather faced with a very important choice that I had to make for my life, which would affect my whole future, all the years to come . I think that everything that was not perfectly clear to me needed to come out. I listened to my heart, profusely, with all of myself … the only thing that mattered to me was to create every day, for every day of my life Read more>>

Lazy2real

Well the first time I wanted to pursue an artistic path is when I first seen my older cousin rhyme book I was very intrigued about his writings & he told me there were lyrics, now at the time I was only the age of 9 so I didn’t understand what he meant so he basically told me he write he’s feelings down on paper & rap it on the microphone he said that was he’s form of expression. Read more>>

Genivive Clinton

I knew I was artsy since elementary. I drew, painted, jumped in any skit or play I could, performed poetry, sang, and dance. Weirdly, it wasn’t until I became a truck driver that I decided to try comedy. I got out of the truck in Minnesota and did my first mic in 2016. I would truck a couple more yrs and hit mics randomly but in 2018 I said no more trucking and went hard at my dreams. Patrice O’Neal, and my friend Precious Media LLC both really inspired me to live in an artistic freedom. Read more>>

Justin Surgeon

I’ve always been blessed with natural artistic ability, but I never really took it seriously up until 2015. I was involved in a freak accident where my right arm was run over by a city bus in Charlotte, NC (I’m right handed btw). After 33 days in the hospital, I was released April 15th, 2015. Read more>>

Richie Schwab

Richie Schwab is known today as DJ Akuarium, entertainer extraordinaire and award winning music producer. His fascination with music began in the streets of New Orleans at a toddler listening to musicians play Jazz. Marching bands and parades filled the air with laughter and whimsical tunes and the young star was hooked. Read more>>

 S.B. The Anomoly

When I was younger I was into martial arts and sports. I started competing in tournaments when I was 7 as a martial artist and shortly after that I began playing on different sport teams.. I enjoyed being competitive, constantly growing and winning. It gave me a sense of self. One day I hurt my knee and everything changed. I was lost and had no idea what to do. Read more>>

Frankie Rivera

So i was 20 years old. I was in college, but my heart wasn’t there. All I thought about was music and what I could do with it. At this point I had been making music for about two years and put out some mixtapes but more than anything, I fell in love with the writing process of making music. The vulnerability in the lyrics, the rhythm in the cadences, the double entendres, everything. It was then that I knew that I wanted to do this and take it to another level. Read more>>

PARUL MEHRA

Having worked in the realm of architectural practice in New Delhi( India ) , I realised very early on that project work is chaotic & following deadlines & being answerable at their job’s description , isn’t everyone’s cup of tea ! Hence after a few heart aches & many projects later , I realised my creativity is getting side lined due to labour oriented , project deadline hassles & delayed payments from clients ! Read more>>

El Chino DreadLion

I was very young 4 years old my Mom Lula used to told I used to stand up on the dining table telling her that I was an artist and it was a fact I start my professional life when I was 7 years old Read more>>

MJ Sykes

The first time I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer was after I finished my Undergraduate and Science. I have always loved clothes and “looks,” but I didn’t know anything about the design industry or being a designer. Read more>>

Termichael Daniels

I first knew I wanted to be a creator in high school. Me and my friends would watch Jake Paul create his videos also King Bach. I never had the equipment or knowledge they had to be a creator. So I started making dancing videos around school to get used to the internet. Read more>>

Joseph Williams

When I realized that my voice had a impact on the people that surrounded me it took a lot of falling down to get back up to a old belief that is now my new found faith which is humility comes before honor 6 months ago I was on live with a stranger that turned out to be my closest associate we get on live every morning and entertain the viewers by being ourselves and we developed a fan base it’s brought a lot of attention and opportunities to my business and my Gemini brand for my clothing line that I’m dropping in September the followers are now my supporters and I love them for holding me down and making me also Read more>>

Anaïs Noveras

I had always known deep down, since childhood, that I wanted to be a performer of some sort. I grew up in a studio, studying dance and competing and I absolutely loved it. I loved the months of prep before our annual Nutcracker performance, or months of rehearsals and practice getting ready for competition season and our end of the year recital, and staying late and putting in hard work with my peers, who essentially became my second family. But having immigrant parents, there was this unspoken agreement that at some point, I was going to have to stop to find a more acceptable area of study in order to find a “real” career. Read more>>

Winn Wright

I’m lucky. I have always known I would be an artist. I was always the kid that was drawing. In elementary school I would draw other student’s names in a fancy, made-up type style and sell them for a penny a letter. In high school I took every art class at least twice, even the engineering drawing classes. Read more>>