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

Mike Mongo

When I was younger I always knew I wanted to be a rapper. I feel in love with hip-hop at an early age – I can’t remember the exact age however it was the early 90s. I can recall hearing my brother playing various west coast artist that were relevant for that time as well as east coast artists. Read more>>

Bruce DeBiasse

I first began drawing as a child, before I could talk, I was holding a pencil and doodling. My parents recount having to tear the pencil from my hands so I could go to sleep. Read more>>

Andre Cardine

At some point in high school I knew that I wanted to eventually become a music professor. There were two unique experiences in high school that helped guide my current career path: Read more>>

Nana Ponceleon

Since I was 8 years old, I would spend hours dancing and singing in front of the TV, dreaming of becoming a singer and a dancer. I taught myself to dance and took every opportunity to practice. Read more>>

Leila Almas Rose

It was clear quite early on that my path would be a creative one, as I was constantly immersed in all things arts. My musician parents often had big jam sessions at our house, and I was always drawn to artistic environments and hobbies. Read more>>

KEN TEN

My first time recording in a professional studio is what did it for me. One day I came across Paramount recording studio and after reviewing their website I discovered that a lot of legendary artists including some of my personal favorites recorded there as well and I was sold. Read more>>

Chace Freeman

I’ve been toying with music my whole life but never fully committed until my friend asked me to go to a Young Thug concert back in 2016. This was my first concert i’ve ever been to so once i felt the energy and watch the performances seeing fans faces light up i just had to commit Read more>>

Bradford Uyeda

When I was about 8 years old, on a Saturday afternoon, Looney Toons was on television and I loved watching those cartoons when I was a kid. On this particular afternoon, at the end of the show a behind the scenes look came on. It took the viewer behind the curtain and explained how the cartoon was made. Read more>>

Yakubu Izuagbe

I first decided to pursue a creative path professionally as a music producer during my late teens. While my peers were mostly listening to hip hop, I was exposed to a wide variety of music from Duran Duran to Fela Kuti to Phil Collins. Read more>>

Brandon Lai

Hello, I’m Brandon Lai, a wedding photographer based in Dallas, Texas.  Life is full of surprises! I had never thought that I would be into photography one day in my life, and then I found my love for it through my wife. Read more>>

Brigid Fox

COVID hit during my sophomore year of college. At this time, I was STEM major with little to no time to pursue creative endeavors, and I was more concerned with maintaining a social life than I was with painting. Read more>>

Ayron Bloss

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit about me, but I would say that I really recognized it when I was in my early 20’s. Working corporate, 9-5 jobs just wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Greg Kirk

We both have backgrounds in the creative/artistic path. After graduating high school, Aries planned to attend SCAD for photography. However, it didn’t pan out. Read more>>

Em Nguyen

I moved to Sioux Falls when I was two and always struggled in school. I had no direction but always enjoyed doodling. After graduating high school, I went to university and studied English. Read more>>

Ella Zona Bryant

My parents were very supportive of me regardless of whether I chose to take a more pre-professional route or venture out on my own and do something creative, so I guess it just never occurred to me to NOT work in the creative space. Read more>>

Marie-Soleil Chabot

I must have been 13 or 14 years old. For school, we had been given the opportunity to exchange messages via email with people of different professions. Back then, I was a big fan of video games (especially the ones on Nintendo 64), and animated TV shows and movies. Read more>>

Jiacuy Roche

At a very young age from 3 years old and up, I sang various songs in my room and practiced my vocals through sound. I had my first solo school performance and sang “Spin the Dreidel.” Read more>>

Monica Salas

Born and raised in Dallas, TX I was exposed and surrounded by music at an early age on my mothers and fathers’ side of the family. My mother was the Spanish choral director at our church, as well as the Founder, CEO, Read more>>

M.J. Pippens

I’ve always been different. I’m not sure at exactly what age I discovered I was different but I knew at around 18 my first year of college that I just didn’t have an ordinary purpose. Read more>>

Georgina Curtis

The world of theater is indeed enchanting, captivating audiences with its spellbinding performances and awe-inspiring transformations. From the moment the curtain rises to the final bow, the magic of theater comes alive through the art of costume, hair, and makeup. Read more>>

Celeste Shariece Brewer

I first started off as a little girl praise dancing at Rising Star Baptist Church located in Fort Worth, TX. Then, my senior year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, I stated to Di’Sha Wallace who was miming at Rising Star at the time “Girl I wish I could be like you.” Read more>>

Nia Vines

I’ve always been a gifted artist but I never had the confidence growing up. I’d long to be onstage but would be scared to even audition. My first production was in middle school, my teachers advised me to audition and I ended up as the Scarecrow in the Wiz. Read more>>

Elizabeth Perlman

I have always loved writing. Starting with my first diary at age age nine, I have written in a journal every day of my life. Although I started envisioning a girls’ empowerment program when I was still in my 20s, I didn’t yet have the confidence or the clarity to make it happen. Read more>>

Tyler Seton

Easy answer, it started with choir and musical theatre in high school. I always got into the shows, had lead roles, and I loved the challenge of learning new ways to sing and express myself artistically. Read more>>

Natty Moss Bond

As a child, my father had a paint store. House paint. He had a very small section of art supplies and that is where I always was. I would copy (very poorly and mostly with house paint) paintings I saw in books and hang them around my room. ha ha! Read more>>

Melody Zenith

For me, there was never really a question regarding who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. While my actual identity shifted, the goal remained the same. Read more>>

Amanda & Dex Badgett

We started our Amanda & Dex accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in 2023 because we want to share fun moments around married life, parenting, and living in the Charleston area. Read more>>

Yung Blax

When I came home from prison I didn’t know what to expect as far as continuing to pursue my music career. Before I went to prison we were still passing out CD’s, putting boots on the ground to promote and actually having interactions with people to promote yourself. Read more>>

Love Walker

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was when I did my first self-tape for a film. I thought it was a commercial through a modeling gig, which came from someone very prominent in the industry. Read more>>

Jayda Carcamo

From when I was 13yrs old I knew I wanted a hand in the film industry. From there I thought acting would be a great start but when I took a Drama Class in High School, I realized I had serious stage fright and couldn’t Act at all. Read more>>

Herbert Morales

I always loved watching movies at home or going to the movie theatre & then coming home going on Youtube watching BTS of how that movie was made (I still do that till this day). Read more>>

Koji Ohmura

In my childhood, I always loved Si-Fi films and Japanese cartoons, Godzilla, Dragonball Z, Ultraman, Star Wars, Gremlins, ET, etc. When I turned 10 years old, my father took me to an old movie theater in my hometown, Morioka. Read more>>

Barbara Outterson

I was a toddler when I began to sing and make up stories. A few months later, I began to draw and paint, believing that I could achieve the success of the great masters with my markers and crayons. Read more>>

Crusasis

I was getting into music around 10 years old, my dad would buy me a cheap snare drum and I’d bust through the heads, then he’d buy another one cause we didn’t know you could just replace the heads, so I had a grave yard of snare drums. Read more>>

Angela Howell

My career as an artist has been a total surprise. I had urges to try painting for decades, but I had no artistic talent as far as I knew. I finally let myself take a few lessons in 2014 and discovered a love for abstract art. Read more>>

Linda Hinojos

In 1992, when I was 14 years old, I was hired at Six Flags Astroworld. There I learned the skill of airbrush. The opportunity gave me the experience, and vision to become an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Josh Blanaru

Pick a phrase + get it on a shirt! GUNS R BLAZIN, launched in 2021, aims to inspire others while looking good in the process. The concept of putting custom phrases on t-shirts, a trend that once ruled the 80’s shopping mall scene, is revitalized by GRB with an extra sexy t-shirt template and your choice of phrase from a vast selection of album art menus. Read more>>

Pamela Nomvete

When I was 18 at school, a friend asked me to be her partner in a drama festival. I started taking acting lessons to prepare and was bitten by the acting bug. Read more>>

Nishit Gupta

My love of the arts and design began as child in a household of engineers and designers. From the age of six, I became devoted to visual arts with a special passion for drawing. Read more>>

Laron Gigger

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path. The performing arts, visual arts, and everything about performing have captivated me from a young age. Read more>>

Cyn Silva

I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was 10 years old. My older sister had taken me to numerous art galleries in San Francisco, California since I was 5, instilling in me a love for art history and the stories of famous artist. Read more>>

Greg Burmeister

I was in high school at the turn of the century when I started making weird videos on a 8mm camcorder. I wrote and shot a MacGyver spoof and made a backwards music video by rewinding the footage on the camcorder while recording it to a VHS tape. Read more>>

Yijia Sun

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was when I was a child. I always fantasized about becoming a screenwriter and director, believing that a good story could inspire, uplift, and even change the world. Read more>>