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

Andre Dowell

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was during my childhood in Tennessee. Music was the heartbeat of my community, especially within the Southern Black Baptist Church. The way music moved people, the way it could convey emotion and tell stories, captivated me from an early age. However, it wasn’t until I was at the University of Michigan, pursuing a dual degree in Percussion Performance and Computer Engineering, that I saw music as more than just a personal passion—it became clear that it was my calling. Read more>>

Clark Rendall

In high school, I excelled at math and science and was considering studying engineering, but ultimately was most interested in photography. During my undergraduate studies, I became interested in printmaking, another artform that involves equipment and technology. While working in museums, I became interested in exhibition design followed by interior design, another creative practice that is also highly technical. I’m still figuring out what my dream jobs is, the problem being that I’m interested in too many things, but I plan on continuing to walk the line between art and design. Read more>>

Katsie O’neill

Pursuing a creative path was never in the plan, and certainly not on a professional level! I have always enjoyed being crafty, but was never really good at anything in particular. I can honestly say this was entirely unintentional. I started etching glass in November 2018 as I was planning my company’s centennial bash. (I have a full-time job that I love!) While searching for employee gifts we saw these really cool glasses with the city skyline etched onto the glass. Read more>>

Amber Harmon Whitworth

I’ve been drawing since the first moment I could grip a writing utensil. My mom dutifully saved all my earliest recognizable drawings, including a hot dog, Buzz Lightyear, and a cat where I filled every square millimeter of the paper with color. From elementary school through high school, I got in trouble for drawing too much. It was (almost) the only thing I ever got into trouble for! Avoiding my homework to work on a comic book, getting my sketchbooks taken away by teachers, getting scolded for making my classmates laugh with my doodles. Art made me happier than practically anything else. It was my escape; my extra language. I loved hearing people fawn over my work. I was quite good, and extremely motivated. There was no question that it was always going to be part of my life. Read more>>

Lorinda John

Creating has always been apart of my life, I have always been person who loved making everyone their gifts. During that time of creating the thoughts of having a career in the arts was in my mind but also had negative thoughts that my work was not worthy of money were there. Then in my thirties I just stopped making art. The reason that my creative flow stopped was due to the toxic marriage I was in. There was no personal motivation and no will to want to share what I was creating. Many projects went incomplete and even in the trash. This time stretched about 10 years if not longer until one day when that all changed. Read more>>

Meliya Loosle

I have been creating since as long as I can remember, as I’m sure most creatives can claim. My mom always said as long as she had a paper and a pen, I could be entertained for hours. As I grew up, I unfortunately started to listen to other adults around me say that being an artist isn’t a realistic dream or I would be poor my whole life if I pursued my art. Going into college, I studied nursing because I do have a passion for working with people and I loved the idea of a more flexible work schedule. But when Covid19 hit in 2020, and classes became all virtual I had a hard time keeping my motivation up. I realized nursing was what I chose to do because it was the more practical thing to do. But I didn’t love it. Read more>>

Becca

I first recognized my desire to pursue a professional creative path at the age of nine. During this formative period, I found myself drawn to the piano at my grandmother’s house, where I would play simple melodies. This early exposure to music ignited a profound sense of joy and purpose within me. It became clear that music was more than just an activity; it was a calling. Read more>>

Martial Besombes

I guess when I was twelve. I remember wanting to improvise but I couldn’t do it. And one night I got a dream –I was improvising on my piano. What a feeling! I think I knew right then, but that’s not when I made the decision. Let’s go back a few years: I grew up in Annecy, a mid-size town of France. I started with classical music at the age of five and demonstrated early on that I was talented. Around the age of eleven I was offered the opportunity to study at the National Conservatory in Paris which would have exposed me to an international crowd. Unfortunately, some of my family members opposed this decision on the grounds that this career was a cut-throw business.  Read more>>

Ridhima Gupta

From a young age, I often followed my brother, eager to explore and satisfy my curiosities. It was during one of these times that my mother decided to enroll both of us in the Animation Arena in New Delhi, India, where I was introduced to the enchanting world of design. This is where my journey truly began, as I discovered the power of design and the ability to create entire imaginative worlds from scratch. Even though I was deeply drawn to design, I knew that realizing my dream was still a distant goal. Read more>>

Peter Hollywood

When I was 8 yrs old I started my first band/musical project. My friend and I would tape record ourselves playing and singing along with records from Earth, Wind & Fire , Rush and The Cars. I made a drum set consisting of pots and pans from the kitchen with a pad of paper for the snare drum and played it with chopsticks while singing. It was a blast ! That was until my mom would show the recordings off to her friends and embarrass the shit out of me. lol. I knew from that point that i wanted to make music and actually learn how to really play. I saved up enough money for a bass a few years later and bought one from a pawn shop. I started playing in real bands right away and we all learned together how to play and make music in a band setting and started playing shows shortly thereafter. I’ve never looked back. Read more>>

Lu （lucine） Xin

During my time as a graduate student in art, I met a senior from the art academy through a friend in the art circle. She was an illustrator and tattoo artist, and with her guidance and support, I founded my own studio, DZG Tattoo Studio. In China, I accumulated extensive experience and achieved significant recognition. In 2022, I moved to the United States and joined the Modoink Tattoo team in California. During my time with Modoink Tattoo, I continued to enhance my skills and had the opportunity to collaborate with many talented artists, further expanding my artistic vision and creative space. Read more>>

Victor Maury

I consider myself fortunate that, although I am completely unsure about a great many things, I have never had to question my purpose or career in life. The exact details? Logistics? Sure. But the path has been set since day one. I draw, I tell stories. I latch onto this one fundamental truth at my core like a sailor strapped to the mast in a storm. Seriously, when you are a Libra like me and take 3 hours for the most inane of decisions, it’s nice to have the big stuff figured out. Read more>>

Brett Underwood

I started writing high school sports when I was an Illinois “country boy” teenager at the urging of my Father who was a teacher, writer and historian who read Mark Twain to us via lamplight when the power went out during harsh winters. Lots of other reading, too. I was a skinny kid with a fastball, but when I injured my elbow in junior college, I was less interested in the mound and more interested in other opportunities and the characters. There were plenty of those in the dugouts, but when I moved on to attend Saint Louis University (I really just wanted to live in St. Louis and their team was horrible, so I was able to gain a spot on the team, but…still injured despite the efforts of a very able Physical Therapy staff. so spending more time in the “trainer’s room” than on the field), I met guys and gals with other fun on their minds. Read more>>

Cameron Blake

I realized I wanted to become a rapper when I discovered how deeply hip-hop resonated with my own struggles. During some of the toughest times in my life, rap lyrics became a source of solace and strength, offering both relatable stories and inspiration. The way artists shared their personal battles and triumphs gave me hope and motivated me to transform my own situation. It was clear that I wanted to channel my experiences and stories into rap, not only to heal and grow but also to connect with others who faced similar challenges, using my voice to inspire and uplift them just as I had been. Read more>>

Maxine Christians

I knew I wanted to be a Makeup Artist since I was 5 years old. I loved watching fashion shows and seeing the makeup prep behind the curtains. My mom wasn’t a makeup girly so I didn’t have much to play with as far as makeup goes. But I would draw on magazine covers adding colors and textures to the models makeup. Once I found out that it was a job I knew that that’s what I would end up doing. And it never wavered. Read more>>

Yuhanxiao (maggie) Ma

I realized I wanted to pursue a creative path when I felt the need to address urgent societal issues through visual art. Technological innovation shouldn’t be an end in itself but a way to solve real problems. Ideally, we would weigh the risks and benefits of new technologies before adopting them, but rapid advancements often outpace our ability to fully understand their consequences. Read more>>