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

Noam Peri

I’ve been writing songs for as long as I can remember. I learned to write at a very young age and immediately used it as a tool for self-expression. Growing up, I often felt misunderstood, and writing songs became my way of processing and expressing emotions that I couldn’t articulate otherwise. Read More>>

Luis Herrera

I was in the 6th grade at a magnet performing arts middle school. They were having auditions for Grease the musical and I was torn between wanting to be in it because I grew up watching and loving Grease, but was also afraid of failing and not getting in. I told my mom about the audition and how scared I was, and she gave me the simplest and what now feels like the most obvious advice; the worst thing that can happen, is they say no, and then nothing changes. Read More>>

Joi Martin

I had always been the one in my family that liked to play on everyone’s hair. It wasn’t until I started cosmetology school that I realized there was an actual science to it. So it’s 2011, I have been in college for two years and I loved where I was to the point where I wanted to stay there. But there was no space for me to be able to professionally do what I already did on the side. Read More>>

George Tyler Heffley

I feel like I always knew that I wanted to be involved with music throughout my whole life. Sure, when I was younger, I was obsessed with dinosaurs and I wanted to be a paleontologist. Also, throughout middle and high school, I was really into surfing and I thought that I was going to be a professional surfer. But I was always involved with music; from being in bands, writing music, singing in my school choirs, and going to recording sessions. Read More>>

Selena Jin

My journey into music started early, thanks to my dad’s passion for classical music. Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff – those were the sounds of my childhood, literally! He says they were my “fetal education” music. Getting my first piano at three, a Yamaha upright, was a huge moment. Its bright sound was magical. Read More>>

Faith Williams

I’ve known that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally, since I was in elementary school. We would have awards ceremonies every nine weeks; where one student form each grade level would received pins and ribbons, highlighting a specific subject that they excel in. Read More>>

Scott Pauli

When I was in 6th grade I began drawing graphics and ads for imaginary skateboard companies. Skating was becoming my full time passion along with my brother and our neighborhood friends. The previous summer my brother had traveled from our home in Peoria, IL to visit my cousins in California. He brought back what I believe was the first real contemporary skateboard to reach Peoria. It was a Vision Mark Gonzales, the graphics were like nothing I had ever seen. The rest of us were envious riding our ToysR’Us Nash boards. Read More>>

Tarnesha Smalla

I’ve always been captivated and inspired by the creative world of television, film, music and choreography. It’s been a passion of mines since I can remember. I was even apart of many church plays, choirs, dance ministries and also modeled for a few years after graduating high school but, still lacked the courage to actually admit to myself that I wanted to pursue it professionally. Read More>>

Elke Kahler

I first knew I wanted to be infront of the camera when I was about 5 years old, sitting on the floor, completely mesmerised by all the Elvis movies dad had us watching. I fell inlove with the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood and began performing and story telling to my family and anyone who would watch or listen. Read More>>

Tamir Lifshitz

I was born to a music family, my dad is a professional musician, my mom plays several instruments and my siblings play as well. I grew up surrounded by music from middle eastern music to rock and roll ,blues ,Jazz and classical music. Read More>>

Brandy Adams

The first time I watched Comicview. I had to be in bed at 8:30. But, Comicview came in at 10:00. So, I would sneak in the living room turn the T.V. Down real low and get super close so I could watch it. I literally studied each comic. Read More>>

Nancy Schier

Growing up with my dad as an artist, I always knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Art was a huge part of my childhood, and it was why we came to America. But at 17, I had no idea just how vast and varied the world of art truly was. Read More>>

Boxx The Artist

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative pathway professionally wasn’t a sudden moment, but a journey that brought me full circle to the passion I had unknowingly cultivated since childhood. I was always a creative child, but I didn’t initially see art as a career path—just something that brought me joy. My grandmother played a big role in nurturing my gift. She would invite me into her room, sit me down, and ask me to draw something for her. She made those drawings feel important, taping each one to her wall as if they were masterpieces. It’s almost as if she knew who I was, before I did. Read More>>

Baeprint

It’s really kinda hard to pinpoint the exact moment I knew I wanted to pursue being a creative professionally, because I literally grew up performing my whole life as a competitive dancer so I would say I just always knew I wanted to be a star, once I saw how captivated I made people just by being on stage. Outside of that, I always have been the freestyle type of girl since a small kid. Read More>>

Qingyang(tiffany) Zhu

The first time I realized I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was when I was 14 years old. It’s undeniably an early age to set a clear career goal, but I had always loved drawing and felt a deep admiration for creative professions. When I began seriously thinking about my future college major at that age, the idea of becoming a designer or an artist came to my mind like a spark of inspiration. Read More>>

Erica Tamburo

I wanted nothing more than to take a photography class and was finally able to right before I started grad school. The class was a service-learning class that traveled to Ireland for a few weeks to work on documentary projects for our hosts. Dublin, Belfast, and a few points in between. Read More>>

Haixiang Ge

The moment I realized I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was during my first year at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It was my first performance in a major recital hall, and I was surrounded by peers who were equally passionate about classical music. Read More>>

Ani Rosskam

I grew up in Roosevelt, NJ, a community of friends and neighbors who moved here to be part of the agro-industrial project the town was built for, many leaving garment jobs in NYC for a better life and conditions. Many artists, writers, musicians, and photographers followed. My parents, both pioneer documentary photographers, came at the urging of friends. Read More>>

Bill Leech

I think I sensed that I wanted to be an artist at a very young are. I don’t even know if it was a conscious choice but rather some kind of compulsion that came from someplace unknown to me. Perhaps it came from some long gone ancestor who always wanted to paint pictures but painting hadn’t been invented yet. I only know that the desire to create and make things was always there. Read More>>

Ben Titus

I have always had music in my life in some way, shape, or form. My great grandmother bought me a Realistic keyboard from Radio Shack when I was 5 that I wore out from just noodling stuff. Some of my earliest memories involved cruising down the road with some kind of music blasting, from Pink Floyd to Metallica to Enigma and more. I first got serious about it in late elementary school, picking up clarinet and starting down the ‘legit’ road. Read More>>

Inez Hill

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was when I was a young girl, around 6 or 7 years old, at the Martin Luther King Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was an energetic child, always full of ideas and constantly looking for ways to express myself. My art teacher at the center, who was nothing short of amazing, noticed this spark in me and took me under her wing. Read More>>

Helena Weber

I was a creative kid, like many artistic people. As a kid I loved to draw, paint, create crafts, paint rocks, etc. etc. As I grew up and boys entered the picture, a lot of that got pushed aside. And with adulthood came a very uncreative job as a legal assistant in a law firm, and soon after that, marriage and a child. Read More>>

Jamø

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was at a Flume concert in 2019. I’ll never forget how the music connected with the crowd on this insane, emotional level—it felt bigger than just a show. I remember standing there, overwhelmed, thinking, “I want to create something that does this for people.” Read More>>

E’brandia Perry

I was raised in a family of artists and creatives. My father, may he rest in peace, was a well-connected professional softball player, entertainer, and musician. My mother also had a passion for music. One of my earliest and most vivid memories with my dad was when he gifted me a Cabbage Patch Kid keyboard for Christmas. Read More>>

Reghan Sage

I struggled a lot in high school being deeply creative and invested in craft. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and for a majority of my childhood I attended a private Catholic school. Unfortunately most of these schools have a lack of funding and attention for creative programs. Read More>>

Shirley Long

I was a young child when I first had the desire to create beautiful artistic drawings. My cousin had a relaxed natural gift that I admired. I had no idea how to cultivate my longing. It took 30 more years to find my creative self. It truly was a gift from God, Read More>>

Harald Austad

I started making music when I was 15 years old. At first, it was just for fun with my friends, but what started as a hobby, quickly grew into playing shows, making beats and producing records for other artists as well. I vividly remember the first time I heard a song that I had produced being played on the radio. Read More>>

Dawn Tarr Scott

From the time I was a child, I knew I wanted to be an artist. From the time I could hold a crayon, I knew. I always thought it was strange when I would have friends come over to play as a kid and none of them wanted to color with me. Van Gogh, and I share the same birthday, which I found out when I was in high school, and adds a special twist to my art journey. Read More>>

Courtney Colgan

Throughout my life there were several key moments when I realized I wanted to professionally pursue art. Growing up my mom carried a ziplock bag of crayons in her purse. Whenever there was downtime, or we were waiting somewhere she would give me the crayons and whatever there was to draw on. This could be the back of a receipt, a napkin or back of a paper restaurant placemat. Drawing became the thing I was interested in and couldn’t wait to get back to. It allowed me to create my own interpretation of the world around me and the people in it. Read More>>

Kelly Arjen

Growing up, I always wanted to do something creative or artistic. Whether it was drawing, dancing, acting, or modeling didn’t matter. As I grew older, those kind of dreams started to die down. I grew up poor and I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to start. So an artistic career just seemed unrealistic for someone like me. I only really started working in this field when I noticed people around me who were trying to be creatives and I guess it wore off on me. It seemed possible. Read More>>