Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

Lee Devary

I’m from Santa Fe, New Mexico and honestly, it took going away to college to recognize what a special, artistic, beautiful place it is! As an adult, I could appreciate that I was fully immersed in art and culture growing up there, surrounded by visual arts, pottery, jewelry and unique architecture, even the smells there like sage and piñon wood fires! Santa Fe is a Mecca for artists and fosters a very open community for expression. My late father was an artist, a successful oil painter, and my mom is a talented writer who is also gifted at knitting, sewing, and ceramics, and so truly, from day one, I was surrounded by art and creative forces. Read More>>

Cassie Le

I am originally from Portland, Oregon, but I moved to Colorado about a year ago due to my husband’s job. I grew up in a financially struggling Japanese family, and I look very much like my German family. This sometimes led to bullying at school when I would show up with my mother or grandmother, as people assumed I was adopted, even though I was not. The bullying made it hard for me to focus, and as a result, I struggled in school. I specifically remember a teacher saying, “Why do you even show up? You’re never going to amount to anything anyway.” Read More>>

Jordan Lucky

I’m originally from Longmont, Colorado. I think there is a unique thing about Colorado that really helps with me being a tattoo artist in this state. Even growing up here people have always been very progressive to new ideas, health and overall personality. People are genuine here and tend to be on the nicer side of interactions. It’s interesting when I travel to more southern states and interact with people there and see how unaccepting or uncomfortable they are with face tattoos or just tattoos in general. Theres a vibe here that encourages people to be unique and that’s huge if I am going to be doing artwork on people for the rest of my life. Read More>>

Aleksandra Iurtsevich

When people ask me about my background, I always start with my family because that’s where everything begins. I grew up in a simple Russian-Ukranian household – nothing fancy, just genuine warmth and love that filled every corner of our home even when we were not at the easiest time. And right beside me through it all was my twin sister, my other half really, who made every childhood adventure twice as fun and every challenge half as scary. Read More>>

Mandy Lahey

I am from the Berkshire Hills of Western Mass. The area has a vibrant arts scene and my parents made sure that I got full exposure to all that could be taken in from summer stock theatre to evenings with the symphony to modern dance performances. This made me fall in love with the stage and I couldn’t wait to get up on it. Read More>>