Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Chad Michael Lange | Fiction Writer

I was raised in Washington, Illinois, a small Central Illinois town outside Peoria. While growing up, I saw many of my friends get married and have children soon after graduating from high school. My father worked the same job for more than twenty-five years before retiring, and my mother was a stay-at-home housewife. I never thought there was anything inherently wrong with this, of course, but I never wanted this type of life for myself. Read more>>

Michael James | Musician

I’m originally from Chicago, grew up surrounded by a city that taught me pain and blues. Like a lot of blues musicians they are in depth with their emotions and it’s when I met Buddy Guy where I worked as a local dairy clerk it took off for me. “I asked him what do I have to be like you?” You got to keep it cool and know how to talk to the ladies” I was sold and it took off for me on a journey that I have traveled to the us today. Read more>>

Justin Mulder | Fine Art Photographer

I was born and raised in a small country town called Delaware in Ontario, Canada. Fishing, hiking and long dirt road bike rides were a staple. I had a great upbringing by my incredible hard working Dutch immigrant parents, and three older brothers. I was the youngest sibling by thirteen years, so in my impressionable years, there were always text books from my three brothers’ college and university days on art, architecture and landscape design. Read more>>

Alexander Flanagan | Director of Photography

I grew up in Marin County California which is just above San Francisco. In school growing up I was always in engineering and physics classes. For some reason I really enjoyed building and problem solving with my hands. I started working construction during the summers in high school and was highly considering continuing with it after school. Everyday I would wake up at the crack of dawn, dig ditches all day, then go to football practice, and don’t forget weight training on the weekends. I remember the feeling of waking up everyday dreading the work ahead, I couldn’t help but think that there had to be more to life. Read more>>

Ana Alfaro-Chean | DVINE by Ana

I’m from Honduras but I came to live in the U.S. at the age of five. It’s been a blessing to have grown up here, in LA, and be able to take advantage of so many great opportunities that I would’ve never had back in Honduras. I was raised by a single mother who was and still is my biggest role model. Even when times were tough, she would still wake up every morning, go to work and raise me. My mother taught me to be independent, strong and to never stop working on becoming the best version of myself. Her love and support has truly shaped me into the woman and business owner I am today. Read more>>

Judah | Studio Owner, Producer and Engineer

I’m from Washington D.C. Being from such a rich entrepreneur minded city that inspired me to start my own studio at 20 years old. My upbringing was influenced by all the go go and fashion culture that was around me when I was a teen. D.C. had its own unique culture, fashion, slang, music (go go) and identity. All those things made me who I am today. Read more>>