We asked some of the hardest working artists, creatives and entrepreneurs we know to open up to us about where they think they got their work ethic from. Below, you’ll find some of those responses, stories, and advice.
Israel England
Growing up in a single parent household in Deep South, my mother quite often had to rely on my Grandmother for help. This quality time that I was able to spend with my elder taught me the importance of a good work ethic. My Grandmother was born in 1930 (end of Great Depression), so things were quite bleak for them growing up. Education was not always a option for them, so hard work ethic became key to being successful. Read more>>
Carol Kaemmerer
My home was one where achievement was actively role-modeled by both parents–and expected of me. Their high expectations were not burdensome but rather provided considerable advantages. My preschool and primary school years were filled with weekly trips to the library, abundant field trips to museums, farms, and the zoo, opportunities for acting and singing, and piano lessons. Read more>>
Magda Fuskova
I know exactly where my work ethic comes from. At the age of 5/6 I started playing all kinds of sports and then chose basketball that has been my life until my 20’s. In my opinion this gave me the understanding that if you want to achieve something, you have to have a goal, work hard and wise, be patient, be ready to step outside your comfort zone and always aim to do more than what is the normal or average. Read more>>
Christen Munroe-Jones
I immediately recall my family when I think about my work ethic. I have watched them leave for work in the morning and return home in the evening for as long as I can remember. I realize that I work hard as a result of growing up in a family that values hard work on both my mom’s side of the family as well as my dad’s side. My work ethic is ingrained in my DNA. Read more>>
Mohamad Alkhayat
Following the work of top interior designers in United States, I always see one or 2 pieces of Syrian furniture used in celebrities home decor as a piece of art. Antique Syrian furniture can been found in museums such as LA museum or Met museum in NYC, all this inspired me to recreate Syrian craft to new level to fit modern home design. Read more>>
Gabriel Lucido
As a food photographer, my work ethic is deeply rooted in my passion for capturing the essence of everything related to food. It’s a creative journey that demands dedication, attention to detail, and a love for photography. Just as a chef uses tools and ingredients to craft a delicious dish, I use props, surfaces, light, and composition to create a photograph that resonates with everyone. Collaboration with food stylists and clients has also shaped my work ethic. Read more>>
Amy Rebecca
I believe that work ethic is instilled during our childhood and continues to shape us throughout adulthood. During my early years, I was accustomed to working on my parents’ farm, where tending to horse stalls was a daily routine that earned me $100 a month. This experience laid the foundation for a strong work ethic. Read more>>
Emily Thomas
Let’s take a dive into the roots of my work ethic! While my mom certainly had a starring role in this story, it’s the colorful lessons from my past that have shaped my work style into what it is today. Read more>>
Jennifer Ferry
I am extremely grateful to have been raised by parents who taught me one very important lesson, that there is a difference between a goal and a dream. We often talk about our dreams—our dream jobs, dream homes, and so on. However, the real power lies in setting goals, which are actionable and concrete. Read more>>
Jon Sedor
I think I get my work ethic from my parents. When I was a kid, my parents worked so hard to achieve success in their respective fields and to provide a good life for my brother and I. There were days when I could see that my mom and dad were tired, but they never made excuses or chose to take an easier way out – they persevered and pushed through to complete what they had to get done. I do my best to do the same thing in my own life and creative pursuits. Read more>>
Samantha Margret
My dad once said to me, “if we lost everything today, we would just start again tomorrow.” Most days, he would bring documents home and sit at the dining room table with me “doing our homework.” When I transferred schools in 6th grade, I would cry into my binder across that table: Read more>>
Brittany Clark
I got my worth ethic for my parents. I witnessed them work very hard for what they wanted as a kid. I started working at age 15. And at one point, I even had two jobs to help pay my way through college. Therefore, working hard wasn’t a foreign concept for me as I had always witnessed it and applied it to my own life. Read more>>
Kenya Griffin
I believe my work ethics came from my father. Growing up my father always had two jobs and a few legal hustles on the side (fisherman and handyman). My father would work from sunup to sundown. Once I got into the workforce at the age of 16 years old. I found myself doing the same as I saw my father do. Read more>>
Sara Recker
What a great question, but my answer probably like many is from my Parents and my Grandparents. I recall very clearly while growing up my mother and fathers drive to work hard, grow within their company and push through obstacles. My mother was a Nurse and worked all the many shifts and departments of nursing Read more>>
Matt Hausmann
I’ve always been someone that has to be doing something. It’s hard to relax sometimes because there’s so much to do and such limited time. Possibly it came from my dad who was a successful operational engineer at NASA or my mom who was a successful real estate business owner before I was boprn, and she gave it all up to raise me. Read more>>
Esma Elmerini
I’m a fighter because my parents raised me that way , I was brought up with the Islamic faith where we learn to accept that all that happens comes from God, whether we perceive it as good or bad, there is always good in it , we might not understand that when events happen, but later we get why certain events had to happen in order for other events to happen. Read more>>
Farrah Nichole
I most feel I received my work ethic from my beautiful mother who instilled the natural hustle in me early in life. My motto: work hard, pray harder. Life goals to stay motivated and on track: Read more>>
Autumn Nicholas
Honestly I feel like a feather blowing in the wind some day, then others, I feel like I am holding onto the whole world and the justice we need. I do hope that I pull thing things out of me and it stays consistent because I feel a sense of showing up for me helps someone else show up too. As authentically as I can my work ethic is growing better, especially for artists as we always have our heads in the clouds. Read more>>
Lovxll
My work ethic comes from my self awareness of being somebody that’s naturally gifted at certain things, but understanding that it’s not enough to be great. So throughout my whole life, I’ve worked tirelessly at various crafts to get good enough to set the table for greatness. Read more>>
Maria Jorjezian
The Jorjezian Film Festival has been a significant source of inspiration for my work ethic. As a filmmaker and director, I am deeply passionate about what I do, and this drive fuels my dedication to my craft. From a young age, I have been captivated by the world of entertainment and creation. Even before fully understanding what it meant, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Read more>>
The Michigan Guru
Honestly, both my parents. I can even go as far as saying my grandparents, as well, but if I had to choose one person, I would have to say, my father. My whole childhood, I would watch both my parents work but my dad worked his butt off to support our family. Work ethic was installed in me and my sister, from day one. Read more>>
Aaron Hayes
I feel like I developed my work ethic from my family. I come from a legacy of very hard workers. Teachers, entrepreneurs, health professionals, and detailed designers. It’s just in me. Sports also played a role in the development of my work ethic. Playing as a a collegiate athlete forces you to be competitive. Read more>>
Taleen Akopyan
Both my parents were hard working immigrants and did the best they could to instill similar values in me and my siblings. I have been working ever since I remember, during high school and throughout college. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some of the best peers, mentors and bosses, from whom I’ve learned valuable lessons! I’m a huge believer that a strong work ethic is vital for success in any profession. Read more>>
Samantha Amara
One of the things my parents taught me at a young age was to help around the house. Whether I did the dishes, vacuumed the rugs around the house, helped fold laundry, or simply clean my room, I always had a job to do when I returned home from school. As I got older I realized how hard my parents worked to give me and my sisters a life they never had and I really took that to heart. Read more>>
Steve Soule
Both of my parents worked to instill hard work ethic in me at a very young age, encouraging me to set goals and work to achieve them. Early on those were mostly material things, but as I’ve aged those goals are more oriented around just personal achievement and satisfaction of accomplishment. Read more>>
Elijah Stavely
I firmly believe someone’s work ethic stems from how passionate they are, so I work hard simply because I enjoy it. “Discipline” gets thrown around a lot when it comes to your work ethic or improving yourself, but the lines between discipline and passion are blurred enough to be used as a marketing tool making people believe they can’t do something because they don’t work hard enough at it. Read more>>
Tim Carr
My work ethic comes from where I came from. Growing up, for a while, about every 2 years I was starting at a new school, so I needed to catch up QUICK. I had to be social, I had to get involved quickly, or I felt like I’d just get left out. Funny they have a name for that now, FOMO, the “fear of missing out”. So, I learned early, I had to put the work in. Read more>>
Traci Shadden
My strong work ethic has been deeply influenced by my mother, who tirelessly managed to provide for our family as a single mother of 3 girls. Witnessing her determination and resilience in working multiple jobs to ensure that we had a stable and comfortable life left a big impression on me. Read more>>
Tammy Rydahl
My journey from being a stay at home mom for 12 years to becoming a professional organizer with my own business is a testament to the multifaceted sources that contributed to my strong work ethic, which I am so proud of. Read more>>
Santiago Cal
I was born in Belize, Central America, in the 1970’s. It was a vastly underdeveloped country at the time, but peaceful and full of hard workers. They worked hard to progress the country, to gain independence, to become self sustaining, to promote education, and to celebrate the diversity of culture. Work ethic was instilled in me through my family’s actions, as well as those all around me. Read more>>
Jamie Koplin
I was born and raised in and around Chicago, IL, where a lot of hearty people are. Not only does the weather make it challenging to leave your door sometimes, but almost always the employers will still be open during those storms. There aren’t any “rainy days off”, and barely any “Snow Days”. Read more>>
Brian Smith
I honestly developed my work ethic from my mom. As a single-parent I remember my mom working 2 jobs to provide for me and my sister, and still had enough energy to cook dinner, help us with our school-work, and get us ready for school, so I give credit to my loving mom Ms. Ann Smith-Mccall. Read more>>
Sol Ari
My entire life, I watched my parents work hard to get where they are now and provide a quality life for my brother and I. Hard work has always been a part of my family’s legacy. I have to continue to push for what I want, so that one day I will not have to work at all. Read more>>
Chris Jeanguenat
I’m not sure if a good work ethic is inherited, learned, practiced or comes from within. I have wondered often about my work ethic, because I think it is an important, meaningful part of my life. It’s something I can count on, weather I am motivated to work or not. I’ve made friends with hard work, knowing it will see me through to my goals. Read more>>
Taylor Diebold
I’m certain that my work ethic comes from being raised by parents who worked hard my entire life to make sure I had everything I needed. They worked jobs they didn’t want to at times but it helped build their resume and get them where they are now. They always showed me it’s important to work for the things you want and to provide for yourself. Read more>>
Yulio Rondon
Since I was a kid all I saw my dad doing was working. In fact he used to tell us if you’re not going to do a good job don’t do it, so from a young age I’ve tried to put my heart and a little bit of myself on everything I do, and I believe that’s why everything I do is related to art because to me that way I can put a piece of me on everything. Read more>>
Cameron Derby
I think my work ethic is just a part of who I am, and most definitely comes from how I was raised in Akron, OH. I believe that you receive back what you put into something, and if it’s something you love to do, you’ll do what you can to continue to do it. Read more>>
Reena Vokoun
I get my work ethic from my parents. As a child of immigrant parents and a first generation-born Indian-American, I saw how hard they worked to provide a good life for my siblings and me. My dad came to the U.S. to pursue the American dream with one suitcase and $4oo in his pocket and attended graduate school and worked at the same time to build a foundation for our family. My mom, older brother and sister then came from India about a year later, and my second older brother and I were born in the U.S. several years after that. Read more>>
Lauren Forrest
I got my work ethic from my mother. She has always modeled an exemplary path for me to follow. My mother strived to ensure my life was easier than her upbringing. I appreciate and admire her for that. I followed in her footsteps, becoming an educator who has worked in all sectors, both domestically and internationally. I always knew I would work with children, but I never thought it would start inside of a classroom. Read more>>
Caira Butler
My work ethic is motivated by God and my family. My faith in God is what movitates me to continue pursing my goals. Regardless of obstacles that come my way and the intrusive thoughts that cloud my judgment, I always remember in the Bible God says: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Read more>>
Marina Claunch
Growing up as an only child in a single-parent household, my mother was the ultimate role model for work ethic. She is a teacher and has always worked very hard to make sure that I had a special and memorable childhood. I learned at a fairly young age the importance of earning the things that you want in life. Read more>>
Charmaine Thomas
I must say that my work ethics came from both of my parents. My mom recently passed on May 11, 2022, but she instilled some hard work ethics into me and my siblings. I am the third child of nine, so I knew it had to be challenging to care for so many children. I never saw her quit no matter how hard or challenging it was and I was determined to be the same way. Read more>>
Abbey Bruggeworth
Work ethic, in my opinion, is a learned behavior. It is a choice to work harder than you did the day prior, a choice to keep pushing forward even when there are setbacks, and a choice to make tiny steps closer to your end goal and purpose. For me, my work ethic has had its ebbs and flows as I’ve grown up. Read more>>
Samuel Bushi
When I was pursuing my dream to race motorcycles professionally back in 2008. I had the privilege of training under a 14 time national champion -Joshua Pramod. To say that Josh has a strong work ethic is a huge understatement. His clinical approach to developing his mind and body left no stone unturned. Read more>>
