I'll share my story and hope it doesn't bore anyone to tears. :) I started quilting about a year ago now and there was an event that actually sparked me to get into it. I'm involved in a local historic preservation group in my town, and I'm president of the board that oversees the preservation of the oldest home in town (built in 1852). We have several open houses each year at the historic park that has this house in it and we do a quilt exhibit each May. So during last year's exhibit I was walking around looking at all the quilts and thinking to myself "I bet I could do this." I remember looking at the quilts and thinking over them in terms of construction, i.e., looking at each block and thinking how they came together in a logical way. So after the exhibit I went to the local bookstore and bought a couple of quilting magazines, went to Wal-Mart and bought some fabric, went to the local sewing machine dealer and bought a machine. And made my first quilt. :D
Looking back now, I think I was drawn to quilting as simply another art form that allows me an avenue to create. I have an art background, having taken lessons in painting from a couple of different teachers. I've won honors in several competitions, so having the art background coming into quilting helps a lot I think in being able to choose colors of fabrics that will play well together.
I haven't painted in years (probably 10 or more now), because while I had all the awards and praise from people telling me that I was good, I still had to really work at it to make a painting that I was even remotely satisfied with. For every one painting I completed, I probably trashed 10 others. I think a lot of that was me being overly self-critical of my work, though. But with quilting, it's a pretty different story - maybe I've simply matured beyond caring so much about the perfectionism, I don't know. But I see it as enjoyable, rather than work.
So, there it is. :D