We asked some of the most creative folks we know to open up to us about why they chose a creative career path. Check out their responses below.

Arnie Wess | Writer of TV, Film, Children’s books and Plays

I didn’t choose it…it chose me. Often in my life I’ve thought about the special gift each of us are born with and how we receive it. Do we accept, deny, relish or despise that building block that shapes the person we are and who we can grow to become. It was clear at an early age, that my wiring centered around comedy. Whether it was something I saw, heard or thought of, my wiring immediately shaped the comedic aspect to it. Read more>>

Sia Savvy” Stewart-Massey | Television Producer”

I started my career in the corporate sector as an accountant and eventually moved into project management. As effective as I was in the corporate world, the call from my creative side was persistent and grew increasingly insistent! Eventually I took the leap into television production due to my passion for storytelling and this has allowed me to give a voice to marginalized groups that are often muted. I take pride in championing the rights of women and providing them with platforms that allow them to bravely display their most authentic selves. Read more>>

Stephanie Sorady-Iverson & Andrew Iverson | History for Weirdos Podcast Co-Hosts

We pursued our podcast for a few key reasons. The first was to connect with each other (Andrew was traveling for work a lot and we didn’t have much time together), the second was to hopefully connect with other folks who love strange history, and lastly to have a creative outlet. Both of us are multi-passionate and love finding new ways of expressing that creativity. Neither of us knew a thing about podcasting, but with trial and error, we made it work! We both agree that History for Weirdos has been one of the most rewarding things we’ve done with our careers. Read more>>

Aiko Smith | Mindfulness Teacher, Facilitator and Speaker

My experience growing up in LA with a single, immigrant mother, struggling to keep us housed and fed created the foundation of my values and what I choose to do with my limited time on earth. I grew up navigating systems of poverty, racism, and misogyny without the awareness of how these systems were creating an idea about who I was, what I was capable of and where I belonged in society. I worked in behavioral therapy for a decade before I made the transition into becoming a Mindfulness facilitator and speaker. Read more>>

Alex Michael Torres | Actor / Model

Everyone in my family was really into the arts so I was always surrounded by it. Since I was in elementary it has been been my biggest passion and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Read more>>

Anastasiia Glekel | Art Director & Founder of the Branding Agency

From a childhood, I have always had a strong connection to visual art and creativity. I would often imagine characters from books and draw them, as well as cut and collect beautiful pictures from my mother’s magazines. One of my most vivid memories of my childhood is when I was six years old. I was sitting in my grandparents’ backyard, surrounded by nature and trees, and I could visualize cartoon cats jumping around and playing around the yard. I dreamed of one day creating a computer game with illustrated cats-characters in it or draw comics with all these pictures Read more>>

Dayna Marie | Musician/ social media creator

I first started off this career with photography videography when I was young I picked up a camera and that’s all I wanted to do. I had dyslexia so that really helped spark my creative side of things. It didn’t help so much in the classroom which is fine because I never use any of that to this day lol.. I also was painting and drawing and my favorite thing to draw and paint was actually peoples faces. I always had a creative side in me. And I use all of that into my photography, I started shooting a lot of different creators and they kind of told me to get into social media which is what I’m doing now. Read more>>

Patty Myasia | Fashion Designer, Stylist, Model & Perfumer

I pursued a creative career so I can have a free outlet to celebrate black culture—black women, before anything else, without being censored. I wanted to find a way to maximize my voice. Read more>>

Pelayo Ciria | Pianist

Piano has always been in my life as my mom bought one before I was born because she wanted me and my sister to have a musical education. I started playing when I was 3 so after so many years, when I was a teenager, I realized it was my passion and what I thought I could do best in my future. Read more>>

Siwei Li | Cinematographer

I grew up in a family with a science background. I’m the only kid who studied art. It didn’t come from being a little rebellious. I feel a lot of freedom and confidence when expressing myself through art. It also makes my life full of challenges and unexpected rewards from friends I meet and the things we do together. Read more>>

Brigitta Blair | UX Designer, Game Artist, & Comic Author

Making art was one of the things in life that felt consistent when the world felt out of control. Whenever I had a bad day or just needed to vent, a pencil (which later became a stylus) was waiting to greet me at my desk. In elementary school, I became consumed by this online virtual pet website called Neopets. Neopets had something unlike anything I had experienced before: a thriving art community. People would code pet webpages and make digital art while writing stories about their pet’s lore. Read more>>

Orla Long | Irish Costume Designer

I think every one of us is creative, it’s intrinsic to being human. To be able to be a storyteller as a career is a great privilege that I have an entire community of people to thank for. I pursued costume design while studying a BA in Drama and French at Trinity College, Dublin and fell in love with the process. Reading a script or collaborating on a devised piece of theatre, trying to dig deep and figure out who all the characters are, discovering and playing with what they wear and how they might wear it, Read more>>

Veronica Powers | Actress

I started acting professionally when I was just seven years old. The first thing I knew is that: I wanted to be an artist. Most kids wanted to play sports, I had absolutely no interest in that! I would be glued to my family’s television watching the movie Annie over and over again, and waiting for Disney Channel to air Hannah Montana episodes. I was obsessed, and knew that I wanted to be like the talented young girls I watched in entertainment. Read more>>

Hanzhang Mao | Illustrator & Animator

Nanjing, China, a mysterious and beautiful ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. Nanjing has enigmatic mountains, rivers, lakes and temples. I have lived in an old neighborhood since I was born, and I have lived there for almost 20 years. There were all kinds of plants, animals and insects in the neighborhood. I often played around pine trees, oleanders, fig trees and wax trees. Read more>>

Virginia Easthope | Illustrator, Printmaker, Animator & Musician

I didn’t consider myself an artist for most of my life. I’ve always been pretty crafty and expressive – but I never actually thought I was talented enough to pursue a career as an artist. The cultural messaging around creative careers was that to “succeed,” you had to be the best of the best, and I was JUST OK. Formative years and beyond, that’s really how I saw myself across the board. Read more>>

Anton Campbell | Animation Artist & Arts Educator

To express myself, in story. In this case, it is through the animation arts. I always wanted to since I was a kid and I continue to pursue it. As an artist in any medium, I believe it is necessary to find a way to honestly express yourself. If you want your vision or your story, to reach another person, then it needs to do so with some measure of excellence. Read more>>

Emily Woodall | Spatial Designer

I decided to peruse a creative career for the fulfillment and satisfaction I would feel during the creative process. For me, there is no greater feeling than stepping back and seeing work you’ve physically built be enjoyed by others. Something you’ve imagined having a footprint in the world. Read more>>