Deciding to pursue an artistic or creative career path isn’t for the faint of heart. Challenges will abound, but so many of the artists we speak with couldn’t be happier with their choice. So, we asked them about how they made the decision in the first place.

Magician Tatiana | Mentalist

I grew up in a family primarily dedicated to the sciences and engineering. Both of my parents were chemical engineers. However, it became clear to me at a young age that I enjoyed engaging in creative expression based on the activities that I participated in. For example, as a child and teenager, I practiced singing and drawing, participated in the school theater, put on puppet and dog shows, and demonstrated card magic tricks for family and friends. Read more>>

Natalie Moore | Actor & Singer

There has never been a time in my life where I envisioned myself working a non-creative or a non-artistic job. I have loved performing ever since I was a little girl. I used to dance around the basement of my childhood home in Colorado dancing, singing, and putting on concerts for my stuffed animals or an imaginary crowd. I was very involved in musical theatre as a kid and this helped fuel my desire to perform. I always saw myself acting and singing as a career even as a small elementary school kid. Read more>>

Amy McCormac | Contemporary Figurative Painter

I’ve been an artist my whole life, but taking care of my kids and my elderly parents took over my life. After my parents died and my kids were grown I had the time to focus on my art. Read more>>

Min Lee | Animator

My trajectory for my interest in art and storytelling started when I was very young. Playing puppet shows with characters that I drew was my favorite game as a child. When I drew something, that always had some story, and I was so eager to tell what happened and what will happen after this. So I needed an audience to listen to my story when drawing. Read more>>

Malissa Lissy” Poeut | Multi Disciplinary Creative”

I’m beyond blessed to be able to pursue a creative career. It has challenges though I know they’re all worth it. I’ve always been interested in arts as a child and it followed me throughout my adolescents. Being able to express my thoughts and share them with the world in a visual and perspective is beautiful. Read more>>

Tianyi Liu | Cinematographer, Colorist

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been drawn to art and creativity. Whether it was painting, drawing, or photography, I always found myself gravitating toward creative outlets. I believe this innate passion for creating, combined with a love of storytelling, is what led me to pursue a career in the film industry as a cinematographer and colorist. Read more>>

Can Canel | Film & TV Composer

My interest in film music started when I paid attention to the soundtracks of the movies I loved very much when I was a kid. I had the chance to watch some of the iconic movie series in film history, such as The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Matrix at the movie theaters. Since there were no online/digital movie streaming platforms like Netflix in my childhood, I used to collect CDs of these movies at home and watch them over and over again. Sometimes I only watched the movies to listen to their music. Read more>>

Isaac Rubio | Animator & Story Artist

The desire to imagine freely and create new worlds has always been in my mind since childhood, and animation became the medium through which I could breathe life into inanimate characters and tell imaginative stories. The art of storytelling allows me to envision worlds where anything is possible. Of course, art comes with its own set of challenges, and it requires using creativity to overcome any situation that arises. The world is rapidly changing with new technologies, and one must adapt to these changes. Read more>>

Ailén Videla Ortiz | Professional Dancer, Actress, Model

Personally, I aspired to have a career that I would be genuinely excited to wake up for every day. I wanted to immerse myself in a field that would provide endless opportunities for growth and learning. The creative industry not only offers that but also allows me to continuously push boundaries and make a positive impact through my work. Read more>>

Joe Staton | Actor, Director, Producer

Not an easy question! I guess because I was brought up in a highly creative family. Creativity was really valued among us – my mother was a dance teacher, my aunt works in costume design, and my parents ran a face-painting company called Snazaroo Facepaints. I was drawn to acting, theatre, and film from a very early age though, and this mixed with a passion for history and storytelling just made sense. Read more>>

Lauren Robuck | CEO & Designer

I love my brand like its my baby. I truly have put my heart and soul into this brand since day one making necklaces at my kitchen table. I worked for several years in the fashion industry and knew I wanted to launch my own line. I was full of experiences and was able to apply several lessons that helped me launch. I am an extremely creative person and having my own brand enables me to use that power on a daily basis. Being in person at my pop ups or even designing in my warehouse, I’m in my element daily and to me there’s nothing more I’d want in a job. Read more>>

Martina Monti | Actress and Writer

I’ve always felt the need to live adventures and extraordinary experiences and, as a child, I used to spend most of my time daydreaming. Me and my sister were making up our own games, creating characters and stories. Getting older, I started writing, taking inspiration from those stories. I’ve always known that I wanted to be an actress and writer. For me, writing is a way to create anything you want, any reality, world, situation, and making it real. And acting is a way to live anything you want, being able to become anybody else, but, at the same time, remaining yourself. Anything is possible, when you’re an artist. Read more>>

Josh Schneider | Tattoo Artist & Painter

I had always wanted to pursue a career based in illustration since I was a kid. Originally it was comics, then medical illustration & finally shifted into tattooing after I received my 1st one on my 18th birthday. That day changed everything for me as an artist. This was the thing I had been looking for Read more>>

Kenilworth Katrina | Artist/Entertainer

I chose an artistic and creative career because I’ve always been a lover of creating music. I was born an artist, due to my father being a musician/singer and my mom being a poet/writer. I’ve been writing poems and songs since a child. Read more>>