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.

Winnie Wang | Actress, Model

What initially inspired me was seeing the big smiles on the actors’ faces on stage during a curtain call. I remember looking at them and thinking, ‘I want to be a performer too.’ Immersing myself in the training, I developed a profound affinity for the artistic process, which invigorated me daily. My parents, being in creative fields themselves, played a big role in my journey. They are always supportive, enrolling me in singing and dancing classes from a young age. I even played the piano and violin. I recall wanting to quit the violin, but my mom would say, ‘What if one day you need to play the violin for a role? That could be your ticket to getting the part. So, keep at it.’ Although I eventually stopped taking violin classes after moving to the US, that advice resonated with me. Read more>>

René Villa | Model, Singer-songwriter & Actor

I embarked on an artistic career as a model, singer-songwriter, and actor, driven by a profound desire to merge the vibrant cultural tapestries of Costa Rica and Ireland. As a resident of both lands, my creative pursuits draw from the diverse landscapes, traditions, and stories that shape these unique backgrounds. Modeling allows me to celebrate visual diversity, songwriting lets me narrate tales influenced by both homelands, and acting enables me to embody characters sculpted by rich cultural narratives. Residing in Costa Rica and Ireland, I aim to weave a harmonious blend of these influences into my art, creating a universal yet distinctly personal expression. Read more>>

Eli Arnold | Vocalist for Alien Lord and TikTok creator

Music has always been the only thing I was good at. I taught myself to sing at a young age and have been pursuing ever since. I learned to play bass and guitar without instruction, and was taught to play piano as a toddler. I would spend hours and hours just listening to songs from the radio, dreaming of the day I could do that same thing. For me there is no other career choice, no alternative option, no Plan B. This is it. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, and there has never been a serious thought about doing something else. Read more>>

DANIEL THOMAS | Musician, Creative

As a baby I was dragged to every bar or venue my dads band would play. I remember how people would react when certain songs came on and I wanted to be able to do that for people. I started making music around 5th grade, I would make beats on this video game (mtv sound generator 2) and I had a little crappy band with my two best friends. I haven’t stopped since haha. I love it truly deeply love this music stuff with all my soul from playing bass, producing songs, writing, performing. It makes me connect with people on different levels and makes me dive deeper into knowing who I am and who I want to be. Basically its an addiction haha. Read more>>

Juan Garcia | Stand up Comedian & aspiring Actor

I pursued my Stand up Career, because I came from a Family of U.S.C. graduates but was never really interested in pursuing my Education after High School, instead I discovered Stand up Comedy and took my Intelligence into Comedy when I was Sixteen years old. I started at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, through their Youth comedy camp and never looked back. Read more>>

Rachel Sullivan | Actress

Ever since I was 8 years old, I’ve known that I wanted to act. Every time I would go to the movies, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I tried looking into other, more stable, options for my career, such as becoming a lawyer or chiropractor, but no matter how hard I tried to go down another path, my goals and ambitions always brought me back to acting. Going to Loyola Marymount University in LA and being a part of both their theater department and their film school has fostered my love of performance and creation. Being surrounded by likeminded individuals in a city so full of passion and drive had fostered a desire in me to keep persisting in my mission to have a successful career in the entertainment industry. Read more>>

Chrissy and Lisa Zogalis | Salon Owners

Since a young age we’ve always had a passion for anything beauty related. To do something that we love and make people feel beautiful as a career has been so rewarding. Read more>>

Somesh Yatham | Composer for Media

Obviously, I enjoy making music and that’s been a big factor. However, there’s also this innate satisfaction that comes in getting a strong audience reaction to your work, and this is one of the only professions where I can really impact the way someone feels. Whether it’s through working in tandem with a film or through a more concert setting, I absolutely love the idea that we as artists can elevate the way people think about a certain theme or message. Read more>>

Nakia Montgomery | Creator/Author

I could work long, arduous hours for a corporate job, and never accomplish my goals. Being employed at companies that seldomly appreciated my talents had become exhausting. I realized I was my happiest when doing what I love. After losing my employment in 2018, it was solidified. I would no longer work for anyone else. I needed gratification versus a lateral move. It was then I went back to the basics of storytelling and creative writing. My love for sharing my experiences through my own words gives my voice a freedom and allows me the opportunity to be openly vulnerable. Read more>>

Danyang Ma | Visual Designer

Painting has been my passion since childhood. My creative journey began with clay sculpting in second grade. I started using Photoshop in middle school to create art collages and design pieces. This experience helped me gradually develop a personal art style and realize I wanted to become a creative professional. I have carried a bold, playful style throughout school and professional design works. It speaks simplicity and strong emotions at the same time. The Implicit, flexible, and delightful touch in traditional Chinese ink painting has also influenced my preference in design, along with the philosophy of elevating the art through blankness, the balance of emptiness and completeness, and the sense of breath. Read more>>

Michael Angelo Talignani | Singer/Songwriter & BFA student at Calarts

The reason I pursued a career in singing and songwriting is simple: because without this art form, i truly believe that I would perish, if not having already gone insane first. For example, even if nothing comes from this beautiful passion to have, I know that it will be the one constant part of my life that I will continue to do, even as an old man who can barely move his fingers (which hopefully will not be the case!) Read more>>

Lite Zhang | sculptor, visual artist

I think art is more like a way of life. My parents are both artists, so my artistic influence since childhood has had a great influence on me. I think artists and poets, writers, composers, etc. are all expressing their emotions, but through different media. Some presentation methods are an article, some are a song, and some are a photo. For me, installation art or space art is my way of expression. In the field of art I have also experimented with different mediums/fields. I first started painting oil paintings, then tried ceramics, 3D sculpture, and now I am more interested in installation art and interaction with the audience. My focus is on the meaning of space and audience interaction, not just visual effects. I enjoy transforming ordinary objects and subjects into my unique vision. Read more>>

Sara Anbar | Content Creator & Model

I decided to pursue a creative career because it is what I constantly found myself gravitating towards ever since I was a kid. Growing up I was always an expressive goofy kid who loved recording videos creating skits, recreating movie scenes, doing dances, or simply just talking to the camera. I always enjoyed making my family laugh. I would constantly put on little improvised shows for them and they found me equally funny and annoying because I literally would not stop haha. But I was definitely an entertaining child. In my teens I started using dance as my creative expression and was part of the dance team in high school. Performing in front of hundreds of people made me realize how much I loved showcasing my creativity to others. Read more>>

Seta Injeyan | Abstract surrealist

I aspired to pursue an artistic career driven by the natural creative flow within me. I liked the idea of being truly independent in my decision making process. Read more>>

Leah Kahan | Director, Music & Talent

Whenever I watched commercials growing up, I would always try to figure out why brands partnered with specific celebs or artists/songs. It was always something I was fascinated by – this ultimately pivoted into what I do every day professionally. I help brands such as Walmart, State Farm Campbells, Jeep etc zone in on what song creatively makes sense in their commercials and what celeb talent (actors, musicians, influencers, athletes) can best carry a campaign. Read more>>

Richard Delgado | Visual Development Artist, Author, Director & Actor

I became an artist at an early age, and have been ever since. After watching my dad and siblings paint murals and awesome paintings. I knew right there and then that I wanted to be an artist too. I began to draw dinosaurs from books, and a lot of Dragon Ball characters. Something about it seemed very uplifting, relaxing and motivating. The sense of freedom also became very present as I drew for years in my early childhood. While watching the classic Disney movies in the 90s, and others have given me the inspiration to pursue an artist’s career. Read more>>

Aja Adam | Singer/songwriter

It’s all I’ve ever done and all I’ll ever do. Growing up, music was always playing in my apartment. A keyboard would just be lying around for us (my siblings and I) to learn. We’d watch MTV/Vh1 religiously before going to school. Even when we started using computers on our own, we were just looking up undiscovered music, new and old, and whenever we saw an interview, documentary, or talk show appearance of an individual that we admired, I think we saw ourselves in them. Whether it’s music, cinema, fashion, comedy… creativity has always drawn me in, or maybe I’ve just seen the art in every aspect of life. Read more>>

Lars Deutsch | Composer / Music Producer

By the time I was fifteen / sixteen, I spent most of my time playing and writing music. I tried to soak up everything and it seemed logical to study music. I did not think of a career, it was all about getting better. Writing music and storytelling with music seemed like a natural fit. After a BA / MA in Composition, I scored many student films, wrote with many indie artist and gradually cultivated a network of people that work on interesting projects. I have a long list of credits now, but essentially it is still all about learning, meeting and working with interesting artists and directors. It sill feels like I am pursuing art more than an artistic career. Read more>>

Bigbag Dashay | Music Artist

I wouldn’t say I pursued music instead I would say I was called to it. Truly, I always felt as if music was always in me. As a preacher was called to preach, I was called to entertain. My voice carries power and it would be wrong of me if I was not obedient enough to answer my own calling. Read more>>

Corbin Pitts | Actor, Writer, Director

Well, I started off super young so it wasn’t something where I methodically started doing it while planning out a career path. It was a natural subconscious thing that took place over a number of years. It started out honestly as a hobby but then soon after I was signed to an agency and doing 30-40 performances a month at a professional theater. So, I didn’t necessarily seek out this life or career, it found me. Some kids start to play baseball or soccer when they are 3 or 4 years old and if they are remotely any good at it, they continue to do it throughout their childhood. They didn’t say when they were 3 years old, “I want to play baseball for the next 14 years!” Read more>>

Sujoy Haldar | Dj/Music Producer & Singer/Songwriter

I pursued a career as a musical artist because it provides me with creative, emotional, and empowering fulfillment. It is a privilege to know that whenever I play music or people listen to songs I’ve written, they can connect with them on a level that ignites various emotions—whether that be happiness, sadness, excitement, purposefulness, inquisitiveness, reminiscence, love, and more. To be able to connect and impact people on that level and to see it resonate with others, creating a community around it, establishes a cherished atmosphere, feeling, and environment that extends beyond what I can achieve alone. Music is my medium for conveying a message, feeling, and experience. Read more>>

Jodi Delaney | Executive Director, Television Academy Foundation

I could not get enough of the arts when I was growing up in Minneapolis, which is still a great town for music, theater and art. My parents exposed me to all types of live music and dance events, films, art galleries, and of course television. When I finished college, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do as a career – I loved the arts very much but I didn’t see myself as an artist. The day after I graduated, I moved to New York City and was lucky to have quick access to the dance community there, which opened so many doors and helped me become a creative problem-solver, producer, fundraiser and leader. My first office, at Dance Theater Workshop on West 19th street, was a refurbished closet at the back of a rehearsal studio. Read more>>

Emma Jewel | Burlesque Artist | Pole Instructor | Engineer

Dance has been a constant in my life since I was 13 years old. It has been the one thing that has always grounded me throughout the toughest times in my life. My childhood wasn’t easy and it wasn’t stable. I bounced between 11 different foster homes before I was adopted at 13 years old. In college, I made a decision to pursue a career that would provide me with financial stability and security instead of pursuing a dance career that would fulfill me. It was a decision I made out of survival. During all that time, I never completely stopped dancing, I discovered pole dancing which then led me to finding Burlesque 3 years later. Burlesque feels like the thing I was born to do. Being in the world of burlesque fulfills me in ways I can’t fully express. Read more>>