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.

Soham Patil | Graphic Designer, Photographer and Architect

I’ve always been captivated by the creative spark that ignites when form, function, and senses intertwine. My journey into the realm of design began early, nurtured by a profound admiration for architects like Louis Kahn, B. V. Doshi, and Le Corbusier. Their structures transcended mere buildings; they resonated with me as symphonies in concrete and steel, each line and curve weaving a narrative. And then, there was the Bauhaus moment! While browsing through a secondhand bookstore, I stumbled upon a worn-out Bauhaus school of design book, its spine barely holding together and its cover faded from countless hands and curious eyes. The book, titled “Bauhaus 1919-1933” by Magdalena Droste, instantly captivated me. Read more>>

Zhimin Ma | Landscape Designer & Visualization Designer

As a child, I developed a love for painting and drawing – what started as a simple hobby grown into a passion for art and design at my teenage years. Growing up in Shanghai, a city with abundant artistic energy and home to some of the world’s most inspiring design firms and projects, I was deeply influenced by the innovative works around me. These early experiences shaped my passion for art and design and encouraged me to study architecture in college.
During my time in school, I used to spend countless hours on my design. I still vividly remember the nights and nights in the studio alone, polishing my ideas and refining the details. While my work was never perfect, it was always deeply personal and unique. Read more>>

Gregory Rourke | Artist, painter and creative director

I chose to pursue an artistic career for several different reasons. Art has always been an intrinsic passion and part of my life since I was a child, I am originally from Long Island NY and attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Growing up, the world was always so captivating and magical for me, and it shaped the lense of my imagination. It was something that I used as a simple form of escapism where I could practically daydream my way into a different mood or character. As I began to reflect on the subtleties and nuances of what I was perceiving, it began to inform my creative process as a painter and how I interpreted thoughts, emotions and forms. Read more>>

Bhoomi Mistry | Visual Designer

I have been drawing since I was four years old, and all my life, I have felt like I am meant to do something creative. I did not necessarily plan to become a graphic designer but it makes sense that I am here now.  I enjoy the act of creating, and I am naturally curious. This is why I have taken my career as an opportunity to explore many of my interests. After trying my hand at fashion, film-making, advertising, writing, and visual design, I know now that I enjoy world-building regardless of medium. Read more>>

Diego Garcia | Actor / Singer / Songwriter

Did I choose an artistic / creative career, or did it choose me? 🙂
I was a very shy kid growing up and a daydreamer. I loved movies, television, plays and musical theatre. I realized I wished I could gain the nerve to do those things, so I joined choir and band class. I realized when something made me nervous or challenged me in some way, I would HAVE to say yes. So by the time I was in high school, I had gained the nerve to sing in front of people and audition for almost every production I could be a part of. Whether that was as an actor or even behind the scenes, running lights, sound, or even stage crew. I loved being a part of a project where it took everyone’s part to create something special for the audience.  Read more>>

Alejandra Aleman | Tattoo Artist & Influencer

I started getting into Art when I got to High School I had never gotten to take an Art Class. I was very curious and took it for the next 4 years. I was influenced by family & friends to look into Tattooing my Family supported me and even got me my first tattoo machine by Christmas when I was 18 years old. I told my parents I wanted to pursue tattooing and went to look for an apprenticeship which at the time was hard since it’s a male dominated industry but I found a shop. Read more>>

Martin Aripez | Cosplayer/prop maker

I was always into art. It used to be drawing and making stuff with modeling clay or making my own wrestling gear when i was training to be a pro wrestler. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon cosplay on YouTube that I found out how to make props and costumes. It was a friend of mine who helped influence me to keep improving, not only in making armor. Read more>>

Rashad Amir | Photographer & Media Producer

My creative journey began when I was seven, with an old VHS camcorder my parents used to capture family vacations, little league games, and get-togethers. One day, I picked it up myself, curious to see what I could capture. I’d record my dog, cartoons, or just talk to the camera like it was a friend. That camcorder is still with me, along with tapes from my early childhood, and it’s become like a family heirloom. Though I didn’t realize it then, that’s where my love for storytelling began. Read more>>

Gabriela Orozco Belt | Children’s Author

Growing up, I was an avid reader. I loved books and would read whatever I could get my hands on. In elementary school, I would actually get in trouble for reading when I wasn’t supposed to be and would try to hide my books under my desk and behind my textbooks. I never really thought about writing my own until I was almost 40! I would tell my youngest daughter bedtime stories and one day she asked me if I could write her favorite one down so she could read it whenever she wanted to. I started with that story and soon added more, working on my craft, and learning everything about publishing I could find. Read more>>

Skye Popov | Actress

Honestly, it’s because I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. Acting, creating, performing is where I feel the most fulfilled… Not just the most, it’s the only place I feel fulfilled. I just love it all. Acting allows me to really see other people within characters. It makes me a more empathetic and understanding person in a world where we judge each other with an upwards swipe of a finger. Read more>>

Miggy Castillo | Artist & Friend

I would say it pursued me! I strongly believe we were created to create.
The more I create the more I get to experience. The people, places and things I’ve been able to come across through my camera has been really cool. Read more>>

Sam Olsen | Experiential Designer, Art Director & Curator

I saw a poster recently that was a message to creatives saying, “You Don’t Choose Your Art Practice, Your Art Practice Chooses You”. As a post grad learning to embrace the career path I’ve chosen as an Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major from the University of California San Diego, this brought me much needed clarity. Clarity in that my choices in going from pursuing engineering to architecture to a new major few have heard of, in the Visual Arts department, is exactly where I should be. It also brought clarity that the direction I choose with my art practice is simply what was meant to be, I just had to answer that call. My focus now in production design and storytelling through art direction has been present all my life. Read more>>

Katelynn Dixon | Dancer, Choreographer & Creative Visionary

Throughout my life, I have been drawn to the arts, and during high school, I realized that a career in this field is what I want to pursue. Growing up, I often watched class videos from Playground and concept videos on YouTube, and I was mesmerized by the dancers. Dance has always brought me joy, allowing me to feel free and release stagnant energy from my body. There is something truly meaningful about communicating in non-verbal ways and making a lasting impression on my audience. Dance, in particular, enables me to express my unique ideas and visions abstractly, without judgment or limitations. Read more>>

Bryce Way | Photographer & Filmmaker

I pursued photography and filmmaking because creating has always been a part of who I am. From a young age, I was drawn to capturing moments and telling stories through my camera. It’s not just about the final product, it’s about the process of exploring, experimenting, and connecting with people and places that inspires me. Photography and filmmaking allow me to express how I see the world and share that perspective with others. Read more>>

Vivienne Vida | Drag Queen, Performer, & Entertainer

Doing drag is something that I naturally fell into it. Ever since I was a little kid, I was always interested in creative things like crafts, drawing, and even playing with my sisters’ Barbies while nobody was looking! Eventually I started playing with makeup and a good friend of mine noticed that I had an undiscovered talent and thankfully introduced me to someone who was starting a new “Drag Show.” I immediately got to work and created some outfits from scratch and got myself ready to perform. Read more>> 

Lauren Tatyana | Singer/Songwriter

Music has always been an integral part of my life- at times, more so than others- but I found myself always coming back to it. I’ve always had the goal to make a career out of doing what I love and that for me is music and the arts. At first it was scary, especially putting my lyrics, my innermost thoughts, out there for the world. Then I realized that human-condition is so universal and the whole purpose of music is to share these experiences; to realize you’re not going through it alone. Read more>>

Qihang Zhang | Product Designer & Venture Founder

I didn’t start out thinking I’d pursue a creative career—it was more like a series of discoveries that kept nudging me closer. My first step was studying Communications at UCLA with a vision of joining the entertainment industry. But it wasn’t long before I realized I was drawn to something deeper than just “being in the industry.” I fell in love with storytelling, with the idea that you could move people, shift perspectives, and spark connections simply through how you tell a story. Read more>>

Ali Mills | Singer/Songwriter

I didn’t. It pursued me… The long story: I was raised in a home that encouraged creativity but valued good grades and conventional careers. I was always conflicted as a teenager, I wanted to write, sing, dance, and learn instruments but general High School coursework didn’t allow for it all. I went to college to pursue vocal music, but decided a music degree would only yield me a teaching position so I jumped ship. I decided to become a school psychologist and work with kids… but by the time I graduated college, I was burnt out and over it. Read more>>

Remi Dessinges | Head of CG, Art Director and Designer

Creating has always been very important to me. As a child, I was driven to build my own worlds and tell original stories, spent countless hours building worlds and crafting stories with Legos or writing stories. This innate desire to create followed me into my teenage years in the 90s, where I found myself drawn to my dad’s VHS camera, and later, to making digital art on my first PC. Read more>>

Hanna Avlas | Actress, Traveler, Dancer, Yoga Enthusiast, Snowboarder

From as far back as I can remember, I’ve always felt like the heroine of a movie — or rather, of many movies: comedies, romances, adventures, thrillers, and more. It’s not a mask or a performance, but an authentic feeling, one I’ve come to understand and embrace with age (though as a child, I didn’t fully grasp it).
This innate sense of storytelling naturally drew me to the stage. I had an insatiable desire to express myself and leave an imprint on people’s memories. That’s how, at the age of 10, I started dancing — a passion that consumed me for years. I performed at competitions and events, explored countless styles, taught dance at university, and even signed a contract to dance with a show group in China. Read more>>

Jazmine Hernandez Sanchez | Lens Based Artist

Growing up as the oldest of three in a single parent household held its challenges. At the age of 9, I was put in the role of both daughter and caretaker. My mother was the sole provider for our family and was struggling working a full-time job and taking care of three children, I stepped up to help her make sure my siblings were taken care of. This included babysitting, making sure homework got done, and cooking lunches or dinner for us. There are many family dynamics that are similar to mine that lacked the resources needed to not only assist the parents but help the children as well. After school programs were a viable option to making sure we weren’t home alone, but the fees that they required started taking a toll. Read more>>

Natalie Girard | Actress & Singer

Being an artist is an intrinsic part of who I am, it’s not just a career path, but the lens through which I view the world. I approach life with a sense of curiosity, always wondering what drives people, what makes them tick, and what shapes their life experience. As an actress and singer, I’ve learned to step into perspectives different than my own and experience the world through their eyes. So every role and every song teaches me something new about myself and the world around me. These pieces shape not only my art, but also how I approach life and every endeavor I take. Read more>>

Zixuan Zhou | Animator & Mixed-Media Artist

I believe that the desire to express oneself is the most important driving force behind embarking on a creative journey. My attitude toward the “so-called entertainment” presented by mainstream media has gradually changed over time. When I was a child, I loved watching Hollywood movies with my parents. However, as I grew older, I became tired of the clichés and predictable plots. That’s when my desire to express myself started to grow. I told my parents that I wanted to be a director because I thought I could do better (of course, I didn’t become one). After university, I was exposed to more fragmented film and television content, as well as art exhibitions. The more I watched, the more I began to adopt the perspective of a creator, wondering how an artist could perfect their work. Naturally, stop-motion animation has become my favorite medium of expression. Read more>>

Anmol Sandhu | Director, Actor, Writer

The biggest thing that matters to me currently is representation for myself and other South Asians. Growing up there where no role models and the roles that existed were stereotypical ones. But growing up I dealt with a lot of racism, bullying, and discrimination as a 1st-generation middle class Punjabi-American in California’s Central Valley. With that in mind along with the lack of cultural exposure, I didn’t know where I fit in. I was “whitewashed” but was perceived an a foreign outsider, though I was born here. Naturally, I escaped through Film/TV/Internet/Video games. When I was in the 8th grade, my school got a theatre program. Read more>>

Shawna Blocker (moussie Mousse) | Artist, Streamer, Content Creator, Designer

As much as I would like to say, I chose the Art path……it surely chose me. Throughout my life, I have been creative in many ways. Whether it be problem-solving or simply creating something from nothing. Often it’s a natural and uncontrollable urge of expression. Art is a universal language that doesn’t require words be understood. It’s a moment where all barriers suffice, as we experience outside of ourself briefly until the it’s over. Art chose me to be a facilitator of bridging worlds similar, different, seen and unseen, into one space here, now and forever. Read more>>

Ramsey Zeitouneh | Actor & Attorney

I think the people who go into the arts do it because, on some level, they know they have no other choice. There’s something inside of us artists that cannot walk away from our creative selves, at least not fully. That’s how it was with me. I was very artistic as a kid, but by the time I finished college, I felt like I had lost touch with that creative side of myself. I deeply missed it. And that’s what led me to my first acting class at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. It reawakened this creative energy in me that had been asleep for so long. Read more>>

Ponthus Pyronneau | Content Creator and Engineer

I used to believe that I was more drawn to STEM related activities, but there was always a part of me that wanted to explore more “right-brained” paths in life. Growing up in a Haitian-American household, when it comes to the topic of education and employment, the options provided by my parents seldom deviated from one of the following: doctor, lawyer, engineer. It can be hard trying to live up to parental and societal expectations, while trying to follow your heart get what you want out of life. So, exploring the arts served as an outlet to foster transformational growth from a logic-driven, risk-averse aerospace engineer, into someone willing to take a dive into a completely different career choice. Read more>>

Daniel Camolina | Graphic Designer

As cliché as it might sound, creativity has been an interest of mine since a young age. Any form of creative expression has always caught my attention, especially when the art can be brought to life in a physical form. Creating something as simple as a poster and seeing it take shape is what makes the creative process so rewarding to me. Read more>>

Sammy Tampubolon | Architectural Designer & Musician

I have always been drawn towards the more creative side of things since I was young. I loved to draw and listen to music growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia. I was fascinated with Walt Disney and his work. I remember my father bought me a book about his life. I grew up in Indonesia, this book was an import from the US, so I know it was very special for him to get me this imported book. I flipped through that book everyday. I’d try to copy the drawings more than anything, since I did not read or understand much English back then. He also entered me into drawing competitions here and there, did not win anything but it did not matter. Being there among tons of other kids who were into drawings was a great feeling. Read more>>