Artistic and creative careers are among the most rewarding, but they also come with unique challenges. We asked some of the city’s best creatives to tell us why they choose to pursue a creative career.

Tara and Jillian Torcaso | Co-Owners

Both of us are very creative in different ways, which we probably got from our mom because she was an artist. So our creativity is sort of inherited! Heading down a creative path was never planned though, it’s something that happened as a result of the right combination of timing and opportunity to guide us that direction. Tara worked in a corporate career after college, most recently at a tech startup. In the couple of years prior to starting Dolce Picnics, Tara felt unfulfilled due to the lack of creativity possible within her job role. Read more>>

Ben Floss | Writer & Filmmaker

I’ve always had a lot of fun expressing myself creatively. When it became an option for a long term career choice at a young age, I gravitated directly to film making and the arts. I saw, and still see, a future in making a living in what I was already finding so much joy doing. Read more>>

Jordan Friedman | Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Trombonist

I pursued a career in music because it is what I think about when I start each day and before I go bed. Music has become such a passion of mine, that it is hard to imagine my life without it. I am specifically interested in writing and playing music for film, so I’ve been composing and arranging for orchestra and jazz combo, playing classical and jazz trombone, and conducting orchestras and concert bands. Read more>>

Sabrina Petrini | lead singer in rock band KingQueen

I just have naturally gravitated towards art and I’ve been creating everything from songs, movies to music videos in my head since I was a child. It was just a natural path for me. It wasn’t like I said “I’m going to try to do music and become rich and famous.” It just is part of my life in so many ways. Writing is how I cope with life. Every situation turns in to a song that helps me move on. Read more>>

Hayden Rivas | Dancer

My parents enrolled me in dance when I was 5 years old and they will be the first to tell you that after my first recital on stage, I went up to them and said “I need to do that again”. As I continued throughout my childhood years, dance was always there for me. At first, it was a fun activity that I did after school, however, as the years progressed, I found that it was much more than just an activity. As an art form, it allows the artist to portray narratives and feelings without the use of words. It acts as a universal language as it is an embodied art form. Read more>>

Nabyl Söhle | Singer-Songwriter

Growing up I always loved the feeling my favorite artists caused in me, it was almost like they were magicians but of music, in my mind. The way they could transport an audience and make them have a variety of emotions with so much intensity made me realized I wanted to be part of creating something so magical. That was the surface layer of wanting to pursue a creative career, until my teen years, that was a very crucial moment in which I realized how difficult it was for my friends and my family to express themselves, to be vulnerable. Read more>>

Joel Balzun | Opera Singer & Composer

My mother was a piano teacher when I was growing up, so I’ve been surrounded by music my entire life. There was a point when I wanted to be a school teacher (not always in music) and an interior decorator/designer. But after looking at those career paths, I realized I didn’t want to do those things, nor did I feel called to do them. However, the calling I feel on my life – to express, speak and spread truth – aligns so neatly with being a professional singer. I sing words that, in the moment, I must mean with great conviction. If I communicate that meaning, an audience member, whether they realize it or not, will feel a reaction of agreement or disagreement – seldom indifference. That is a powerful tool that we desperately need to utilize today. Read more>>

Kirsten Koza | Mixed-media artist

I don’t think I ever felt I could do anything but pursue a creative career. It was just part of my DNA, the desire to create and explore my world through different mediums. I began with a career in writing and public relations and allowed my love of the written word and event planning to serve as vehicles for my creativity. Eventually, I knew I need a more visceral form of expressing myself, and I turned to painting. It is a job, therapy, and way of life for me now and I can’t imagine doing anything else! Read more>>

Andreea Cristea | Conceptual Designer

I don’t remember a time in my life when I was not engaging creatively with something. All the family videos reveal my miniature self painting, dancing, photographing, and filming with old telephones and cameras. I was that annoying curious kid that enjoyed asking “why” and I’m glad to say I haven’t changed since. I like to think of the skills I gained over the years as excavating tools that help me now explore life. As a result, creating a safe environment within my work for others to question and explore intentions and beliefs is my ultimate goal. Read more>>

David Giganti | Filmmaker

So a long long time ago in a town not to far away from where I am now, I was a little kid that watched Star Wars for the first time. Which I am pretty sure is not any sort of original origin story by any means but I was obsessed with it. I would watch it over and over until the day the VHS player just spat the film out. The idea of making something that others would watch and enjoy was where I knew wanted to do, even if how was beyond me at the time. Read more>>

Carmen Lamp | Artist, Entrepreneur, Pharmacist

I discovered my passion in fine arts during the same year that my mother passed. She too was passionate about the art of oils and although I had always admired her work, I was never able to paint alongside, and learn from her. When my mother passed, her paints, brushes and canvases were given to me and somehow, I felt that her passion was too. This launched my pursuit of fine art. I started with the medium of oil paints and soon transitioned to pastels. In a way, my art work is one way that I can honor the memory of my mother. Read more>>

Jasmine Je’toi | Writer/Director

Not to oversimplify it but for me, there really was no other choice. Since I was a little girl, with Diana Ross being the only Dorothy I knew, entertainment stole my heart. My father is a musician, and my mother being the most eloquent writer I know, I come from a family of entertainers. Growing up, I wrote and performed poetry, trained as a stage and screen actress for years. In 2019, I discovered my love for screenwriting and directing and that changed the game for me. Read more>>

Gary J Hewitt | Filmmaker & Festival Director

I have always thought that art is a way to express ourselves and I often find myself thinking about stories and how I could get them out into the world. After studying Media. I knew Film was the path I wanted to take. Read more>>

Aneri Shah | Writer, Director, Entrepreneur

Since I was a kid living in Muenster, Indiana, I would read children’s books out loud to imaginary audiences. I love stories. I attribute that to my mom reading to me a lot as a child. As I grew, everytime my family would take me back to India, I would go to bookstores and read books about young South Asian women who had immigrated to the US and they challenges they faced having to live in a dual identity. Their moustaches, the white girl envy, the never being Indian or American enough. Read more>>

Braeden Raymer | Illustrator

I pursued a career in illustration because it is the thing that makes me feel most fulfilled. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always felt most myself when I’m creating something. I look back on things I drew as a child with the same pride I feel toward my current work. When I look back on my art, it serves as a physical representation of the development of my skills. I can look back on pieces I was proud of at the time, Read more>>

Zoe Liu | Illustrator

There are a lot of people who can do things well if they work hard enough, even if they don’t like them. But for me, as long as it’s something I don’t like, I have all the confidence to make a mess of it, and art is the only area I’m relatively good at, I have no other choice. Read more>>

Tyrone Evans Clark | CEO & Founder of TYRONE EVANS CLARK Incorporation | 3D Game Artist & Programmer | Author & American Entertainer

I’m a Chicago native and in the entertainment field I’m also known as Tyy Renaissance (stylized as Tyy Renaiⓢⓢance or Tyy Renai$$ance). I always loved comedy and horror films and I remember watching a lot of them with family members. One of the biggest comedians that touched my heart dearly was the fantastic Eddie Murphy. His hilarious films such as “Coming to America”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, “The Nutty Professor”, “Trading Places”, and more truly pushed me to pursue a creative career as an entertainer for television, movies, music videos, video games, etc. Read more>>

Ash T | Actor, Comedian, Filmmaker

I never believed I was artistic or creative when I was younger. I knew that I loved acting at a very young age, but didn’t think it was realistic to make money from it. So I blindly followed in my father’s footsteps of becoming a doctor. I went through medical school, residency, fellowship, and finally became an Assistant Professor of Transfusion Medicine at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Read more>>

Leigh Oblinger | Producer/VP Pets in the City

So I am unusual in that I have had two completely separate careers in my life – Hollywood producer and in the past few years, helping my husband run our dog training/boarding/hiking business. I knew when I was young that I always wanted to work in something creative, I’m not one who would do well sitting at a desk all day. In my decade as a producer at Access Hollywood, I was able to put my creativity towards booking and interviewing talent. I actually majored in Arts Management in college and never dreamed I would be working in Hollywood – I wanted to run an art gallery. I’m not a great artist but love the way I feel when I am around creative people, people who think bigger and better than I do. Read more>>

Eric Guilmette | Model & Actor

As cliché as it may sound, the creatives chose me. My background is in mathematics and finance. I was all set to work on Wall Street after college… a very logic-based way of thinking… and instead, I did what very few logical minds would do and gambled on myself… I booked a one-way ticket to Australia to travel and experience more life. I really didn’t have much of a plan. I was fitness coaching online at the time and knew I’d find work at a bar or cafe there. And I did. Read more>>

Lady Raw | Musical Artist

Well being that I was always musically inclined I decided to pursue my career back in 2017 when I experienced a tragic loss. The loss of my older brother made me make my decision on pursuing my music career he always supported me and always told me to go hard at what I do and he’s the reason I’m where I’m at today. Read more>>

Scotty Dunn | Filmmaker/Content Creator

(Scotty Dunn, Writer/Director) – Filmmaking is the only thing I’m good at, so I’m stuck with it, but in a good way. I’vw always made films ever since I was a little kid. I made hour-long movies with my friends using my dad’s camcorder. My dad was also a big influence in pursuing a career in film because he always took me to the movies. I look back really fondly on those times. Read more>>

David Underwood III | Dancer

My entire life I have loved creating art in every medium. Whether that meant choreographing a dance with my sister to perform for my family; improvising an annoying dissonant melody on my grandma’s piano; or teaching myself a hobby like origami or embroidery. I never stopped creating but I rarely presented what I would create. It wasn’t until I was halfway through high school that I started to gain the courage to let other people see what I was passionate about. Read more>>