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 LeGall | Artist & Designer

Being creative, being artistic was always a part of me. I feel as though I don’t really know how to be anything else. There was a period of time where I thought about being a teacher, a curator, or even an archeologist, but even those things are surrounded in art or some form of it. I don’t feel completely me without being creative in some way. Whether that’s painting, sewing, illustrating, or all of the above. Being creative make me who I am. Read more>>

Yunyi Dai | Children’s Book and Editorial Illustrator

I discovered drawing and painting when I was a kid, and this passion has remained with me ever since. After exploring various mediums and techniques, my love for color naturally led me to focus on themes such as children, animals, food, nature, health, and lifestyle in my creative career. I chose to pursue degrees in illustration, both during my undergraduate studies and in graduate school. These educational experiences allowed me to hone and refine my skills and deepen my understanding of visual storytelling. Read more>>

Elena Petrova | Editorial Fashion Photographer

The decision came naturally to me. As a child, I realized that my strengths didn’t lie in mathematics, and science didn’t interest me as much. On the other hand, my imagination, writing skills, and deep connection to art were flourishing. Growing up in St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, I was exposed to various art forms such as paintings, ballet, theater, cinema, and photography, which captivated me. Read more>>

Rickie B. | Music Artist & Producer

Honestly the music chose me during a time where i was truly down in life. I always had an interest and a talent for rapping and creating songs but it wasn’t until i was truly in need of an outlet that music kinda of met me exactly where i needed it in life. So with all that I had, I learned how to produce beats. Eventually that turned into me writing and recording. Next thing i know i had a full project out. Read more>>

Laura Baggett | Actress, Writer, Yogi

I have always thrived in a creative environment. As a child I always loved art and music classes. I did go to Manhattan College which was a business school and I am grateful for that because my parents insisted that I get an academic career, but I majored in Communications with a concentration in Film, and minored in Religion so that gave me so a much broader view of the world. And then I would take the subway down town to Broadway Dance Center! I have just never been a 9-5 sort of person. I need variety. Read more>>

Valentina Gomez | Actress, Singer, Filmmaker & Photographer

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been exposed to and driven by art. Although acting is my current focus, the first type of art I grew fond of was sketching and painting. My mom used to buy me sketchbooks and she taught me how to draw my first horses. Nowadays, I continue to sketch as a hobby but with a special love for drawing lions on whiteboards and blank papers. Read more>>

Feiran Wang | Artist & Founder of Mutated Chicken

Coming from a family of architects, I never thought I would one day want to be an artist until the moment I realized to be honest to myself that I just could not be anything else otherwise, you know, painter sculptor kind of visual artist, even though architecture has its strong artistic perspective also but it also contains many aspects that are not artistic, while art allows much more freedom and creativity. Read more>>

Amère Blackwell | Actor and Musician

As a kid I always felt connected to my artistic side in a way I never felt with anything else. Some may call it a soul calling but I think that’s a good term for it. I focus on Acting and Music primarily, since I’m trained in those arts specifically. I’ve worked hard to develop a unique skill set and connect to people in many ways. Weather it’s Comedy, Drama, Pop, or Opera, I give myself in my art and I become one with it. Read more>>

Hannah Kline | Painter

I think the only way to answer this is with full transparency. Art has been the thread between everything I’ve “stuck with,” as someone who has been a professional job-hopper since graduating into a pandemic with a fine arts degree. Having gone several different routes with employment opportunities, mostly graphic design and administrative office gigs, Read more>>

Kristen Wright | Visual Artist & Creative Photographer

I began a career photography by accident actually. After I graduated from high school I decided, with help from parents and school counselors, that it was unrealistic to believe I would have any success as a photographer. So I actually enrolled in hair school. This was a creative field I was also interested and seemed to have a talent for as well so, I put my deposit down. Read more>>