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.

Mario Solorzano | Artist

I credit Boredom for this one. Before the pandemic, my biggest hobby for over a decade was going out for Latin partner dancing, specifically bachata, during my free time. However, with everything temporarily shut down, boredom struck, and I found myself at home. It was then that my sister suggested buying a simple painting kit and trying to paint our dog. Surprisingly, I not only enjoyed the process but also discovered that I had a talent for it. As a result, I began painting all the dogs of friends and family for fun, and it gradually evolved into something much bigger. Read more>>

Simon Gao | Production designer

I grew up surrounded by art. It was really my parents who created this environment for me to build this interest at an early age. I didn’t really have a habit of taking a camera with me and instead, I would draw anything that fascinated me, and usually from memory. In this case I wasn’t just capturing a specific moment but building a world in my head. Read more>>

Cindy Villegas | Community Builder

My parents had a small business in Zacatecas, MX in a small town where everyone knew each other. When I moved to the US at the age of 9, I was searching for a similar community and quickly realized that the support system I was looking for was non-existent and I needed to created it. I decided to pursue a career in politics to pave the way for young women of color to have their voice heard and a community. Read more>>

Babatunde Afolabi | DJ & Photographer

Growing up I never knew I was a creative. I was rebellious, restless and not academically gifted, but I could not tap into my creative gifts. I was in theatre but never delved deep into my creative side. When I moved from the UK to America for college I delved into art. Read more>>

Varie Divine | Realtor – A&R – Business Manager

Hi Varie, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always taken a keen interest in the arts. Whether it was music, performance, or visual art, I was curious about them all. Starting a career in music was second nature. I come from a lineage of music industry professionals. My grandparents were famous singers in the ’50s, a group called The M&M’s and the Peanuts. My father & mother were both popular underground artists in the ’90s & the early 2000s. Read more>>

Manon Harbulot | Producer

I’ve always had a deep passion for cinema. Watching movies and TV shows has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The ability to immerse myself in someone else’s story, to feel their emotions, the dialogues, the music, everything looked so magical… and unreachable. Read more>>

Kelsey Morgaine | Dancer, Actor, and Teacher

It’s going to sound cliché; but I could never see myself doing anything else. In kindergarten, when everybody did the “What do you want to be when you Grow Up?” project- I drew myself in a tutu and told everybody I’d be a Ballerina. Not many were surprised when I lived up to that promise; including myself. Read more>>

Bethanie Liu | Musician

I started piano and recorder lessons when I was 3, later adding flute and organ lessons as well. Despite getting into music at an early age, the expectation from those around me was that music would remain an extracurricular that I excel at, rather than a potential career. As a result, I had actually never envisioned pursuing an artistic path until later in my teenage years. I think over time, music has just gradually become an integral part of my life. Read more>>

Jamison Stagaard | Tattooer and Tattoo shop owner

I knew pursing an artistic career was my only option to maintain my sanity. I’ve worked many jobs and thankfully because of tattooing I can exists in society. It’s all I’ve ever really believed in for myself. Tattooing definitely gave me a home and a sense of purpose. It grounded me and gave me motivation. It also lead me to meet some of the most amazing people in the world as well as incredible mentors. Read more>>

Peggy McCartha | I empower professional photographers to run their dream businesses

I don’t think I really thought about it that way when I was starting out. I loved photography my whole life and I was talented at it. It had never occurred to me to do anything else. I would however clarify that for the first 15 or so years of my career, I was actually running a very successful hobby. I had no idea how to run a photography business or any business for that matter. Read more>>

Sophia Flores | Hairstylist & Artist

Growing up with creative sisters and parents I feel like I could never work in an office/cubicle. I grew up taking photos, my favorite is film, which I still love but I didn’t feel like it was enough, I was assisting the creative director at my school doing all the graphic design and posters to put up around the campus. I would look outside the window everyday and felt like I wasn’t living life to my fullest potential. Read more>>

Tyson Pete | Award Nominated Author, Celebrity Chef, Singer/ Songwriter and Life Coach

To create, keep creative control and freedom to express myself. I have the freedom to set my own rates, work my own hours, and determine my own vision behind what it is that I do. Being able to share my vision as I see it and to see my goals, hard work and dedication come to life. Sharing a piece of me with the world and leaving my mark on this earth has also been very important to me. Read more>>

Noel Carroll | Chief Executive Officer, Biofriendly

I went to theater school for college, so I suppose that I have always had an artistic bent. Surprisingly though, my college experience turned me off of following an artistic professional life. When I left college I immediately looked into more traditional work. I managed a coffee and smoothie shop, and ran a 3D picture printing facility before eventually starting a business that produced industrial videos for sports leagues and small businesses. Read more>>

Ree Magaña | Artist, Curator, and Marketing Manager

I grew up in and was raised by the arts community of Los Angeles County. I began theater and dance as an elementary student. My community, mentors and peers supported me as I started a freelance photography business at sixteen. To this day, I continue developing my passion for film and digital photography. I have never known a life outside of being an artist. Read more>>

Dongwon Oh | Screenwriter

I moved around a lot as a child. I was born in Korea, raised in India and settled in the U.S for college / graduate school, At home I was in a Korean setting with my family, at the international school in New Delhi I was in this faux-American system and outside with my friends in the real world, I was in India. Read more>>

Justin Childress | Photographer, Videographer, Producer

I pursed an artistic. creative career because I enjoyed doing it. It didn’t seem like it was work for me was as much as other things were. I grew toward it and began to like it more and more until it became a passion for me. I also enjoy it because it gives me a chance to express my self through my work and help others along the way with their projects and goals they would like to achieve. Read more>>

Joel Bull Hendricks | Photographer & Merchandise Manger

Music, art, and the pursuit of being creative has been at the forefront of my existence since I was a kid. Depression always played a roll in my life. Being creative helped me deal with the depression but in some instances, made it worse, at least when it came to being laughed at for some of the music I made in the early days of being a musician. Read more>>

TY BAMLA | Actor

I’m a third culture kid (TCK) millennial who grew up with a tyrannical professor father. The only safe haven in my childhood was television, such influential actors as Sonny Chiba, the actors from the East to Steve McQueen, the actors from the West. Likewise, motion pictures and television dramas, such as 12 Angry men, Five Easy Pieces, Chungking Express, The X Files, Night Rider, Love Boat, the Lone Ranger and many others were the only places where I could enjoy and feel alive. Read more>>

Fiona Currie | Artist & College Graduate

When I was younger, about six years old, I developed a love for art. I was drawing life-like pictures of animals, people, and objects. My parents then decided to let me expand my artistic abilities by enrolling me in a weekly art class, where I continued to draw, paint, and create. Now, I enjoy art more than any other activity. This is why I have decided to pursue an artistic career. Art is my talent, and so I try to focus most of my attention on that. Read more>>

Viktoryia Varabyova | Fashion stylist

From the first day I remember myself, I never dreamt to be on the top floor of a big glass building wearing a suit, answering calls, and jumping from meeting to meeting as a figurative vision of success. I was always a creative person who prefers the privacy of myself and my craft with no rules, no ladders, no policies, and no hrs. I just couldn’t do it otherwise. Read more>>

Devan Moll | Bartender & Graphic Designer

I decided to pursue a creative career due to not really enjoying the structure of a typical 9-5 job. When I was in college for graphic design, my first job was working at a coffee shop in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed learning different coffee drinks and the more comfortable I got making lattes and blended drinks, I started to get creative and experiment with different flavors. Read more>>

Aly Ward Azevedo | Actor

I perused a more creative career, one because I always felt like a sit down job I would never be fully happy. Being an artist and creative you get to explore so many things and expand thoughts and feeling. I love the idea of being able to help someone and make someone feel something. I saw how much tv and film affected me and I want to be able to be someone’s comfort show or just make them forget about the world for a second. Read more>>

Paul Campos | Muralist / Tattoo Artist

Growing up I’ve always had art in my blood and being part of the environment motivated more to make art my full time career. Read more>>

Peiyuan Xi | Producer & Director

My passion for art and creativity stems from a deep desire to captivate audiences with compelling stories, conveyed through the diverse and immersive experiences of film and visual media. As I matured, I came to realize my distinct talent for transforming words into vivid images, a testament to my keen perception and expressive abilities. Embracing this newfound confidence, I fearlessly embarked on a journey in the world of film creation. Read more>>

Anton Ten | Founder and ECD @ PAPATON Studio

Creativity has always been a part of me, although like many, I didn’t fully appreciate it until it hit me in the face. I was born into a family that was about as far from the artistic world as you could imagine. My dad was an engineer, and my mom aspired to be a doctor but instead focused on raising my brother and me. Read more>>

Kathy Good | Author/Illustrator/Poet/Musician/Spacehuman

Well, I didn’t start out pursing a creative career because I was brought up that you had to have a regular job and health insurance. I wasn’t bold enough to divert from this mindset, and frankly, I didn’t know what I would do creatively to build an artistic career at that time. It was very difficult for me to work a regular job-it really wore on me and caused a lot of depression. Read more>>

Claire Reneé | R&B/Soul Artist and Songwriter

I pursued a creative career because the performing arts are something I thoroughly enjoy and got so much training in as a kid. I couldn’t imagine myself not being an artist or what my life would be like without using my creativity. I studied at The Dance Theater of Harlem and Alvin Ailey/PPAS and then studied music in college. I’ve always been a shy and introverted person. Read more>>

Stephanie Jones | Makeup Artist & Self Love Advocate

Ok, I’m going to be very honest with you! I got into makeup for a very vein yet insecure reason and that was first to feel or be seen as pretty. Growing up as a Black girl especially a dark skinned girl I didn’t see myself when I opened up magazines or on television and I always wondered what it would feel like to be “that girl” who was the main character. Read more>>

Daleshareé Lee | Singer/songwriter/artist

I chose the creative & artistic path because it’s always been something that’s been instilled in me as a young child. I love to sing & my mom is one person who originally inspired me to pursue music. Music became a huge passion of mine because of my mom. She was a Soprano in our church choir at the time & that’s what got me started. I feel like I got it from her. At church, I was also in the kids choir so that also gave me my start. That was the foundation. Read more>>

Liz Mina | Actress & Social Media Creator

I made the decision to pursue a career in acting because I genuinely cannot fathom doing anything else in life. A really popular piece of advice I hear all the time when it comes to acting is, “If you can picture yourself doing anything else, then do that instead.” I can’t, so I decided to jump in head-first and dedicate myself to it fully. Living a creative life is so fulfilling and fun, even though it comes with a lot of disappointment and heartache. Read more>>

Ze Sean Teo | Character Technical Director

Animation and video games were a vital part of my childhood and heavily influenced my interest in creating art. Although I was drawn to the colorful visuals and memorable stories of both mediums, I was always amazed by the characters I saw on screen. Whether it was from a show or game, I would always study and look up how these characters were able to move and convey emotion in such a believable manner. Read more>>

Emily Tayman | Artist, Painter, Muralist

I didn’t necessarily choose the path of having an artistic career but it chose me. Painting has been a part of my life since I have been a child, and I am completely self taught. I worked many jobs in my younger years while doing art on the side, and it was soul draining for me. I knew that I would only find my strongest integrity and motivation through being my own boss and doing what I was truly passionate about. Read more>>

Pearl AuYeung AuYeung | Toy Designer & Children’s Books Author/Illustrator

At 17, I went through something traumatizing and found that the most frustrating part of it was that I couldn’t talk about it and the people around me who wanted to help didn’t know how to start the conversation either. I turned to using paintings as thought starters, to provoke emotions and to facilitate tough interactions. However, I also found these paintings to be emotionally draining and yearned to move forward from grief. Read more>>

Timothy Hearsum | Artist/Photographer

It started in high school. My girlfriend was on the yearbook staff and they needed a photographer. I’d had some experience with a camera, but primarily I wanted to have an extra class each day with my girlfriend. So, I volunteered. I soon realized that image making is how I interpret the world around me. Read more>>

Aaron King | Actor/Poet/Writer

When I was as kid, my creativity grew through seeing what my parents loved to do. My mother was very good at drawing as well as painting, my grandmother pursued acting in her younger years doing theatre as well as being an extra in films. My father who was off and on in my life was a good storyteller. My parents who have the best seat in the house from up above always supported me and helped molded me to who I am today especially my grandmother. Read more>>

Jen Dao | Food Content Creator

I always knew I was meant for something beyond the typical 9-5 office grind, even though I’ve had my fair share of those gigs. But once I discovered the magic of cooking and creating content around it, I realized I found my true calling! It’s like my creativity exploded into a culinary masterpiece, and now I get to sprinkle a taste of my Vietnamese culture into everything I do and share it with so many people around the world. Read more>>

Mir Waiss Najibi | Actor, Writer, Producer

It was something that I always wanted since I was a kid. One of those pipe dreams that people laugh at, but the heart wants what It wants. I grew up watching all the sitcoms of the ’80s and I found myself envying the kid actor in almost every one of them. Whether it was Growing Pains or Wonder Years I remember just thinking of myself that I should be that kid or at least one of them”. Read more>>

Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda | Author + Business Strategist

I’m not sure I ever thought I had a choice? Haha. From a very young age I knew I saw the world differently. I never liked structure and felt that it limited my potential. Society made me feel like I had to fit into some kind of box in order to succeed – and I just could not see a future for myself just dedicated to one thing for the rest of my life. I wanted something else. Read more>>

Jake Tremblay | Production Designer

I was inspired at a very young age to draw, create, and express myself through artistic outlets. My parents and family were generally supportive, except when I used crayons all along the hallway walls for one particular project. As I grew older and started reading and fantasizing about different worlds, heroes, villains, mythological beings, and ways of living, I would act out those stories with my brothers and friends. Read more>>