Artists & creatives on why they pursued a creative career

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.

Madison Van Buren | Video Editor & Literary Jester

I wasn’t good at any sports growing up; I was a theatre kid. I’ve always been more interested in entertainment than the idea of being a productive member of society. When I was younger, the idea of being “average” really scared me – so I definitely gravitated toward creative endeavors to sort of prove my worth and solidify that I had some sort of calling. Read more>>

Clinton Cornwell | Film Writer + Director

When I was a teenager and trying to decide what I was going to do with my life, I was listening to a Deftones song called “Digital Bath” and was visualizing along with the song. Images popped up into my head of a man and woman fighting and the image was twisting and warping as though their relationship twisted and warped and after it was over, I decided to pursue filmmaking right then and there. Read more>>

Aiden Brown | Writer and Multimedia Artist

I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I was little. I used to tell stories with my friends– we’d draw characters we created, workshop plot points– and then it was kind of straddling play and creation, since I never really wrote anything down. Read more>>

Beny Pirzadeh | Retro-Pop Singer

Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had an affinity towards art. It’s the one thing in the world that allows me to tap into my own deep emotions to reflect on the person I am becoming. Nowadays i’m making music full time as a Retro-Pop singer. And if my music/art can impact anyone is a positive way or move them in any capacity, then Ive done my job. Read more>>

Mike Caravella | Actor/Writer/Producer/Director

I’ve always been dramatic. Part of it is intrinsic. And part of it is growing up New York Italian. The first part of my childhood was spent in a really tough crime ridden section of Brooklyn. East New York. So I really didn’t spend much time outside with other kids. Read more>> 

Rhiann Duncan | Actress, Dancer and Singer

Growing up, I was always finding ways to put on any kind of creative performance in some such way. I loved to entertain, whether that was through making up dances with my cousins in our living room, or making mini movies with my childhood friends to show to our parents. I was constantly delving into new ideas through my imagination. Read more>>

Alex Ridio | Singer-Songwriter, Internationally published model, Vintage Enthusiast, and entrepreneur

Born and raised in Torrance, California, my journey into the world of music began at the tender age of five when my parents gifted me a karaoke boom box. From that moment on, my younger self was hooked, belting out classics like “Over the Rainbow” and “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.” Read more>>

Joel Barhamand | Photographer, Director, DJ & Dad

My parents worked really hard in medicine and encouraged us to explore many artistic and extra curricular passions, early on music was my thing, and in many ways was the foundation for understanding the creative process, work ethic and its potential rewards.  Read more>>

Yen Yen Tay | Artist

It all started with the influence of my second brother when I was a kid. We used to paint and draw together in our free time. When I was 10 years old, my mom signed me up for art classes outside of school. Art became the only subject I could fully focus on, allowing me to enter a headspace where I wasn’t distracted by my surroundings. Read more>>

Dhamee Hahn | Artist and Maker

Since my early childhood, I’ve been drawn to creative activities and working with my hands. It was the thing that held my attention and brought me joy. My Korean mother was surprisingly the one who encouraged me to pursue the arts in college and I fell in love with metal as a medium.  Read more>>

Sasha Odesa | Actor & Painter

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be an actor. The idea of bringing stories to life have always attracted me, and the idea of becoming someone else thrilled me. There’s so much magic in being in a scene and truly in the moment with another actor. Read more>>

Courtney Karwal | Writer and Director

I chose an artistic career, writing and directing, for a million reasons. I love the feeling of spending a long time creating something, spending months shaping and crafting it, and then seeing it come to life. I love collaborating with other people and being the person who gets to use their unique skills and vision to bring the project to life. Read more>>

Maxine Montilus | Dance Artist

I chose to pursue a career in dance because dance is my favorite mode of expression. I grew up in a home where I was to be seen and not heard…dance gave me the space to express myself without words, without any interference or interjections from anyone else. Read more>>

Trinity Alaina | Artist

Since childhood, I have been a creative person. I have always had a large imagination and wanted to pursue careers like being an astronomer to discover the unknown, a meteorologist to share parts of our world, and a musician to be able to connect with people no matter the distance. Music took over my life and has become one of its best parts. Read more>>

Wenjie Wu | CG Artist

From a very young age, I was fascinated by computers and technology. My curiosity led me to explore various computer-related activities, and at the age of 8, I stumbled upon Adobe Photoshop. Initially, I thought it was a video game and couldn’t help but play around with it. This early exposure sparked my interest in digital art and creativity. Read more>>

Justin Sloan | Writer of Games, Books, and Screenplays

When I was young, I thought we all had to pursue paths of stability. Concepts like entrepreneurship and the creative life seemed like dreams or made-up ideas from the movies. That’s why I ended up going into the Marines and then working for the government and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Read more>>

Joan Hui Ko | Stop Motion Artist & Teaching Artist

I have always had a passion for arts that involve physical materials and textures. One of my earliest memories of creating art as a child is from a found object collage project in second grade. We were given cotton, toothpicks, Elmer’s glue, colored paper, and crayons and asked to create a mixed media collage with these materials. Read more>>

Pablo Ortiz | Musician and Music Porudcer. Artistic name Boni Roach

I tried a lot of things through the years, but music was always there in some way. I started very young which is a privilege and an advantage. I studied Classical percussion and now I am focused on my Jazz studies. While studying, a lot of doubts appeared.  Read more>>

Francesco Fiorenzani | Musician, Composer

I decided to embark on an artistic journey without initially thinking that I could have an art to express. I started studying music seriously quite late, around my twenties, abandoning my studies in architecture. Shortly after, I found myself studying guitar for an average of 10 hours a day. Read more>>

MeloDious

Growing up, we were CONSTANTLY surrounded by music. Being that we all grew up under the same roof, our parents exposed us to a variety of artists, genres, and sounds. Our creative talents were recognized earlier on, and our parents decided to pour into our desires to learn to play instruments and nurture our love for music. Read more>>

Zhaochen Wu | Concept Artist & Illustrator

As an award-winning concept artist and illustrator, I found inspiration in films like The Lord of the Rings and video games such as Legend of Zelda. These captivating works motivated me, leading me to create imaginative worlds with my own hands when I was young. Read more>>

Matthew Cassisi | 3D Artist & Digital Illustrator

When I was a kid, I spent most of my time laughing and enjoying cartoons and video games, and I felt a special kind of connection with anything that provided an expression of creativity. So it is no surprise that growing up, I was always into drawing and exploring my imagination. Read more>>

Simon Andre Ajero | (p.k.a Hokage Simon) – Artist & Music Producer

When I grew up, music was always being played in my household. Whether it was my pops putting me on to Fusion Jazz records in the living room or my older brothers slapping hyphy music in the car, It only made sense that one day I’d develop my own personality ingrained with both those styles. Read more>>

Jiawen Liang | 3D Artist

My choice of career path today originates from interests I developed in my childhood. I loved quietly exploring new knowledge and crafting things with my hands. Initially, I used tangible materials like molding clay, woodworking, origami, and drawing.  Read more>>

Emi Subotovsky | Visual Artist and Attorney at Law

Since a young age I was always interested in art. However the complexities of life lead me to pursue a career in law Upon retirement I took up art as a ” hobby” and little by little it filled my life until it stopped being just a hobby and become a passion ” Read more>>

Muxuan Zhao | Interior Designer

Interior Space is important for every single of us because a good Interior environment brings people a sense of belonging and comfort. Meanwhile, I have a natural inclination towards design when I grow up. I enjoy combining colors, textures, and styles to create harmonious environments to achieve aesthetics and functionality. Read more>>

Pierre Patrick | Talent Agent, Producer and Writer.

I think the artistic and creative career pursued me. I grew up at The Montreal Children Hospital with an artistic temperament, my entire life was television and music. Children books we’re not really satisfying to me, but I read TV Guide cover to cover. Read more>>

Montana Wyck | Actress

I had a very tumultuous childhood growing up and I learned very quickly that I needed a place to put all of my emotions. Acting was such a beautiful way for me to take past experiences and use them to breathe life into someone else’s story. I think actors have such an incredible opportunity to open up people’s minds and hearts with the work they do. Read more>>

Marie Thibeault | Artist

I chose to pursue an artistic career because it was the most exciting way to spend a lifetime. I still feel being an artist is a vocation and calling, and not everyone is suited to this way of life. But for me, it was an easy choice to dedicate my life to such an immersive and transformative process and practice as a painter. Read more>>

Priyanshi Jain | Architect and Interior Design

My decision to pursue a career in art and creativity stemmed from my childhood passion for aesthetics and functionality. It led me to be an architect and an interior designer to play with colors, textures, and backgrounds and create a space for my clients that is aesthetically beautiful along with being highly functional.  Read more>>

Cassie Guliano | Hair Colorist

I decided to pursue a creative career for the freedom it comes with once the hard work takes off. I then realized down the road that actually is not always the case, because as an independent contractor you wear all the hats and that can take up a lot of time and dedication , I became a hair dresser for the ability to express myself in my work and to bring my clients visions to life, the inner people pleaser in me (when I was younger) was elated with this career choice. Hair dressing is emotional. Read more>>

Jenn Halweil | Chief Story Engineer

I didn’t choose the artistic life; the artistic life chose me. I am actually a recovering electrical engineer with a focus on sustainability. I worked at the Department of Energy in FreedomCar (their alternative vehicle division) when Tesla launched, and advocated for the electrical vehicle infrastructure. Read more>>

Ebony Neal | Event planner, event coordinator, & balloon artist

I never intended to. Honestly never looked at myself as an artist. My penmanship was dreadful and drawing and coloring wasn’t my strongest trait. I always had a vision of what I thought was beautiful. Read more>>

Rafael Araújo | Animation Director

Growing up, I was greatly influenced by cartoons, animated movies, and games in general (I drew a whole deck of Pokemon Training Cards so I could play with my friends, can you believe that?). I was all about drawing. I created my own zine and stories (it was so bad, don’t read it!), and daydreamed about becoming a comic artist. Read more>>

Jiaming (Jamie) Shi | Film Director & Director of Photography

I was born into a family devoid of any artistic inclination. Over half of my family members worked in banks. If during my elementary school years my aspiration was to follow in my father’s footsteps and work in a bank when I grew up, the emergence of “Avatar” completely altered my aspirations. My hometown is a small city. Read more>>

Diego Buller | Graphic Designer & Photographer

I think a creative career was the obvious choice for me. Design checks all of the boxes for how I’ve always loved to interact with the world. I was designing as soon as I could smear paint with my fingers and will continue to design for as long as I breathe. Read more>>

Rebecca Dahm | Dreamcrafter: Designer, Photographer, Filmmaker, Engineer

I don’t really think I had a choice! My father was an illustrator and design professor, my uncle is a graphic designer, my other uncle is a relatively renowned photographer, and one of my uncles is a jeweler. My sister is a graphic and web designer, and my cousin is a cartoonist. Read more>>

Carlos Carmen | Songwriter and Musician

Because I have always been creative. I’ve always loved playing music, writing songs, singing and sometimes drawing. Read more>>

Tamara Knox | Trauma Informed Photographer/Storyteller and Associate Clinical Social Worker

In 2010, I took a photography class as a way to heal after leaving a domestic violence relationship. As part of the class assignments, I began capturing my son’s everyday moments such as playing with his favorite toys and getting ready for school. Before I started taking photographs, I felt isolated and anxious. Read more>>

Garth Gunderson | Actor & Musician

To be frank growing up as a kid I found it hard to be interested in anything else besides maybe social studies haha. When it came to art, especially at a very young age there was something magnetic about it and I was naturally inclined towards pursuing the arts. Read more>>

Victor Adame | Screenwriter & Actor

Growing up, my film experience was limited to the DVDs I’d watch over and over from this knock-off Blockbuster down the street from my house. After falling in love with movies, my siblings and I began to replicate some of our favorites and upload them to YouTube. I started writing and acting even more as I got older. Read more>>

surla Kim | tattooartist

I don’t think that what a tattoo artist does is only art, but I think that the entire process of making a customer’s thoughts into reality and that the result stays with that person for a lifetime as long as it is not erased on their body is art. Read more>>

Conner Floyd | Actor

I love movies. Ive always been a movie geek. Growing up, my dad would force me to watch all his favorite movies, which eventually became my favorites. I loved getting lost in these worlds that films would create. I was obsessed with certain characters that these actors were bringing to life. Read more>>

S. Christian Roe | Writer & Director

Simply put, the act of writing, building, filming, whatever the creative vocation is… it’s a service to what it means to be alive and human. And in that, I find it fascinating to see so many others, who are all so incredibly creative, have such different definitions of what “being human” or the “human experience” means.  Read more>>