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 Ortiz | Fashion and Beauty Content Creator

Growing up in a low-income family, I was always captivated by the fashion and beauty industry—whether it was experimenting with my mom’s makeup, watching America’s Next Top Model, or taking portraits of my friends. With a lot of fundraising and a dream, I dove into the world of pageantry, which became a 13-year journey of trial and error. With no family experience in pageants, I navigated the complexities of hair, makeup, nails, skincare, and fashion on my own. Read more>>  

Crystal Gonzales | Childrens Clothing Designer

I came from a corporate background and I never felt truly fulfilled in the corporate world. When I had my second baby, I had the opportunity to take a break and spend time with my kids and realized that my career, instead of making me happy was just putting me into a state of depression. I felt like it consumed my life and I wanted to re-direct my career life and so I sat down and started to really evaluate what my brought me joy and how could I use that. Read more>>

Katie Oliver | Actor, Filmmaker

As a young child, I was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. My cousin and I would watch it and then try to reenact scenes outside. I started to remember lines, which made it easier to act the scenes out, and then I just memorized the whole film. I could be any of the characters, which I found to be so exhilarating. My mother was also big into making home videos, and as soon as the camera came on, I just immediately wanted to perform. I would play with accents, create stories. It would have been a no-brainer to get me into theatre. BUT, we didn’t have one where I grew up. Read more>>

Övgü Yeles | Visual Development Artist & Background Painter

I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative career, despite it often being seen as just a hobby by others. I wasn’t sure if it would be in music, art, or cinema, but I believed I found a way to combine all of them. Read more>>

Laurel Tamayo | Film Director & Impact Producer

I kind of stumbled into filmmaking. My first real job was my junior year of high school as a student producer at Punahou School. I got it because a friend of mine was changing schools and told me they were hiring to fill his spot, so I interviewed and got it. I was a shy kid, but suddenly I was pushed into a job where I was in charge of creating videos about happenings around school. I brainstormed topics, wrote questions, interviewed subjects, and edited the videos. Read more>>

Adrien Liv | Animator/Lead Animator at Dreamworks

As far as I can remember, I’ve always watched cartoons. It was a tradition for kids growing up in France. I started watching Japanese anime when I was a kid. I was fascinated with the way they portrayed their characters, huge eyes, puffy hair and a very limited movement on the lips. I spent my early childhood drawing and copying Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and later other mangas like Hokuto no Ken and Slam Dunk. My early notebooks were filled with these. I was also a big video gamer and spent hours playing Zelda on Nintendo. My childhood dream was to become a manga artist, but I also entertained the idea of becoming an animator because I learned to appreciate animation more as I grew up. Read more>>

Damaris Chamorro | Illustrator

The world of art spoke to me from a very young age. When I moved from Ecuador to the United States at the age of nine and had to learn a new language, books were my motivation. While I couldn’t understand the words, I understood the language of images. I was drawn to the illustrations in the books and I found so much value in how much they could translate. I found art to be such a beautiful and universal language and I knew that from that moment on, I wanted to be a part of it. Read more>>

Karla Guzman | Actress & Filmmaker

I’ve been drawn to the performing arts from a very young age. There’s something truly magical about sharing the stage with others who share the same passion. As I grew older, acting became more than just an interest, it became an important part of my life. It allows me to explore different facets of human nature and experience emotions that I might not encounter in my everyday life. Read more>>

Daniel Santandrea | Director & Cinematographer

It definitely started when I was a kid. I used to make videos with my sister and cousins using my parents Mini DV camera. I also did a lot of landscaping growing up and would listen to comedians while I mowed people’s lawns. I honestly thought I would become a comedian at that age, until my first class presentation and realized I hated talking in front of a crowd. Read more>>

Diamond Brown | Freelance Editorial Hairstylist

I have always loved doing hair. I was the go to person for my family and friends growing up. . It was a natural progression for me to end up with a career as a hairstylist in the beauty industry. Read more>>

Jean Clarke | Artist, Writer, and general Creative Maniac

I don’t believe I really had a choice. But, because I had been so discouraged from following my intuitive course in life I did try more conventional kinds of work. But I always felt like a fish out of water. There were several things that interested me and I have a high I.Q. so I had options, but I soon realized that I would never be content just working at ‘a job’. As Emile Zola said, “I would rather die of passion than of boredom” and my personality needed something deeply compelling and meaningful – something that presented a big challenge – which the creative world certainly promised. Read more>>

German Gutierrez | Tattoo Artist

Ever since I was a kid I always loved to draw. My father is good at drawing so he was always teaching me how to do it properly, I even remember he was a little strict with it, he was teaching me about composition and human proportions when I only wanted to draw cartoons and all that and I remember being a little bit annoyed by that but at the end I’m grateful that he even took the time to teach me and encourage me to do it. So drawing was always a part of me, and eventually I studied graphic design and when I graduated I started learning how to tattoo at a friends house. I only worked for 6 months as a graphic designer at an office before deciding it wasn’t for me and dedicated myself 100% to learn to tattoo. Read more>>

Belle Fall | Portrait & Fashion Photographer

Long before I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, I was creating. Whether it was orchestrating elaborate photoshoots with friends during sleepovers or turning science projects into music videos, I was constantly drawn to creativity. It wasn’t until my junior or senior year of high school that I realized I needed to pursue a career in a creative field. I chose to major in video production in college, but like many enthusiastic students, I was unaware of the real challenges and competition in making a living from creativity.  Read more>>

Jackson Xia | Facilitator & Dancer

My personal journey with art has been going from creating for the fun of it to creating for the need for it to creating for money, then creating for the world’s dire need for it. All my experiences culminate to what and how I facilitate healing dance spaces today. Read more>>

Hakon Ademi | Actor and Model

Ever since I was a kid, I loved to entertain people! It makes me happy! I loved telling stories, verbally and visually! It was even before I went to elementary school my mother took me to watch a Christmas play in the theater and I was obsessed! I was staying in character until the summer! In fact my mother have to hide my Santa hat after I fell asleep one night. Read more>>

Jeo Rodriguez | Model/Actor/Creative

My introduction to pursuing my modeling/acting journey stemmed from the idea that it was an “impossible route.” A route where historically Latinos and POC’s didn’t have a lot of representation. I chose to pursue the career in which a lot of the odds were against me for the sake of paving the way for the next generation of individuals from my neighborhood or other walks of life that aren’t filled with fruitful resources to see that it’s possible. Read more>>

Jingjing Wu | 3D Artist

I’ve had a deep interest in art since I was a child. Growing up, I volunteered for a year as a docent at an art museum. During that time, I was amazed at how each viewer could have a unique understanding and emotional response to the same piece of art. Read more>>

Lucas Camargo | Artist

My first memory is around drawing, I always come back to that feeling, I like to think whatever these first memories we have, they have a huge factor in embodying what we perceive as happiness, it is something so powerful that called my attention then and was always surrounding me, so was a no brainer to follow the artistic path and keep coming back to it as these paths deviate, always reassured me it was the right way for me. Read more>>

Caleb Shaw | Multi Disciplinary artist

I was 19 years old, grappling with a sense of being lost and searching for something to fill an emotional void that seemed impossible to define. One afternoon, my best friends and I, all gathered in our modest apartment, Apt 209 B, decided to have a random cypher just for fun. What started as a spontaneous and lighthearted activity soon evolved into something far more profound. As we freestyled and exchanged verses, I discovered an intense and immediate connection with the process of creating music. It was as if this art form offered a boundless space where I could pour out feelings and thoughts that I had never been able to articulate otherwise. Read more>>

Tyson Crookmind | Philanthropist & philosopher

As youth, I had never truly given much thought as to what I wanted to do or be career wise. While I was incarcerated, however, I had nothing but time to be still and think. I prayed, meditated and asked the most-high to reveal to me my true path and direction. And here I Am. Read more>>

Dan Diaz | Music Composer, Producer, and Songwriter

I was gripped by the music bug from a very young age. I remember being introduced to the theatrical rock stylings of Queen and Meatloaf when I was about 6 by my good friend Danny Terry (his Dad was a fan!). At home it was first listening to my Dad’s favorite bands, most predominantly The Beatles, and then buying Green Day’s “Dookie” when I was 9 that lead to me becoming fully obsessed with listening to music in every spare moment. Read more>>

Adrien Stinger | Musician

Music is something I fell in love with at an early age. The albums, concerts, interviews, music videos, and the merch is something my soul gravitated towards. In a repetitive world, I love the process of creating something that hasn’t been done before. I also love inspiring the youth and the artists that will come after me. Read more>>

Kyle Hollingsworth

I chose a creative career because art literally saved my life. I came from an abusive, dangerous family life where survival was key, art kept me sane, and by the time I was ready to go to any kind of college, art school made the most sense. I had been drawing and painting since a very early age, and at that time, it was one of the few things that brought me peace and joy. Read more>>

Wenjie Zhao

Since a very young age, I have enjoyed doodling, sketching, and painting in the studio. Learning art history, ceramics, and painting in high school further ingrained my interest in art. Subsequently, I studied Art History and French, with minors in Digital Art & Design, Studio Art, and Psychology during my undergraduate years at New York University. My original aspiration for art stems from the pure enjoyment of reading about the past through the lens of art, which is both creative and visually inspiring. Read more>>

Joselyn Takacs

When I was in college and decided I wanted to be a fiction writer, it seemed as plausible as a lot of other career paths. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the decision was rooted in a misguided sense of what an artistic career is truly like. When you’re young, the odds never seem that relevant to you. But time goes on, you dig yourself further in, you love the work more, and you surround yourself with people who love it too. (Did I mention I married another writer?) And writers are just my favorite kind of people–so perceptive and curious and funny. Read more>>

José Valle Jr

As long as I can remember I’ve always had a love for stories. Storytelling is a massive part of my culture and in my family especially. I was exposed to the arts at a very early age, Mexican culture is full of colorful and powerful artistic expression. From folkloric dancing, to impressionist paintings, to incredibly powerful story telling through cinema. Both of my parents are cinephiles and my dad especially loves classic golden age Mexican films which were always playing in our house. Read more>>

John Ford-Dunker

I was very lucky to have parents who fostered creativity in myself and my two brothers at a very young age. We had great opportunities in our community to get involved with theatre, choir, piano lessons, etc, and we wrung it out for all it was worth. That naturally led to acting in middle school and high school, and, similar to playing sports, I started to get some affirmations and suggestions from those around me that it may be worth pursuing. So I believed them and never really looked back. It’s by far one of the hardest career paths to go down but it has been so worth it. Read more>>

Matt Locke

No sane person pursues an artistic career, certainly not someone who wants a guarantee of money or success. Art is a calling. The ideas for my pieces appear in front of me. They float down. I see them in 3D and turn them around in my mind’s eye before I use tools to make them. I didn’t choose that. I guess what I did choose was to make art in spite of everything. I’m allergic to almost everything in my shop. I have weak lungs. My hands aren’t very steady. But I know the reason I’m on the planet is to make art, so I do. Read more>>

The IZM.

I’ve always loved music. Dating as far back as Jody Watley and Janet Jackson in the 80s to sitting at the feet of Tori Amos and Fiona Apple in the 90s. I wasn’t athletic so anything in that field was a no-go. I wasn’t blessed with the “Man” chip so carpentry, construction, all of that was a no-go as well. But I was very passionate about writing and music and poetry. I didn’t know I wanted to pursue it until I started producing and performing my own music.  Read more>>

Zhanerke Koilybayeva

When I was 28, I was working in an office as a manager, just making my boss rich. I felt that something was wrong, and I’m not happy with it. I bought self-development courses. And there was a question: if you were very rich and you didn’t need to earn money to survive, where would you work? I thought about it, and I thought I would do films. Then I just decided to become a filmmaker. It was a tough decision to change your life without any money or friends in the film industry. Read more>>

Arjan Singh

My career, while not traditionally artistic, is deeply rooted in creativity. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of analytical thinking and innovative problem-solving. I chose this path because it allows me to create strategic frameworks and conduct competitive simulations, which are an inherently creative processes. Read more>>

Enoch 7th Prophet

This artistic creative form choose me and what often motivates me to pursue this journey. Many are drawn to the arts because it offers a way to express emotions, ideas, and stories in ways that other fields might not. The creative process allows me to deeply explore myself, the world which enables me to connect with others on an emotional level if possible. Read more>>

Victoria White

Several years ago, a serious health struggle forced me to leave my then ten-year career as a corporate lawyer. I had no plan at the time. I only knew that I could not heal and continue working as a corporate lawyer. I had to leap and hope that the net would appear. I had faith that it would, and I was ultimately right. But that pivot took a lot of soul-searching, courage, and faith. Read more>>

Luisa Florez Herran

I pursued an artistic and creative career because of a deep personal connection to jewelry that began in my childhood. I have fond memories of watching my mom get ready every day, carefully selecting her jewelry. This daily ritual sparked a fascination in me and nurtured a love for jewelry, instilling an appreciation for the thoughtfulness and care involved in the art of adornment. Read more>>

Uva Wang

Art has always been a significant part of my life. I began exploring it as a child, and I quickly discovered how much I loved creating. Art became my way to relax and express myself, a passion that only grew stronger as I got older. Read more>>