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.

 Caron Greenblatt

I did not start out pursuing art as a career. I just wanted to make art and to find my unique and personal imagery. Art-making is a force to be reckoned with, it draws one in and keeps pushing and challenging. So I keep on making art and keep trying to find my imagery. Read More>>

Justina Sade M.A.

I didn’t choose a creative career first. I chose to try and be a scholar, and I ended up with my masters from NYU. This path felt safer, more acceptable to the world around me, and something I had already demonstrated I was good at. I landed in visual and cultural studies because I felt a deep need to understand and analyze the media that had provided so much entertainment, learning, and honestly, a form of companionship that was more sustainable than other parts of my life.  Read More>>

Sam Skolnik

When I first started as a stand up, actor and filmmaker, I didn’t understand why anyone wanted to do anything else. I was legitimately confused why everyone wasn’t acting or doing comedy. I would talk to people and be like, “oh cool that you work in marketing, but like what do you really do?” All that to say, I didn’t see myself going any other direction. I’m diversified in the creative/entertainment space, but all I want to do is make things! Read More>>

Koday Jackson

It’s funny that this question is brought up, before music I was more of an art kid for most of my life and even going into high school my sophomore year I was still doing art. My old dream job was wanting to be a storyboard artists for animation studios or to be an animator so I guess you can say I’ve always been the creative type. There was something really special with music that’s hard to explain why I got super into it, but I remember seeing friends or people that I knew starting to make bands and I thought it was the most coolest and fun thing ever and I already played the guitar up to this point so that drive  Read More>>

Scott Stewart

I’ve always felt drawn the creative side. When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to be an actor, but you tend to temper your dreams to please your parents, which is what I did. So, I tried doing something more practical like broadcasting. I even considered architecture for a brief period, which has its own creative elements. Over time I found myself in graduate school and decided on going the route of corporate communications. Read More>>

 Misha

My artistic journey began unexpectedly in high school when I signed up for an art class as a blow-off elective. I needed a few more credits to graduate, and art seemed like an easy choice. To my surprise, I discovered not only a natural talent but also a genuine passion for creating. That class sparked something in me, and from there, my interest in art began to grow into something much deeper. Read More>>

Thai Teaze

It was really important to me to choose a career that fed my soul and spirit. Many creatives feel the pressure of getting a 9-5 job, as many artistic jobs don’t always pay well. It’s hard to break into the industry and make it big! Not being able to perform is tormenting for me though. You see someone like Cynthia Erivo getting her flowers right now and think, that would be so awesome. I always say, you only live once. I want to live life happy, doing what I want to do in life. Performing in drag makes me so happy. Read More>>

Fond Farewell

I discovered music as a hobby before I discovered it as a passion. I found great personal joy in the challenges and the energy created when playing music. This expanded to a desire to feel this energy all the time. Since then, I’ve dedicated a lot of time into creating music. It’s a ton of fun performing for people and transferring that energy around a room. In some way, I hope my music can improve their experience in life, whether it be for a moment or a lifetime. Art is fulfilling to make and my love for that process is why I am pursuing a creative career. Read More>>

Gum Gum Gabii

Creating art is more of a need than a want. Many years ago, during another session of unrequited love, I wrote a brief piece called “Dora’s a Capella.” I finished it between a 10 minute break in class and I immediately felt relieved. The negative feelings just washed away. I knew then that I would do this forever; whether I am paid for it or not. So I figured, I might as well take a shot at a career. Read More>>

The Last Slice

Kyle Norris: Ever since I got introduced to the Guitar Hero III video game on the Wii and hearing the soundtrack, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be a rockstar. I’ve been playing guitar for about 14 years now and with seeing the rise of social media, I understood that online content creation is critical for garnering a fanbase in the current music industry. After cosplaying and writing original solos in the styles of dozens of rock, metal, blues guitarists, I developed a strong following of over 850 thousand followers across Instagram and TikTok combined. Read More>>

Leandro Moric

I’ve always been drawn to the creative field from a young age. I would doodle around on my notebook as a kid, I’d shoot a couple home movies. I think the imagination is a very powerful thing and the process of imagining something and putting pen to paper (or tablet in my case) brings a real sense of joy and accomplishment for myself. Read More>>

 Nic L. Kelly

In many ways, my creative path started with my mom. She was an aspiring visual artist with a deep love for film and music, and our weekends were built around pop cultural experiences. Every Friday, we’d rent new movies, and Saturdays were for music—played loud and all day long. That rhythm of consuming culture was entertainment for us, but for me, it was also education. Read More>>

Aanchal Ramchandani

I’ve always known I wanted to pursue an artistic career and realized quickly it had to be film. I tried a lot of other mediums to find what it was I enjoyed the most, I tried drawing, painting, papier-mache – but understood very quickly I’m not gifted in those areas. The one thing I enjoyed most was making films. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been captivated by making movies. I would take my parents’ camera and create short skits or reenact scenes from my favorite movies, casting my siblings as my unwilling co-stars. Read More>>

Davaughn Nelson

Honestly this path pursued me it seems like at times, I was always an artist since a child with a wild imagination so as I got older and went thru high school I seen that there’s a way to make money out of art and to help to others make their vision come to life. Read More>>

 Roque Tenorio

I decided to choose a creative career because I literally cannot stop the creative process in my brain. It is running 24/7, I even wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and it just flows. Our brand has no end to creativity only a limitation on time and hands.

Also I like pushing the boundaries of what can be done. I just had to learn the skill to make it come to life. My whole life I’ve only ever wanted to be an artist, and this career has been able to make the goal a reality. Read More>>

Zeming Zhang

I am an award-winning Architectural and Interior Designer who has developed several multi-million-dollar construction projects. I pursued a creative career because I find deep joy in crafting spaces that solve problems and enrich lives. Architecture and interior design allow me to turn everyday challenges into elegant solutions, making tasks and goals possible through thoughtful design. Read More>>

Sidney Bottino

I’ve been glued to cinema and television for as long as I can remember. I watched The Sopranos at probably too young of an age (eight) and something about it stuck. The tension, silence… the messiness of it all. I’d read screenplays in my free time. Write my own. Movies like Win Win and Boyhood made me feel like small stories could say big things. Those have always stuck with me.

But I didn’t initially pursue this as a career. Writing, acting, storytelling. Those were things I turned to quietly. I loved them, but the idea of building a life around them felt impossible. So, I took a more rigid professional path. Read More>>

Arvin Chau

Growing up, I wasn’t always consistent with the sports or activities I tried, but after moving into the states and taking a film class, something inspired for me. It sparked a passion I hadn’t felt before as I realized that visual storytelling gave me a way to express myself in ways I couldn’t with words. That experience had a real impact on me and made me want to pursue this path creatively. Since then, ive been considering going into this industry professionally and just trying to work hard. Read More>>

Ivan Nevesenko

I can’t say it was a conscious choice. When I was eight years old, I wrote a book about a boy who got stuck in a world of failed children’s drawings — it was essentially a horror story. My family helped me publish a small print run of that book. Read More>>

Ricardo Mora

I have always been interested in artistic things. Growing up I’ve always was drawn to images, I look at artists that represented their craft in an interesting way that caught my attention. Fashion was a big draw. I’ve always liked it, specially the editorials in magazines that showcased more avant-garde images. I wanted to pursue a career in the that field but my family didn’t see that as a valid career. I studied medicine and became a doctor. But the artistic thorn never left me and after a while, I came back to it. Read More>>