We asked some of the most creative folks we know to open up to us about why they chose a creative career path. Check out their responses below.

Nasim Moghadam | Multidisciplinary Visual Artist & Art Educator

First and foremost, I identify as a human being, a woman, and my interactions with the world around me, encompassing my family, society, and the broader world in which I lead my life, have left lasting impressions on me. These impressions gradually find expression through various forms of art over time. At times, these experiences compel me to externalize these influences from within myself and share them with others. This fundamental and intrinsic motivation is at the heart of my artistic endeavors. Read more>>

rodolfo raffulls | Artist

As a child, I always had dreams to be in the spotlight. Many creative ideas always came to mind, I was in many dance teams and would compete all over California. I was also in modeling and acting classes. As I grew older I loved showcasing my art, and my visions to the world. I enjoy expressing my talent to others, we are all born with a unique gift. I also enjoy making comedy skits and having people laugh and smile fill my heart. I enjoy being the creative director in projects i work on. Read more>>

Dax Lee | Lifestyle Photographer

Growing up my whole life I have always been creative. I started in the visual arts by making little youtube videos back in 2012/2013 of some of my favorite video games growing up as a kid. Something about the video editing aspect and creating a full on story that we can watch hear and feel all at once just made me fall in love with the craft and never want to go through life without it. Fast forward a couple years I am a sophomore in high school and I joined one of the video production classes at my school and became obsessed. Read more>>

Johanna Pate | Stylist -Vintage curator

I learned early on in school that I had a passion for art and I was extremely creative. Art class was a place where I felt like my true self, I was free to let my creativity flow, it was where I could shine. I just wanted to create and that is where I felt the most alive. Growing up I would plan my outfits the night before and if I wanted something different I would take out the scissors and create custom looks. Read more>>

Grifin DiNardo | Freelance Drummer

I ask myself that question most days. I think it boils down to a couple reasons but the main one being expression. I love being able to express myself though my own, or someone else’s music. Having the opportunity to put a piece of myself into each and everything I play musically is such a joy and I am so lucky to have this opportunity. Read more>>

Elena Samia | Screenwriter + law graduate / professional

Being a creative as something I consider being deeply intrinsic to my own identity and soul. Ever since I can remember – I have always had an appreciation of the arts, through books, film, music and visual art – the works that I have either read, watched or been exposed to throughout childhood have deeply shaped the person I am today. At school, I was known to some teacher as the girl who could ‘write well’ – and the school nurse mentioned once that ‘I must be a writer or an actress”. It was evident from childhood what I my true passion and purpose was. Read more>>

Ivy Xu | Game Audio Designer

Life has subtly been a journey of discoverty for me before everything came together. I followed the traditional trail from pre-school to college, having a hard time making the decision of commitment to a career. For my degree, it sounds like a beaten path to be a software developer with some musical hobbies on the side, but there exists that urge telling me to pursue something that keeps me alive in many ways. So here I am, at the crossroads of so many things that I love, making game audio and enhancing the experience of players, with so many enthusiatic and talented game creators. Read more>>

Trent Longo | Actor & Artist

I spent enough of my time doing what I was not meant to do, to know what I was truly meant to be doing. It was just a deep sense of feeling like I wasn’t living in alignment with my soul. Read more>>

Isis Davis-Marks | Artist & Writer

I ultimately decided to pursue a career in art because I love that visual media can communicate things that words cannot approximate, and I’m curious to see how my visual practice grows. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember—as a child, I’d design clothes for fun; in elementary school, I’d take classes in ceramics, photography, and fashion design at the 92Y; and in high school, I took painting courses at the Art Students league and stayed up at night sifting through Tumblr and copying drawing tutorials that I found on the internet. Read more>>

Dylan Nichols (Slower Power) | Musical Artist, Songwriter & Producer

Creating is like breathing to me, and it always has been. When I was little, adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said “an artist.” I didn’t know what that even meant, but I still knew it was true. I started singing and writing songs at 12 years old and never looked back. Recently, the pressures of the music industry, social media, and constant self-doubt hit me hard. I got into a very isolated dark place where Instagram likes and comments became more important than the music itself. Read more>>

Aroona Khiani | Character Designer

I have always been fascinated by the potential of a blank canvas since I was young, happy enough to entertain myself in the form of graphite sketches. Animated films and shows were a big source of inspiration for me, especially the Classic Mickey Mouse shorts. Eventually it occurred to me that there were people behind the cartoons. I discovered Character Design after looking into artbooks of different shows, and doing that as a career became my goal from then on! Read more>>

David Boito | Novelist

I have always been motivated by the desire to create. There is something quite satisfying about conceiving, designing and producing a piece of work that entertains or enlightens others. Creating stories has been a passion since an early age. I have also pursued photography as an art form. In the same way that writing stories offers a window into a world of one’s own creation, photography offers an individual reflection of the existing world that can encourage and inspire. Read more>>

Leah Khambata | Actress & Singer-Songwriter

It’s something I’ve never even questioned. At times I wavered on which aspect of the Film/TV industry I wanted to pursue, but it was always very clear to me ever since I was a child that it was going to be this field. Nothing else excited me as much as the arts so I literally only applied to colleges which had a Film major. I was also fortunate to have a very supportive family who always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. But I guess if I had to break down why exactly this career, it’s because in film, you get to combine imagination with storytelling in a way where nothing seems impossible. Read more>>

Emily Pollack | Screenwriter

I genuinely believe I pursued a creative career because I don’t dream. I have had exactly 14 dreams in my entire life thus far and I know this because I have kept a detailed but short journal of my so-called dreams since I was eight and I dreamed my first dream. Since I lack this very innate and beautiful human ability, I try to make up for it in story-telling. Truly, it was born out of necessity. I couldn’t be the only kid in the cafeteria who didn’t have a wacky story to tell. Some would call that lying, I would call it survival. Read more>>

Anahit Topchyan | DJ

I wholeheartedly believe in doing things that bring you joy. Engaging in activities that I know do not serve me is draining and causes stress in the body. Now, this doesn’t mean I can always avoid tasks I don’t necessarily enjoy, but it is much easier to find success in something you love and are passionate about. The decision to pursue a creative career came naturally to me. After experiencing emotional and physical pain from living an average life with repetitive work and fixed hours, I reached a breaking point. I was physically hurting and felt like I wasn’t fulfilling my potential. Read more>>

Satoko Okuno | Painter and Ceramics Artist

I am a figurative painter and ceramics artist originally from Tokyo, Japan (born in 1991). Currently, I reside in the vibrant city of LA, where I find both inspiration and opportunity for my artistic pursuits. While I am presently a student at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, this is not my first college experience. A decade ago, I obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tokyo, which led me down a professional path as a business consultant and service designer for a span of eight years. Read more>>

Cruz Anthony Herrera | Musician drummer/percussionist, writer and actor

I have always felt a connection to music. I was formally encouraged to perform live when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, that led to musicians in my school community to engage me in music for a positive focus while my mom was in treatment. Before I knew it, I was the drummer/percussionist for the school choir then I was creating music for the school plays. The musical director Robin Shelnut kept me very busy in middle school creating music with drums and percussion for the productions. Read more>>

Nathan Hayes | LA Portrait Photographer

I got started with photography back when I was a sophomore in high school. At the time, I was on my school’s yearbook staff as a journalist and as soon as I was enrolled in my first photo class, I immediately switched over to become a staff photographer. My high school was a rigorous all-boys school and on paper I was a highly successful student, but on the inside I was quite miserable. It occurred to me that this could be my life: I could be working a job where I made a ton of money but outside of making income my life could be fairly meaningless. Read more>>

Anthony Quaid | Recording Artist & Songwriter

Music has been a part of my life ever since the beginning. I’ve always been drawn to music as a form of creative expression, and I appreciate the way it allows us to share thoughts and emotions in a special way. At first, I was inspired to pursue a career in music following in the footsteps of my musical heroes, like Max Martin, Sam Smith, and Ariana Grande, who’ve helped me navigate some of my life’s most challenging times. Read more>>

Floyd Whitehead | Artist/Graphic Designer/Silkscreen Printer

For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be an Artist. I learned how to draw before I knew how to write. When I graduated High School I really didn’t see or was informed enough about careers in the art field but after a year and a half of College in Atlanta, Ga. at Morris Brown College majoring in Business Administration I realized that I really didn’t want to pursue that but wanted to pursue my dream of being an Artist. Read more>>