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.

Trevor Goober | Comedian, Musician & Actor

I can’t remember a time where I ever considered another option. Growing up, everything on my radar seemed to be about making things and participating in different art forms. I was quickly obsessed with entertainment, from the Wiggles to Ferris Bueller to Monty Python, anything I could get my hands on. Read more>>

Olivia Rose | Songwriter & Artist

I always knew that my life just had to revolve around music. Ever since I was little and heard Taylor Swift on the radio for the first time, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Songwriting and performing are two of my favorite things to do, and it was never an option for me not to pursue artistry as a career. Read more>>

Abby Bryan | Actor

Neither of my parents are actors, but growing up, my mom taught at a dance studio, and growing up in that environment was very formative. I still have memories from watching movies on our vhs player in dressing rooms with my sister or trying to make the parents in the lobby laugh.  Read more>>

Jamie Ragusa | Actor and Mom

I actually started an artistic career because my Grandfather had all of kids take dance lessons. He thought it was great for both girls and boys creatively and athletically. So fast forward, when I was 7 my parents asked me if I wanted to take dance lessons and I was like sure. Read more>> 

Carolyn McDonald | Artreprenuer

I’ve always been creative. I started shooting still photos when I was 7 years old. Then started writing. Studied film & screenwriting and got on the film industry career track for a couple of decades, as an executive and producer, before I finally came back to my first love of photography, and hands on filmmaking and directing. Read more>>

Jensen Perehudoff | Illustrator

From a young age, I’ve always felt a magnetic pull towards the arts. I never grew out of the childlike desire to express myself through a pencil on paper. Due to my initial shyness, I found my refuge in my sketchbook, where I could pour out my thoughts and creativity without saying a single word. Read more>>

Kat Kemmet | Actor

I didn’t initially. I have always loved the arts and loved creative pursuits from a hobby standpoint but it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I ever thought about it as a possible career. I wasn’t one of those people who has always known since they were little that they wanted to be actors. Read more>>

Emily Eizen | Multimedia Artist, Creative Director, and Photographer

I have always been a creative person. In school, I was always the one doodling and scribbling on every piece of paper, my shoes, and even my skin. I loved printing out and cutting up pictures and making collages. I felt very much like an outcast starting in 5th grade. Read more>>

Cera , Elton, Melissa, Oscar Carino, Salanic, Arana, Arana | Band

I decided to pursue a creative career because I was inspired by my favourite musicians. I love the music that my favourite artists create (such as Sir Chloe, Bayside, and Logic), and I wanted to create something that would be as cool, inspiring, and great as they have. – Elton Read more>>

Kotono Ogihara | Chalk Artist

“Is this drawn with chalk?” Five years ago, when I was so busy that I did not have time to interact with art and to enrich my soul, I came across a beautiful chalkboard in a cafe that warmed and moved my heart. It was like magic on a chalkboard and I could not resist the urge to learn it. Read more>>

Lee Charm | Artist/curator

I pursued an artistic and creative career because music has always been a profound part of my life. From a young age, I felt a deep connection to the way music can convey emotions, tell stories, and bring people together. Read more>>

Jenna Tico | Writer & Group Facilitator

I was raised in the arts, so for me, pursuing a creative + artistic life wasn’t something I questioned…until adulthood, when I had to face the inevitable “will I ever be able to make a living doing this??” Read more>> 

Madison Condra | Actor & Los Angeles-based Artist

Since I was able to conceptualize a future for myself, I’ve known that I want to be in the entertainment industry. I started in musical theatre at about six and still, occasionally, pursue that to this day. Around nine or ten years old, I continued in musical theatre, though I started expressing an interest in film. Read more>>

Taylor Ariel | Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and one girl band in STARSE3D

I’ve always been a very creative person. From a very young age I was writing long novels, poetry, and lyrics, drawing, singing, and doing anything that was creatively expressive. That later translated into me pursuing music, and I started to write and produce my own songs, and turn my poetry into music. Read more>>

Alex Kujawa | Artist

Drawing has been my favorite activity for as long as I can remember, so pursuing a creative artistic career seemed like a natural path. Some parents may object to their kids going to an art school, considering it a frivolous idea and not a viable career. Read more>>

Daniel Chandler | Hip Hop Artist for Christ, Music Teacher, and Multi-Instrumentalist

Music has been a part of my life since the very beginning. Both of my parents are trained musicians and taught me how to sing, play piano, and play the trombone since a very early age. Trombone became my primary instrument as I started high school. Read more>>

Connor Schon | Composer, Producer/Engineer, Singer

There simply wasn’t ever another option in my mind. I’m very lucky to have a family that fostered creativity and encouraged a career in the arts. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember and music has always been a more perfect mode of expression for me than language alone. Read more>>

Qing Wen | Artist, illustrator, writer

For me, creative practice is more like an instinct to find and create things that are aesthetic, expressing my immediate feelings toward the world through the tools I have at hand. I view myself as a mediator, reflecting what the world has offered me through different forms including painting, writing, photographing, and handcrafting. Read more>>

sirinate sornthuam | Tattoo Artist / Micro realism tattoo artist

When I was young, I loved spending my free time drawing. I would sketch anything in front of me, like my dogs or cats, with a focus on realism. And when I was in art class, I noticed that my drawing skills surpassed those of my classmates, consistently earning me high grades. When COVID happened, I found myself with a lot of extra time, so I decided to try tattooing. Since then, I haven’t stopped. Read more>>

Fiona McMahon | 3D Environment Artist

I knew early on that I wanted to be an artist and as I got older I knew for a fact I was meant to be one. Growing up I looked for other passions that I enjoyed, and I found I loved nothing more than art. I couldn’t help myself from creating. The only reason I have for becoming an artist is I believe I was meant to be one. I can’t imagine myself in any other position. Read more>>

Valeriya Eros | Makeup Artist and Content Creator

I think a career in arts is like a magic wand – you don’t choose an artistic career, an artistic career chooses you! Some people know that their path will be in the arts from a young age… That was not the case with me. I grew up in a family of mathematicians – my mom is in finance, my stepdad was in tech, and my grandma was a math teacher. Read more>>

Megan Clancy | Creative

I pursued a creative career because I knew it was how I wanted to spend the majority of my time, and that it was bound to be that way whether I made a living from it or not. I don’t think there is anything more fulfilling than bringing something from ideation to fruition. Read more>>

Navid Hejazi | Film music composer, video game music composer & violinist

When I was younger I realized I needed to develop my creativity because I was feeling a strong energy and I needed to shape into something. I found a lot of motivation and inspiration on film music so I followed that call. During the process of creating, I enjoy learning new skills and exploring ideas, always wondering where they will take me. Read more>>

JP Wang | Sculpturist & Multi-media Artist

Before settling down in Art & Technology, I switched majors four times, exploring fields as diverse as math, economics, theater, and film. only one and only reason why I chose to pursue an artistic career: I have stories yet to tell, and I cannot live a life without making them happen. Read more>>

Taoquan Fu | Filmmaker/Director

If I had to encapsulate my drive toward a creative career in one word, it would be ‘connection.’ My journey into artistic creation began in high school when my father gifted me a point-and-shoot camera when I was 16. I carried it daily, capturing the faces, scenes, and serendipitous moments on my walks to and from school. Read more>>

Ivy wxt | Artist

Art has always fascinated me, and drawing was a constant part of my childhood. In college, studying fine art and minoring in Psychology helped me understand myself better. Initially, my interest in art was about following my passion for drawing and storytelling. Read more>>

Nicholas guerrero | Music Artist

Honestly it’s been a form of self expression. Simple and plain. It’s been something that’s always help me process or translate what I feel and what’s been happening in my life and how it looks through my eyes. It’s always been something that’s help me learn more about myself and how I cope with society and relationships. Read more>>

Brandon Lin | MFA Cinematography Student at Chapman University

I chose to pursue a career in film because of my strong passion for storytelling especially through creating visuals, working with different people, and the work behind the scenes. To me film allows me to portray narratives and different emotions in a visually compelling manner to help connect with audience members. Read more>>

Adrian Gamboa | Art Director & Designer

Ever since childhood, I was always curious about making things. In grade school, I often had the best projects for art, science, etcetera. When I reached college, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to major in, but I chose a business marketing major, thinking that it would at least allow me to be flexible in my options post-graduation. Read more>> 

Sindy Solis | Makeup artist & Photographer

Growing up I was never what you call an academic child. When everyone was focused on making sure they completed that school work, I was just waiting for my art class, music class, sewing class to start. Creating is something that I just had in me since a very young age. Read more>>

Miranda Fontana | Film and TV Music Composer and Music Editor

I pursued an artistic and creative career because music has been an integral part of my life since early childhood. Growing up in Argentina, my home was always filled with a rich variety of music, from folklore and tangos to modern classical music, jazz, blues, and soul. Read more>> 

Daniel Costello (Stello) | DJ, Music Producer & Event Planner

Funny you should ask that – it kinda happened accidentally. I’ve loved electronic dance music since I first heard it in high school and always thought being a DJ was the coolest job, but had no idea how it worked. I literally thought they were making the songs while they were up there. Read more>>

Christine Maryfield | Social Media Marketing Agency Owner & Content Creator

I actually studied mechanical engineering in undergrad and it wasn’t until I was almost done that I realized I had no outlet for creativity within this career path. I started an internship for a global defense company that was considered to be the golden ticket of engineering internships and cried the whole first week when I realized I was going to be glued to a cubicle desk, Read more>>

Flora Yang Feng | Photographer

After putting in a lot of effort, I finally landed a job at a tech company. However, I suddenly realized that what I truly love and what fills my life with passion—the thing that makes me wake up naturally at 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning feeling genuinely energetic—is still photography. Read more>>

Sargon Odicho | Actor

I think there was a moment when I felt the need to do something creative. There were so many times I felt such a strong connection to films. Moments where performances would reel me in and just allow me to feel freely. It’s very intimate. Read more>>

Chrisse Soukaï | Actress

This question comes up a lot when you are an actor. Why are you doing what you do, why did you choose this, what drives you… I just knew from the beginning, when I was in school, that I would absolutely be miserable if I ever had to work in a closed-off office. Read more>>

EZRA

I chose to pursue an artistic career because anything having to do with art is inevitable for me. Art and creative expression are fundamental to who I am as a human being. I’m a firm believer that pursuing art is my purpose. I aspire to heal others through my work in some way. Read more>>

Yixi Luo

Since I was young, I have always been fascinated by visual arts. I studied traditional Chinese painting for 10 years, and when I first got a camera, I naturally applied the philosophies I had learned from Chinese painting to my photography. Read more>>

Xingyi Jiang

From a young age, I was captivated by the power of storytelling and the magic of cinema. The dream of becoming a filmmaker was born when I watched outdoor movies with my neighbors every weekend at 7 p.m. under the starry night. Growing up, I was fortunate to be surrounded by the influence of my mother, a TV producer in China, which ignited my passion and interest in the film and TV industry. Read more>>

Ze Feng

From an early age, my talent in drawing was recognized by my kindergarten teacher, which led to over a decade of experience in drawing before I embarked on a career in graphic design. With a comprehensive education in both art and design schools, I came to realize the intertwined nature of these disciplines and how they had become an integral part of my life. Read more>>

Adam Lerner | Photographer

In college, I studied art and focused on photography where I had the opportunity to shoot, develop and print black and white in a shared darkroom and fell in love with the entire process. At the same time, I was playing guitar in 5 bands and after college, I decided to pursue music full-time while still taking photos with my film camera. Read more>>