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.

Ava (Xiaoxiang) Long

As a 3D generalist graduated from SVA, my journey has been full of self-discovery and determination. Growing up in Wuhan, China, I found happiness and passion in creating characters, initially on the walls of my childhood home and later on paper. Despite excelling academically and pursuing Finance at CUHK SZ to meet societal expectations, I found myself being increasingly drawn to the world of animation. Read more>>

Nicole Ciccarelli DeLorenzo

I am and have always been a creative soul. My life has been quite unconventional and I value the journey and carving my own path in life. I have been in multi-faceted avenues of what would be considered work, which have all given me perspective and direction. Yet, ultimately, I am self-taught, creatively directed and have been learning the depths of what life is and who I am, throughout my journey. Read more>>

Tianran Qian

To me, pursuing a creative practice is about making space for “bad objects,” a concept inspired by Emmy Mikelson’s reference to Anthony Vidler. He emphasizes the “abilities of space itself to dissolve boundaries, as it is transgressive by nature, breaking the boundaries of all conventions, social or physical… a bad object – abject and ignoble in its ubiquity, endlessly invading the protected realms of society and civilization with the disruptive forces of nature.”  Read more>>

Liudmila Hrynko

I consider myself truly fortunate because I’ve managed to find not one, but two creative professions. At the age of 33, I moved to the United States, and it became necessary to change my profession. My previous career was not in demand here, so I had to start my creative journey from scratch. It was a rather challenging phase to figure out what I could do and, more importantly, what I wanted to do in my new environment! Read more>>

Ana Leon

I pursued it simply for the love of the game, I wrote some songs and I wanted to see them become reality. The urge to write music is always going to be there for me, so why not create an outlet for it? I’ve also grown to really love the camaraderie me and my band mates have developed. It’s made me become a better musician in every aspect and I love how we can come together to create music and an aesthetic for the band. Read more>>

Justin Watanabe

I pursued a creative career because I wanted to pursue something I had a huge passion for. I learned it is worth it to go after something you are passionate about. I had experiences where I went to psych wards and learned that a lot of people were living with regrets about not following their dreams. That’s what really pushed me in the end to become a music artist. Read more>>

David Remington

In many ways it seems to be the only choice I have. For over 20 years I worked in retail for major brands: Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic and J.Crew. In most of those roles I worked creatively as a merchandiser. At the end of the day I would feel creatively used up, with nothing left for myself. It wasn’t until I worked for Ralph Lauren (on the factory side of retail) that I could really see from a dollar perspective how much money the company was making off my creativity. Read more>>

Isabella (Z) Vergun

I’ve always loved telling stories ever since I was a little kid and over the years I tried my hand at so many mediums. I spent a lot of my childhood drawing comic books, writing songs, and putting on little plays. There was even a time when I thought I would go into academia as a religious scholar! Read more>>