Artists and creatives face innumerable challenges given that their career path often doesn’t come with a playbook, a steady paycheck or any form of safety net. It’s definitely not easy and so we asked a few of the artists and creatives we admire to talk to us about why they chose to pursue an artistic or creative career.

Enzo Ferrari | Recording & Tattoo Artist. Digital Creative. Model

Even before I started making music, tattooing and being this creative junkie, I just felt like I was born to be someone inspiring. I’ve always thrived in creative environments so I kind of just put energy into the things I loved and the rest is on God and divine timing. I couldn’t see myself doing something outside of the arts anways. The places and people it continues to introduce me to has been life changing. Read more>>

Adriana Lopez-Ospina | Mix Media Artist

It was less of an option and more of need. I tried working in other fields, but a majority of the time I found myself thinking about what I wanted to create next. I had a hard time focusing on anything else. Other creatives can probably relate when I say that it possesses you. It feels like an obsession. I would spend any free time I had outside of what I had to do to pay bills making new work. Read more>>

CARLOS ZAPATER | STORYBOARD ARTIST

Truly, I believe that this kind of path is not consciously chosen; rather, it’s the path that chooses you. When I look back, I remember that I always had a pencil in my hand as a child, drawing everything that came to my imagination.
Whenever I watched a movie, I felt the need to draw moments from that movie on paper, as if I wanted to capture the most beautiful memories. Read more>>

Justen Best | Rapper, Actor, Podcaster & Model

Because that’s the key to life. To find something you love and would do for free, then find out how to profit from it. Its the cheat code. Read more>>

Anahi Ibarra | Artist, Poet & Educator

Honestly, being creative has always been IN me- it is not something I pursued, it’s just something I am- a creator. I came to the realization pretty early on that this was a gift I had to share with the world, I just didn’t know how to do it. In fact, for a long time I didn’t identify with being an ‘artist’ because I did not really know what that looked like for me. Read more>>

Lissa Mel | Artist

Art has been a constant presence in my life, and I have fond memories of hand making birthday gifts for my parents, always striving to surpass my previous year’s creations. From a young age, my mother instilled in me a passion for artistic expression. She played an instrumental role, assisting me with my early sketches and providing me with materials and books. Read more>>

Rojin Surreah Shahverdi | Fine Artist, Permanent Makeup Artist, Writer, & Entrepreneur

For me, pursuing a creative career always felt as essential as the need for breath itself. I’ve known since my youth that my greatest offering would be the gift of my art, as it’s the state in which I feel most aligned, fulfilled, and generative. While I worked a plethora of other jobs prior to starting my business at 25, I knew that choosing anything but a creative career would stifle the entirety of my life, and constrict my soul. Read more>>

Yizhou Liu | Product Designer

Absolutely! I’m a digital product designer at Yahoo, and the choice to pursue an artistic and creative career was driven by a combination of deep-seated passions and personal motivations. First off, I’ve always had this intense desire to express myself in visually captivating ways. Read more>>

Melanie Gillott | Singer, Songwriter, and Actress

Pursuing an artistic and creative career was, for me, a harmonious alignment of passion, purpose, and destiny. Coming from a family where my parents, sister, and most of my relatives play instruments or sing, I have been surrounded by music my whole life. From my earliest memories, the magnetic pull of theater and performance has been undeniably strong. Read more>>

Maisy Kay | Singer & Songwriter

I think the first time I decided I absolutely had to be a singer was seeing Phantom Of The Opera in London when I was around 7. I was so inspired by Christine and the power and hypnotism of her voice, I wanted to be able to do something similar with my own singing voice. Read more>>

Becca Heringer | Artist & Entrepreneur

Art has always been my go-to source for therapy and healing. Art is everywhere, offering constant inspiration and positive creative energy. Since childhood I have gravitated toward various creative mediums. Making my art is not only healing for me, but it is so gratifying to hear how my artwork inspires others to feel positive and happy. Read more>>

Maggie Hood | Actor, Producer & Creative Collaborator

I chose to pursue an artistic career because art gave me the opportunity to meet and engage with the parts of myself that weren’t invited to the table in my upbringing and culture (the so-called messy bits, the ugly parts, the big feelings). I was inspired to continue my artistic pursuits into adulthood in order to be part of creating the opportunity for others to do the same and to continue to engage with my own inner child. Read more>>

Chase Simone | Actress

I was drawn to pursue a career in acting because of the unique opportunity it provides to discover new facets of myself through each role I play. Every character I embody has something valuable to teach me, whether it’s a profound insight into my own life or a deep understanding of the diverse experiences others might be facing. Read more>>

Nicole Tani | artist & illustrator

I remember my 4th-grade teacher (shout out Ms. McGee) sent me a letter after I graduated high school saying that she would always remember how I “incorporated my artistic talent into every assignment.” Growing up, I wasn’t that confident when it came to speaking in front of the class, but my visual art has always made me stand out. Later, I attended LA County High School of the Arts, where I was really able to foster my love for creating artwork. Read more>>

Sammy Ryan Krasnow | Musician & DJ

Art in all its forms has always been immensely impactful. I have trouble speaking about emotion, whether it be someone’s or my own. Art allows me to convey a message or a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Art has impacted me to pursue it for the long haul. It keeps me focused and, frankly, out of trouble. Read more>>

Iz Gutierrez | Filmmaker, Director & Screenwrite

I grew up as an extremely imaginative kid, reading comic books, watching whatever movies were on TV. I would come up with comic book ideas and characters. That interest in cool stories and characters then evolved as I grew older into other forms of literature and art. Read more>>

Petros Lales | Visual Artist and Game Developer

From a young age, I had a natural inclination for creating stories, constructing things, and a deep love for physics. Throughout my life, these interests have led me down various paths. At the age of ten, I became involved in theater, writing, and playing music. By fifteen, I had been introduced to painting and drawing. As I gazed upon the artworks of fellow artists, I was struck by their ability to create images, and I knew instantly that I wanted to pursue a path as an artist. Read more>>

Olivia Schlichting | Music Supervisor

It’s surprising to me how many people out there don’t like their jobs. You spend a majority of your waking hours in this society working, so for me, it was important to find something that felt fulfilling to me. Creativity was not just a comfort, but a need for me as a kid. I had to have that outlet. I tried to find creative ways to work in the many jobs I’ve had throughout my life, but music supervising for film and TV is the first time I feel fulfilled. Read more>>

Justice Davis | Spoken Word Poet and Brand Strategist

Writing always came naturally to me. As a child, I was gifted with my first journal when I was around six years’ old, and my aunt took me to work with her. She was an elementary school teacher, and she allowed me to shadow her while my school was on break. To keep me busy when things got boring, she handed me this purple journal. Read more>>

Michael & Jaric Erike (The Erike Brothers) | Filmmakers

Jaric: The reason why I chose to become a filmmaker is because of the freedom it gives me to tell any story of my liking. It gives myself the space to create interesting characters and flesh out interesting worlds. In filmmaking, there is no such thing as “that just won’t work” or “you cannot do that”. You can take any idea and build it out into a concrete visual project for the world to see, comment, and digest. Read more>>

Aizhan LighG | Actress and lawyer

When I first worked on a character development, I fell in love with the journey. Read more>>

Jason Soudah | Music Composer / Songwriter / Producer / Engineer / Editor / Vocalist / Eye-wear Fanatic!

Honestly because since I can remember, this is what I felt I had to do, in my heart and in my self as a whole. Being a musician is who I am, I can’t separate what my work is from who I am and what I am, and being driven towards the goal of being a working, creating musician keeps pushing me forward. Read more>>

Kenji✦ | Musician

When I was a kid I was a 4.0 student that wanted nothing more than to get into college. I was convinced that was the only way to really make it in the world. Over time I started realizing that I was completely mentally and emotionally drained trying to pursue these tasks that genuinely didn’t interest me in the slightest. At nights I would come home and make music in my basement on my laptop. Read more>>

Genine “G9” Alexander | Host, Podcaster, Content Creator

I have always wanted to be in the entertainment industry, and have always had an equal love of hearing people’s stories. Growing up, I wanted to be an actress. Although I couldn’t sing or dance, my mom, grandmother, and aunt believed I could do it all! I participated in several contests, commercials, and acting jobs. I also loved watching talk shows, such as Ricki Lake and Oprah, but it wasn’t until I saw shows like 106 & Park, and TRL when I realized I could be a talk show host while also being true to my personality. Read more>>

Mckenzie O’Connor | Visual Artist

I started using art as an outlet for my emotions. A way to visually describe what I am feeling and hopefully, for others to connect and relate. My hope is that when people look at my art, they have a better understanding of what they are feeling. Read more>>