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.

Ali Gordon

I have always been a creative person. I think this is a common through-line with people who end up pursuing artistic careers: it has been an impulse for as long as you can remember. I always wanted to write a book. When I was a kid I used to “write books” that I would mail to my grandparents so that they could “review” them before mailing it back with the reviews taped to the back cover.  Read More>>

Aiyi Cheng

I didn’t really choose to be an artist, it was just the only way I knew how to make sense of things. Growing up between Beijing and California, I was always translating between languages, feelings, and worlds. Making became a way to hold those shifts, to turn fear or confusion into something tangible. Read More>>

Sankalp Rao

To be quite honest, I never thought I’d end up in a creative profession. It’s actually quite funny since growing up, I was more drawn to structure or logic than art. However, I think somewhere down the line, I stopped perceiving it in that manner. I felt as if I had opened up to more than just what I was exposed to. I found myself being drawn to media as a whole, whether it was editing clips, experimenting with visuals or colours Read More>>

 Graciela Cuevas

I always joke and say I had an epiphany but I truly did. Many smalls moments in my life planted seeds that led to the moment I decided I was going to pursue a creative career but Margot Robbie sealed the deal. Growing up in a small town, my options were laid out as school or sports and so I did that. Read More>>