We asked some of the city’s leading artists and creatives to tell us about how they decided to pursue an artistic or creative career. We’ve shared some highlights below.

Jacob Athyal | Actor

I guess this is the point where I look up and realize I’ve accidentally been pursuing an artistic career this entire time. The last ten years I’ve worked as an actor on stage and screen, but it has felt less like an active choice and more of a survival need. To be frank, I was bad at everything else. The stereotype about Indians (and others) is there’s so much pressure to choose a STEM profession Read more>>

Koko Marshall | Actor. Writer. Artist.

I pursued a career in acting because it has always felt like I didn’t really have another option. I struggled with this for a long time when I was younger. I tried to make room for other, more stable career paths but always came back to acting and art. It feels so great now to have accepted that this is what I’m meant to do, at least right now, and despite the hard parts of a creative career, there is nothing that makes me happier.  Read more>>

Dena Springer | Animator & Illustrator

I can’t see myself being in any other path that would give me the same amount of satisfaction and agency. In another life, I’d be an educator working with kids— which is an amazing career choice for those that want to pursue it. I think the one thing that I enjoy most with choosing a creative career, is the platform that I get to create for myself instead of others. For most of my life, I’ve put other’s needs ahead of mine. I’m so used to quieting my own voice. The best thing about pursuing this path is being able to take up as much a space as I want, and being as loud as I want. Read more>>

Yanyao Qi | Actor

What would I be doing if I weren’t pursuing an artistic career? I have a vague memory that the 5-year-old-yaoyao used to love drawing and painting… … excuse me for a sec, perchance my serendipity with ART was already flexing their muscles at this point of time. In fact, I’ve made great efforts to avoid going onto this road. As everyone knows: art making is not an easy and sustainable career to pursue if one’s goal is to become successful. Read more>>

El Chen | Artist

I don’t quite know what I’m pursuing just yet. The idea of a career – a series of steps of development that makes some kind of logical sense – is becoming more of a myth to me as days progress (don’t get me wrong, I somewhat envy my loved ones who enjoy plotting and pursuing theirs. I have just yet to be able to find joy in it myself, and so I’ve stopped trying.). Read more>>

Marco Chinchilla | artist

I’ve always been drawn to visual expression. It’s something that I like to do. I know most people don’t think of art as competitive but to me it is. It’s a competition to set yourself apart from others. That’s why I admire and respect people who spend their life working on new forms of expression. It’s what I’m working towards. Read more>>