Deciding to pursue an artistic or creative career path isn’t for the faint of heart. Challenges will abound, but so many of the artists we speak with couldn’t be happier with their choice. So, we asked them about how they made the decision in the first place.

Aanya Vinson | Hairdresser & Content Creator

In childhood I was very shy and felt very misunderstood, creating things gave me a way to express myself. I was that homeschooled kid who locked herself in her room for hours upon hours learning how to play the piano and filming covers of my favorite songs via YouTube, or writing books, or painting art for my room, or editing makeup tutorials. Read more>>

Maya James | Wedding Photographer & Videographer

I’ve always been a creative person! Even as a kid I was always interested in the arts (coloring, learning the piano, singing) and my parents both supported that interest. My mom enrolled me in a performing arts school for middle and high school because she saw the passion I had. Read more>>

Andrea Lausell | Queer Disabled Boricua/Cubana Actor + Content Creator

I come from a family of creatives. Both sides of my family have been singers, pianists, photographers and actors. But as most immigrant families, my family has had to give up their dreams because life got in the way. I’ve always been artistic, singing and acting specifically. And as a Disabled person, I never saw anyone like me growing up and performing. Read more>>

Michael Brown | Photographer/Videographer

My path to my current position in life has always been art driven. At the age of 16 I grew a very strong passion for music creation. From age 16-24 all I do was eat, sleep, and go to the studio. It was around this time when I was asked my another musician if I have ever tried recording videos or was good with a camera. It was this spark that inspired me to begin my journey into photography and videography. Read more>>

Victor Yanez | A maker

Upon returning from a deployment to Iraq, I endured a divorce and starting from scratch. During this time, I endured financial difficulties, where I decided to make some extra money to keep my head above water per se. During this phase I wanted to create more different ideas and the way way I knew was incorporating items I saw everyday with a demand of people wants and ideas. As time went on, speaking with customers and day to day people , ideas Began to flow where I took on more work, making me research or think out how it would work, sparking the creative side of me Read more>>

Molly Ferguson | Illustrator

I’ve always been an artistic person and knew I wanted to be creative in my career. I started my freelance illustration career part time while I was working in an art department in the film industry. As I continued to improve my digital illustration skills and grow my network of clients, I realized it might be possible to transition into working for myself full time. Read more>>