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.

Joseph Labate & Laura LaFave | Visual artists and collaborators

Joseph Labate I had been working as a civil engineer for ten years and was seeking something meaningful and challenging creatively to supplement my life. I took a couple of night classes at Massachusetts College of Art and found them to be enjoyable and fulfilling. I applied to the school’s BFA design program, was accepted and began classes in the fall. In my schedule I had a photography class and I was quickly captivated by the challenge to make expressive art with a camera. Read more>>

Quentin Taylor | Photographer & Marketing Manager

I would not say I pursued a creative career I kind of stumbled into it unknowingly. I got into photography as a hobby a few years ago when I purchased my first camera from a friend of mine. From there I went on a deep dive to truly understand the basics and then suddenly it blossomed into people requesting headshots, graduation photos, and prints. Honestly I feel like I had a huge advantage starting out because a lot of my friends are really great photographers so I had infinite resources. I’m truly enjoying the journey so far and look forward to more success. Read more>>

Jackson Boelts | Artist, Educator, Business Owner & Facilitator

I always loved drawing and found joy in sketching the world around me. In third grade, I would continually ask permission to “clean the art teachers’ room” when I just craved the multi-sensory experience of the colored chalks, paints, and paper inside. This exploration opened into a whole world of purposeful play with the endless forms, textures, and smells that are created when different pigments are mixed or used on varying surfaces. This fascination has lasted a lifetime and I have pursued it with love, fascination, passion and, financial gain my whole life. Read more>>