Why they do what they do

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 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>>
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>>
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>>