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.

Lindsay Seier | Visual Artist, Space Maker, Arts in Health Practitioner

From an early age, I knew that I saw the world in a unique way. I was a little girl who could discover connections through abstract thoughts, ideas, and visions. All my “what do you want to be when you grow up” papers all were answered with “an artist.” Observation was my sport and it lead me to drawing. I loved to depict what was in front of me in a “new” and “true” way. Read more>>

Michael Garman | Son of world rebound sculptor Michael Garman

My Mother and Father started the business in the early 70s. My father had been creating original clay sculptures in Central and South America for a few years and continued with his original clay pieces in Dallas Texas for a few years after returning from his travels. He missed each one of his characters that he sold so he began to find ways to reproduce his work, he believed that art should be affordable for the every day man, They moved to Colorado and started Michael Garman Productions. Read more>>

Rae Johnson | Filmmaker

I pursued a creative career because it is what made the most sense to me. I learned early on that I loved learning about people and about telling their stories and finding the commonality between strangers. I believe filmmaking has the power to achieve that. It has the ability to take a story and reveal a universal truth that can resonate with others and remind them that they’re not alone in what they’ve gone through. Read more>>

Onyx The Warrior | Artist

I’ve always had trouble expressing myself growing up. When I starting making music it gave me that outlet I needed to help get myself on track Read more>>

Tearsa Hammock | Video Production Manager & Owner

I first started my college career interested in Journalistic writing because I wanted to help marginalized people be able to tell their story. I wanted people who are not often seen or heard to be represented in media and help to further human rights and social justice causes, especially immigrant rights and causes as my mother is from the Philippines and I had many friends from Mexico and other Latin American countries when I first chose my path. Read more>>

Cliché | Rock n’ Roll Band

We love what we do and we think we really have something rad to show listeners. Rock n’ Roll music isn’t really something you come across anymore and we think it’s fun to bring that feeling back in the way we play. Read more>>

Kylei Mitchell | Makeup Artist

I took on a creative career because my outlet growing up was always art. As a child and still now today, I love to draw, color, paint or even be crafty. Ultimately I fell in love with makeup and posting about it like a lot of other influencers. I even went to school to be a cosmetologist so I could pursue my dream of making other people feel beautiful. Creativity and artistry has always been super important to me, it was something so relaxing for me. Read more>>

Moriah Petree | Photographer

I wanted to pursue a creative career because I loved the idea of being able to combine work with creativity! A lot of careers don’t include getting to express your creativity and artistry. You always hear stereotypes that everyone hates their jobs and I didn’t want that to be me! I’ve always loved being as creative as possible in every area of life and I was always doing arts and crafts projects growing up, so it was kind of a natural path. Read more>>

Mitch Caster | Fine Artist & Art Teacher

I have loved art ever since I can remember. I was unable to visit an art museum until I was in high school, but as a child, I had an intense desire to draw; there was a natural ability. I saw great art mainly from stamp collecting; it was inspiring. Read more>>

Erin Otmishi | Artist

It’s who I am. Growing up I’ve always been creative. I loved the feeling of creating something, making it how I want and see it. I’ve always loved painting and that’s where I mostly work. Read more>>

Peter Maeck | Writer & Photographer & Speaker

I might say that a creative career pursued me. Which is to say that I was writing creatively at a very young age before I even knew what a writing career would be. I wrote a family newspaper; I wrote dramatic sketches for me and my sisters to perform for our parents. My 4th grade teacher assigned my class to write a short story, and to ease the challenge of filling up a blank page, she suggested we cut a picture from a magazine and make up a story about it.  Read more>>

Hana Felix | Artist

Pursuing a career in art is a relatively novel idea for me. Though I’ve been creating my entire life, it was never introduced as a viable option in terms of making a living. I was laid off from my corporate job at the beginning of Covid, and found myself with a lot more free time than I was used to. Read more>>

Peg Luke | Musical Artist/Composer and Performer

I have pursued my creative career because I felt “a call” of sorts by my Higher Power (God) when I was seven years old. I remember the place and situation like it was yesterday. Now that I am 62 years old, I look back on the motivation like it was a “fire” inside of me. One that resides in me to this day. Read more>>

Jolene Roderick | Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Dreamer

After covid hit in 2020, I went through a period in which everything that I had been planning or planned for kind of got thrown into a jumble because I got divorced and moved out of my home where I had been living for 12 years with my son and my ex-husband. This caused everything that I had been planning for to get thrown into a jumble. Read more>>

Aj White | Content Creator & Business Owner

I pursued this career because of the volume of communities that I can help and interact with. My mission each day is to be able to help motivate or inspire at least one individual a day. So with this business I am able to reach individuals worldwide. Read more>>

Taka | Tattoo artist

I’ve always wanted to be a tattoo artist since I was a small child. My mom told me a story, reminding me. She asked “Why do you want to be a tattoo artist?” I, being a strange child, answered in turn, “Because I want to make people bleed!” Things have changed since then… But not much lol. I think to be a tattoo artist you have to be a little bit sadist to a degree. Read more>>