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.

Jo Young | Mental health therapist & psychedelic integration coach

I have been a therapist for over five years now. I’ve worked in a primary care clinic, wilderness therapy and in a group practice before starting my own private practice, Jo’s Journey Work. I chose to work in the psychedelic space because I was seeing how much traditional therapy methods were not working and overall mental health was suffering from the society we live in. Read more>>

Shawna Gustafson | Artist and Illustrator

Making art and being creative is something I’ve done as long as I can remember. I’ve never been able to stop making things, so being able to make things for a living has always been my dream. Over the past month I’ve struggled with a recurring problem in my neck and shoulder that’s inhibited my ability to make art. It was excruciating to be physically unable to draw in the way I love. Read more>>

Keith Bearden | Screenwriter/Director

I think it’s born out of love. I saw my first movie (an old TV airing of the original King Kong from 1933) when I was in the hospital at age 3). Yes, I actually remember it. I’ve loved movies ever since. Cinema is a place to both engage in the world we live in and escape your humdrum reality. Read more>>

Chloe Wilwerding | Visual Artist

I am a broadly curious person and always have been. In high school, I tested as a Region 99 on career aptitude tests. Region 99 is for students who have no clear career direction. While this seems somewhat dooming, I wasn’t the lost soul who might come to mind. I wasn’t interested in nothing. I was interested in everything. Read more>>

Robot Tennis Club | Indie Rock Trio

Robot Tennis Club came to fruition when Laura Steadman and Nina Dorighi were pulled into a band by a music teacher in Denver. They hardly knew each other until one night when their other bandmates didn’t show up for rehearsal. Here, Laura was encouraged to share a song she’d been writing and the two instantly bonded thanks to the poignant vulnerability in the lyrics. Read more>>

Shane Smittyyy” Smith | Musician & Producer”

My pursuit of an artistic and creative career started at a very young age. When I was 3 or 4 years old my parents bought me my first drum set. From then on, being an artist was and still is one of the most important parts of my life. When I was in elementary school, I started my first band with my childhood friends. Read more>>

Katy Betz | Children’s Book Author/Illustrator and Art Professor

Art was something I was always good at and enjoyed, but I didn’t see it as a potential career path until I spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy while going to community college. Living in Florence – the birthplace of the Renaissance – revealed to me how art can enrich culture and elevate humanity through beauty. Read more>>

Julie Morringello | Lighting Designer & Artist

It never felt like a choice. I knew I had to do something creative, whatever that might be. The choice part involved deciding on which area to focus. In school I was torn between sculpture and industrial design. I ultimately decided to study design and take as many fine arts classes as I could. Read more>>

Gabriel Tarin | Art Director & Brand Designer

As a kid I always loved to draw or paint or create. I never thought it would be something I could make a career out of. Not until a counselor from the Art Institute visited my senior art class in high school to talk about college and artistic careers. My love for art and hip-hop lead me to have an infatuation for graffiti and graphic tees. Read more>>

Kay Parker | Tattoo Artist – IG: Bewitchedtattoos

I grew up in an extremely artistic household as a child. My mother was a Tattoo Artist/Piercer, photographer, along with a multitude of other mediums. She eventually pursued a degree in Art and is now teaching as a Professor in Colleges in Upstate NY, and has a studio in which she teaches private/group lessons as well. My father also is an extremely gifted painter, Read more>>