We asked some of the most creative folks we know to open up to us about why they chose a creative career path. Check out their responses below.

Natalie Anthone | Ceramic Artist & Teacher

I always felt called to be an artist. I came from a very creative household. My mom being a jazz piantist and my sister a painter, I was encouraged to make art, and it was an outlet for me. However, as I grew up, I feared I wouldn’t be able to make art into a career. So, I changed majors a few times throughout college and worked random jobs, Read more>>

Andy Pelster | Artist

The route to my artistic career has been circuitous, as I didn’t pursue art as a career to begin with. Although I was known for my drawing ability in high school, when I graduated, I went to a trade school for technical drafting, believing that a career in engineering would be much more stable than one in fine art. Read more>>

Tiffany Chuang | Content Ingestion Specialist & Lifestyle Creative

Growing up, I always knew I was a creative at heart. I wasn’t successful in math, and I never developed as deep an interest in other traditional studies as I did in the arts. All of the classes I excelled in, and looked forward to, were creative. They always inspired me the most. Read more>>

Katie Chavez | Travel Blogger

I have always felt compelled to write as a form of creative expression and I love traveling so it made sense to start writing about my travels. It started as a hobby but I became more passionate about it as time went on and I started to see it as a viable business as well. Read more>>

Erica Reid | Writer & Marketer

Not to be flip, but have no idea what else I would have done. For better or for worse, I have always followed the path that organically appeared ahead of me –after college a professor put me in contact with an ad agency that needed writers, which felt like a real gift, and a natural way to pay the rent. Read more>>

Tyler Stanfield | Singer/Songwriter, Performer

I think it chose me. I have always loved music and, everyday that I wake up and I am excited to write and perform. Read more>>

Christopher Beeson | Filmmmaker, Teacher, Creative Professional

Making art in any form has been my primary way of engaging with the world for as long as I can remember. It’s how my brain processes things. There was never a conscious choice of deciding to have a creative career, but really just a matter of figuring out what that would look like. Read more>>

Brayden Tomicic | CEO of South Valley Photography, and Owner of MetaGarage

Since I was little I have always had this itch to create. When I was older I was able combine two passions and turn it into a career. Taking pictures of cars and products and being able to display them in a way that is pleasing to the eye is a very satisfying and rewarding. I guess in short I love being inspired and find fulfillment in capturing the world in ways that I see it! Read more>>

Gray Whitney (graymattr) | Music Producer, Audio Engineer, Percussionist and Performer

I wanted to pursue an artistic career because I feel that this is my calling, and the primary reason I was put on this Earth! I still work a day job selling email marketing at Constant Contact, but I know with continued effort and dedication I will eventually be able to successfully turn graymattr into my full time job. Read more>>

Mary Elias Letera | Intermedia Artist

It felt like an inevitability after a long time of being more “practical”, like I’d been trying to stuff a square peg into a round hole. I come from a mixed family with a second-generation American mom and a refugee father, which means that I was instilled with an intense work-to-survive instinct. Despite always having had some sort of creative practice, Read more>>

Gabriela Landis | Travel Writer

For the last two and a half years, I would go to my day job early in the morning, come home at 5pm, make dinner, then go to bed. In 2022, I had a realization that I wasn’t using my passion. I love to write and I love to travel. I had chosen to put these on the backburner while trying to figure out the rest of my life. Now I am married and have a steady full-time job, Read more>>

Dylah Ray | Owner, The Botanical Bakery of Denver

I previously was on a career path that I often felt was meaningful, but in the corporate and political world, I wasn’t afforded the same creative freedom that I have now. I realized that for me, and for most people I believe, some form of creative expression isn’t just a luxury, but a necessity for living a life that values growth, reflection, and community. Read more>>

Isabel “Dani” Macher | Digital Artist & Classical Musician

I think I’ve always been drawn to the creative fields, whether that was art or music. For a long time though I didn’t realize that I could pursue a career in those disciplines. Because we live in a capitalist society, we’re constantly told to work towards the things that will earn us the most money, but not the most personal fulfillment. Read more>>