Artists and creatives face innumerable challenges given that their career path often doesn’t come with a playbook, a steady paycheck or any form of safety net. It’s definitely not easy and so we asked a few of the artists and creatives we admire to talk to us about why they chose to pursue an artistic or creative career.

Jesse McCoy | Musician, Producer, Composer

I figured out fairly young that I begin to lose my ability to be a functional human if I’m not being pulled along by some sort of creative pursuit. I get pretty miserable without an outlet. I am naturally highly introverted and anti-social but I fight it by playing in bands and writing music. Read more>>

ZBassSpeaks aka ‘Z’ | Spoken Word Poet and Lafayette’s Poet Laureate

I am an explorer of many things when it comes to art. Though coming from poverty there were limitations. Scraps of paper and 16 used crayons was all that little me had to rival greater artists. I wished I could sing, or play an instrument so others could listen to what I had to say. Read more>>

Cha Cha | Artist / Creator

I think I was born an artist. From kindergarten on, I was always the class artist, interested in going into my imaginary world of drawing and painting.It was a lot more fun there than in the real world. I was shocked to find out that not everybody has a creative fulfilling world they can go access. Read more>>

Rashaad King | Songwriter/Artist

I’ve always had a love for music and film my whole life. I always felt like music expressed feelings I couldn’t put into words at a young age. Once I had that first taste of creating something myself, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>>