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.

Misty Roth | Interior Designer & Artist

I have always been an artist in some form, my entire life. Drawing & dancing through high school & college, I have been a dancer, make-up artist, muralist and painter, jewelry designer and fashion merchandiser. Currently I am the Director of Marketing for a restaurant group while happily persuming my passion of designing interiors . Hopefully in the very near future I will be designing full time. I learned long ago that I need to have a creative career to be my best self. Read more>>

Tammy Karin | Newborn and Family Photographer

I was born an artist. All forms of art and music have always come naturally to me! I began winning drawing and painting contests in first grade and am self taught in a variety of genres, but my first real success was as a saxophonist. I survived a difficult home life by disappearing in to practice rooms and went on to attend Interlochen Arts Academy and joined the saxophone studio at Northwestern University under world-renowned Fred Hemke. Unfortunately, Read more>>

Dr. Sydney Thomas | Scientist, designer, and accidental bird enthusiast

Hear me out, I’m a scientist. Most people think of science as a dull, analytic sort of job (and it sometimes is) but it’s also incredibly creative. It can sound pretty straightforward at first – I make a hypothesis about how cells work, then I test that hypothesis, then I revise the hypothesis. But the truth is, that no matter how many hypotheses I test, I’m never going to be able to understand even a billionth of what’s happening in just a single one of my cells. No one can, it’s far too complex. Read more>>

Val Schaefer | Artisan and Small Business Owner

Pursuing an artistic career started as a form of art therapy for me. As a member of the latest generation of American combat veterans serving in the Global War on Terrorism, I returned home with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I found myself altered by the experience and confused about how it impacted me. Approximately 30% of people who have been in war zones develop PTSD. Read more>>

Zac Stracener | Director | Filmmaker

Filmmaking has always been apart of me. When I was 8 years old my little sister was having her second birthday party. I picked up the families $50 dollar video recorder and started filming the party. It changed my life. I’m 25 now and more in love with film than ever before. Telling stories that can change or even save a life is more than a passion, it is truly a love. Read more>>