Artistic and creative careers are among the most rewarding, but they also come with unique challenges. We asked some of the city’s best creatives to tell us why they choose to pursue a creative career.

MJ Wilkins | Graphic Artist & Illustrator

I began my professional career in a completely different industry and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until I was given the opportunity to work for a local photographer that realized my love for creativity. That was the first time I was fully submersed in art, all day, every day and I was hooked. Read more>>

Melanie Summers | Tie-dye dabbler and a pretty decent person

If someone had told me 18 months ago that people would pay money for things I created, I wouldn’t have believed you. In fact, I still suffer from a bit of imposter syndrome. I guess one might say “the seed was planted” due to my family’s uncanny ability to stain clothes, as they end up with food on the back of their clothing. Every six months, I would gather all the old or stained clothes around the house and tie-dye them. It was fun, and our clothes didn’t have to be thrown out or donated. Read more>>

Kayla Ellis | Owner of Kay Ellistrations – Home of Paint & Praise

Art has been a part of my life since I was a small child. I was always drawing or doodling. When I was about 8, I would watch YouTube tutorials on how to draw dinosaurs and cartoon characters. In middle school, I started taking advanced art classes and continued taking multiple art classes each school year until I graduated high school. It just made sense for me to pursue my art more seriously as an adult since art has always been such a big part of my life. Read more>>

Jeff Jones Jr | Music Producer & Health Teacher

Well to be honest, I just love music! The creating side really started in 2020 when COVID began. I would always make beats here and there but never thought about making actual songs, and since I was at home with nothing but time, I thought why not try it. Here I am now two years later still going and growing! Read more>>

Sarah Harless | Art Educator & Artist

When I was in middle school I took my first art class and I really enjoyed it. Those early middle and high school art classes really fostered my love for art. This led me to want to pursue art in college. My experience with college art classes was mixed. I had a few good teachers and a few not so good. By the end of my college career I realized I had a desire to pursue art professionally. But I also knew that I still had a great need to learn more about art. This led me to seek out artist that I felt were at the top of their game. Read more>>

Elisa Bergstrom | Calligraphy Artist

I pursued an artistic path for a few reasons: to have a creative outlet for my long-standing passion for art, to create something beautiful and meaningful for others, and to have flexibility while doing it. Also, years ago as a child, my grandfather told me that I had the family’s artistic gene so he wanted me to keep it going (no pressure!) and my grandmother often reminded me that once I got both of my children in school that I needed, Read more>>

Zion Pullman | Animator & Composer

When I was very young, I was inspired by watching television cartoons for years, I always asked myself, how did they do that? As I went from middle school to high school, I experienced a lot of opposition from people who caused me to go to a low place in my thinking. Still, at the same time, I always wanted to draw, make comics with my characters, and eventually begin animating. This was like a form of expression for me to process what was going on at the time. Read more>>