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.

Aldo Nevárez | Architecture Designer and Photographer

I’ve always been kind of leaned to tasks or activities that involve creation. Son of a singer and a trumpeter, I learned some music in my childhood, and I also enjoyed drawing. At the time of choosing a career, architecture caught my attention for its artistic values and history, and for the possibility it represented to create through design and planning. Later, my architectural training led me to explore with photography too. I began to look closely at how the space can be documented, which drew a fascination to it. And that’s how both disciplines ended up being what I do. Read more>>

Reesie Le | Photographer

For anyone who pursues an artistic/creative career, I believe all would agree you have to have a passion for it. Otherwise I believe it would be near impossible to accomplish much. My passion is what drives me to create, to learn more, to keep trying, and to always have a hunger to share my work. I chose to pursue my career in photography because I have passion to create beautiful portraits and a passion to share with others how I view them and the world through my eyes. Nothing expresses that more for me than when I am behind my camera. Read more>>

Luis Emmanuel Perez | East Texas Artist

I have always been more artistically oriented. I was interested in drawing and painting from an early age but when I graduated high school I was convinced I could not make a living on an artistic career. Instead I pursued a career in advertising. I studied graphic design and advertising at Kilgore College and learned that I could use my creative talents to produce interesting and somewhat successful ads. Thankfully, I discovered I was a very decent advertiser and continued on that path for a little over 10 years. Read more>>

Chloe Clemente | Rock Solo Artist

I’ve been surrounded by music my entire life and express myself most through it. I love that can relate to others and share what I feel. I’ve been working towards my dream of being a rock vocalist since I was 9 and started taking vocal lessons with Billy Purnell, he trained vocalists Keke Palmer, Tori Kelly, and more. Growing up I listened to bands like Guns N’ Roses, Journey, and Queen. Read more>>

Sarah Sargent | Intuitive Artist

As early as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to art. As a toddler, I was unstoppable, so much so that my mom finally allowed me to draw on the walls of my closet as long as I would stop drawing on the rest of the house. From then until now, art has been my number one resource of expression and entertainment. It has always been what I’m best at. Read more>>

Michelle Gaunt Angelle Gremillion | Michelle Angelle, Co-Authors of Modern Love Stories

Twenty years ago, we started a book club and fell in love with the romance novels our group read. Inspired to write, and wanting to work together, we immediately started dreaming up characters. Unlike traditional rom-coms on the market, we wanted side characters that had agency and strong voices. Together, we imagined scenarios involving two lost loves forced together in impossible situations. We all have a “WHAT IF” person from our past, and it’s fun to fantasize about various scenarios. Read more>>

Malka Ahmed | Newborn & Children’s Photographer

I’ve been an artist my whole life and despite going through formal schooling (and getting very close to attending Law School), I knew a typical 9-5 job was not going to be for me. Being able to pursue creative projects is what sang to my soul. Photography has always been a wonderful creative outlet and turning it into a business is a process that came together very naturally. Read more>>

Kiersten Humber | Virtual Executive Assistant | Social Media Manager

I’ve always been a creative at heart. Whether it was dance, art, apparel or graphics for social media. I love being able to work with a client and help bring their vision to life. It’s a form of therapy for me. Read more>>

Ajah Yi | Creative Director

From a young age, I’ve always enjoyed art of all forms. I believe actually it has a lot to do with Miseurs Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. After discovering ‘Pom Poko’, ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ which opened the door to anime for me at just 8 I was hooked. This led to me wanting to learn to draw because I thought I wanted to become an animator. I then began to deep dive into the inspiration for their films, and the art styles and artists from the many shows I watched, I studied them a lot growing up and still do. Read more>>