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.

Minji Kang-Watrous | Contemporary Hanji Artist

When I first came to Texas in 2003 for an internship for hospitality management, my major at University. I didn’t think that I would, but I struggled with homesickness. I began making art for comfort so I could focus on finishing my internship. I was using traditional Korean paper called hanji. Which was very familiar and nostalgic for me since hanji was my moms only medium she used for her art. When I got back to Korea after finishing my internship, I couldn’t stop thinking/making art. At that time I didn’t think about doing art or being a creative as a career although that’s always been the dream. Read more>>

Lizette Desiree Rivera | Professional Dancer, Dance instructor and Photographer

I pursued a creative career because I love the feeling it gives me. I am a student at Texas Women’s University. I dance Monday through Friday, and on weekends, I teach at a dance studio and perform professionally with the Texas Lonestars in Arlington. Being able to be a student, teacher, and performer has long been a goal of mine. Having the opportunity to see things from other perspectives has helped me to convey my enthusiasm for what I most enjoy. Something about dance intrigued my interest from the start. It did not come naturally to me, and there was clearly room for growth. I’ve been a part of teams where I was able to train and grow as a dancer. However, I wasn’t the best. Something about knowing I had goals to achieve motivated me to keep going and support others on the same journey. I’ve always thought of dancing as a social activity, but it’s more than that, and everyone has their own reasons for doing it. To this day I continue to find ways to improve and motivate others who want to pursue dance. Your journey may look different as well as your destination but the passion for it will always be authentic! Read more>>

Christiam Torres Filmmaker/Photographer

In my life I have only seen art as a hobby, but I have always been attracted to making things with my hands and that talent was inherited from my mothers family. Cooking, crafts, drawing, painting, stories and those things that I saw as another skill to carry out more serious and formal jobs. Read more>>

Tiffany Petty Gilliam | Creative | PhD Student | Media Ecologist | Hype Girl

Art has been the most, if not the only, predictable pattern in a veritably wonky life trajectory.

I have created art as long as I can remember, but then when the refrigerator drawings are no longer enough, I was coerced into growing up (kind of.) Adult creatives are tasked with the challenge of finding a grown-up role in a professional setting that does not sacrifice individual artistry for the collective homogeny our society has normalized. From my perspective, individual cognitive creativity leaves nothing untouched, unaffected. It’s worth every effort. Every ask. Read more>>