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.

Anita Mandal | Jewelry Designer

My artistic journey actually began at the age of 5 when I dreamed of becoming a plastic surgeon with a desire to fuse my keen sense of balance and proportion, an artistic eye and the desire to sculpt with my hands. After spending the first 20 years of my career sculpting beautiful faces, it was purely by accident that I discovered my passion for hand carving jeweled mini-sculpsures. Read more>>

Romulo Martinez | Visual Artist

I believe that each of us are born with many talents to develop in life, but there is always a particular talent that calls out to you, that peeks out from every corner, that continually directly or indirectly makes itself present to be remembered and kept in mind. And among those talents, the particular talent that I decided to develop was artistic creation, under the various techniques that I learned with academic training and those that I have developed by myself. Read more>>

Emily Caves | Yoga Instructor, Studio Manager, & Jewelry Maker

It took me a long time to settle on a career path. I explored nursing, public relations, sports & aquatics management, and medicine, spending seven long years working toward my bachelor’s degree. I ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, thinking medical school was in my future. Read more>>

James Cole | Game Designer & Illustrator

It has always been my dream to support myself solely by my creativity. As I was gaining ground on my goal and making a name for myself with my illustration, I took on a marketing and trade show support role within a corporate setting. At first, the job was fun and challenging however, over time, it became more demanding with very little return and I lost the momentum and sight of my childhood dream. Read more>>

Brenda Alvarado | Party Decorator

Hi Brenda, why did you pursue a creative career? My name is Brenda Alvarado, I’m a wife, mom of 3 plus a dog, event decorator and a crafter. I love that I can help people make their parties more fun and unique. I’ve always had a creative edge, as a kid I always loved to draw. As a child, I remember being excited about rearranging my room, but I wasn’t like any other kid; I would draw out the layout and draw where I wanted my bed, TV, etc. Read more>>

Ann Akins | Designer for Fashion Junkie Club

I’ve always loved fashion and decided to start my own company about 8 years ago selling fashion clothes and accessories which is DH Fashion shop. Fast forward: I had an idea to get into customizing clothing and to learn how to sew. November 2020, I was put into the hospital and admitted into ICU. Read more>>