Deciding to pursue an artistic or creative career path isn’t for the faint of heart. Challenges will abound, but so many of the artists we speak with couldn’t be happier with their choice. So, we asked them about how they made the decision in the first place.

Andrew Weempe | Artist

For myself, music is the only way for me to get a point across clearly. And to have real meaning and purpose behind my words. It’s the only way I feel comfortable saying anything I need to say. I’ve always struggled with talking and having a real conversation with others as a kid. So now that I’ve found that one thing that lets me do that, i feel that pursuing a career out of it is the best thing for not only me but everyone around me. Now for other people, it’s more of a helping hand thing. When people listen to music, they listen to get them out of the world they live in and put them in a world they see as perfect. That’s what my goal is. It’s to make people realize that they are not stuck in the spots their in and that their life can become more than they could imagine. Every one of us struggle with that I think. We all feel lost at some point and we’re just looking for something that makes us feel somewhat purposeful and significant. And music is something that can bring you to that place when you think your lost in your own mind. Read more>>

Daveon @thedaveonshow | Performing Songwriter

I believe that my desire to outwardly express my creative became too strong not to pursue a career within my passion. Read more>>

Rod Tejeida | Creative Director, TEXEiDA

In 1997 I enrolled in college to pursue a degree in computer graphics and animation, a year later friend of mine suggested that I should sell my artwork online therefore I contacted a local web design firm with the goal of setting up an e-commerce website. However, when I showed them my portfolio they were so impressed with my artwork that they offered me a job as a graphic designer with their firm. This opportunity gave me the chance to design and create websites for companies like Miller Lite, Rolex, Putt Putt, Arnold Palmer and others. After several years of working with them I decided it was time to create something of my own. Being a T-shirt fanatic, that’s when I decided to open my own t-shirt brand, 79 Apparel. Little did I know that running an apparel brand would be a lot more difficult than I expected because of the high-cost to sell out inventory and maintaining a fresh image. That’s when I knew I needed to rethink my business approach, so I decided to switch to custom apparel decoration doing screen printing for local businesses and organizations. This change of direction has led me to where I am right now as a company. Read more>>

SUMMIT VALLEY | Band

We decided to pursue an artistic career in music as a band for one main reason: we are all here to enjoy the journey. As individual musicians we are all capable of doing well, but as a band there is a sort of energy we create that the crowd can feel through our presence and our music. The four of us come from all walks of life and what ties us together is what we live for, the music. We each bring to the table very different styles due to our different musical backgrounds and once we start writing a song it’s like the sky explodes. Read more>>