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.

Rakesh Galebhe | Actor

I stumbled into acting unexpectedly, but it quickly became a crucial part of my life. As a lifelong movie enthusiast, I never imagined I would become an actor. My journey from short films to feature films has been filled with valuable lessons, numerous challenges, and occasional triumphs. Moving to the USA for my master’s degree was a significant step. Once again, I started from scratch, forming a new filmmaking team and creating short films from the ground up. Despite the challenges, I relished every moment of the actor’s process. I am eager for audiences to watch and enjoy my films. Acting brings me immense satisfaction, fostering continuous learning, creativity, personal growth, and resilience. Read more>>

Quincy Eldridge | Owner and Creative behind Rodeo Quincy Inc.

I have always been creative but in my younger years I would have never guessed I’d started my own buiness based off of my creativity and could have been successful at it. Success isn’t defined by a fancy job title or even money in my option. In my eyes success is being able to wake up every day and do something that you find joy in and the cherry on top of that is being surrounded by people with love. I pursued a creative career because I followed my passions, designing and business. I was very fortunate to discover them while in college so as soon as I graduated I took the risk in starting my own business, Rodeo Quincy. My father is an entrepreneur and my mother had a clothing line at one time, I idolized my parents growing up. They saw my work ethic and supported my decision. I was lucky to be surround by a great support system of people who believed in me, which made my decision easier. It hasn’t been easy but boy has it been rewarding and fun! Read more>>

Jose Portales | Music Producer/DJ

You know… it never really was something that I had ever intended on doing. I began my career with music because I just enjoy everything about the electronic dance music scene. I began as a fan, “raver” by going to afterhours raves, warehouse parties, music festivals, club shows and then eventually made a lot of friends and acquaintenances through it. From there I then became a club promoter, selling tickets to festivals, club events, etc. I got so caught up with staying busy and challenging myself every day with new projects and while I was in college, I decided to give djing a shot. I did that and music production for several months but had to stop because of how expensive it was and it was incredibly difficult to balance with my undergraduate studies… so then I stopped and continued on as a typical raver/promoter. A few years after obtaining my masters, I decided to pick it back up and that’s where I began to really take control of my craft with djing and that’s when the shows came about from the relationships I built through the years as a typical raver. I met a group and we held events at a small taco shop right as covid hit but as it hit, we had luckily landed a weekly event at a music venue in the west 7th area and I got to host my own stage with its own genre! Things just took off from there. Overall, I liked to challenge myself every single day and I enjoyed showing my creative side to others, even though I was so shy about it. I loved the way my art makes people feel. Theres always a sort of energy that everyone gives off in reaction to ones artwork/music and playing in front of a crowd or seeing/hearing someones reactions to a song of yours or seeing a dj set, it’s an amazing feeling. Read more>>

Felix Torres | Conductor & Arts Executive

I chose an artistic career because it was the thing I kept coming back to when trying to decide: who I was going to be or what I was going to do for my career. It continued to inspire me. Read more>>