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.

Faith Dismuke | Screenwriter

Reading and writing have always been opportunities to express myself more clearly. The worlds that I have created in my own stories and the worlds that I’ve found in the stories that I love, like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, have been places to escape reality. Read more>>

Anya Gibson | Brand Business Owner

It sounds dramatic, but I cannot live without constantly pursuing some type of “something.” Some days, this looks like 10+ designs completed in 24 hours. On others, it looks like curating a fun, casual playlist. From a young age, I knew that suppressing the need to create didn’t work for me, my principles, or my sanity, so I had no choice but to pursue a dream like Three of Swords. Read more>>

Solfulkay | Influencer & Creative Director

My choice to pursue a creative career yielded from my desire for freedom. I believe that experiences and dreams that are brought together by the collaboration of people can be so special. As we shine our own light in different creative spaces, we subconsciously give others the permission to the same. How great is that?! Read more>>

Kambria Moncrief | Singer, Song-Writer, Actress & Dancer

I am a singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. I have known who and what I wanted to be since I was three years old. That’s how long I’ve been singing; since I was three years old. My grandma says that my baby cries sounded like melodies. Read more>> 

Diana Banes | Owner & Lead Designer for Banes Creative Designs

I knew at a young age that I had a creative “super power”. Being creative came so easily for me and gave me lots of confidence; I always excelled in art and any school projects that had visual components. Read more>>

Yien Truong | Concrete Artist

I pursuit an autistic or creative path to actually create work life balance. Working on my concrete decor gives me that Zen that I have been looking for. When I create, I don’t think about life stressors. Read more>>

Talyn Hohneke | Gallery Manager & Artist

I have only seriously entertained two career paths my whole life: marine biology or art. When it became obvious that science and math are unavoidably intertwined, and that there were other ways to save the whales, I happily chose art. Read more>>

Kash Kuttinup | Master/Celebrity Barber

I’ve always been a sponge for art and fashion plus I pick up things pretty fast. Cutting hair is the perfect blend of the two. You can say this career chose me. Read more>>

Jerel Lake | Luxury Kitchen & Bath Designer

From a young age, I consistently engaged in various forms of creative pursuits. Initially drawing cartoons, constructing models, and coloring, these activities persisted throughout my high school years and into college at the Savannah College of Art. Read more>>

Thomas Yackley | Photographer, Workshop Leader, Choral Director

I have an innate need to create and to share art creation with others. As a retired music educator, I have the time to pursue the things I love. For me that is photography, teaching photography in classes and workshops, conducting and singing with the Alpharetta Community Chorus, and composing music. Read more>>

Paige Williams | Illustrator & Concept Artist

I always loved drawing and doing arts and crafts as a kid, but I think what really set me on the artistic path was a book series I read when I was 11 or 12. I liked it so much and was so obsessed with it that I wanted to make my own drawings and characters for it with their own unique personalities and backstories. Read more>>

Tong Zhou | Young Artist

Due to language, everything seems to revert to its core issue: language itself. I cannot create an entirely new language to construct grand events, nor can I use familiar language to convey true feelings. I lack certain common qualities in both, such as sincerity and depth… Read more>>