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.

Greta Prince | Independent Artist & Designer

It honestly felt natural for me. For as long as I can remember I’ve always gravitated towards arts and entertainment, especially anything related to music. Even as a little kid I would make up my own harmonies to go along with commercial jingles on tv lol. How I sounded wasn’t even a concern of mine lol…I just loved to sing along with anything I heard on the radio, no matter what genre. It was my family hyping me up and telling me I actually sounded pretty good that boosted my confidence in my own sound. Throughout my school career I participated in many choral ensembles and I always sang in church…I still do to this day. I briefly worked in logistics finance as a means to achieve some of my financial goals after graduation from college but that left me feeling a bit lost and out of touch with my purpose. Read more>>

Toshé Byrd | Visual Communicator

I almost feel as though I didn’t have a choice. Although my career now consists of photography, videography and graphic design, I’ve always been a creative. My first memorable passions were dancing and singing. Photography came around high school and then I couldn’t put it down. I would be involved in programs that promoted business, math, science, etc. and I found myself wanting to be the one to document the things I was apart of. It was a role I took on in everything I was in. By the time I had to decide on a college career, I knew I wouldn’t be happy unless I had a camera in my hand. Read more>>

Nubia Soul Goddess | Music Artist, Author & Entrepreneur

Honestly, I feel that they are the same. If not, they definitely play a part in the manifestation of each other. To be an artist, you create your art-form, so you are still a creative in a creative career. I choose to be a music artist and book author because it felt good. It feels better than any job I have ever had. I’m not bogged down by a constant repetitious schedule that takes me away from my family and friends 40+ hours a week with tons of limitations just to get paid. That’s not living to me, that’s not freedom of being an adult to me. Sure, I am responsible for more as a self-employed person but I think it enhances the individual more when you have to carve out your own employment according to your gifts, talents, and desires. No disrespect to the one’s who enjoy the office work, but having the freedom to see something in my mind or hear something in my head and bring to life is pure magic. Read more>>

Bryanna Vinge | Actor and Playwright

I’ve always been a performer, whether it was vocally, instrumentally, or theatrically- some form of performance has always been a part of my life from a very young age. My family while supportive of my “hobbies” always thought of them as just that, hobbies. When I was sent off to college I was reminded that theatre was a hobby and not an occupation, and so I hopped major to major trying to find myself, coming out on the other end of 4 years with a degree in Communication Studies, which is really just another form of performance. A year or so into the professional world I was working as a Program Coordinator for a Settlement Administrator of Class Action Lawsuits, fun, huh? It was at that time that I had a major health scare and found myself in kidney failure, that I realized I needed to follow the path I knew I was meant to be on, to do what made me happy, and what fulfilled me. Read more>>

William Walters | Amp Tech and Manager at Acorn Amps

I chose an artistic/creative career because my life and my energy have always led me down that path. Since I was very young, music and musical instruments have sparked an intense curiosity in me that I still possess. I’ve had several hobbies and interests over the years but music and music gear has always remained my passion. I love music and I love playing guitar and making music with friends. It’s very cliche but it’s very true: if your job is something you’d otherwise be happy to do for free, it will never feel like ‘a job’. I can’t overstate how important that mindset is to creative people. It may mean, financially, that things can be a bit tight at times, but putting all of your energy into a creative career is much more fulfilling than cashing a check from a job that you dread driving to each morning. Read more>>

The Rutledge sisters | Actresses & Models

I chose a creative career because it was something that I always enjoyed, and it was something I got to do with my sister. -Jasmin I chose a creative career because even from a young age I really enjoyed performing and creating things to share with people, so it just felt like a natural fit for me. -Jaylin. Read more>>

Dessiree Wielgosz | Small Business Owner- History Teacher

The career chose me. When we moved here to Georgia from Arizona, I took a break from teaching to get my M.ED. I returned to teaching as an online instructor for four years. That is when the business started. Ironically too, our business started out with making furniture. My husband and I have struggled to find furniture made with quality craftsmanship, and find it American made is even more challenging. You don’t see that unless you find good antiques. That’s craftsmanship. After he made a few pieces for our master bedroom, many friends encouraged us to start selling furniture pieces. Each piece I make, it’s a risk, like Vegas. You don’t know if people will like it or if it is such a hit that it’s gone immediately and customers want more- which is hard when you do custom work. Read more>>

Darryl Chambers | Model/Actor

I decided to take an artistic creative career path because I’ve never really been an artsy person, so for me it was about doing something different and tapping into another side of myself to see if I could pull off the challenge as well as to see if there’s more inside of me than I even knew about. Read more>>

Abigail “Joanna” Simpson | CEO, Head of Development

Growing up I was the middle child of ten we all had a passion for drawing. I thought I was going to be an Artist like Banksy a world-known street artist or Lady Pink who began tagging at age 15. However, street art and art on paper was no longer a passion for me. I remember as a kid on the weekends we used to buy bootleg movies from the guys selling them on the streets of New York. Watching movies on the weekends in our pj’s from sun up to sun down is one of my greatest memories as a child. As I grew up I remember watching the making of Rush Hour and at that moment I knew I wanted to be a Director. Every time I watched a movie or show I’d sit there and take mental notes on how the camera was angled, how shots were captured, how bad the acting was, etc. I am self-taught in editing and have a degree in graphic and design. Read more>>