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.

Jennifer Ryan | Actor and Voiceover Artist

I fell in love with acting and the arts at thirteen years old. My parents were both educators and believed strongly that every child needs to have an outside activity that they can be involved in. I was definitely not an athlete (I tried and failed miserably at it) and I wasn’t really passionate about anything in particular. My mother heard about San Diego Junior Theatre and signed me up thinking maybe that would hit for me. And did it ever!! I was a very shy kid, so I would’ve never thought being on stage would be something I would thrive in. But, to me at the time, theater was an exotic, fun, inclusive environment full of kids just like me. To this day, I feel the most comfortable when I’m around other creatives. Read more>>

Bonny Butler | Bonny Butler/ Artist

I always loved being creative. I would recreate old furniture into new, using chalkpaint and decoupaging the pieces I would find. And there is certainly creativity involved in grooming dogs and the many styes of clips. But raising my son and running the Dog Grooming business for 29 years had me go in a different direction. With my son grown and after I sold my business I returned to art, my first love. I took my first watercolor class in 2012 and discovered soon after that, Chinese Brush painting. alcohol inks, encaustic wax, collage and resin work, acrylics, oil pastels and my new and favorite medium at the moment, soft pastels. I think artistic and creatives have a calling and as George Eliot said “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”! Read more>>

Tammy Kokjohn | Wildlife photographer

My goal of becoming a Wildlife and nature photographer was to bring awareness to children. It’s not just about photographing an image of a mammal or bird posing, or simply sitting on a branch. But to be able to capture moments of behavior, really showcasing the personalities of your subjects. To me, this draws out emotions in sharing those pictures, and affects how you perceive wildlife. And while we can never predict those moments in nature, much patience and perseverance will sometimes reap rewards. Read more>>