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.

Quynh Tran | Multimedia Designer & DJ

It was the most natural to me. Growing up, I really loved music, film, design and technology. As I got older those hobbies evolved into a career. Read more>>

R.O. Shapiro | Singer and songwriter

I often joke that I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. An early love and knack for performing, combined with an amazingly supportive and encouraging family, meant that from before I can even remember I assumed I was going to be an artist. Actually, for my entire childhood and adolescence I thought I was going to grow up to be an actor, and who knows, maybe someday I will. But the only difficult career conversation I ever had with my parents is when I announced that I had decided I was going to change gears and leave New York City and my theatrical dreams in exchange for the life of a touring songwriter. Not the biggest left turn in the world, but from the reaction you would have thought I was dropping out of law school. In any case, my life has been and always will be dedicated to the performing arts, and I have my family to thank for it. I’m very lucky. Read more>>

Oliver Dillard | Photographer

I personally always felt like I stood out from the crowd or in other words, was the odd one out. I felt like I saw the world differently and expressed my emotions just as differently. Photography was always my outlet growing up to express myself in a way that words couldn’t. Slowly, as I worked on getting better at photo, I realized I did in fact have a talent and instead of throwing it the the side, I should embrace and pursue it. It was hard to really accept that at first because whenever I told anyone my goals, the first thing I heard would be, “Well everyones a photographer nowadays with instagram!” which isn’t the most inspiring thing to hear but after finding the right crowds and just putting my head down and doing what I love I found the right direction!. Read more>>

Cooper Nigut | Freelance Marketer + Digital Creative

Because – what’s better than creating? Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed the act of creative expression. Throughout my life, I’ve created through various mediums. Growing up, I was very interested in creative writing; I remember buying notebooks and writing away in them all day, then eventually moving to using computers and typing out pages of fictional tales. During my college career, one could typically find me making music and beats in my dorm room or home bedroom for hours on end. Lately, I’ve dabbled in creating digital art via Adobe Creative Cloud – moving from character illustrations on Illustrator using a tablet, to focusing more on photo manipulations and sports graphics with Photoshop. The joy I get in creating things is truly unmatched, and I hope to create for the rest of my life and throughout my career. Read more>>

Muhumuza Joseph | Photographer

Creativity and art never seem to end and each day, there is a new creative/artistic way of approaching things. By pursuing and artistic or creative career, it gave me a chance to explore more about my needs and wants and as well communicating to the world about what people in my community go through through Film and Photography. Read more>>