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.

Isaac Allen | Violinist & Chamber Musician

Pursuing an Artistic Career was always sort of a foregone conclusion for me. I grew up in a family who valued the arts above all other disciplines and I was exposed to visual art, Ballet, Symphony, Chamber Music, Opera, Theatre and a number of other artistic disciplines at a very early age. I was very active in music and theatre from early on and both became my compass helping me to foster my own awareness of self and the world around me, and as an aside, helped me navigate through some troubling teenage years. I think pursuing it as a career evolved naturally. It was always a vocation to me, so at a certain age, I realized that to devote the time I needed to it, I would have to be able to make a living. The profession of it came as a necessity, so I figured it out, but I never started out think. “I need to make a living, how do I create art to do that” I think that is a loosing battle and the work suffers. I strive to embody the meaning of the word Amateur “for the love of it” in everything I do and then the money part just becomes a question of time, how can I support myself to spend all my time doing what I love. Read more>>

Elissa Title | Graphic Designer, Photographer & Travel Blogger

I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember. I attended art camps every summer where I was exposed to famous artists’ work and a range of hands-on classes including scrapbooking, painting, drawing, clay beading, and papier-mâché. Whenever I traveled abroad (and I’ve been to all 7 continents and nearly 60 countries), I’d make time to visit special exhibitions, artistic galleries, and museums. What really solidified a career in the arts, however, was taking a graphic design class at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California. I had never heard of graphic design, and my teacher’s passion for graphic design is a large part in why I am a graphic designer/photographer. The photography part comes from an evolving hobby– I always used to steal my mom’s camera when we would travel and for high school graduation, I she gave me my first DSLR. Read more>>

Melissa Cage | Cosmetologist

I always loved art. Art is a stress relief for me. I escape into another world that is peaceful. So once I knew that I can do hair and transfer it into art, it became my passion. I love to create different styles with hair. Read more>>

Charlene Pulsonetti | Artist & Writer

I was drawn to pursue a creative career because I knew it would excite me for the rest of my life. The possibilities are endless – over the years, I have published a children’s book, written for a local magazine, created paintings for client’s homes and built a geodesic dome for a community art festival. I am always learning and pushing my own boundaries, that’s what makes it a satisfying career. Read more>>