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.

Billy Bernal | Permanent Makeup Artist

I felt like as a kid I was trained to do well in school, go to college and get a degree and I had to do something to be a productive adult. I did the normal 9-5 day job working in Hospital Administration and day in/day out it became quite jarring everything became so routine and cookie cutter and by nature I was quite the creative. I grew up not being very athletic unlike the rest of my family, they killed it. I gravitated towards the dramatic arts and dancing. I had always had an affinity towards drawing as my grandfather was a painter by trade. Read more>> 

Daniel Collins | Tattoo Artist & Part Owner of Rose Tattoo

I grew up in Worcester Massachusetts, a predominantly blue collar working class city, before moving into Boston. Growing up I worked just about every job possible from bartending, working on farms, bouncing at bars on Lansdowne Street, and trying to make a career out of mixed martial arts. At the time, tattooing was illegal until about 2001 so I was never really exposed to that world until later in life, but working a lot of these jobs I would see a variety of tattoos done from surrounding states or your friend’s garage. Read more>>

Jazzlyn Rainey | Fine Arts: Painter & Owner of Jazzy Drew It LLC

I chose to pursue an artistic creative career in the fine arts because why would I not? Most people like to downplay the arts and its artists because most people aren’t in tune within themselves or the arts due to a lack of understanding. However, I feel I gravitated more towards a creative/artistic career in the fine arts because being an artist has allowed me to freely express myself without having to use my actual voice. I chose art to express my voice as well as create one for those who feel they aren’t heard, whether it’s in society as a whole, their classrooms, or even households. Read more>>

TEF XL

I realized music was my calling when I was twelve years old. Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, I faced many challenges and adversities, which I began to channel through writing lyrics as a form of therapy. My early experiences of dealing with street life, witnessing social injustices, and overcoming personal struggles deeply influenced my artistry. Read more>>

Jill Gorrie Rovatsos | Dancer, Choreographer, Director, Educator

When I was young I heard a teacher once say that the only reason you should pursue a professional career in dance was if you couldn’t NOT do it. In other words, almost any other career choice would be a more logical path to pursue. So, when I was accepted as a biology major at George Washington University and as a dance major at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, I naturally chose to pursue the latter! The most beautiful thing was that I had he full support of my parents. Even they knew that I couldn’t NOT dance. Read more>>