We asked some of the city’s leading artists and creatives to tell us about how they decided to pursue an artistic or creative career. We’ve shared some highlights below.

Steffi Carter | Director, Dancer, Certified Teacher, Choreographer

Why ballet? Because it’s an integral part of my identity. I started ballet at 7yoa, received scholarships for my rigorous pre-professional training. In order, I wanted to be: An astronaut, an archaeologist, the president, a biomedical engineer, and a lawyer, Read more>>

Henry Maynard | Sound Editor | Rerecording Mixer

Vision of any career was just a figment of my imagination. Growing up in Acton, MA. Being around very scholarly friends. Always feeling like I was not good of enough or didn’t know what I wanted in life. When high school came around; my mom mentioned that I should maybe check out a tech/ trade school to see if that might be a better suit for my learning style and benefit me as well. Read more>>

Ranjana Ghatak | Indian Vocalist, Indian Vocal teacher and Composer

It felt like a calling and music has been something I’ve been passionate about for most of my life. I worked in other roles and jobs and got to the point where I wanted to work with my strengths and gifts. I took the leap in 2010 and I’m so glad I decided to take the risk! Read more>>

Thao Kieu | Studio Artist & Advocate Against Sexual Violence & Mental Health Awareness

My practice reflects the objectified representations of my female body, aiming to intertwine the sexual and social normative. Sculptures, specific found objects, self portraiture, video based performance, and audio are the materials and formats used to create provocative works to subvert traditional notions of sex and identity. I create works that are imbued with the body, and use semiotics of bold Read more>>