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.

Thomas Tusano | Woodworking and Online Entertainer

The Reasoning behind choosing an artistic career and doing woodworking was so multi-faceted that I don’t think I can boil it down to one answer, but in thinking about it, it’s mostly because I don’t like the modern relationship we have between our labor and our identities, or even our productivity. Read more>>

Jake Kitley | Musician – Content Creator – Video Editor

I’ve always been drawn to music. Honestly it wasn’t even really a conscious choice. It was something inborn within me. Fellow artists will resonate with that statement. It’s not really something we choose to do. We have to create. Read more>>

RoseMarie Lewis | Crochet Fashion Designer

I’ve always wanted to have something to do with the fashion industry, being a fashion designer wasn’t what I expected. I love photography and modeling and I love taking photos. I wanted to model as well, it’s fun. You can be someone else for a minute or be yourself. Read more>>

Kevin & Kyle Powless | Powless Brothers Photography

Since we were young both Kevin and myself were very into being creative. Art was a passion of ours for a long time before starting in the photography field. Growing up we both loved drawing, painting and crafting, pretty much anything that involved being creative we would do it. Read more>>

Annie Stout | Artist & Graphic Designer

I chose a creative career because it’s the only path that ever made sense to me. I did well in other subjects in school, but none of them lit me up the way that art did. I thought if I could find a way to use my artistic instincts to work, and help people that it would really be the greatest thing I could do with my career. Read more>>

Tristen Bailey | Resin Epoxy Artist

I pursued the artistic / creative career because I have been passionate about the art since I was a child. I use to do arts and crafts at home, make things up and call it art & during school years art classes, music classes, choir anything of the arts had my attention more than a math or ELA course. I have always been moved by the arts. Artistic people show love, passion, and a variety of different emotions in their pieces of work it is the best release. My creative side fuels me so much. I have so much passion I want to express into the world and the only way to do that is by owning an artistic / creative business. Most of my best work is done when I am in my feelings. Read more>>

Cece Gooden | Actress/Creative

I grew up heavily influenced by a multitude of things other than the normal stuff like cartoons like kids are suppose to be watching. At 3 years I was exposed to movies such as The Bodyguard and What love got to do with it. My mom had a VHS tape full of variety of music such as Michael and Janet Jackson. Then I started to see actors in music videos and musicians in movies and I felt like whatever they were doing I wanted to do too. I went through a horror phase so I would read Stephen king and ghoosebump books and started to write my own stories. I started to create my own world like I saw on tv, Read more>>