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.

Danicia Lee-Hanford | Wife, Stay-at-home Mother & Baker

As far back as I can remember I’ve been creating. It was an escape, a healing, and, as an introverted person, a place where I could leave little bits of my soul for safekeeping without judgment. Whether it was music, writing, cooking, or baking, I’ve always been my most authentic self when making something new. There’s an undeniable amount of joy in creativity; hours of tireless effort coming to fruition with something that I can truthfully say I poured so much of myself into. Especially now as a mother, my career means even more to me. The creativity I imbue it with is a way that I maintain my identity and share something I’m passionate about with my son. Read more>>

Mohanii | Content Creator

Well because I am a passionate person for the arts and always was ever since I was child. I feel like that is the only way for me to relive my childhood the things that made me happy, another reason why I want to tap in to more creative things that deals with art in some shape of form, I want to pursue it for example modeling, arts & crafts, painting, photography/videography. No matter what 9-5 I get I always have some kind of creative career after I get off which is my 5-9 or working 24 hrs thinking how to do more with my content creating, self teaching myself new techniques and new arts and craft that will eventually be a business for me soon! Read more>>

Dan Szyller | Singer & Songwriter

Hello, thank you for having me here. I pursued a musical career by pure instinct really… Since I was a young boy, I was fascinated by music and bands like The Doors, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd andy Vangelis… I remember picking up the guitar and feeling like that was my best buddy… Bands from Brazil where I’m from were also huge influences, like Legião Urbana, Caetano Veloso, Irá and others… I basically have a need to express myself and by discovering my voice, I am now putting all those ideas to life. The Celestial Immigrant was a great debut album and now a new single will follow called Drifter in the Sun. Read more>>

Svetlana Uryanskaya | Influencer and Content Creator

I pursued an artistic and creative career because I’ve always had a deep passion for art and creativity. From a young age, I found myself drawn to expressing my imagination and emotions through various forms of artistic expression. In fact, my enthusiasm for art was so strong that my early creations didn’t just stay on paper; they often found their way onto walls and mirrors, much to the chagrin of my parents haha, but it was a testament to my unwavering dedication to creativity. My educational journey further solidified my commitment to a creative career path. I graduated from an art school in Russia, where I had the opportunity to refine my skills and explore various artistic mediums. Read more>>