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.

Elis Carriero | Bar Manager

I always have been attracted to art and artistic stuff believe or not I have spend 20 years of my life doing artistic roller skating, So at the end I can considerate myself an artist, first of all in the sport, and after that in the creation of cocktails. Maybe is because my artistic career, that I found myself very comfortable doing cocktails and create new mix. I believe to be a good bartender you have to have a good imagination and be a creative person. So at the end an artist Read more>>

Pat Donovan | Life Coach & Creativity Guide

I realized when I turned 50 years old that I had been setting aside my need for creative expression for far too long. At that point I took the leap of leaving my job as a teacher and I began writing my first book. I recognized that going back to a 9-5 job was not a good fit for me and I enrolled in a life coach training program. Since becoming a coach in 2017 I have focused on my own creativity and encourage others to find creative self-expression as well. Expressing my creativity on a regular basis has brought me so much joy and made me a better person. I see many other women my age and older who have delayed their own goals as they pursue a career, raise children and care for their loved ones and elders. While caring for others is part of what makes us human, I feel it is imperative that we begin to rediscover and reclaim what brings us joy. Expanding our creativity, whether it be through visual arts, music, dance, writing or whatever lights us up is life changing and life affirming. Read more>>

Sandra Encaoua | Artist Painter & Web Designer

I think that a vocation is not something you can choose and that is why, after studying marketing and visual design, I am now a painter. There is always a moment in your life, when things impose themselves, when finally you have no other choice. For me this happened in 2005; I had no other choice but to paint, to paint to express myself, to paint to highlight my shadowy areas and try to make something beautiful out of it. Read more>>

Natalie Diaz | Content Creator & Influencer

I decided to pursue a creative career because as a content creator/influencer I can work with brands that I love and already use. I can make videos, take photographs, collaborate with new companies, write blog articles, etc. There are endless possibilities and that’s something that really caught my attention when I decided to be a content creator/influencer. I find it way more fascinating and personally fulfilling than sticking to just one thing. I also like challenges and every time I start working with a new brand is always a creative challenge. The most important thing, however, is that I am helping other people, specially new moms like myself to pursue their dreams and keep going. Read more>

Jonathan Montalvo | Digital Product Designer & Creative Entrepreneur

My why lies in the understanding of who we are. We are all born capable of having powerful imaginations and creative abilities. Even the very nature of existence is based on a superior and complex design that could only be imagined on how it all came to be. From the stars down to the smallest molecule on earth, everything in nature follows an intricate and harmonious design system. The basic laws of designs we use every day is inherited by the structures of nature studied by the pioneers of design, art and architecture long ago. The way we think and our behaviors has a seemingly designed pattern that has formed overtime through experience and influence. This has also been studied by Psychologists, Anthropologists, etc.. My fascination about all of this is what led me into a career of User Experience Design. Read more>>

Prashant Thakker & Roberto Donoso | Filmmakers

My desire to tell stories rose from a deep-rooted need to examine the brokenness of humanity. Escaping from abuse in India, my mother and I came to America when I was ten. I spent my teens living in small towns across the Midwest; a brown-skinned boy who never really belonged. It wasn’t until I moved to Miami for an airline job in my twenties that I encountered people from all walks of life. I understood that everyone has a story, and more importantly, that each story matters. The chains of childhood conditioning broke as I took a leap of faith toward self-discovery. In doing so, my artistic journey began. Roberto Donoso: I believe it was Pablo Picasso who said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up.” My well-intended father, a physician who is a product of his time, did not believe the arts were something one chose as a career; they were a hobby. Read more>>

Cheryl Maeder | Fine Art Photographer & Video Installation Artist

In my early twenties, I moved To Switzerland. While there, a friend lent me his camera, and I began to photograph. Another friend gave me their darkroom equipment and that was it. I basically fell in love with photography and worked day and night shooting and then playing in the darkroom till all hours. I remember after the first image I printed in the darkroom, I came out of the room and declared to myself and those around me, that no matter what, being a professional photographer and artist is what I want to do with my life. I then went to the Kunstegewerbeschule in Zurich, Switzerland and studied photography. I came back to the States and eventually opened my studio in San Francisco. In 2005, I came to the Miami area and immersed myself into the world of fine art and filmmaking. I have never stopped since. Art has never been a hobby, it is who I am. Read more>>

Remi Aliseo | Microblading & Tattoo Artist

Choosing an artistic/creative career was a passion driven choice. I’ve been drawing and painting since I could remember as a little one, so when Microblading started to become really popular in the industry I was really drawn to it and felt it would be something I’d really enjoy doing, as well as helping others look and feel better! I’ve gone through many different jobs and a few ‘careers’ that were more money driven and it didn’t overall fulfill me at the end of the day. Although they were all building blocks to where I am today! Read more>>

Pamela Palma | Artist & Designer

I was born a creative person. I learned easily at a young age how to work with yarns and threads by watching my grandmother, my mother, and her sisters who knitted, crocheted, embroidered, and sewed. I was fascinated and begged to learn. My first creations were my own designs. I hand knitted scarf for my baby doll when I was 4-5 years old. Around the same time, my design brain just kicked in and I figured out how to make pants (!) for my doll, which I cut and sewed by hand. I still have them. This ability progressed as I advanced my skills over the years. I often designed things without patterns or instructions once I understood the basic mechanics of the process, of how things go together to become whole. Example: v-neck cable knit sweaters with long sleeves and cuffs. I made at least 2 when I was about 13, just by intuiting the process, observing my mother’s knitting. Read more>>

Liliana Barrera | StepFlix Artistic & Creative Director

I chose a creative artistic career because dancing and movement are meaningful to me; they give me a reason to wake up every day happy and content to do whatever it takes to keep going on and continue growing. I studied marketing, advertising, and business management before starting my artistic career, and even though I was very good at it, I felt like something was missing. I also want to share my passion with the world because dancing and intelligent exercising have many benefits at all levels: physical, mental, and emotional. Changing my career changed my life, and even though I probably make much less money, I am happier and enjoy what I do. Read more>>

Cristian Castro-Guzman | Media Manager & Content Creator

Like all my creative colleagues have a passion for creating art! Whether that be editing or directing, I love to produce content. As a kid growing up through the social media era of MySpace and Tumblr seeing such dope content from creatives all over the world was super exciting for me! I spent most my time learning photoshop and practicing photography on my own during my beginnings mostly because of the environment I grew up in was not the best and I was hungry to learn more about art and beyond! Read more>>