Deciding to pursue an artistic or creative career path isn’t for the faint of heart.  Challenges will abound, but so many of the artists we speak with couldn’t be happier with their choice.  So, we asked them about how they made the decision in the first place.

Noah Paul | Fashion Creative Director

I pursued this fashion creative career because I love creating a world that I’ve always imagined to have to growing up ! 💛. Read more>>

Catherine Clark | Poet | Author | Creative Writing Consultant

It took years before I discovered that my ability to write and speak could be a career path. I obtained a Communications degree from a university and still asked myself, “What do I want to do with my life?” I realized that all I have – is all I need. I accepted that there was more to this natural inclination to write poetry and chose the path the was fulfilling – and ironically it had nothing to do with me… but everything to do with what came through me. Read more>>

Meshach Berry | Menswear Blogger and Stylist

I’ve always found myself to be a creative person. I know to some that may come off as such a cliche, but that’s the god honest truth. Since a child in the 3rd grade, I’ve always expressed a creative side to my peers; whether that was through music, art or even creative thinking with science. I have to create. I’ve never stopped thinking from an artistic standpoint, and so because of this I thought, why not pursue a career in it?. Read more>>

Michael Rogers | Author

I pursued becoming an author because I wanted to tell my own stories. So many times when we watch or read media, we wonder “why”. Why did they take the story this way? Why didn’t they take this character in this direction? Why does the story have to be done this way? Why do characters have to be a certain way? Why? Why? Why? So, I wanted to write my own stories, my way. Read more>>

Deanna Hanson | Pet Groomer & Stylist

Sitting behind a desk never seemed thrilling to me. I never wanted to be like my parents and other adults I knew. It always felt like their jobs just drained them emotionally, and never gave them any energy for other things. They would just wake up, go to work, come home unhappy, go to sleep, and start the process all over again. There was no mental stimulation or creative freedom in the jobs they possessed. Seeing them lose interest in not only their jobs, but everyday life, was unbearable to witness. Just to be able to provide for those they loved, they sacrificed their happiness? No, there HAD to be another way to live comfortably and enjoy what you do. I knew my heart was set to do something in the creative field, but my destiny had yet to show itself to me. Ever since I was young, animals have always held a special place in my heart. I grew up with a mixture of animals: rabbits, hamsters, snakes, fish, geckos, and cats. Read more>>

Julian Kane | Musician/Independent Artist

It’s ironic that I chose to pursue a music career because I was always the kid that didn’t like attention or didn’t like being in the spotlight. Because of my quiet, easy-going nature people were always taken aback when showed them my music or rapped for them. Most artists are overly-confident and outgoing and I was almost the opposite of that – I was only “loud” and expressive in my music and my lyrics. My personality didn’t match my music and that’s what I think gives it the “Oh, wow” factor., it’s unexpected. So once I built enough confidence in my music and in myself personally, I decided to put it out to the world. Sometimes what you think are your flaws can be your biggest strengths. Read more>>

Jenny Ovalles | Artist & Designer

Fantasy and Sci-fi have been of my favorite inspirations so naturally I lean towards those genres in my fashion. After my last job, I decided to take a chance on myself and opened an Etsy shop for Pernicious Designs. I began by selling J-fashion clothes and accessories. I also loved selling in person at conventions! Meeting new people interested in my work is always one of my favorite pleasures! I cannot wait until we can start attending more places to meet more people. Read more>>

Valeria Martinez | Makeup Artist

I decided to pursue my makeup artist artistic career because ever since I was a little girl I loved coloring as silly as it sounds I’ve always had a good eye for coloring and shading, very well. I was fascinated how little by little all this hues fall into place making the perfect painting. my coloring books were impressive for a 5 year old. Arts was my favorite subject in school anything with art and music always called my attention. Then I got older and decided that doing a corporate job wasn’t for me that I wanted to turn my love for art and makeup into a career, my career to be exact and the best advise I got was from my art teacher in high school, she told me I was meant to do something artistic in my life and to not settle anything less then what I wanted and was good at. Prior to that I hadn’t even thought about it. 2 years after high school I attended an only makeup school that at the time was located in Coral Gables Miami Fl. Read more>>

Norrel Blair | Queer Artist

There was no other option. I studied Advertising/Public Relations at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and by the time I graduated in 2016 I had become so disenchanted by the field. I wanted to be creative, but I ultimately I wanted to use my creativity to create meaningful & memorable art – not ad campaigns for brands. The irony is that my degree has actually helped me tremendously in thinking about my work(and myself) from a branding & marketing perspective, and I think that’s something a lot of artists across all mediums hate to think about naturally, but for me, I still invest a lot of my mental power into it because I know exactly how important it is, especially in today’s digital landscape. Read more>>

Heartbreak Runner | Musician Artist

I pursued my career as a musician artist because I fell in love with the feeling of making music but also the vision as well, When i used to play around with lyrics and freestyle for fun it was something i enjoyed doing and seeing that i got others around me hype and putting smiles on they faces made me feel good on the inside more than they know. It lead me to the point where i said to myself I can do this and have a good amount of people feel the same way, I know I can make a impact with my music. Read more>>

Carina Polanco | Founder

I pursued my creative career of soapmaking because I feel empowered knowing exactly what is going on my skin. Many soaps on the market contain commercial detergents and toxic ingredients so I learned how to create my own. I started making soap in my kitchen after watching countless youtube videos and reading soapmaking books. There are so many fun ingredients you can add to soap like carrot juice, coffee, and even oatmeal! It was a creative outlet for me. Read more>>

Michelle (MISS GALACTICA) Alifano | Singer-Songwriter & Music Video Director

Creativity has played a main role in my life since my early days. I remember the feeling of excitement when I knew there was something to create, a song to write, a story to tell, a video to film. It was a limitless sensation, where the boundaries of imagination did not exist, and life was about playing. As I grew up and learned that everything had a title, a name, or profession,  I soon began to unwind from my passionate urge to live creatively and decided to work for a living. It took me some years to realize that my heart couldn’t sleep at night, my voice was screaming in silence, and my mind wanted to get a hold of the paintbrush to draw the vision of my dream. A dream that chose me and I am only but a channel of that beauty that exists in all of us. It was not easy leaving my job to pursue my dream, but once I allowed myself to start and maintain the focus with intention in this path, everything began to flow and new opportunities flourished. Read more>>

Karen Peterson Corash | Founder and Artistic Director

I knew from the age of ten years old I wanted to be a trained dancer and choreographer and there was no way I could have been stopped. I knew I wanted to attend the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and find a place where I had the freedom and support to explore and develop my artistic yearnings. I met a dream husband, had two dream sons, and now at 67 years old I am still able to do what I love in a beautiful place called Miami. Read more>>

Agustin Espina | Keyboardist – Producer – Mixer

Since I was a child I’ve been surrounded by Music. I started playing the piano very early and at some point of my life I decided that this was what I wanted to do for a living. I can’t imagine myself doing anything not related to Music. For me, making Music in any form is as important as breathing!. Read more>>

Danielle Jacoby | Singer/Songwriter

Pursuing an artistic career was not always the career path I had in mind for myself. Actually, growing up, I didn’t even do music at all. I always loved to sing, but kept it to myself. It wasn’t until I was 15 years old that my parents heard me sing for the first time. However, as I got older, the passion I found for singing and music quickly outweighed my shyness and fears. Toward my junior and senior year of high school was when I began posting my music, and when I was starting my college application process, I couldn’t imagine going to school for anything other than music. That is why I knew a creative career was the only thing I would love and be happy doing. Read more>>

Chris Alexander | Clothing Designer & Stylist

Growing up, fashion and collecting sneakers were one of my main hobbies. Because i was always good with numbers and money in highschool, i saw myself becoming an accountant for Nike, just to get the boxes of sneakers shipped to my house. It wasnt until my junior year of college, i started designing clothes. At this time i realized i found a bigger interest in fashion design and thus changed my major from accounting to marketing. Marketing in college is what molded the early stages of my brand, taking classes like “social media marketing” and “how to market yourself”. Towards the middle of my Junior year, i registered my clothing brand and have been working since. Read more>>

Belu Storni & Leo Ferrari | Advertising Duo

The advertising industry demands being creative. To solve problems every step of the process. Find new ways of saying or doing something to get business results. That’s probable what seduced Belu & Leo to study Advertising in the first place. This is their love story. They have never worked at the same agency, but they work together every day. They met at an industry event in Argentina 8 years ago, and never stopped seeing each other. Read more>>