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.

Laelanie Larach | Artist & CEO

My passion in life is all about art! I been painting my entire life and at a young age around 6 years old, I remember drawing on a book or on a piece of paper and let my imagination go wild with my ideas. During that time in school i was part of art contests and always I was the winner when it comes to the art contests back in those beautiful days. As the years passed… I decided to pursue my dream in the art industry and to have my own art gallery. One day i just left my country to pursue my artistic dream, at first it was very hard and i achieve everything alone with perseverance. I went to several art galleries to exhibit my artwork here in Miami, some galleries they accept my artwork and others they ignore me. Read more>>

Fabio Alvino Roca | Woodworker

That’s a great question which I can’t pin point a single “why”, it took a great deal of adapting. I’ve always been very interested in all fields of science, litterature, history, but never good at understanding them, I realized this very early on in grade school. It was the arts where I felt most at home, which coinsedently is a great field to be in to look into the others without running the risk of getting bad grades or getting fired. I consider myself a woodworker and I see it a career full of poetry, physics and mechanics, material understanding, even history explorations. Read more>>

Deborah Bernstein | Photographer & Fashion Designer

I pursed my creative path because i feel that it is healthier mentally and physically if you can express yourself. Whether you are good at something or not, it is always best to find an outlet to let your inner self, your true self out instead of bottling up feelings. One of the reasons why artists and creatives get that stereotype of being emotional beings. Because i am not one to keep my feelings inside, i have always been drawn to creativity and artistry to let those feelings out. I have been this way pretty much my entire life. On the other upside of pursing a career in the arts and design, i get to make others happy with my talents and skills. I get to bring love and joy to those who may not have the abilities or skills to bring their ideas and dreams to reality. Making others happy makes me happy. Read more>>