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.

Victoria Marmet | Fashion and Beauty Blogger

My parents are both artists, my dad was and still is a drummer for 45 years and my mom was a singer, so I guess the artistic fiber is in my veins. Since I am a kid, I always loved art like music, painting, photography, literature… And, when I was a teenager I fell in love more specifically with makeup and fashion because it is a form of art, a way to express yourself. So when Instagram and social media came up, I thought why not sharing my passion with the world, sharing tutorial and outfit ideas by becoming a blogger and influencer. Read more>>

Ryan Jones | Visual Journalist

This is actually a question I’ve been asking myself more and more as of late, especially with the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the amount of time I’ve had to sit and think as I watched project after project get canceled in 2020 — a trend that has, most unfortunately, continued into 2021. If one thing is for certain, people don’t pursue these types of careers because it’s easy. Personally, I chase it because there is a high that I think those working in the creative space never get tired of experiencing and will do whatever it takes to experience again. There’s just something so rewarding about wrapping up a project and seeing what’s been created. One of my first big freelance photo jobs was with Heinz Kluetmeier, Sports Illustrated’s most senior photographer and one of the most renowned in the sports industry. Heinz had more than 100 cover photos to his credit and covered every single Olympic Games for about four decades. Working with Heinz and his crew meant working no less than a 13- or 14-hour day. And at the end of the day, I was exhausted. But I was exhausted in the best way possible. Read more>>

FABS | Art

I have always enjoyed drawing large scale, anytime I would get the chance I would paint one. Some for friends or with friends, others for businesses. I would simultaneously always have other jobs in restaurants mostly. Later, living in Ecuador meanwhile receiving my bachelors degree in Sculpture, I started working in workshops for kids. All of them were related to graffiti and different important subjects, such as water rights, women’s rights, etc. Friends and family have always supported me by hiring me, and painting of my own will in the street has always payed me back by receiving more recognition, respect and work. Embarking on new techniques has always called my attention. Using silkscreen as another way to express myself and also create accessible merchandise. Currently I’m starting to tattoo and recently organized a group female expo in Cholula. Mexico. Who knows what will come next. Read more>>

Jill Lavetsky | Visual Artist, Educator, Mother

In some ways, I think a career in the arts found me, rather than the other way around. I have been interested in the visual arts since childhood, and it was an automatic decision when it came to what to study in college and what kind of jobs to pursue. I have a studio practice, and I am also an educator, currently in community arts outreach for the Norton Museum of Art. I am grateful to work in the creative field and share my gifts and interests with people of all ages. Read more>>

Amanda Laferriere | Photographer

My grandfather was a photographer and my mom always used to tell me stories of how loved he and his work were by everyone he encountered. He passed away exactly one year before I was born and even though I was never able to meet him, I always felt close to him. My mom was a hobbyist photographer when I was growing up so I used to always steal her camera at family gatherings and on vacations. I finally got my own when I was 15 and my stepbrother asked me to take photos for his band’s show in their drummer’s backyard. I fell in love with music photography that night even though I had no clue what I was doing. It’s been six years since that show and nothing has ever felt as natural or as comfortable as taking photos. Read more>>

Christian Hernandez | The Miami God

Ever since I was a little kid, I always knew I wanted to be a singer. Of course, that also came with wanting to be a firefighter, astronaut, teacher, and more! Music was (and is) always the most constant thing in my life. It grew from the first time I did a duet with my classmate in elementary, to joining the choir at my school. One time, I was inspired by one Christmas Tree Lighting in New York back in 2007 by Josh Groban’s performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and asking my music teacher if I could perform the same song. I remember that Christmas show being completely packed in church and all the pews were FILLED and there were even audience members standing. The church easily sits 500+. It was my first solo and I received a standing ovation. I did it again the next year with a Hispanic Heritage show singing “En Mi Viejo San Juan”– a timeless classic. When I attended high school, the closest to music I had was Musical Theater. I remember my first year when I joined, I told them “I’m not going to act or dance. Read more>>

Rolando Barrero | Artist/Curator

I really didn’t pursue any one particular artistic or creative career, I was blessed with a wide variety of opportunities from a very early age in my life. Most of my opportunities are not unique to me, they are there for most of us. Were it not for strong mentorship, which i was blessed to have, I would taken them all and gone through each and every door in spite of being ill prepared. You see, I was taught and learned very early that because a door opens does not mean I was to rush in. It was better to wait and succeed once in than to rush in and inevitably pushed out the back door due to incompetence and ego. As a child I was working for my father at his print shop and fell in love with the process of offset lithography and typesetting and wanted to work on the big machines immediately, instead my father had me do quite of bit of collating by hand which was more appropriate for young boy. I didn’t quit, I kept on collating until I was old enough and taught how to run the presses. In my teens I got a job at another print shop, it was a tee-shirt company. Read more>>

Irene Katsamakis | Salon Owner, Wife, and Mother

I chose to pursue an artistic and creative career because it is forever changing and it gives me the ability to flourish in an environment where you are also surrounded by the very same people such as yourself. To be artistic and creative you have passion in almost everything you see, and to have the ability to use that passion everyday in your career is truly why I pursued this path. Read more>>