We asked some of the most creative folks we know to open up to us about why they chose a creative career path. Check out their responses below.

Callie Young

It sounds cliche, but I truly feel that I didn’t really choose to pursue a creative career but rather it kind of chose me. It just always felt like something I was made to do and I never really thought twice about that. It did, however, take a lot of sacrifice and diligence and dedication. Pursuing a career in music is no walk in the park. There are no guarantees and it honestly doesn’t look that great on paper haha! You do it because you love it and can’t imagine your life without it. So to answer the question, in my heart I really didn’t feel I had much of a choice. I knew it was just something I had to give my all to or I would regret it for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Stacey Williams-ng | Illustrator & Publisher

Honestly, I never considered anything else. Even when I was in college, choosing to study Fine Art (“instead of something practical,” as the world might say), I knew that being an artist was the only thing for me. Now that I’ve been at it for 30+ years, I have discovered that there are a thousand paths that can fall under the description of being an artist. Being a working artist makes me happy. Making beautiful things—from thin air—makes me happy. Hearing people say that they love my work, or even better, that my work somehow helped them in their life struggle? That makes me swoon with happiness. It doesn’t get better than that, professionally. I mean, maybe doctors who save lives, okay, sure sure. Read more>>

Veronica Gomez-hernandez | Licensed Esthetician

I have always been a creative throughout my life but I did not think I could use that creativity to transform it into a career. The beauty industry has a stigma around it, most don’t see it as ” a real career” especially in the past, so as a young adult I always felt I should be looking for a “real job” and the beauty industry wasn’t even on my radar. Looking back now it seems so obvious. I grew up admiring my mother’s love for beauty and always excelled in creative arts, as an adult this is a manifestation of both of my passions and inspirations coming to fruition. Read more>>

Hannah Thiessen Howard | Author & Fiber Artist

Like many creatives, art has always been a part of my life. My mother is a painter, an art instructor and graphic designer. My father is a musician, and so I have always been surrounded by creativity and encouraged to pursue my own creative outlets. I colored and drew and painted, read lots of fantasy and science fiction writing, and did a lot of hand sewing and knitting. I learned to knit from a shepherdess when I was about 8, and at the time, and for a long time, it was just an additional medium for creative expression–I had no clue it would become my life’s focus! Read more>>

Chris And Anna Holmes | Artists and Certified Bob Ross Instructors

After working for 15 years in IT I have felt that creative aspect was missing from my life. I have started painting more just to relax after work. Purely by accident (a happy little accident) I have found a Bob Ross painting class while on holiday in Canada and the idea of teaching others to paint started there. I have attended Bob Ross teacher training in Florida and then in Muncie, Indiana where I have met my husband Chris. Chris has been painting on and off for years – but hasn’t intended to teach. Doing Bob Ross training was more of an achievement in itself for him rather than a career plan but that changed too. After we completed teacher training we started delivering classes as a side job – Chris in his home town of Henderson, Tennessee, and I back in England. After months of planning, paperwork and logistics, I have moved from England to Henderson to join Chris and pursue the business full time. The interest in classes has been growing rapidly – we meet a lot of wonderful people wanting to learn how to paint just like Bob did. It’s very satisfying to see our students get confidence to create and grow artistically. We get a lot of students who come to our classes to relax and leave their worries behind for a few hours. Our why of pursuing the artistic career has evolved – first we were doing it for our own mental health benefits and then it grew to have an impact on our local community. Read more>>