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.

Doc Strangeway | Tour Guide and Owner

Storytelling, history, and acting are three hobbies I am most passionate about. When I learned about the idea of a ghost tour, I realized I could hone my skills and showcase them in a way that would entertain people, and fulfill my passions, My career is a way for me to really love what I do, and when you love your job, you will never want to stop. Read more>>

Pete Gershon | writer, researcher, and curator of programs at The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art

I don’t think I ever had a choice. I turned to writing early on, and have always been drawn to artists, musicians, and creative people. I went to Hampshire College in Massachusetts, which is a grade-free, divisional program that led me to look at all of my successive efforts as a series of exciting projects: a quarterly print journal about creative music; a series of books about the social history of Houston’s art community; and now specifically the curation of a new program for a developing art center–The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art–reconciling the overlapping worlds of contemporary art practice and that of self-trained visionaries Read more>>

Vanessa Flores | Professional Hairstylist & Podcaster

I have worked in an office position since I graduated highschool and I never found a day where I was excited to go to work or even loved what I was doing. I knew something was missing and wanted more out of my career. So I thought to myself what do I love doing the most and my answer was hair. I have to ability to create , meet new people , work in a fun environment and best of all love being my own boss. So I signed up for school at Paul Mitchell graduated and now I am loving working at the salon everyday. Read more>>

Betsy Dudley | Singer/Actor

I was born and raised in the state of Texas, with a biracial family where two languages were spoken in our home. My mothers family had musical group bands with her cousins and sibilings. So we grew up surrounded by music. Read more>>

Grace Harrison | Singer/songwriter

Not to sound too ‘deep’, but it really isn’t a choice. If you’re a ‘creative’ who isn’t creating, you’re going to end up hating your life. I struggled with this during university and actually took a leave of absence for a year to go to Nashville and write/record an original EP. Read more>>

Dominique Carter | Photographer

In the beginning I started to take photos for fun and for something for me to do outside of work and school. And that’s still the primary reason why I still do it. I just love to explore and create images from the things that I see. It wasn’t until a couple years after I began when I started to make a consistent income, and that’s when I decided to establish a business with photography. Read more>>  

Melinda Spurling | Salon Owner

The reason I pursued an artistic and creative career, is because I love not having to restrict my gift to suit someone else’s mindset. I believe that being an entrepreneur gives you the freedom to create and bring to life something worthy enough for the public to want become consumers & repeat. Read more>>