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.

Fernando J. Moguel | Musician, singer, multidisciplinary producer, illustrator, writer and educator

I think, in a way, the creative career chose me. In the sense that I have loved creating for as long as I can remember. I have my parents and brother to thank for that—my parents always encouraged and enabled us to be curious and try many different things. Throughout our childhood, both my brother and I were in soccer, piano, basketball, Tae=Kwon-Do, singing, acting, chess, and many other activities. My brother, who is three years younger, Read more>>

STAR Steph | Rapper

After the pandemic and the death of my dad and dog, I didn’t have interest in much…especially my professional work. There was fitness in which I helped many people including myself reach personal goals. Music was something I started at a young age and as I grew into adulthood I let it slip away from me. It brought me great joy to return back to music after life’s struggles. So, I decided with everything in me that I would just stay there and do that. Read more>>

Taylor Ellis | Artist, Graphic Designer, Art Teacher

As a young child, I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. But, I never had a clear answer. People would list my character traits and suggest careers that would suit me, but I always knew that I wanted to make art. I was introduced to Adobe Illustrator and graphic design in my senior year of high school while trying to create a t-shirt design for our graduating class. That’s when I realized that graphic design could be a viable career choice for me. Read more>>