United States Artists is an independent philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting the work of American artists. Each year, they award a select group of “USA Fellows” with a $50,000 unrestricted cash grant. Since it was founded in 2006, the organization has awarded more than 500 artists in all disciplines (including architecture & design, crafts, dance, media, music, theater & performance, traditional arts, visual art, and writing) with over $22 million in grants. This year, The Creative Independent is interviewing several of the USA Fellows to learn more about how they got started, what creative approaches have helped them keep going, and what wisdom they’ve learned along the way.