Is it natural to wonder what life would have been like had you chosen a different path? Is it common? We asked many artists and creatives from all over the country if they’ve ever wondered about whether they should have pursued a more standard career path to see what we could learn from their stories.

Bart Mastronardi

Creativity is salvation for many of us who do it in any form or another. Living as a creative in the visual arts is much of my happiness. It also provides my income, my growth as a person in our world, challenges me, draws in clients, furthers my business, all in a healthy and progressive endeavors. Read more>>

Shane Sackett

Being a freelance creative professional can have its ups & downs, but overall I do feel that I’ve chosen the right career path. I don’t think I could do a “regular” job that didn’t frequently allow for something new. Read more>>

Kayanna Clark

I am very happy to be living my life as an entrepreneur artist. I love being able to use my talents to make a living; I encourage anyone with the dream of self employment to follow it. I used to work for businesses, the standard 9-5’s, in my teenage years to early twenties. The difference between working for yourself and typical 9-5 is night and day. Read more>>

Sasha Haydn

I am grateful. To have had every opportunity I have had regarding the arts. It is truly a privilege to be able to declare myself a creative– to be able to put time and energy into what I feel the most passionate about. Read more>>

Buck Stallion

Lemme break it down for the people at home…. So, sometimes I gotta ditch the wild artistic ride and clock in at a regular gig – what I like to call “Einstein time.” It’s like stepping into a different zone, vibing with the community on a whole new level. Read more>>

Hilda Lucia Estrella de Lev

I have been very blessed in my life. I have had different jobs from my different areas of knowledge. I did enjoy all of them. I am trying to be grateful for where I have been and where I am now. Read more>>

Cashmere Perkins

Yes! I’m happy as an creative. I think anything you do that involves “OTHER PEOPLE ” won’t be a walk in the park and even doing it alone won’t be as easy. You will have ups and downs. To me it’s more about what you learned from your mistakes/experiences, how you used the constructive criticism and last but not least how you bounce back from all of it. Read more>>

David Berberian

When everything around me was falling apart, when I had lost my identity, when I felt so lost…it was art and creation that saved me. It could not have been darker for me. I could not have been stripped barer than I already was. Too much had been lost. I was floundering. It wasn’t easy but I found the strength and the energy to step through the fog and stage a show I have been intrigued with since my college days. Read more>>

Nina Ripich

I really like this question, as it’s something I have been thinking a lot about lately and has come up recently in conversations with loved ones who are also creatives. Plainly said, yes and no… and yes, I often wonder. But the more I have weaved down this path- a path that seemingly chose me- I have discovered that happiness is not what I’m after. Read more>>

Rudy Salas

Overall, I am happy being an artist. However, that artistic happiness does not fall into place easily. I do acknowledge that being a true artist is a double-edged sword. The artistic realm is a habitat where people purge their emotions whether they are positive or negative. Some artists are tortured souls. These specific artists suffer from depression, anxiety, discomfort, etc. Read more>>

Chioma Iloegbunam

Oh, definitely! Being an artist is like riding a rollercoaster of creative highs. I think there’s a preconceived notion that you make absolutely no money from being a creative, thus making it a pointless career path, but I don’t particularly find that to be true. For starters, not everyone really sits in the starved artist archetype as much as people may think. Read more>>

Jason Johnson

I don’t think I could get the same passion, joy and fulfillment out of a “regular job” the way I do acting. I am the most happy and the most fulfilled that I have ever been in my entire life while working as a full time actor. I believe that the God-given talents and desires that I have are for a reason. Although, I believe that my purpose extends beyond becoming a successful actor; it includes using my platform to spread positivity, encouragement and faith. Read more>>

Sofija

I ask myself this question often. Pursuing this kind of career is not an easy task, but I know it’s something I cannot give up on. I’ve always known that this is what I want to do with my life. It’s always been more than just the career I want to pursue; it’s been a part of my identity as a human. Read more>>

Gloria Zhixin Yang

My attitude towards being an artist has been changing, so I think I just choose to be someone who keeps on exporting creative ideas. And doing it for a long time also makes me more experienced and can do it better. Although sometimes the process has difficult moments, every stair climbing process is like this, which is called progress. Read more>>

Laura Viapiano

I’ve come to the understanding that I will always have to be doing creative work in some way, whether it be professionally or privately, because I am an artist by nature, no matter what kind of job I am doing. I’ve always identified as one and I’ve learned what that means in different ways as I’ve grown and experienced life. For me it is a way of looking at and existing in the world. Read more>>

Julia Serbina

Be an artist – is a challenge – in fact, on the other side – is freedom and lightness. I make the art that makes me happy, I never will be painting anything what can’t inspire me. For now, painting can’t cover all my expenses and be my regular job. But hope in future it will happen. I know all steps which need to do, just one problem not enough time for all my ideas. Read more>>

Steven Stringer

Working in the creative sector was something that I had always dreamed of but seemed impossible based on the opinions of people around me, especially coming from rural Ireland where art or music is often simply seen as a hobby. From a young age I pictured myself studying art but upon reaching the time to start applying to universities, I was persuaded to study something that could get me a “real” job, I compromised and chose psychology. With art or music always explained as “you can do that in your free time”. Read more>>

Britnee Scott

I am beyond happy about the progress that I have made as a visual artist. I believe that it’s not how you start it is how you finish. I have a full-time job, but my main goal is to work for myself. Art is a safe place and haven for me. When I am not feeling my best art fixes that. Read more>>

Greg Dyer

Thats a loaded question I suppose. Am I happy as a creative? Yes and no really. When I am able to create for me, outside of the constraints of social media and the pressure it places on creative people to feel like they are always being productive, yes I am happy. When I allow an algorithm to shame me into only viewing my value as a creative through the lens of productivity, no I am not happy. Read more>>

Fabian Renteria

I am definitely happy as an artist/creative. Being an artist is what keeps me sane. I always rely on creating to help me release any and all emotions that get built up. At this point it is part of my everyday life and I would not have it any other way. I cannot see myself working a normal job. I’ve been there and I was absolutely miserable. I am lucky to be able to make a living doing what I love. Read more>>

KaJay Rooke

In short – yes! I’m very happy as an artist/creative; sure, I have my days where imposter syndrome sets in and it can be challenging to push it away or have creative block when staring at a blank page but I think most people in general can struggle with those things on occasion. Read more>>

Thomas Crawford

I would say that I’m definitely driven to be happy as an artist. Read more>>

Rey Grandoit

Yes, I am happy as a creative however my motive is to make a change in the world and soon realize that change must happen in me first. As time progresses and everything around us is changing the deep question I ask myself is it worth it? We all have a purpose here on earth and I know mines and the journey seems to be cumbersome. Read more>>

Akea Brionne

I’m very happy as an artist, though it has its challenges like any other professional pursuits. I love being in charge of my time, ideas, and output, but I do find that larger societal ideas around what artists do or don’t do, can be challenging. Read more>>

Awilda Rosado Quezada

YES, I am I feel completely, happy, and I realize when I share my talents people feel in a short time the way I do. when you sing you bring a message and your energy and the public see and enjoy. Read more>>

Kristin Kowalski

I am an artist and an educator, which means I have a regular job and I have a creative job as a artist. I need to regular job as an educator to provide for my family and have the ability to live as an artist. It is a juggle and balance between the two worlds and can be very challenging to nurture both careers. Read more>>

David Bishop

I have been working in creative endeavors my entire career. My first and last “big job” working for others was designing Christmas ornaments for a California importer selling to large big-box stores. It was fast-paced, required extensive international travel, but was a lot of fun. Read more>>

Danil Pervukhin

I am very grateful I get to work in the field I love. Creating stories every day genuinely make me happy and bring joy to my life. I feel elevated and motivated I have a community of filmmakers I can rely on and create with. It has been a blessing to be able to turn my very close friends into same-minded business partners, who help me be a better filmmaker and a person every day. Read more>>

Max Gilbert

Being an artist is probably the thing that makes me the happiest in life. It’s almost like a therapy for me honestly, I’m able to kind of let go of the negativity that might be swirling around in my mind or calm myself down when I’m feeling anxious when I’m painting, it brings a certain focus and peace that I cant quite attribute to anything else I’ve done. I don’t wish for a “regular job”, I have tried time and time again to work a normal job and it just always seemed to leave me feeling miserable and wanting more out of life. Read more>>

Chase Estes

I used to have one job, now I have 4. Read more>>

Mikaela Macias

I am happy as an artist. Recently, I have been thinking about what I’ve done for the last two years being in the San Diego theater community. And to say that I have already accomplished more than I had imagined is an understatement. I have been blessed to be surrounded by not only theater makers, but also creatives in different forms of art that have inspired me to hone in on what my creative purpose is. Read more>>

Lizzy Weiland

I always toy with the idea of what would life look like if I had followed a more traditional path. Certainly, some things would be easier, but I am exhilarated by the daily challenge of “making it work”. Leading a creative life is like solving a jigsaw puzzle, and sometimes you find yourself piecing things together before you really even know what the big picture is supposed to look like. However, that is part of the magic. Read more>>

Kiel Thorlton

Being a writer/director brings me so much joy, and it is such an outlet to be able to express myself that I wouldn’t trade it for almost anything. That being said I’m in a unique scenario that I really have two full-time jobs. I’ve been lucky enough to teach the next generation of creatives, in the aspects of media and filmmaking, a “regular job” of being a professor. Read more>>

Christina Foltz

Yes, I am. I could never work a regular desk job. When I am not in a theatrical production, my regular job is as a stagehand so I am still on a stage working with my hands in some way. Working as a creative it is very easy is to get burnt out, but when I get near that I am learning to take breaks in between projects and be creative in different ways; like I do not have to be in a leadership role for every show. It is important to take a step back every once in a while and flex some other muscles. Read more>>

Cora Chung

Yes, a hundred percent yes! I love being an artist. Read more>>

Giacomo Russo

Everyday I ask to myself how would it been to have a regular job. In my case my passion/job take me most of the time of the day. I usually say I work 24h because even when I sleep, I dream art, tattooing and everything about my work. I think when people has a regular job is less stressfull because after they finish, they have the rest of the day for follow their things Read more>>

Kirsten Mishay

I love having been able to pursue a career as a creative, and grateful to have been able to stick with it. I have done jobs where I was in charge of admin work, I used to be a lifeguard, and as an independent artist I have to do my own business admin, social media, production, sourcing, staying on top of trends, etc. So, maybe once in a blue moon, I’ll wonder what it would be like to have done something else but not often. Read more>>

Ad Van Wink

Happiness should not solely be connected to your creative work, even though your creative work can be incredibly rewarding and make you happy. The happiness I want to find is complete self-validation, as a person, creatively, and with the work I’m doing. Creative emotions are too unstable to rely on all the time, and it doesn’t help you to be at the mercy of those waves. Read more>>

Ashley Rader

Being a full-time artist has been an incredibly fulfilling experience for me! Painting is something I would always find time for, and I am grateful that I can devote all my time and energy to it now. Although being a full-time artist comes with its own set of challenges, I have learned to navigate them with confidence. Read more>>

Talal Alzeid

I’m very happy being an artist…you can do whatever you want, how you want it and when you want it. Of course it is a hard choice because there are lots of ups and downs and, but at the end there is a special kind of satisfaction you get when you are creating the artwork itself. Read more>>

Andrea Wunderlich

Yes, I´m 100% happy. I´ve been working in regular jobs as a textile designer and as a teacher. Both jobs have been creative, too, but being self-employed brings so much more adventure to my life. And I guess that´s what I need. I don´t want a daily routine – it is nice to be in the studio – of course, but then also the traveling to jobs or for teaching, the big variety of commissions I get in, that´s what makes my life a happy one. Read more>>

Kim Manning

Many people would be suprised to find out I actually studied Mechanical Engineering in college. Although I ended up with a degree in Music Theater, Math was one of my true loves. I recently reconnected with my friends from that era and was filled with pride for their PHD’s in physics and the like. Their lives seemed so much easier then mine. Read more>>