The world needs artists and creatives. Unfortunately, being needed doesn’t often easily translate into financial stability. The struggle is real for so many incredibly talented artists and creatives and so we think it’s important to hear from creatives who have made it work – there is so much to learn from the folks we’ve featured below.

Amelia Furman

While I have a ways to go in getting to my “enough” number as a professional artist, my creative work has provided steady income for me for the last 10 years. It started small with just enough to help pay for preschool and then moved to being able to paint the house and do remodeling to now being able to invest into retirement accounts and set aside funds for trips, and charities that we love as a family. From the beginning of my journey, I’ve simply kept a mindset of a student…asking questions, observing, and experimenting with various ways to “be an artist.” That has looked like showing my work in cafes and galleries, doing art festivals, doing commissioned work, etc. I started hanging out with artists that were a lot more advanced than me and a lot more experience in business. I went to school for art, but beyond understanding some basic business principles and a lot of art technique, I had no idea how to make money as an artist. This ended up being the best decision I could have made. I made some of my best connections with artists that I “grew” up with in the early 2000s. Read more>>

Alex Vasquez

I’m a small business owner originally from Oregon, the land of endless rain. In 1994, with nothing but a bag of clothes and my grandfather’s truck, I made the move to Southern California, chasing sunshine and warmer days. Since then, I’ve been enamored with this place. Read more>>

Manami Takagi

Yes I could earn a full-time living from my creative wok. well, I was really lucky. Since COVID happen, the artists couldn’t work then many artists went back their home country. And then, our salon looking for some nail artists. But nobody wants come to USA from Japan. That’s why my owner hired me. The first time I was super nervous to do nails because I couldn’t speak English fluently. I just used to it. Doing complex nail art is already hard but we also need to talk our clients sometimes. Read more>>

Lovie Ray

There is something to be said for being a dreamer. And another thing for putting a roof over your head and keeping it up there in one of the most expensive cities in the country! I have always been a worker bee. I thrive most when I am busy and yet moving to LA in pursuit of a creative line of work was a place that, for me, was not always full of the work my heart wanted to do… so I had to keep double busy. Busy at the ‘dream’ work and busy to just sustain a lifestyle for that very work. In the decade plus of living in Los Angeles, I’ve worked side jobs, night jobs, 2-3 jobs at a time just to keep myself financially afloat as I built relationships, worked money free (in hopes of connection rich) projects and honed my craft in the time between ‘tired and asleep’ after work each day. As a lover of film, artists and the creative process (for as long as I can remember) I dreamt of the day that I was “in the economy” of it, so-to-speak. The day that I could come home and pay my electrical bill or car payment or one day, rent(!) with a check from production. The day I could pay my bills with a production job instead of the culmination of all the other side jobs, was the day that pushed my hunger into overdrive to never lose it. I remember getting my first bigger solo production job and telling the restaurant I worked at that I would only be able to “pick-up” shifts for the next two weeks as I was out of town on set. From that moment on I never looked back. I never went back to work a shift as one job rolled into two and then three etc.. and actually as I sit here and recall, I think I should probably officially quit! This was years ago but I was so so worried that I was going to need to work in between jobs (as that had been a constant pattern surviving in LA) that I don’t think I ever actually told them I was no longer going to pick up shifts. I still get the group texts occasionally looking for covers, oops! As a freelance producer I am constantly pivoting from one type of project to the next (commercial, documentary, short film, photo project etc) and have had to really accept the highs and lows of the natural rollercoaster of this line of work. When I am busy, I feel so busy I can’t see straight but there is an energy to it that is contagious, palpable and invigorating. And then when a slow period hits it makes me feel as if I am hibernating and need to ration my resources, not knowing when the next green light will come in and it will be off to the races again. The adaptability to different types of projects (and the varying quirky and genius creatives that come along with each project) has kept me earning a living from a line of work that fuels me, inspires me and financially sustains me and that is something I hold onto with every piece of my being. Read more>>

Elyse Cosgrove

I am fortunate to earn a 6-figure full-time living doing creative work that I love and that helps support my family of (almost) 5. I was teased with the title of a “job hopper” in my 20s and wondered if I’d ever find anything that fulfilled my ever-evolving curiosity and attention span. I had a deep curiosity about people’s stories across the world, a burning desire for adventure, and an appreciation for finding beauty in any and every place or situation. Read more>>

Rae Palmer

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. Initially, my journey was not a straight line, and success did not happen overnight. I started by posting short-form video content on my blog “Rae Chats” across various platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. Read more>>

Ashley/Stramango Watson

I love the at this was one of the topics because this was main goal last year. Creating music will always come first. However, my mental state is directly affected by my environment. Unfortunately, I’m not making a million dollars every song I make. So I have to come up with the money to fund my lifestyle and my passions. After so many years of being a musician I’ve found plenty of ways to fill my pockets other than Uber and Amazon flex. My top source of income is being a DJ. Even though it brings in money now, it didn’t start that way at all. I began with an amp and a phone at parties in college for free. Thank God, I stayed invested passionately because now it pays bills in one night and I still have an amazing time curating an atmosphere no matter the venue. I also make money playing the saxophone. I went to school and studied Classical Saxophone for 4 years so I can teach and play at a high level. Along with a few saxophone lessons every now and then, I get booked to play saxophone live at weddings, private events, and dinner parties. I’ll even bring my saxophone on my DJ set and really do something special. Other than live sax, I also get paid for studio saxophone features. I am also a music producer. I started producing before becoming a DJ but after learning saxophone. I actually didn’t setup any of these passions of mine as a money grab. I don’t advertise most of the services I provide. I believe in putting 100% of my abilities in everything I do and that has turned into blessings that I am so grateful for. The final piece of my repertoire is putting together shows. I have thrown 2 festivals in Houston, and put together my own show solo “Tango with Stramango” 2 times. Read more>>

Kvhondre Tinner

It all started in February 2023 when I finally took a leap of faith and decided to do music full time. I use to work various jobs to make ends meet. Manager at Smoothie King to a ticket scanner at House of Blues. Though these were good jobs , music for some reason, has always reeled me back in for better opportunities and I would lose my job. Granted , I’ve never been able to keep a job for more than a few months anyways, I would work a job and then leave or some how get let go. Read more>>

Chelsea Goer

I have been working as a full time artist since 2017. Although, I studied art in college, I didn’t have any idea that painting would be a career for me. I think at the time I thought it would be more of a stepping stone into a creative roll. That idea lead me to a job at Amazon as a designer for six years. While I worked there for a long time, I knew pretty quickly that this was not the creative outlet I was looking for long term. Still, I wasn’t in the mindset that painting could make me money. I just never saw myself as being good enough. But, with some encouragement from a friend I started painting again regularly and selling some pieces mostly people I knew or friends of friends. Within a few months word of mouth had lead clients and galleries knocking at my door. Within a year I was able to leave corporate life behind and paint full time. I’d like to say I wish I would have trusted my ability sooner and started painting full time right out of school, but I really do not see how that would have played out. Being a full time artist requires a lot of self introspection, a serious drive to produce and create, and real world knowledge of how to run a business. I am a big believer in manifesting the life you want but also that it takes time, hard work, and experience to get to that place. Read more>>

Elise Crigar

After graduating college with a degree in graphic design and fine art, I wanted to combine my multi-media background of photography creative direction, and women’s sports into my dream job. I knew a job such as this wasn’t going to be easy to find on paper, especially in Florida. Read more>>

Nick Best

This topic hit me immediately as the quest of earning a full living from music moved me across the country to find an answer. I’ll spoil right away that so far that answer is no, at least not yet. A year and change ago, I moved from upstate New York to Nashville. Over the past few years I had been steadily playing more and more gigs, and when I started getting some real checks from just doing this thing I love, I was hooked. Now, I got my bachelors in music, so making music my job was always kind of the plan, but after making a comfortable life working in live entertainment production after college, I had no real thoughts of ever pushing for it. In 2022, between lessons, gigs, and even a few commissioned compositions, I had quite the side-hustle going. By late August, after a few other moons aligned, I had decided to make the move to a bigger city, to Nashville. If I had all this spare income with just the gigs in and around this small town, I figured I could actually make it work in a real city. Read more>>

David Anthony Baez

Embarking on my journey as an upcoming film director and editor has been a challenging yet rewarding experience, especially in terms of earning a full-time living from my creative work. I initially started by shooting music videos for friends, laying the foundation for my career. Although these projects were unpaid, they served as a valuable stepping stone, leading to paid opportunities to shoot and edit videos for various artists across New York. However, the financial struggle was real, and the income from these early gigs was insufficient to sustain my passion. Determined to hone my craft, I juggled multiple part-time jobs, from working at Target and Uniqlo to a local bakery. The commitment to my filmmaking aspirations was unwavering, and whenever a job interfered with my primary goal, I would make the tough decision to resign and seek another opportunity that allowed me to continue pursuing my creative calling. The turning point came when I connected with the creative agency Strange Nature. This collaboration opened doors for me to work creatively on a full-time basis, a dream come true for any aspiring filmmaker. The ability to dedicate myself entirely to my passion, thanks to Strange Nature, is a true blessing and a testament to the perseverance and dedication that define my journey in the film industry. Read more>>

Belinda Sanders

. I consider myself extremely fortunate. Although the focus of this article is not my primary business. I will tell you how I was able to acquire success in my primary business quickly.Read more>>

Brandon Lavoie

Yes, but it hasn’t come without its sacrifices and difficulties along the way. When I decided to begin working for myself as a director and photographer, I knew I’d need to find creative ways to supplement my income. I knew I would have to be frugal. And quite frankly, I knew the jobs that I might have the opportunity to take on in the beginning wouldn’t be that special. But I had to take the leap and go freelance because I knew very early on that working for someone else wasn’t going to work for me. I spent the better part of 5 – 6 years not making much of an income at all. I saw people I graduated from college and high school with starting to earn six figures, I’d find myself being worried about where the next job might be coming from. That was difficult. But something in my gut has always told me to stay the course — I think one of the most important things you can have as a creative is your intuition and I have always tried to stay true to mine. My stated “lack of income,” was also due to me reinvesting whatever money I was making into back into my passion projects. Something in my gut told me that investing in personal work, while being smart about it, would pay dividends down the line. Somewhere around the middle of my 6th year as a freelancer that proved to be true. I began getting more work and as began to display and showcase the work I was making it had this snowball effect of opening the door to new opportunities. In hindsight, I look back at how things have gone over the last 10 years and I wouldn’t change all that much. I think one big thing would be to tell me younger self to not be so outwardly overzealous. It’s one thing to look for opportunities where they’ve been earned, it’s another thing to be opportunistic. In hindsight, I wish I’d known that, but c’est la vie. Read more>>

Michelle Bennett

It is never easy to put your all into something. You need to believe it, know it and absolutely love what you are doing so that the moment you wake up you are craving the next adventure the day brings. You also need the people around you to support you. You need to support you. Earning a full time living from my creative work is what drives me to paint everyday. The fact that I can live off something I truly am passionate about and want to share with a world audience is what makes me love my work. Of course there are days of doubt when you are looking at your bank account wondering how you are going to pay for dinner this week, and there’s people out there maybe even family members who will try to convince you “it’s time to get a normal job”. All of that could lead to struggle, or it could give you the drive to make it. I know I have something worth saying, and I know that my art is the loudest voice that I have, and that has any reach in this world. So everyday I wake up, I get into my studio and I create the life I wish to live. Read more>>

Jackson Cooper

I’ve been very lucky to always have worked in the arts. I remember making a very concentrated effort to know that I would fall back on skills that I gained working in the arts, especially on the business side. I placed a lot of value on strengthening and deepening transferrable skills like finance, leadership, project management, creativity, and bringing the unique experiences of working in different sized organizations to each position. Read more>>

Mike Janela

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it’s been both a long process and a sliding scale. My first job out of college was as a radio broadcaster in Anderson, SC, making $500/month with $25 meal per diem for any days we traveled on the road, which was usually 10 days each month. That is not a liveable wage! But, since rent was only like $400 for short-term housing there, I was able to sustain myself. You learn tricks like only $5 of that per diem to buy a loaf of bread and some deli meat to last you the week and pocketing the rest of the cash to pay bills. Read more>>

Mike Campese

Yes, I have been earning a full time living solely from my music since I was like 19 years old. I did start earning money teaching guitar when I was in 10th grade in high school. My very first guitar teacher started asking me to fill in for him back then. I wasn’t planning on teaching, but it was natural for me and I have been doing it ever since. As well as touring. Read more>>

Farzad Golpayegani

Yes, I’ve been fortunate to earn my living solely through my creative work. Throughout my career, I have engaged in freelance, contract, and full-time positions. However, I believe I achieved financial success only when working full-time jobs, and for the past ten years, I have adhered to that plan with rewarding results. I consider myself a multi-disciplinary professional, as I am a designer, visual artist, and musician. My strategy for sustaining myself has been to concentrate on design and art direction. Read more>>

Abi Park

Just recently last year I was able to become a full time artist. Before I struggled with being a self taught artist and being full time in the food industry. I started doing art when I got into anime in my freshman year of high school. I know many artist have been drawing their whole lives but that was not the case with me. However once I started drawing I instantly feel in love with it. It was hard not to compare myself to others my age who were already incredibly talented, but I stuck with it. It took a long time of just traditional sketching before finally in softmore year my parents got me a Wacom sketch. I loved creating digital art though it was a struggle. Read more>>

Jovan Williams

Yes, I have earned a full-time living from my creative work. It was a leap of faith, confidence and assurance to myself as I left my hospital job as a food service worker at St. Lukes Mount Siani Hospital in Harlem, NY. I had previously started a brand with a late beloved friend of mine. As I learned the ropes and went through the growing pains of developing, creating and producing that brand, I gained some knowledge of designing for a niche market, promotion, advertising and customer service. This was just the beginning of my true independence as a creative. Read more>>

Jacob Johnson

People often ask us as a band “What’s the goal?” I think they often expect us to tell them about how we want to be famous or have our music change the world. While I would love for our music to have the biggest impact on our world as possible, the real dream is just to be able to support my family by making a full-time living creating/playing music with my best friends. Read more>>

György Ujvári-Pintér

When I finished the music production school in Budapest, Hungary back in 2013 (at the excellent ImPro School), I started to accept less and less commissions of my regular profession. As I was dj’ing for quite a while already, I tried to get more gigs so that one day I can live only from my devotion to music. Over the time, me and my partner (who was an artist too) got to the point that we could hardly pay the bills but I had to accept more and more dj gigs where I couldn’t really play what I really loved. So, I got to the conclusion that living from your passion to whatever cost is not worth and all and that it’s better to have a regular job if that lets you live more for your dream. At the end of the day, we all have to work way too much but if work hinders you from practising your “dream profession” the way you want, you better spend more time on it while keeping it the way that it can remain a jewel for you. In brief: quality over quantity. Read more>>

Huining Shi

I am a game concept designer originally from China, currently residing in Los Angeles and working at Treyarch.

My design journey was inspired by a lifelong passion for drawing, coupled with a deep interest in films, games, and animation. Following the completion of my education in Fine Art in China, I chose to further hone my skills in concept design at ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Isabella Flores

I started working in voiceover four years ago after a year and a half of training, and as much as I’ve loved the work over the past few years, this was the first year that I actually made a full-time living solely from voiceover. The fact that it only took four years makes me feel very fortunate, and in hindsight it is actually pretty clear that so many factors built on each other over time to lead me to this point. I don’t know why it makes more sense for me to work backwards chronologically, but that’s how my brain’s worked through it so…bear with me, I guess! Read more>>

Chelsea Vainio

After graduating college, I had the honor to apply myself for an in teaching experience developing a theatre program. I had begun working towards my teaching credential at a Detention Center in New England 21’; and currently I am in the process of obtaining my CA credential through residency program and will be going for my Masters starting the fall 24’! Read more>>

 Zac Hall

Earning a full time living as a Audio Engineer can be extremely challenging, especially in the beginning of your career. There is often a lack of stable income, regular hours, and consistent work. Read more>>

Spawk

I have been able to earn a living doing what I do all thanks to my Mentor Eddie ET. Torres. About eleven years ago, I met Eddie at a poker tournament and we became good friends. We were both artists; I was painting signs for local tire shops and mechanic shops around the valley in exchange for money and wall space to paint my name on their buildings. Eddie was pinstriping lowriders all over the state. He admired my lettering and would ask me to try pinstriping every chance he got. I think it took over a year for him to finally convince me to come out and help him with some pinstriping on a few trucks he needed done. He tricked me in to thinking he actually needed help but what he was really doing is showing me how much money I could make scribbling on some cars for a couple hours. At the time I was not making enough money to live off my art because honestly I didn’t have the confidence or guidance to charge enough money to make a living. Eddie gave me two hundred dollars for helping him on those trucks that day, Mind you I was just cleaning his brushes and bringing him what he needed to complete the job. That day I fell in love with the art but I also started the journey for the rest of my life. These days I’m not just a pinstriper, I incorporate everything Eddie has taught me into whatever project I am a part of. I don’t think that I would have come this far had it not been for the skills and knowledge that my mentor instilled in me. Not only did he teach me this dying art of pinstriping but he also gave me another means of making money so that I am able to earn a full-time living. Read more>>

 Jerry White

I have been very fortunate to make my living working in a creative field for the past 15 years. When I started this path, I knew very few people so I spent my first year in Los Angeles meeting and working with other artists. As I learned more about how the business operated I realized that I needed to be selective with collaborators as the film industry tends to take advantage of those that are unaware of its realities. I made choices along the way, including turning down predatory rates, which led to meeting incredible people who had also made their way to a more fruitful side of the industry. I worked 10 years on set as a gaffer and director, being fortunate enough to direct three feature films. Knowing what I know now I wouldn’t have sped up the process, as I don’t believe you can skip steps. Moving faster I wouldn’t have learned that I wanted to teach, which I have now been doing full-time since 2020. Read more>>

Ametria Peridot

Taking that leap of faith and completely going from working a full time job and working for myself was not and still isn’t the easiest task. Everyday is different, I still experience a roller coaster of emotions but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Knowing what I know, investing in inventory before going out to party, stacking my money and saving is definitely something I would have done a long time ago lol. Day one I knew I wanted to own my own business, I had to trust the process. Read more>>

Jake Hicks

Embarking on the narrative of my creative journey, my name is Jake Hicks, a photographer, creative director, and studio owner based in Downtown Cincinnati. The genesis of this traces back to 2015, when I acquired my first DSLR camera during an 8th-grade trip to Washington, DC. This experience, following a nascent exposure to photography and film, sparked a fixation for travel, capturing new places and candid moments, etching the cornerstone of my life since. Read more>>

Michael Fatica

I’m sure that almost all of us that identify as “creatives” has suffered through the conversation-as-old-as-time when visiting family or friends during the holidays. “Oh you’re in the theater! That’s fun, but, what do you do for money?” Many don’t realize that when following their passion into a freelance career that they will have to treat their art form as a business, first and foremost. I’ve been truly fortunate to find consistent work for the past twelve years in New York City as a theater artist, without having to supplement with a job outside to support my artistic habit. The secret to finding this consistency is tenacity. There are millions of talented performers, directors, creators, etc in the world, but few who can get a job doing what they love and then immediately put their nose to the ground to find what comes next. It takes constant networking, research and willingness to put yourself out there. The majority of shows I’ve done on Broadway or choreographic opportunities that I’ve gotten have come through my reaching out to someone I know to get in the room, or to introduce me to a new creative that may help me to the next step. It’s a familiar trope – you won’t get what you want unless you ask for it. You may be faced with a “no”, but, you never know when that next “yes” may come. Read more>>

Paul Kreibich

I started playing drums at age seven . I began playing in school music programs at age nine and taking private lessons at twelve. My teacher began sending me on gigs at age 14. There was a lot more live music in those days. I was working steady while I was still in high school. I liked jazz, but was more than willing to play other types of music for the experience. I began teaching early as an extra income. As I’ve gotten older, the teaching has been a bigger part of my activity. Read more>>

Hong Cumming

I worked as an illustrator in Shanghai’s advertising industry before moving to New Zealand in 2012. Passionate about art, I continued practicing while caring for my three kids, all under five. In 2016, I began teaching art classes in my garden hut, it was a challenge and a balance between teaching and motherhood. As the number of students increased, I faced and overcame space challenges by first renting a larger shed. Eventually, as my student base continued to grow, I moved to my current location at the beautiful Casabella Lane in the city center. This journey of juggling art and parenting has been both challenging and fulfilling, requiring utmost commitment and resilience. Read more>>

 Jen Violette

I first began working with molten glass at Alfred University in 1991 at age 18, and have been working with molten glass for the past 33 years. I received my BFA with honors in glass and metal sculpture from Alfred University School of Art and Design in 1994. I have also studied at the Pilchuck Glass School, The Corning Museum of Glass, Rhode Island School of Design, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Penland School of Crafts. I have been very fortunate to study with some of the best maestros in the world, including Lino Tagliapietra, William Morris, Pino Signoretto, Dante Marioni, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Martin Janecky, Richard Marquis, Randy Walker, Kait Rhoads, Stephen Dee Edwards and Fred Tschida. Read more>>

Jimmy Xie

My name is Jimmy Xie, and I am a Conceptual Artist based in Southern California. Although I have put on numerous contemporary art shows and made viral videos for businesses across the spectrum in the last five years, I am most known as a Social Marketing Strategist & Coach in the entertainment circle in Los Angeles. Read more>>