We think the world needs more artists, more creatives and more folks unwilling to spend their days as a cog in a giant corporate machine. We don’t necessarily dislike cogs or machines but we think the world clearly needs more artists and creatives and so we wanted to try to figure out how more artists can make it work financially since this is one of the major obstacles blocking so many artists and creatives from pursuing their art full time. So, we asked folks who have been able to make a full time living through their creative work, how they did it.

Brad Davis

Born and raised in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. Brad Davis has had a successful career as a 21 year of sideman in Nashville and LA, award wining musician entertainer singer/songwriter Brad Davis been on a steady rise ever since the current articles from Guitar World Magazine 2022 and 2023. Read more>>

Cousin Curtiss

This June will mark my ninth year playing music for a living. Thinking about how it all started almost a decade ago is insane. I had a successful teaching career that I was willingly walking away from, my girlfriend and I sold everything we owned, and we hit the road June 1st, 2015 with our two dogs. Read more>>

Koby Hyde

It’s important to follow the things that you are passionate about. I have always enjoyed art as a kid and it stuck with me ever since. I took a risk while finishing up school during Covid. I packed my things and headed to a place I knew I could thrive, Austin Texas. Read more>>

Maddi McKenney

I am extremely grateful that I’ve been able to take my creativity and everything that I have learned in my field and translate that to my full time job. I work in creative marketing, I’m a social media manager and content creation specialist. Read more>>

Ginger Valentine

In 2020 I launched my own subscription service MemberStrip and my burlesque training program StripSchool because of the pandemic. This allowed me to earn a full time income outside of my performances which was a life saver. Read more>>

Denise Plant

As a child, money was never a thought when I dreamed of having an art career. I wanted to follow my passion of telling stories through fun, colorful, even entertaining artwork. Read more>>

Melissa Wasserman

Earning a full time living as a singer/songwriter is not an easy task. For most of my life, I was set on pursuing my career as an artist and “figuring it out”. This is, in fact, what a lot of artists do but it can be very hard and financially/mentally draining. Read more>>

Emily Hughes

This is an interesting question because I feel like part of the answer is in the way that we define “full-time living”. Very few full-time working artists make comparable wages to working in other sectors, so it comes down to a combination of choice, luck, privilege and sacrifice. Read more>>

Dolores Mallea

When I graduated as an Architect I already knew working at a firm or studio would probably not be my thing. I was too young to know but I started other jobs, within nature, always outdoors, usually with a group of people. Read more>>

Titanya Johnson

I have been able to earn a full time living from my creative work in both writing books and coaching others how to write publish and profit. I teach people how to do what I did, I triumphed over trauma and turned my life story into a self publish book. Read more>>

Laurence E Gibbs

Like all Creatives, we all dream of doing what we love, what we are passionate about and what we feel we were meant for for a living, and to be successful at it by actually making a living at it. Read more>>

Malia Ewart

Over my years of working in the industry, whether that be full time, part time, or contract/freelance — making a living for my artwork can look different depending on my availability and readiness to take on work. Read more>>

Carrie O’Brien

I have been able to earn a full time living as a creative for about 4 years now but it wasn’t always as easy as it sounds especially from the start. I started shooting weddings, life events and portraits about 11 years ago on and off, part time and on the side while either working full time jobs or as a college student with a full time job. Read more>>

Brendon Rosenbaum

I am very blessed and lucky to be able to earn a living doing what I love. It has taken many years of truly figuring out what I wanted to do but I always knew it was going to be in the music industry. I grew up as a drummer and finally settled in with house music in the mid nineties. Read more>>

Stephanie Amaro

I have been a makeup artist for years now and at first taking on makeup jobs or set work was something I did on the side. For the longest time it was how I was making extra money outside of a traditional sort of job. Read more>>

EC Mazur

Deciding to leave my job in the publishing industry and work full-time as an artist was the best decision I ever made. Although I was always a creative child (I was convinced I would be a writer, and I was heavily involved in theatre growing up), I didn’t start making art until after I had graduated university and entered the workforce. Read more>>

Shannon Okey

I help hundreds of primarily women-owned creative microbusinesses thrive and grow by hosting almost 20 retail popup events throughout the year. We started with our first holiday show in 2004 at what is now 78th Street Studios in Cleveland. Read more>>

Cole NeSmith

Earning a full time living from a creative career can be tough. For me, the toughest part of being a full time artist is coming to terms with all the other stuff required to make it happen. I think the best example of what it takes to have a creative career is a chef who wants to open a restaurant. Read more>>

Porsche Major

In the corporate world, I thrived and excelled, proving my abilities and dedication. However, I always felt a nagging void, knowing my true passion lay elsewhere. Read more>>

Krista Awad

I used to think I couldn’t call myself an artist if I weren’t earning my income from my art. This mentality held me back. Once I let it go and kept creating while doing other jobs, things finally started happening for my art career. Read more>>

Matthew Andrews

I can’t emphasize enough that I benefited from my slow start. Before I went full time there were about 12 years where I photographed weddings while I was in college and didn’t quit my day jobs after college but shooting and improving at weddings. Read more>>

Lucas Iosue

I have been able to earn a full-time living with my creative work. I managed to work “overtime” in order to make the official shift to full-time self-employment. It has been very fulfilling since I have made the transition. Read more>>

Christine Nightingale

Earning a full-time living from my art is a process of overcoming discouragement which is an inevitable part of an artist’s life. It can be especially disheartening when you’ve spent months creating art pieces but see no results in sales, for example. Read more>>

Zahra Haider

We’d like to introduce you to the dream team behind Black Iris Photography, Zahra and Danish! We’re not your everyday photographers; we’re visual wedding storytellers. Read more>>

Kyle Dal Santo

When I was in 5th grade I saw Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” and its absolutely shook me. So much so in fact that I decided that day that when I grew up I would follow in my Grandfathers’ and Godfather’s footsteps and also join the military – which I did after high school. Read more>>

Frankie Midnight

In 2023, Frankie became a full-time actor and recording artist, having been able to support his lifestyle from his creative works. “It’s been a blessing to do what I love for a living but it hasn’t been all roses. Everyday is a constant hustle and the route of an actor/ recording artist is a commissioned based job. Read more>>

Melissa Santell

yes. The “how I got there” is much, much longer. I can’t speak on behalf of every entrepreneur, but after working as a creative contractor for six years, I can confidently say the financial journey that comes with starting a business is one that takes on a world of shapes, colors and uncontrollable emotions as you grow your brand. Read more>>

Mikey Kettinger

Becoming a full-time artist and educator has been a long journey or determination and dreaming. I decided to become a professional artist when I was 17, and have been working toward that goal for the last 20 years. Read more>>

Josh Munnell

I’ve been able to sustain a life working entirely within the music world for the last several years. There are always ups and downs with frequency of work so I have to be able to weather that through budgeting/saving etc. Read more>>

Christine Weimer

I started earning a full-time living from my creative work within six months of deciding to go all-in on taking myself, and my art, seriously. And I did it that quickly because I had the impenetrable belief that if I didn’t give up on it, it wouldn’t give up on me. Read more>>

Randall Michael Tobin

It took a few years but once I set out on the path to earning a living doing what I loved most at the time (producing music, composing, songwriting, recording/engineering), I was making a profit in our 5th year of declaring Theta Sound Studio open for business. Read more>>

Nadine Nevitt

I’m often asked what I do, how I make money, what’s it like having a business etc. When I started down the road of entrepreneurship, 10 years ago, the goal was to make some extra money and be more creative. Read more>>

Chaz Mazzota

Consistency. Its really just that. Doing a little bit every day to move the needle even when it feels as though it isn’t moving at all. It’s not until you look back at your journey can you see what your true impact is. Read more>>

Scott Takeda

I guess I’m “The Self-Tape Expert.” Since 2009, I’ve been fortunate enough to have booked more than 70+ roles on self-tape. Everything from prestige films like “Gone Girl” and “Dallas Buyers Club” to soaps like “General Hospital” to comedies like “Drunk History.” Read more>>

Jennifer Hawkyard

There’s an interesting narrative that is pervasive in the creative industries – the idea of the starving artist. And I think that prevents many people from pursuing a career in the arts. Read more>>

Selena Moshell

I have been incredibly fortunate to have been full time in the arts almost directly out of college. I danced through my Environmental Studies degree in a Dance minor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and thought I would get my Ph.D in Marine Conservation after school. Read more>>

Cecilian Dang

So, I do not make a full-time living from my creative work right now. I’m currently in the early stages of my career as an artist right now and looking forward to my graduation this Spring! But for sure, I find myself getting closer and closer. Read more>>

Ashley Wong

It has taken me a while to get to where I am today, but I am able to work independently as a graphic & motion designer and video editor. I started in ad agencies in NYC and then moved to Seattle. Read more>>

LexC

I’ve been fortunate to be able to afford to live entirely off of my creativity! I’ve been doing so for about 4-5 years now! Of course, it wasn’t always this way! Read more>>

Brenna Peterson

Finԁing my footing in the tаttoo inԁustry аnԁ eаrning а full-time living from my раssion wаs а journey filleԁ with growth, сhаllenges, аnԁ invаluаble lessons. Read more>>