We’ve seen way too many talented creatives quit because they couldn’t make it work financially. No doubt, the financial challenges of pursuing a creative or artistic career are daunting, but we felt there wasn’t enough discussion around how to make it work. So, we connected with artists and creatives who’ve been able to earn a full time living from their creative work and asked them to share their stories with our readers.

Kenny Calderon

One of the things my dad taught me as a kid, was to never pigeon hole yourself into knowing or doing a single thing. If you can diversify your skill set, you’ll never be broke, he said. Read more>>

Adam Cayton-Holland

I started stand-up comedy at the exact same time I started freelancing little pieces for the alternative weekly newspaper in my hometown of Denver, Colorado. Read more>>

NOMAD Ripoll

Here’s the opening Preface from my book– ETHOS | The Career Musician Code — 5 Principles to go from Choronic Gig Chaser to Successful Musicpreneur (this preface tells the mission / story perfectly) Read more>>

Bryan Stacy

Earning a full-time living by creating art is not easy. It takes a lot of dedication and extremely hard work. I have found that selling paintings is less consistent, so I make most of the ends meet through tattooing. Read more>>

Kate Patrick

It can feel incredibly vulnerable to share your art with the world, yet there is such powerful intimacy shared when others connect with that vulnerability. Read more>>

Margaret Archambault

I am a full-time visual artist and have experienced a host of challenges in pursuit of this title. Someone once told me during a particularlly difficult period where I was questioning my decision to NOT go back into the workforce, that being an artist was not for the weak and that if you expected it to be easy, then you’ll never make it. Read more>>

Sarah Piper

I’m thrilled to say that I am currently making a living fully on the sales of my creations. That was always really the goal for me, to have the wheel and kiln at home and be able to spend my time making functional art that brings the joy and calm of nature into the everyday. Read more>>

Whitney Manney

I always thought of myself as a full-time artist, even though I was working other part-time jobs to support myself and my studio practice. Read more>>

C-Dot 416

When I started releasing music professionally 7 years ago, I didn’t really believe I would make it as far as I have today. I got a job at my local sandwich shop Amatos, I was 18 making $10 an hour. Read more>>

Hilary Finck

I restarted my jewelry business in 2018 after a 10-year hiatus studying and working in the environmental industry. Realizing how unhappy I was working in a cubicle in a fairly uncreative (yet very important!) field, Read more>>

Danielle Collette

I am grateful to say I have been able to earn a full-time living from my work, but it hasn’t been easy. As soon as I graduated, I moved to New Mexico to be closer to a side of my family I didn’t get to see very often. Read more>>

Nina Devenney

I’ve got two full-time jobs. One as a self-employed artist & business owner and the other as mama to a hilariously fun and brilliant three year old. Read more>>

Anna Dugan

Yes, I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. It was quite a journey to get here, but worth every step. I graduated from UMass Lowell in 2013 with a BFA in Graphic Design, Read more>>

Elasea Douglas

Yes. We’ve worked extremely hard over the past ten years to earn all of our income from our music. For most of the ten years, our income came from performing for corporate events, weddings, charity events, fundraisers, and other events. Read more>>

Sarah Smith

I had no idea what I was going to do. I had been attending Royal Military College, as an Officer-In-Training, when my Officer in charge made me aware that they thought I should really follow my heart and begin a career in music. Read more>>

Richard Palalay

I suppose I have been lucky in that when I announced that I wanted to be a musician for a living, I didn’t get the raised eyebrows, head shaking admonition that I needed to choose a serious profession, that one didn’t become a musician to pay the rent… Read more>>

Chad Gosselin

To date, I am lucky to say I have been able to make my life work as a full-time artist, but it has not been an easy path, and one I would only recommend to folks unless they see no other way to be happy on this planet. Read more>>

Josh Dikken Alexis Doan

For us, making a living off of creative work is about seeing needs and coming up with creative solutions, rather than just wanting to do our own creative endeavors. Read more>>

Kyle Jefferson

Yes, I’ve been able to make a full-time living from my music career. After graduating, I moved to Nashville with a burning desire to succeed. Read more>>

Quinn Loftis

When I published my first book in 2011 I would have never dreamed that I’d be able to make a living as an author. But, eight months later and 3 books, and I was able to quit my job as a nurse and write full time. Read more>>

Diana Mcloughlin

I started my journey with learning how to wire wrap. After a few years of working for myself and not having a regular 9-5 job i wanted to push myself to further my audience. Read more>>

Ana Stamato

Opting for a communications degree despite skepticism from my family was a statement of my dedication to film production. Read more>>

Lee Savino

In 2014, I was broke and unhappy working as an insurance sales person. I had a degree in creative writing, but no one in my life told me I could make a living as a writer. I’d tried to get a book published, but had given up. Read more>>

Dorothy Bishop

I always knew that ultimately I did not want to work a “support job” that was out of my field of music and entertainment. When I was pursuing opera as a lyric soprano, Read more>>

Jimmy Vonn

My name is Jimmy Vonn. I’m an actor, model and overall just really a businessman. I’ve been making it happen for as long as I can remember. Read more>>

Jorge Blanco

I have been living from my artwork all my life. Read more>>

Ilya Bobrovskiy

As for now I am freelance DP( Direct of Photography), based in Los Angeles. Starting day one in year 2021, once my wife and I moved to States, I decided to do only the job related to film industry. Read more>>

Eric Berg

I’d had plenty of regular jobs since I was fourteen, but I was a grass-hopper until my late twenties. I held transient, seasonal jobs out West every autumn, but I would bake from home each summer to sell mostly sourdough bread at the farmers markets. Read more>>