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.

Fazar Roma Agung Wibisono

Yes, I have earned income from my creative work and also income outside of my art, and it didn’t come easy. for the beginning of my career journey as an artist started from a designer at a young age when at that time I had already received orders for designs and portrait drawings, then I continued to study at a university specializing in fine arts and design after graduating I was only able to do it properly after getting a work contract with an art gallery in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) for 7 years even though after graduating from college for 2 years I had to try to apply to exhibit in galleries to promote my work and I continued to paint and design to work on other art projects in generating income for living expenses, only after 2 years later I had the opportunity to be contracted to work by an art gallery in Indonesia. Read more>>

Johnny Majestic

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have just finished my first project as a composer recently! It’s an arcade style prison break video game I worked on in collaboration with the great Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO) called [REDACTED], and it’s coming out very soon. There’s a big synth punk influence and it was so fun to create. Making music isn’t about making money, but getting rewarded for your work financially is honestly a great feeling. It really gives you a certain drive and motivation. This is the first job where I’ve legitimately felt that. It makes you very hopeful and excited.  Most people in this industry put a lot of energy into their craft, despite the fact that independent music production rarely results in large payouts. Streaming platforms pay out fractions of pennies, and the saturated live scene isn’t ideal for making money. That results in a financially dry craft – driven exclusively by passion. Music-making is currently in a weird spot, more accessible than ever but often totally non-profitable, you need to seek out ways to make it work. Hopefully some laws get put into place to change the whole streaming situation soon. Read more>>

Juming Delmas

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it didn’t happen overnight. When we were starting Juming Delmas Studios, we took strategic steps to ensure sustainability from the beginning. One of the most important decisions we made was to reduce our expenses significantly before launching the business. This allowed us to build a strong foundation and focus on growth without the immediate pressure of financial strain. In the early days, I took on multiple roles and projects, ranging from background acting to backstage management at events like Pod Fest. These experiences not only helped build a network but also sharpened my skills in different aspects of the industry. As we began to secure more clients and expand our services, we were able to reinvest in the business, hire a dedicated team, and develop high-quality content that truly set us apart. Read more>>

Dan Lam

After completing my graduate studies in 2014, I was ready to find a regular job to support my art. I taught at a community college and took on various jobs to make ends meet. In 2016, I decided to return to Dallas. While there, I secured a part-time job while creating work for group exhibitions. However, I realized that I was not good at the job (it was an afterschool program, and I learned I’m not great with groups of kids) and decided to quit. Fortunately, I was able to sell all my artwork from those shows, which covered my rent for the upcoming months. This turn of events allowed me the freedom to take my time in seeking other employment, but to my surprise, I found that I didn’t need to. My art continued to sell through shows and directly via Instagram, paving the way for me to pursue my passion full-time. It was a risk that ultimately paid off. I didn’t know where it would lead, but I knew I needed to take advantage of that moment because all I wanted to do was make art, and anything else felt wrong. Read more>>

Mimi Alas

I started a fashion blog when I was 18 with my best friend, and since then, I’ve been passionate about the digital space. I have a bachelor’s in Communications, a Master’s in Fashion Marketing and a second Master’s in Spanish Journalism. For the last 11 years, I’ve been a creative in the social media space, creating and producing content at first for fun and then as a full-time career. My career has had two sides, one the journalism, which has allowed me to interview artists in the Latin music space and cover several events and releases, and the content creation side. This one has allowed me to work in front of the camera and behind the camera, creating content for digital platforms with numerous brands and companies through my career, including NYX Cosmetics, Pandora, OPI, 10PM Curfew, Audiomack Latin, Riqueza Collective and more. Read more>>

Meghan Warren

When I first started, it definitely wasn’t easy to earn a full-time living. I remember the day that I came home and told my fiancé that I wanted to leave my stable job and create my own client base, despite us moving to Texas 6 months prior and knowing a total of 3 people that were not our co workers. I was so excited when I got the green light and when he told me he was also so excited about this, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Being put in a position of not receiving pay with bills coming in, you realize that it’s all up to how hard you work to change that. One major milestone was when I started using social media, specifically Instagram to showcase my work and connect with new people in Austin. It was a game changer! I also started attending as many events in the area as I could. No matter what kind of event it was, I always met and connected with such great people. I actually still love going to events and it’s also so fun when I get to be a part of them. Read more>>

Lili Rochelle

I have been living as a full time artist in NYC for the past two years now and it all started with a 4-hour long conversation with a couple of street artists. When I first moved to the city I knew that I was ready to do something with my art, to create and pursue my creative career, but I really wasn’t sure how to start. I first began by applying to all the open calls that I could find online, doing small markets and pop ups any chance I could. Eventually I reconnected with an old friend who was also pursuing their creative career and invited me to come chat art. I hadn’t seen this friend in 4 years but being new to the city, I was eager to expand my art community. When I met up with him and his friend, another street artist, the three of us sat and had the most beautiful, seemingly unending conversation about our creations, our dreams & aspirations, God and the faith that we’ve found over the years, and the trials and tribulations that these two men had faced in their time spent on the streets of New York selling their original pieces. Read more>>

Lauren Brabson

It hasn’t been easy, but I left my full-time job in late 2022 to pursue music. Prior to that, there was time for music, but it wasn’t going to be my best work if I wasn’t fully in it. There was time for music most evenings and weekends after work, but I didn’t have the time to promote the way I wanted to or pour myself into social media the way the industry wants us to. I didn’t reach out beyond my normal circles. There were a lot of repetitive, dead end cycles. While I am thankful for it and know that it brought me to this moment in my life, it wasn’t making this a career. I wasn’t growing anymore. While recording my previous EP, “Gypsy”, I knew it was time to make a move. Submitting my resignation to a job that held a lot of opportunities, an employer that took care of me, was one of the most sickening experiences of my life. I felt like I was letting others down, but I knew overall that it would be right. From there, I buckled down and went to work. I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to be all in. Endless emails, sleepless nights, expanding beyond my self-taught musical skills – I had a lot to learn, relationships to build, and music to make, and frankly, I still do. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve made this decision sooner, but I know that it happened when it needed to. “Trust the process” as they say. Read more>>

Nicole Cinaglia

Haha, no, unfortunately. I wish. My journey looks like many others journeys. Where you work a side job to provide for your life so you can stay in a specific location to do what you love to do. I worked in countless restaurant jobs to pay for my rent and food so I could live in Los Angeles, CA and follow my dreams to be a successful Actress. It was like this from day one up until my last day when I moved back East to take care of some health stuff in 2023. Major steps and milestones…getting on TV for the first time, Auditioning at WB studios, Making my own projects. I think if I went out earlier than 25 years of age I may have gotten more opportunities and sooner. And who knows, everything happens for a reason. It unfolds how it’s gonna. And you really have no control over most of it. All you can control is what you put into it. Get into that acting class, develop your craft, audition for as much was you can (it’s a numbers game), network, learn as much as you can, be humble, and show up for yourself. Read more>>

Kotono Ogihara

“What do you do to make a living besides chalk art? I can’t even count how many times I’ve been asked this question, which really shows how rare it is to be a full-time chalk artist. Most of my fellow chalk artists work alongside their main jobs, such as graphic design. However, I’ve chosen to focus on being a full-time chalk artist. The reason is simple: I never feel mentally tired, no matter how much I work on something I love. It may sound a bit exaggerated, but since work occupies so much of our lives, following my passion and being able to help others is truly meaningful to me. When I first arrived in Los Angeles from Japan three years ago, I had no connections at all. I spent a lot of time handing out my business cards at restaurants and cafes, and I often created free samples to build my portfolio. Recently, I have been fortunate to receive more corporate projects, which has brought me a great deal of stability. I believe that getting out there to connect with people, and keep taking actions without worrying about personal gains, has been essential for turning my passion into a full-time career. Read more>>

Giullia Hartz

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it was definitely a journey with its share of challenges and milestones. Let me walk you through how it all came together. I was born and raised in a tiny town on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy, where my passion for design started to take root. After high school, I moved to Milan, inspired by legends like Ettore Sottsass, to study Product Design at the Politecnico di Milano. However, my path to a full-time creative career wasn’t a straight line. In 2016, I moved to Berlin to pursue a Master’s in Strategic Design, and it was during this time that I discovered my love for visual thinking and illustration. This ended up shaping my entire career. After completing a few internships and gaining experience at an agency as a full-time designer, I decided to make the leap into freelancing in September 2020. By then, a few brands I was looking up to had started to reach out to me for projects, which gave me the confidence that my work had a commercial value. Read more>>

Faid Salmoon

I have been fortunate enough to earn a living from my coaching work, though it wasn’t immediate. My journey in football started aged 4 in the UK, I initially started playing and later coaching whilst at university. I knew from early on that I wanted to take my passion for the sport further, which led me to pursue opportunities with more professional organisations. It wasn’t smooth from day one; in fact, the early days were about gaining experience, volunteering, and constantly learning from more experienced coaches. A turning point came when I began working with youth academies and started developing more refined coaching methods, which opened doors to higher-profile positions. I later discovered that I have a talent different to others. Eventually, this experience led me to work internationally, where I’ve been able to apply my knowledge at a top-tier level. Read more>>

Dakota Berghuis

I am a full time photographer. I started when I was only 16 and in my sophomore year of high school doing senior portraits and weddings. Each year from then on I got more and more clients. After quitting my full time marketing job in 2021, I went full time in March of 2022 and have been able to make a full-time living with my earnings. I have now surpassed my marketing salary and make more now than I did working 40+ hours a week. I definitely could have sped it up and not gone into marketing or to college, but I am thankful I did and learned what I know now. Not only relating to photography, but life, business and creating relationships with people.  Quitting my full time job, and going full time with photography has given me more time for sessions which in turn, makes more money. I have also leveled up my business since 2015, which has led to being able to raise my prices and make more money.  Read more>>

Kaitlin Walsh

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work for the past ten years. In 2008, I completed a graduate degree in medical illustration from the University of Illinois Chicago. Most graduates go into animation, front end development or illustrate for textbooks or patient education work. I was on a similar tract, but soon after graduation I became pregnant and had severe prenatal complications. My son was born very early and unwell. As a stress reliever, I started to paint the things that were going well in his body, rather than focusing on the problem areas. I focused on making things look lovely and beautiful, sometimes even abstract, rather than clinically beautiful. Read more>>

Joel Brandon

It has definitely been a journey to get to the point where I can earn a full-time living from my creative work, and it wasn’t like that from the start. Early on, I juggled multiple side gigs and freelance projects to make ends meet, all while focusing on building my creative ventures. It took time, perseverance, and a lot of trial and error to reach a sustainable point. In the beginning, I paid my rent by charging artists entry fees for the art shows I hosted. I was always eager to learn new skills and refine the ones I had. After a couple of years of hosting shows, I rented my first studio, even though I didn’t have a clear plan for it—I just knew that The Mothership Alumni needed a physical space to grow. At that stage, I was barely making enough to cover my studio rent, but I kept pushing forward. In 2020, I got a major break when I was offered the lease for the entire floor of the gallery. That was a turning point, and I decided to invest in equipment for screen printing, fine art printing, and sticker printing to diversify my income streams. Read more>>

Eric Sattler

My journey into the creative world began in 2017, following two life-changing events: losing both my job and my brother. It was a tough time, but I knew that I wanted to turn that pain into something meaningful and build a legacy that would make both myself and my family proud. Although I had been doing music videos since 2008, I still felt raw in my skills. Starting NVision Films wasn’t easy, and the early days were filled with challenges. I took on any project I could, working long hours to gain experience, learn my cameras, and develop my unique style. My focus was on what I believed to be a great vision for my branding, but it took time and a lot of hard work. Even though money was coming in, I was working myself to the bone, every day and night. I needed that one opportunity or recognition to solidify my work—not only to others but to myself. As I continued to grind, I started earning different accolades, like being named the 2020 Austin Hip-Hop Videographer of the Year and becoming a 2023 Austin Chronicle Best Filmmaker Finalist. That last one was especially meaningful because, even without having a big-budget project like others in the industry, my community recognized my dedication. To be mentioned alongside filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez was an incredible honor. Read more>>

Aaron Rizzo

When I was younger, I constantly thought about the idea of making my entire living from music. I loved the idea of going on tour all year and hitting the studio in the off time. While that would be ideal, it truly does take an incredibly diverse set of activities to make a full living on music if you aren’t a major touring artist. Everything from online lessons to session work finds its way into your daily schedule. With so much of the music industry existing online and on social media, it’s important to have somewhat of a presence there. I’ve found myself taking odd jobs and sketchy gigs in an effort to make ends meet some months. Read more>>

Jon Shields

There have definitely been times where 100% of my income has come from my “creative work.” Although, it really does depend on how you define “creative work.” When I was growing up, the last thing I wanted to be was a teacher. Now here I am closing out my 20s proud to be called one! I bring this up because teaching and educating, for me, falls under “creative work” now. It wasn’t always that way though. For the longest time I wanted to make a full time living performing guitar. It didn’t matter if it was my own music or others, all I wanted to do was play, man. It was a ton of fun and living in Nashville you know the gigs are never ending (although they don’t all pay what you wish!) I remember it very clearly though, I was hustling and bustling and earning a living and I woke up one morning for a tour gig that was only going to be 2 hours away, and I thought to myself, “man I really don’t want to drive 2 hours… I’d rather spend that time at home.” Read more>>

Mark Newman

I was an Illustration major in Art School graduating with Honors back in the mid 80’s. I’ve always enjoyed sculpting more than 2D art and was lucky enough to find freelance work sculpting things for the ‘Gift and collectibles’ industry. First ‘professional’ work I had was sculpting ceramic masks designs that hang on your wall. Decorative arts, for a small company. That blossomed into designing and sculpting fantasy characters, wizards and dragons type stuff with crystals for a collectible line I help create. I was good enough to find work for other companies along the way building a reputation of quality and hitting deadlines. Attending conventions and trade shows I started networking more and finding work in the special effects and video game industries. Sculpting, mold making, puppet fabrication. Branching out was key in being able to stay working as a freelancer Read more>>

Ayumi Williams

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it wasn’t an overnight success. It has been a journey filled with both strategic decisions and learning from experience. My career has spanned over 20 years in the design field, evolving from apparel design to UX design, with a focus on a user-centered process and business strategy. It definitely wasn’t like that from day one. Early in my career, I started in apparel design, which was creatively fulfilling but came with its own set of challenges in terms of job security and consistent income. I realized that in order to build a sustainable career, I needed to expand my skill set and align it more closely with industries where there was a constant demand for design expertise. That’s when I transitioned into UX design. This shift wasn’t immediate; I spent time learning, growing, and adapting my skills. By combining my background in apparel design with a user-centered approach, I found that I could provide value in the tech space, especially in industries like education and enrollment systems, which have been my focus recently. Read more>>

Picara Clavel

Before I started tattooing I was working as a freelance designer for a couple of brands mainly in Colombia. Even though I had graduated with a major in design, my salary was terrible and I really felt like the people that I worked for didn’t really value neither me or my talent. They loved everything I did, but they still weren’t willing to pay full price for anything and also made me work extra hours without acknowledging the extra effort. Being tired of this situation I decided to start tattooing. This was something that had been in my mind ever since I was in high school but I was too scared to pursue it because it was a very uncommon career path. Feeling very unhappy with my current job situation I figured I’d give it a try and took the risk even tho I was very scared of failing. Read more>>

Vanessa Jo Bahr

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I cut my teeth as a full-time artist when I first discovered printmaking and realized I could independently make prints for bands and festivals as an undergraduate college student. I would sell prints in the parking lots before and after concerts all across the country between my academic obligations. This work was challenging, a whole lot of fun and taught me multitudes about life, the world, marketing, budgeting, time management, presentation, finance, relationships. and so much more. This breakthrough method of getting my art into the world gave me the financial stability, confidence and freedom to pursue a career in the arts. It helped me realize that I could make a living from my art and have a great time while doing so. Making work to sell in this way really fostered the development of a studio practice, improved my self confidence and helped cultivate my entrepreneurial side. It takes a lot of determination and resiliency to put yourself out there in such a way but was such a rewarding undertaking in the end. Read more>>

Jared Benjamin

One of the things I am most proud of in this career path of mine is that I am have got myself to a point where I am able to support myself and make a solid living off music that I own. Being a struggling independent artist in New York City was not fun. To me, “making it”, was being able to buy a burrito instead of a dollar slice, which I was having almost every night just to get by. When I started putting music out, after 5 months I received a paycheck of a few hundred bucks. I can see how it at that point it is very easy to get discouraged, but I just kept reminding myself that in every career path, people have to make their way up from the bottom (and I don’t think there’s a way to speed that up). While I am still learning all the details of how to make money in music, I identified a business plan that I believed could lead to me being able to support myself and followed that through until it did. Read more>>

Chivan Lim

WINEHOUSE consists of 4 members! Sarah, Chivan, Aiden, and Josh. The band does a lot of gigs that showcase our originals with other original bands, it’s our favorite type of shows. Unfortunately it doesn’t always pay the bills… That’s where the beauty of cover gigs comes into play and the need for cover music at weddings, events, and parties. It’s a little bit of a battle though. Cover gigs aren’t as fun, but they pay a lot. The sustainability through cover gigs allows us to have creative work as part of our main sources of income. There’s members like Josh who produces full=time now! At his studio, Light House Studios. This is giving him a full-time living income. Sometimes for this type of work you end up working more hours, but it’s more fulfilling Read more>>

Emida Roller

I always had a sense that I would become an artist when I grew up. From a very young age, I loved creating. My father was an art professor, and I enjoyed watching and helping him in his studio, which taught me early on that it was possible to make a living as an artist. My hands-on, tactile nature led me toward 3D art, but ultimately, I found my path as a mural artist. When I first started, it was very part-time, but over time, as I gained more recognition, my workload grew. Now, I’m a full-time muralist and have found a way to keep the momentum going. I network constantly, share my work and stories about engaging with communities, and show people what I do. I also use social media to showcase my work and seek out unique opportunities. Read more>>