Getting started sounds so easy – but for millions of aspiring artists and creatives, the uncertainty of the path forward presents a very real challenge. So, we wanted to gather some artists and creatives we admire to open up about their experience and how they think about whether they should have started sooner or waited for a better time.

Semir Ahmed

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change the timing of when I started my creative journey. I first picked up a camera in high school, taking selfies for Instagram, but it wasn’t until a few years later, during my sophomore year at the University of Memphis, that I seriously got into photography. If I started sooner I would’ve picked up technical skills earlier and have much more presence in my field. However there is the possibility that if I started sooner key moments that shaped my career wouldn’t have happened. I’m kind of stuck in between in wishing that I started sooner and starting at the same time. Read more>>

Ivan Meshcheriakov

I’ve always pondered this question. I often wish I had started my career as an artist much earlier. But I also realize that everything happens in its own time. You need to be mentally and emotionally prepared for many things, especially when success comes suddenly, as not everyone can handle it. That’s why I spent a long time DJing and then moved into business, prioritizing financial stability. In hindsight, I believe this was the right path, but perhaps I should have pursued music full-time, focusing on creativity, exploring opportunities, and learning to play an instrument. However, I also understand that if success had come quickly, like it does for many, I might not have been able to handle it. So, I believe everything happened the way it was meant to. Read more>>

Grace Hansen

During my undergraduate degree, I was fortunate enough to get an internship at Lionsgate Entertainment in their production and development department. That experience influenced me in many ways, but there were two that stood out most. First, I realized that there was a world where I stayed in Los Angeles at 21 years old and tried to work my way into a writers’ room through a series of assistantships. The second was, at that juncture of my life, if I’d done that I wouldn’t have anything to say if I did get the privilege of holding the pen. After my internship ended, I finished my bachelor’s degree and decided to go to law school. I worked as a prosecuting attorney on a Native American reservation and then as a teacher in a public high school, and I trusted that when the time came, my life would find its way back to stories. It has. And now I feel ready in a way I wouldn’t have ten years ago when I first got a taste of the creative life. Read more>>

Staley Pearl

I started my creative career right on time! About 5 years ago in early motherhood, a creative pull was awakened within me. My mother had recently died and while cleaning up her apartment, I decided to use her art supplies. I began painting during the brief in-between moments of my day; it was like a faucet that wouldn’t turn off. I also realized at that time that full-time work outside of the home didn’t fit my life anymore. I loved my career and had worked hard to get it, but the pressures of an early working parenthood made it difficult to enjoy anything. Read more>>