Everyday, somewhere, there is an aspiring artist or creative daydreaming about pursing their creative career full time. Everyday, there are countless creatives thinking about whether to pursue their passion more seriously and so we wanted to hear from folks who’ve made the leap. We asked them to reflect on if they wish they had started sooner or if they feel they would have been better off if they had waited a bit longer.

Chad Wilson

That is a great question. Without a doubt, I wish I began my personal artistic career earlier. I made my first oil painting in 1998 as a senior in high school, and the years and events to follow had me producing work out of necessity, as personal projects would not pay the bills. It wasn’t until 2021 that I began to transition to producing work based on inspiration and not obligation. Had I continued post high school, my artistic sense and style would have been developed a long time ago, and I would have a larger body of work now. Read more>>

Mattie Newlin

Looking back, I wish I had started my creative career sooner, but at the same time, I can’t change the past, and I try to remind myself that in your 20s, you’re still figuring out life. It’s the time when you’re navigating adulthood for the first time—learning who you are, figuring out what you really want, and trying different things. I graduated with a degree in Film and TV in 2022, and back then, my passion was all about directing. I loved creating all sorts of films—music videos, fashion films, documentaries—and that excitement for directing pushed me forward. Read more>>

Tanya Lashley

The answer is unequivocally sooner. I spent many years in corporate America, and while I deeply value the lessons I learned and the experiences I gained there, nothing compares to the freedom of stepping into your own power. Pursuing a creative career has allowed me to live my truest, most highest expression of myself. It’s an indescribable feeling to create something that is not only meaningful to you but also resonates with others on a deeper level. Read more>>

Jevon Woods

I believe that everything in my life happens in divine order so I know that I’m right on time with this part of my life and the creative process.. I started painting 7 years ago, but also loved art and drawing as far back as I can remember.. I don’t wish would have started sooner or later.. I’m grateful for the timing of all things in my life … My life has always been a work of art in progress. Read more>>

Bakist Edwards

After graduating with my degree in Visual Arts, I felt pressured to find a “real job.” The job market for recent graduates in creative fields is highly competitive, and I was eager to secure employment. I started working at a non-profit organization, where I found ways to express my creativity in my role, but it simply wasn’t enough. Looking back, I wish I had taken the initiative to learn video editing and challenged myself creatively outside of work. Read more>>

Lauren Flynn

I used to consider myself a late bloomer and be resentful of the many factors that “kept me from” having a creative life. There was a time that I wondered about what a trajectory would have looked like if I’d had been pushed in a creative direction from a young age. In some ways I was, but practicality was always the priority in my environment. When I look back at myself as a young adult, what seemed to be a really lost woman trying to find herself was really me, chipping away at the false self to start to get to the path that would be like a magic carpet and serve as a consistent foundation for my creative and spiritual self. Read more>>

Omari Mcclain

If I could go back in time, I do wish I had started my creative career earlier. My first experience in college wasn’t even focused on music—I pursued a degree as an autobody technician, learning to repair and paint vehicles. At the time, I had a passion for music and the industry, but I didn’t have the knowledge or connections to navigate it. I wasn’t aware that pursuing music through formal education or structured opportunities was even an option until much later when my entertainment attorney mentioned it. Read more>>

Liz Blake

I wish that I had started painting sooner than I did. I did paint as a child, but I didn’t seriously get back into it until after I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2020. With a lot of extra time during shut down for Covid, I started painting as a hobby. I used it as an escape and it was, and still is, very calming and fulfilling for me. I painted on a couple vinyl records for my friends, which were the first time I made money for my art. I made my social media art account on Instagram shortly after to share some of the art I was doing. I started my Etsy shop (Trippy Moon Goddess) a couple years later, and have kept going since then. I wish that I had started earlier, specifically with my Etsy shop because I had been scared to do so for a while and was second guessing if anyone would want to see or buy my art. I also wish I had practiced painting more during college, even as just a hobby, because it has brought me joy and meaning in my life, which I struggled with somewhat in college. Read more>>

Kristi Klein

There are many days I wish I had started my career as a creative sooner, mostly just because I love what I’m doing now. However, I also try not to live my life with regrets. I’m a big believer in timing and think that certain things begin and end for you at different points in your life for a specific reason. Now that I’ve lived so much of my life, I’m able to approach my work in a much different way, then say when I was in my early 20s. I truly believe there is so much value in an artist drawing from their own experiences and bringing that to their work. A lot of my work is inspired by my childhood growing up in Los Angeles in the 60s/70s. I know any work I would’ve created back then would be a lot different that the work I’m creating now as I’m able to look back on things differently, seeing what’s changed or perhaps not changed today for better or for worse. Read more>>

Kenz Warfield

While I have always been painting and creating since I was little, it wasn’t until college that I really decided to look at it from a different perspective. I think the timing was perfect honestly when I opened my small art business officially in school. It was the ideal time to test out and learn if I could even balance my art hobby as a business with college (now my career). My small business journey started through opening an Etsy shop while I was attending college in 2018, pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in the Sciences. My husband (boyfriend at the time) actually was the one to encourage me to start selling on Etsy and helped me believe in myself and my art. I truly didn’t think anyone would like my creations, let alone buy it. Read more>>

Judy Stippich

Way back to the beginning…. My mother was a brilliant seamstress so as a child I grew up around fabric. All my life through high school I chose my own fabrics for the clothes my mom would make. No store bought clothes. My mother also kept her children busy with crafts. I always loved the creative process. Mom also insisted that all four of her children got a chance to get a college education. I was under the impression one could not make a living in art so I chose another field: speech-language pathology in the schools. I did enjoy that for a long time but eventually that pull to creating got me. I still wonder what would have become of me if I had pursued art as a career back then. And yet I am grateful for my life as each decision does add up to my life today in which I am free to create and draw upon my life experiences til now. Read more>>