The world needs artists and creatives. Unfortunately, being needed doesn’t often easily translate into financial stability. The struggle is real for so many incredibly talented artists and creatives and so we think it’s important to hear from creatives who have made it work – there is so much to learn from the folks we’ve featured below.

Titus Simirica

My first job in the industry was swiftly met with the hard lesson of my studio shutting down. Looking back, in that moment I knew what a tumultuous time the game industry was experiencing and instead of focusing on my future and whether or not I was going to make it. I wish I spent that energy in the one thing I can actually affect which is growing myself and my artistic abilities and putting my confidence in that.  Read more>>

Simon Salt

As a full-time creative I haven’t always earned a full-time living from my work. When I first started out I had side jobs that paid the bills. I had to be realistic with my expectations. I had bills to pay and my photography jobs weren’t bringing in enough to cover those. The downside of having the other jobs was it took time away from developing my skills as a photographer. So it was a fine balance of working enough to cover the bills while at the same time practicing my craft. Sometimes that meant working for free or for trade. Read more>>

Mindy Huntress

Yes, I’m grateful to say that today I earn a full-time living from my art — though the path was anything but instant success. When I first began painting professionally in 2011, I was battling severe PTSD and agoraphobia. Working a traditional job wasn’t possible at the time, but painting gave me purpose — slowly, and on my own terms. I would post new paintings and in-progress photos online, never expecting much, until one day a high school acquaintance recommended me for a gallery show in Milwaukee. Read more>>

Emily Ulm

Yes, I earn a full-time living from my creative work designing and producing handmade tiles, but it definitely wasn’t like that from day one. It’s been a long, steady climb, not an overnight leap. The early years were lean as I refined my designs, experimented with materials and glazes, and figured out how to turn a creative passion into a viable business. Read more>>

Priyadharshini Sritharan

When I started Expressive Dollz, I had no idea it would grow into the business it is today. It wasn’t a full-time income from day one. In fact, it began as a passion project, inspired by my love for culture, tradition, and storytelling through handcrafted dolls. I was creating these pieces because I loved the art, not because I saw it as a business. But when I saw the response—how people connected emotionally with the dolls, I realized there was something deeper here. Read more>>

Pranto Podder

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work – but it was a journey filled with challenges, risks, and growth. I moved to the United States from a small town in Bangladesh in 2014. I was 18, wide-eyed, and stepping into a whole new world with nothing but ambition and a deep curiosity for creativity. At the time, I had no idea that photography and visual storytelling would become my path — I just knew I loved creating. Read more>>

 Jessie Lazar Potter And Founder

My process developing a full time creative practice that was my full livelihood was a process. Like, a long process. I started out as a potter slowly and took classes and practiced every possible free moment for years. I ca to ceramics after college and was working making jewelry and waiting tables to cover rent. Slowly I began to teach small beginner classes at the Manhattan studio where I learned, and selling work at small fairs and pop up sales. The next steps were doing more established events like the Renegade Craft Fair. Slowly I began to wholesale my work and teach more classes and I found myself supported by ceramics sales! Read more>>