We think the world needs more artists, more creatives and more folks unwilling to spend their days as a cog in a giant corporate machine. We don’t necessarily dislike cogs or machines but we think the world clearly needs more artists and creatives and so we wanted to try to figure out how more artists can make it work financially since this is one of the major obstacles blocking so many artists and creatives from pursuing their art full time. So, we asked folks who have been able to make a full time living through their creative work, how they did it.
Dina Mild
I do earn a full-time living from my creative work now, but it definitely wasn’t like that from day one. It’s been a long, winding, and often chaotic road — equal parts laughter and logistics.
I started performing improv over 10 years ago, stand-up – for about 4 years. Pretty quickly I realized that if I wanted more opportunities, I’d have to build them myself. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset — my mom ran her own business, and I had already launched two startups by the time I discovered improv. Read More>>
Jonathan Paula
After graduating Emerson College with a B.A. in TV production in 2008, I immediately went to work editing political campaign commercials during that year’s election cycle. But in parallel, my YouTube channel kept growing and growing. I’d work 9 hours a day downtown in Boston, come home to my apartment and work on the next episode of “Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?” until I needed to sleep… and then repeat. When the election cycle and related projects winded down the following Spring, I was let go. Read More>>
Dana Jae Labrecque
I started working in audio in my early 20s after deciding not to pursue a career in law. During my Junior year at UC Berkeley, I went to a large music festival and saw U2. From that moment on, I knew that music was the avenue to change the world and make people feel good, not being a lawyer or a politician, which I had dreamed of since I was 8. Read More>>
Ruihan Xu
It wasn’t a full-time living from day one — like many creatives, I started as an intern in motion and graphic design, working with studios like Dazzle and McCann Worldgroup. During that time, I had the opportunity to observe, support, and collaborate with creative directors across a range of projects, which gave me both a clearer understanding of the industry and valuable hands-on experience. Read More>>
Neil Kleid
So, I have two outlets for creative work. The first, product design; yes. I have maintained a successful and thriving career as a user experience designer and product designer, after a pivotal shift from being a print designer toward UX/UI work thanks to opportunities to expand my skills at a financial publisher in 2007, and then an unforeseen layoff in 2017. Read More>>
Lauri Matisse
I am multi-talented, entrepreneurial woman who is, ‘of the arts’, I would say. I have lived off of my creative talents since 1983. I have made money with Architecture, Interior Design, Furniture Design,Landscape Design, Art, Books, and Film Writing. I have also raised four children alone on my creative talents. My mom had a cool shop in the late 60’s – 80’s called the Cat’s Meow. Read More>>
Myles Tate
I do earn a full-time living in the industry of music. It is my belief that my past, as well as the rest of our paths are forged before we are birthed. I am a follower of Christ therefore I believe that God had in his plans for me to be not just a performing musician, but a music educator. The problem was I did not think so. I remember my band director from high school, Mr. Robert A. Read More>>
Dale Morton
Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living being a mascot costume maker but it hasn’t been easy. From when I started in 2001 it was always a question of having too much work or not enough. Having too much work meant that we would get backed up really fast and clients who were further down the schedule would get impatient. Read More>>
Alexander Breaux
I’ve always felt the pull towards creative endeavors. At 10 years old, when other kids wanted to grow up to be a firefighter or an astronaut, I wanted to write books. When I was a teenager, I decided I’d be a musician and taught myself how to play several instruments. In college, I picked up photography and videography as a fun hobby that helped pay the bills. Read More>>
Cheyenne Underwood
Oh, absolutely, but let me be real with you, it didn’t happen overnight, and it definitely wasn’t linear. I’ve built a multi-six-figure photography business that has supported my family and allowed me to be fully present as a mom of three. But when I first started, I was hustling for a few hundred dollars here and there, taking on any client who would pay me, with no systems, no niche, and a whole lot of late nights editing while the rest of my house was asleep. Read More>>
Jara Hill
I have been a professional photographer for about 15 years now, earning enough for a full-time living for many of those 15 years. Of course, it took some time in the beginning to gain enough clients to have enough work and I have moved and taken breaks to have children or to be at home with my kids during the pandemic. Each of those breaks I would say was minor set-back, but I have managed to quickly build my business back each time. Read More>>
Cato Zane
I’m currently earning a living from my creative work (running a small recording studio here in San Diego), but it definitely wasn’t like this from day one. Like many people in creative fields, I started out juggling multiple side gigs to make ends meet. After graduating undergrad I managed the school recording studio, took assistant gigs in studio, did freelance audio editing and mixing, worked in the musical theater work (eventually working on traveling Broadway shows). Read More>>
Peter Farr
If I’m certain of one thing – no artist or creative is able to predict how their path in the arts will play out. This is a tricky challenge to modern eduction in any selected discipline of craft. When we’re pursuing degrees or classes that develop and hone our craft, we’re told by teachers and industry professionals all the “right” things to do to set ourselves up for success and keep getting work. I am not saying that all of those people and words of wisdom are wrong, I moreso think of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard saying “One can make no mistakes and still lose. Read More>>
Alexandria Jade
I’m currently working as a Freelance Music Supervisor and Intern at a Sync Catalogue Agency, after years of persistence and openness to every opportunity that would bring me closer to a career in music. Read More>>
Ryan Delcher
The most critical factor that has allowed me to sustain a full-time living through creative work is diversity—in my skill set, the types of projects I take on, and the variety of clients I serve. For the past seven years, this multifaceted approach has enabled me to maintain a career as a full-time creative professional. Read More>>
Cassandra Weber
It definitely took time. Before I was ever full-time, I was working a regular job while pouring everything I could into learning this craft. I invested in education, traveled for workshops, and built my portfolio through styled shoots and creative collaborations—often unpaid—just to learn and grow. Connecting with other photographers, saying yes to opportunities that helped me evolve, and just showing up even when I didn’t fully know what I was doing, that’s what pushed me forward. Read More>>
Pamela PerryGoulardt
For most of my career, I have supported myself through my creative work. Early on, I had the great fortune of winning Second Place in the LIFE magazine contest, which proved to be a turning point. At the time, I was in California, where Diana Vreeland had recognized my work and encouraged me to photograph models. I collaborated with the LaBelle Modeling Agency in Santa Barbara and did publicity photography for North Beach Leather, as well as various clothing stores. Read More>>
Hope Jackson
The gift to be able to earn a full time living from creative work currently feels like a dream I can’t stop chasing. I feel there are stories that I want to tell to share with the movie industry and audience but it is such a struggle with no film degree, mentor, or certifications. Read More>>
Audrey Baran
I have been able to earn a living from my creative work as dance artist and educator for 20 years. Right out of college I began teaching at local studios and academies, such as Charlotte Ballet and Open Door Studios. I founded my professional dance company, Baran Dance, in 2012 and we became a nonprofit organization in 2021. Read More>>
Emily
When I decided to start my own face painting business, I was a stay-at-home mom looking for a creative way to contribute financially to my family without needing to rely on daycare. Most face painting gigs take place on weekends or in the evenings, so I hoped it could be the perfect fit. Read More>>
Melanie Borjas
My path as an artist has been a slow, soulful evolution — shaped by curiosity, passion, and the need to create.
I began in fashion, drawn to the way beauty can express what words can’t. Later, tattooing came into my life as a powerful and unexpected calling.
I didn’t follow a traditional roadmap. I just followed what made me feel alive. Read More>>