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.

Chez Chesak

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my entire career has been built around accumulating experiences more than wealth. I’ve always gravitated toward roles that provided me with opportunities to experience the world, be it via international travel, exploring local and regional communities, engaging with unique and diverse peoples, etc. Read More>>

Judy Haas

Perseverance has been the key to being a successful artist. Each step forward has been a testament to the beauty of resilience. In 1985, I embarked on my professional art journey with an inaugural gallery exhibition in Aspen, Colorado. Though out the past 40 years, I have continued to showcase my diverse body of work in galleries across the United States and even in London, exploring various mediums to express my artistic vision. Read More>>

Yash Kapoor

Yes, but it didn’t happen overnight—and it definitely wasn’t linear.

I started off like a lot of young producers do: making beats in my bedroom in Mumbai, uploading unfinished tracks to SoundCloud, and staying up till 4AM trying to mix vocals on cracked software. I didn’t know then that I was building the foundation for a full-time career—I just knew I was obsessed with sound. Read More>>

Nikki Dee Lyons

I’d love to share a bit about what it was like to start from scratch after moving across the country. I became a stylist in San Diego in 2016, and I was fortunate to build a busy and successful career there. In 2023, after having my baby, we made the bold decision to move 3,000 miles away to North Carolina—a place where we didn’t know a single person. It was definitely a leap of faith. Read More>>

Barret Lee

My fine artist journey began at the Minneapolis of College of Art and Design. When I started there I knew I had to be all in on making this art thing happen. When I graduated in 2016 I learned you no longer need the gallery system. You can have buyers come to you with social media cutting out high gallery cuts on sales and long wait times for shows. Read More>>

Hiromi Cota

The games industry, on average, pays pretty poorly, but I tend to stay very busy. As an example, I usually have around 10 projects in the air at any given time. That translates into income that’s frequent enough to pay bills or at least make a dent in them. Read More>>

Geronimo

I have been incredibly fortunate to make a good and rewarding living from my lifelong passion and vocation as a musician. While it is true that, in hindsight and without noticing, my career started in early childhood, it never felt like a chore, or something I was pressured by my parents to pursue. I guess in my case, the old adage, “if you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life” DID come true. Read More>>

Nic Wheat

Being a creative definitely entails a lot of flux. As an artist, we live a world where we’re constantly told to “get a real job,” or our businesses and passions get called that “little thing”, I think we end up putting a lot of pressure on ourselves, to ‘make it’ – whatever that means. In reality, its a bit more complicated than that. Just like creativity, opportunities come in waves and its so important to make space for that and take it as it comes. Read More>>

Stephen Bray

Yes, I’ve been fortunate to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it’s been a gradual journey built step by step. After earning my BFA from the University of Kansas, I began my career as a staff illustrator at the VA Hospital in St. Louis. At the same time, I freelanced for local advertising agencies and did photo retouching using an airbrush—an art form that would eventually become central to my creative path. Read More>>

Holly Henry

I started my bespoke cowboy boot making business a year ago and it is currently my full time job. But it has been a journey to get to where I am now. I first became interested in making footwear when I took a footwear design course in college, at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). I immediately felt drawn to the craft, and knew i would do whatever I had to in order to make this unique craft my career. Read More>>

BRITTON SATCHER

I have definitely been able to make a full-time living for my creative work, but it certainly was not an easy task, and I really didn’t start to see real results until about 2024. I started making films 13 years ago in the year 2012 I was also doing really well as a recording artist/comedian at the time. Throughout my time learning my craft, I experienced many ups and downs. And at one particular point in my life, there were many more “downs” than anything because in 2017 I had no idea that my life would change in one of the worst ways possible. Read More>>

Annika Wooton

I’m actually answering this question at a wild and perfect time – this is my last week at my full-time job. I officially put in my notice a couple weeks ago, and I’m stepping fully into the world of live painting and performance art as my full-time career. It’s really exciting, but it’s also mildly terrifying? But honestly, I’ve learned that most of the best things in life feel like both. Read More>>