We’ve seen way too many talented creatives quit because they couldn’t make it work financially. No doubt, the financial challenges of pursuing a creative or artistic career are daunting, but we felt there wasn’t enough discussion around how to make it work. So, we connected with artists and creatives who’ve been able to earn a full time living from their creative work and asked them to share their stories with our readers.

Sarah Swanson

Photography is the process or practice of creating a photograph. 3.3 million photos are taken every single minute, according to the latest statistics on photutorial.com. With that many images being produced you may be wondering how you begin to take images that make you stand out and, more importantly, get paid for your work. As a professional photographer with over 15 years of experience ‘getting paid’ for my work, I am going to share with you some advice I wish I would have known to give myself when I first got started. Read more>>

Courtney Pike

Any small business owner, entrepreneur, or creative will tell you that it’s not easy to give up stability in order to take a chance on your business. I can honestly sit here and tell you that I was not financially prepared to quit my full-time job when I did! It was scary, but I knew the potential was there – I just had to get comfortable living uncomfortably for awhile. When I started working with my first few clients, I never felt like I even saw the extra income. The full-time job I was in wasn’t even scratching the surface when it came to cost of living. Financial stress is HARD. And I felt like this was my chance to dictate my own income… I just needed to be able to quit my full-time job. Read more>>

Will Baffle

Making a living from my creative work is always a challenge. It is often times a feast or famine reality. I always have to look approximately, 3 to 6 months ahead to see what events will be coming up to market too, that way I can try and have consistent work. Being self employed isn’t as easy as most people think. You have to push yourself everyday to “go to work” as it is very tempting to just sit around all day watching T.V. A mentor told me once that in this business you have to be very proactive and not reactive. Read more>>

Brittany Short

I have but it hasn’t always been easy. I worked at a full-time photographer at a women-led startup in San Francisco for 4+ years before diving into the world of freelance which was extremely daunting. I was lucky enough to have contacts in the area and started reaching out and making connections and finding work. Each month was and is so different depending on the season so it’s always been good to schedule out shoots far in advance and often times taking last minute gigs. It’s all about being flexible and sometimes you start off photographing things that don’t seem as interesting to you to get to where you want to be. Read more>>

JJ Media Group

Being an entrepreneur is no simple task it takes dedication, resilience, and a lot of patience. For me trying to do this full-time has been challenging however it has also been very rewarding being able to do what you love and see it on video is something special. It’s undescribable sometimes I can’t believe we do what we do. Read more>>

Jennifer Foster

Robert & I moved to Austin, TX with the game plan to make a full-time living doing music. I had lived in Los Angeles for many years and I always had a side hustle between projects or during projects. Robert did as well. I think it’s healthy to begin your journey working jobs that help you get to where you want to be. I scooped ice cream, worked so many front desks. Rob worked at Starbucks for a long time. It gives you the motivation, builds your work ethic and bit of cash to get you going. Read more>>

Brooke Benson

Yes I’m so grateful to be making a great living from my art. Over the last 15 years it’s been quite the journey to not just survive but to thrive. I started my jewelry business more as a hobby and organically and slowly it has evolved over the years. . When I truly started to commit more time and consistency to my business I saw the steady climb financially. In some ways it feels effortless now. Read more>>

Sya Anderson

I am currently working as a full-time artist, with a pretty even balance between painting and tattooing. One thing I wish I had been told early in my career is that there’s no shame in having several jobs, and you certainly don’t need the pressure of paying the bills with art when you’re finding your footing in the industry. I have never asked my art to support my living, I’ve always made sure my living supported my art-making. Read more>>

Shweta Vasudeva

It’s been an overwhelming journey. I love what i do and i am extremely lucky to earn a full-time living with the profession i have chosen. I started my career as a Dance Instructor and taught for 6 years while simultaneously working in IT industry as a Software Engineer. I gave my IT job few months back as i am actively working as an Independent Artist as an Actress / Model/ Anchor / Dancer and travel throughout USA. It was a brave decision considering the monetary challenges but i am in a space where I can proudly say I am earning well and with the help of family i could make this move. Read more>>

Erin McLendon

Recently, yes, I have and I am so thankful for it! There’s such a huge cliche about the “starving artist” and I never wanted to be thought of as such so, I started working multiple jobs right out of college, while still pursuing my artist career with the intention of eventually making a full-time salary through my music. Read more>>

Brittany Boggs

Absolutely I have! Of course not in the beginning like almost all hairstylist know. You have to start on the bottom of the totem pole and build your clientele. I’ve had my fair share of times where I sat with my mom crying, wondering if I made a mistake getting into this industry. But once I went out on my own I learned how to grow my business myself and build the type of clients I wanted and had always dreamed of. Thank god for social media and the power of small town talk! Read more>>

Vitalijs Osipenko

So, my creative work’s definitely my source of income. I am a content creator and film producer and let me tell you – it can be such a hustle to be able to thrive creatively while maintaining financial stability. My biggest piece of advice for an aspiring creative, blogger, artist or producer would be to grind like crazy and keep your mind open to new ways to meet clients. Hard work doesn’t always pay off so you have to be socially engaged as well. Part of my job is to attend social events where I can network and meet other creatives. Read more>>

Logan Thomas

I am grateful to be earning a full-time living as a performing musician. There was a lot of trial and error to get here, and it certainly was not an easy journey, but it has definitely been worth it. I played in a wide variety of bands throughout my teenage years, playing everything from indie rock to metal to worship music. I eventually discovered my love for songwriting and decided to pursue a career as a solo artist. Read more>>

John Yates

I have been so fortunate to have earned a full-time living from my creative work for the past ten years. Having amazing clients who value the work I do has been a phenomenal experience. Working in the creative field is definitely an adjustment to having a corporate 9-5 type job. Not having a steady paycheck can be difficult at times. Budgeting for months where there will be a lot of work coming in and then having months where you wonder if any new work will come in is a challenge. In the beginning of working for myself I really didn’t know the cycle and how to plan for this. Read more>>

Tiffany Tynes-Gonzales

I am blessed to be able to earn a full-time living as a content creator and business owner of 3 different businesses. Starting my journey is honestly really simple. I got tired of working for others and building their empires and wanted to put 100% focus into my content and my own brands. It takes a lot of consistency, hustle, hard work, and passion to take the leap of not working for others and starting your own business and it is not easy. Read more>>

Trent Colquitt

So, the first time I actually thought i could earn a full time living from my work is when i was receiving request for sneakers while i was at my former employer and not searching for commissions. I think the biggest thing is building your portfolio and alignment with people/brands that can “legitimize” you. Another important aspect of earning a full time living is asking yourself “How many streams of revenue can you create?” I started offering private classes, launching merchandise and doing pop up events. There are several ways of stabilizing your craft without losing the integrity of your work or passions. Read more>>

Thomas Gillman

This is what I do full time. It was a process for sure. It took a lot of hard work and patience. This was a side hustle at first and I worked a normal 9-5 job while trying to get this off the ground. It took about 3 and a half years before it finally got to a point where I had to make a choice to either go for this full time or cut back. Obviously this was my dream and I went for it. I’ve been full time ever since. I’ve now been full time in the wedding photography industry for 11 years. I cant imagine going back to a regular job at this point. Read more>>

Lyrically True

I went to school for theatre. Naturally you have 2 options after graduating, go to grad school or go directly into the working field. I was tired of the school system, so I devised a plan and I hit the ground running… After graduating, it was my goal to move to New York to pursue broadway, then move to LA, transition to film and television, then move back home to build an empire, and plant seeds within my community. Read more>>

Morgan Cook

As of the last 4 years I have earned a full time living from painting murals. I have been involved with art and specifically spray painting the last 13 years. Originally I opened a martial arts school at 16 with my father and he worked as the manager while I taught our classes. I have a 3rd degree black belt in Kukkiwon Tae Kwon-Do and traveled and competed all across the country. It seemed my path was laid out for me but I had this nagging obsession with graffiti that consumed me and all of my free time away from teaching and training. Read more>>

Mico Whitw

Well, it wasn’t An easy transition from working a full-time job in corporate to now being a business owner. Mainly because I was afraid. I truly was afraid that I wouldn’t make enough to pay the bills or enough clients to keep myself afloat. which is exactly what happened. But that speed bump in my career motivated me to learn proper advertising and networking which helped me build my clientele to a point where i have a steady flow of business. knowing what I know now I would have quit my job much sooner it. Read more>>

Tracy Stevens

Yes, I am making a living as a creative. I contract myself to a couple different companies, look for outlets that feature my fine arts and I have a strong support system. I’ve learned not to set limits on myself, my work or those around me. In the beginning, it was not like this at all. It took a while for me to realize I have talents that would take me anywhere. I was still young in business. Read more>>

Avery Griffin

It is completely possible to make a living off of creative work. However, I (personally still have a full time job). Through allot of life’s up’s and down’s I have found that the most stable solution for me at this point in time is to still maintain a full time job. In the early day’s of selling my art or creating furniture I focused entirely to much on the project instead of the initial investment budget of the project. I became so overwhelmed with the *process* I would not complete the project or I would not realize that I am underselling myself. Read more>>

Paulomi Mukherjee

I believe there is no fixed path towards earning a full-time living from your creative work. It could be freelance, it could be a full-time job, content creation or a bit of everything. For me as an immigrant, I was required to be sponsored by a company as soon as I graduated from college. I only had a couple of months to find a full-time job, or I would have to leave the country. So, my summer of 2019 was full-time job applications with a hint of fun-employment. Read more>>

Regina Mandell

I started working more seriously with clay in 2014. At that time I would post photos of my work on my Instagram account. In doing so I started getting interest in my pottery which lead to commissions and eventually wholesale orders. I continued working and posting until I was getting too busy making pottery to continue doing it as only a hobby or side hustle. In 2017 I took the leap to make pots full time and officially registered my business. Read more>>

Ayala

My biggest personal accomplishment is being able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. My artistic journey really started in my performing arts high school. I met an incredible teacher who taught me how to paint. As a first generation kid, my parents were burdened with the task of survival so plans for higher education was never really discussed. My teacher practically filled out my college application for me and I was awarded a scholarship to attend the California College of Arts. Read more>>