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.

Alfredo Hernandez

I started my photography journey 15 years ago. At first it was primarily because I wanted to document the places I traveled to for my job at that time. It started with a disposable camera that I would purchase from Walgreens and take it in when it was full and get a new one while they would develop the photos. In 2009 I moved from San Antonio to Arizona, after seeing how beautiful the sunsets and sunrises were in the desert. Read more>>

Chris Norwood

I’ve been a full time musician since college. After I graduated I joined a band/performing group and toured the country. But once I got married, I decided to get off the road. It was then that I got a job as a studio manager and an advertising/film/tv composer for a music production company in Dallas. I’ve been doing that job for the last 12+ years. It has allowed me to continue making music as a living. And frees me up financially to be able to provide for my family while still making the kind of music I want to in my solo career and with my band Texicana. I suppose I could have sped up the process, but it would have come at a cost to my family. I love where I’m at in my career and love that I’ve been able to do it while maintaining a healthy family life. Read more>>

Chandler McLellan

I have been a sculpture artist for 4 years now, the last two have been a full time job. From day one I understood that to make it as an artist today, with the saturation of instagram and the internet, I needed to stand out and fill a need or a gap in the art and design market. I was originally drawn to Scandinavian design and so immediately on the outset of my career I began reaching out to designers in Europe who regularly purchased sculptures and objects that were similar to the things I was coming up with in my creative time. I saw a ton of ceramics but as a carpenter and wood worker I only knew wood and so as soon as I was completing my wood abstracts I was sending them to designers for free just to get my name out there. Read more>>

Daniel McGuire

I’ve been a balloon twister for 12 years, and a full time entertainer for the last 8 years or so. I started small, training as a part-time balloon artist for an agency in my college town, working for someone else much like folks work for me now. After graduation, I became the general manager, so I had the opportunity to learn how the business works, and learn what they did right and wrong. Read more>>

Aida Murad

One of my life philosophies is that we are either a Husky in snow or a Husky in the desert. I came across that realization when I witnessed my Husky who grew up in Jordan, a desert climate, in snow for the first time. I realized that he was not in his natural climate that fostered him to be his full self. But when he was in snow, his skin reacted differently and he came to life in ways I cannot yet describe. Read more>>

Danielle & Jared Zacharias

When we first started our business, we both had full time jobs in education. We dreamed of making this our full time business and so took steps to make that happen. Every time we we filmed a wedding, we’d buy a new piece of equipment. After a few years, we realized we had to take the plunge, and we are so glad we did! We feel like going full time was such a great move for many reasons. Read more>>

Nicole Bendig-Lamb

My journey to making a full-time living with my cake designs has been a long one, but so worth it! My whole life, I’ve been drawn to baking and cooking, and I always felt that the kitchen was my happy place. I remember being a little girl visiting my Aunt Florence, who owned her own restaurant. She would let me “help out” in her restaurant by bussing tables and doing easy jobs like filling the condiment containers. I’ll never forget standing in her kitchen and staring at the giant commercial mixer with pure joy in my heart! I knew then that I wanted to be a baker. Read more>>

Zachary Manno

I feel very fortunate to have been able to make my living solely from working as a full time music producer / musician. I graduated from Belmont University in 2018 and have since then been able to skip having any sort of “day job” because I already had my roots planted firmly in Nashville by the time I earned my degree. While I now look back and see that path led me to a successful business, at first I was quite nervous to have just left school and already be working only for myself. Read more>>

Chereen Leong Schwarz

As of 2021, I’m now earning a full-time living from my creative work. I never could have dreamed that my creative business is something that I could live on! Knitting was a hobby for me and a way to wind down after long days and nights on my feet working as a restaurant chef. I loved seeing the stitches become something more and soon had more knit items than I knew what to do with. I consider myself a process maker and truly love and enjoy the act of knitting. Read more>>

Lisa Brat Martinez

Growing up I always stood apart from everyone else. I was born into a family that has been in the entertainment industry for generations. I wasn’t the typical little girl who played with dolls or dreamt of fairy tales. I was a rough little girl, climbing trees, playing with farm animals, and hot wheels. A tomboy with sparkles best describes me, still to this day. During my adolescent years, I unfortunately experienced things in life that no child should. Read more>>

London Lawhon

Earning a full-time living through my creative work has been an ever evolving process over these past 10 years in the music industry. Throughout my teenage years I would pack up my parent’s cars every weekend and drive to wherever would allow me to sing. In 2020 I was teaching music during the work week, and then traveling to perform three shows a weekend. As momentum grew, I was prepping to release new music and tour… then the pandemic rocked the performance industry . Read more>>

Michael Sweere

My name is Michael Sweere. I’m a multi-media visual artist and I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve been earning a full-time living from my creative work since 2005. I’ve always wanted to be a visual artist. I can remember drawing pictures with my mother when I was about three years old. Looking back, it’s been an interesting path that I chose to follow. Read more>>