Pursuing a creative or artistic career can certainly be fulfilling, but it’s far from certain. Over the years, we’ve heard about the struggles from thousands of artists and creatives – it’s incredibly challenging and it can be tempting to wonder – what if you hadn’t pursued this path. We asked artists and creatives from across the community if they’ve every had those doubts themselves.

Amani Williams

’ve been working towards being an artist since i was super young. I knew when I was 7 or 8 that I wanted to be an artist. I had originally wanted to be a Graphic Designer but after going to a vocational school and doing it for two years, I wanted to do something slightly different. I’m very happy to be making and working as an artist and arts worker. I enjoy being apart of projects that help artists careers and make them feel good. Read More>>

Samantha Hernandez

I am very happy being an artist, but those thoughts do pop in every once in a while. Especially when money’s tight and clients are scarce. I’m also a part-time substitute teacher at my district, so sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I just gave up art as a career and settled in a normal job (like teaching). I had the opportunity to get a taste of it when I was a long term sub as an art teacher for three months. I truly enjoyed being with all the children and making fun pieces with them, but it was challenging and foreign in it’s own way. Read More>>

Julia Rose Davidson

This is such a loaded question! Honestly, I feel like part of being a creative is having the ability to “feel”, whether it is happy, frustrated, excited, or defeated. I’ve had a “regular” job before and there were things about it that I didn’t realize were so important to me, until now. Such as a stable and timely income, regular hours, and direct paths to growth. Read More>>

Carlos Kareem Windham

I have never been happier about the direction of my “professional path”, whatever that means. I’ve been blessed to parlay word-Tetris into a lucrative career as a facilitator, Executive Coach, and trainer for several public facing agencies across the region. Collaborating with Theresa Logan and Subduction Consulting, I’ve had the opportunity to help agencies elevate their internal strengths and wisdom, toward working for the most impacted folks in their respective communities. Read More>>

Amanda Dove

Every artist experiences their own peaks and valleys… For me, I get insane highs from performing and sharing my art, and chase it with a healthy dose of anxiety and self doubt. Ha. With that said, being an artist is the most liberating and beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. Read More>>

Tianying Yu

Yes, answer is for sure. I am an illustrator and animator. If I have to change job to make living or job not about art, maybe I choose to open flower shop or work in garden with plants. This answer is still not like normal job, but I feel art is better fit for me. I really enjoy process of always creating new things and exploring. Every time I look back at my creations and make changes, I can feel my understanding of world get closer, and I make my own language. Read More>>

Billy Kidd

I am extremely happy working as a professional artist. Not a single day goes by where I wonder what it would be like to have a regular job. I think most artists do what we do because we are not doing it for the money. It is too easy to find a regular job and make more money and have security. As an artists sometimes I feel I have no choice because I am driven by what I do every single hour of every single day. Nothing can distract me, not even the prospects of having a secure regular job. Read More>>

Grant Zubritsky

This is a great question as most people looking at creatives from the outside typically have a highly rose coloured view of the professional overall. ‘Your job seems amazing! You must love everyday,’ is a common sentiment I hear from friends and family. And yes they’re right, being able to sustain a decent living off of being a creative person is an amazing privilege. Read More>>

Kira Magoon

I’m so happy being a creative working as a musician, while live-streaming on the internet. For the last year, I’ve been dedicated to being a livestreamer full-time, and it’s so different that any job I’ve ever had. While I’m making more income, I work less hours, and I’m doing what I want to do creatively. I earned a degree this past May, and I always worried about what kind of occupation I would have after receiving it. Read More>>

Joseph Bautista

I think it’s a lot of fun creating a song. From it’s earliest idea in your head and listening to it in it’s final finished form as a product is an amazing feeling. Whether the song is good or bad. It’s your creation, your song, your music come to life. So yes there is that satisfaction when writing a song and seeing it through the end of it’s process. Yes happy in the moment when writing and recording. Read More>>

Jill Kramer

Most definitely, yes! I am very lucky to have the opportunity to pursue my craft full time.  And yes, I have wondered what it would be like to have a career that offered a steady income and better financial security. While I have held full and part time positions in arts administration and management over the last 20 years, none of them have been as satisfying or fulfilling to me as the act of creating. Struggling with creative inquiry, dirtying my hands with ink and paint, the work of making an idea come to life – that is what gives me satisfaction and joy. Read More>>

Heart of the City

There are always moments that have us questioning if we’ve chosen the right path. A life based on creative endeavors is not an easy one, but then again, nothing is. Regular jobs have massive drawbacks as well. Many of us in the band hold jobs, and the creative/musical side of our lives always wins out in the life enriching department. Read More>>

Fariha M Rehan

I am the happiest when I’m working and creating. I love how a simple splash of color can enhance someone’s natural beauty and boost confidence. I feel so proud of myself when my clients or models love the way they look after letting me make them up. I love the power of colors and I can’t picture myself doing anything else. Read More>>

Ashley Blackwell

I’d like to think that the entrepreneurial spirit has been within me since the womb! Literally! [laughs] I owe it to my mother, who’s always been a waymaker and shown me what it truly means to be your own boss.

Whether she was selling handcrafted flowers out of our home or slinging phonebooks and candles from the truck of our car, I grew up seeing her hustle… by any means necessary. Read More>>

Zeid Salfiti

Ahhhh, I’m sure this question is a deep one in every artists mind. Should I be doing this? The answer is, there is nothing else that you can do but create. Whatever it takes, in whatever circumstance creating is always the thing that makes me feel most like myself Read More>>

Fuzz E Grant

I was always an artist, but for decades I tried to NOT be an artist. I’ve tired every job, every path, but I kept going back to art. I couldn’t stop even when I tried desperately to.  There is, surprisingly, a lot of stigma about being an artist. Selfish, lazy, dreamer are all things that artists’ are called. Read More>>

John Hohnhorst

Overall, I am truly so unbelievably honored, blessed, and privileged to be able to wake up and pursue my wild dreams. I actually have had this conversation a few times with many different walks of life. Those who haven’t found their passions, those who have, and all those between. Though yes, this path can be really challenging sometimes, I really am happy to be able to struggle for this when I have to and fall deeper in love with the process along the way. Read More>>

Michelle Oppedisano

This question is asked all the time and, yes, I do wonder all the time. But the reality is that I’ve gotten a taste of it with my survival jobs, and I just want to be creating. I have to be performing. It was terrifying, but I finally burned the boats and jumped all in, and I’ve never been happier. Read More>>

Max Avila

I’m very happy as an artist! I’ve been a musician (drummer) for many years, since 1987, and a DJ for 15 years, but it wasn’t until rediscovering my love for lapidary in 2020 that I started being able to make a living off my art. I do still work a part time janitorial job which in itself is a positive thing that allows me to step away from lapidary or drumming with a different perspective to not be in the forefront. Read More>>

Yoshe Li

It’s a topic that always comes up when you’re involved in the creative field. People tend to ask questions like “Are you making any money?” or “Do you have a plan for yourself?” as if it’s foolish or immature to even consider pursuing a career as a full-time artist or creator. However, I must say that I’m at my happiest and most authentic self when I’m immersed in the creative process. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas for a song, engaging in recording sessions, performing on stage or shooting a music video, it’s an indescribable feeling to witness my vision materialize into a completed piece of work. Read More>>

Hana Delong

I am quite happy as a creative. It has allowed me to be myself and explore all aspects of life through movement. I get to tell stories as well as push the boundaries of what the body can do. Though it does come with challenges. I do sometimes wonder what it would be like if I had tried a different career path. I try not to dwell on past decisions, because I do believe things happen for a reason, but I don’t know if I would ever be as fulfilled as I am as an artist Read More>>

Ali Richey

I am extremely happy being able to work for myself. It’s almost unimaginable going back to work for someone else in a regular 9-5 again. However, I would say that being your own boss does require a LOT of self-control and scheduling. The plus side to making your own schedule can also be seen as a negative. If you don’t hold yourself accountable, there’s nobody to answer to besides yourself if you don’t keep true to your commitments. Read More>>

Emma Simpson

I reached a breaking point last Spring. I had so many negative, looping thoughts swimming around in my brain, “What if I make the wrong choice?” lead to, “If I make the wrong choice, I will be stuck forever.” Luckily, I had the support of my coach Katy Jayne. She helped me see that I would much rather focus on creating than on making the wrong choices. After that call, I committed myself, more than ever before, to my creative vision. I wanted to eat, drink, sleep, and wake to my creative life day in and day out. I am free to have it all. It can never be about compromising what I love. Read More>>

Kat Hamilton

I wonder about it multiple times a day! I have this fantasy that a regular job would be enough for me. I imagine i’m this girl who works at a desk from 9 to 4 and then spends the rest of her time hanging out with friends. Every cent that I make goes back into my art. The other day my mom asked me when was the last time I went on a vacation outside of a music opportunity and I couldn’t even think of one. I’m always working even when it doesn’t look like I am. Read More>>

Eri Isomura

Other countries have different definitions of “regular jobs”, with pros and cons for all types, so I don’t drift too much from my current reality. If my parents never left Tokyo to move to Minnesota, my work opportunities and life outlook would be drastically different. I think I would still find my artistic outlet regardless of the economic environment in another universe. Still, I feel that I’m in one of the preferable universes where yes, I am happy AND I can make a living as a freelance artist. Read More>>

Chelsea “SOLACE” Hough

I have absolutely considered leaving the entertainment industry entirely & getting a regular job.

I don’t know how I feel half of the time being an artist/creative because it is so paradoxical. Some days I feel defeated as if I am no where near where I am wanting to be. But then I remember how far I have come & the personal changes I have made to get here. Read More>>

Manuel Ruiz

As an Art Director, my role involves overseeing and guiding the creative process rather than being hands-on with artistic creation like individual artists. I find immense satisfaction in my work as it allows me to collaborate with talented artists and designers, shaping their ideas and bringing them to life in various projects. Read More>>

Marnie Karger

I love Mondays. I love coming back to work after a nice weekend. I love my job! When I say these sorts of things to people, they often think I’m being sarcastic, or, if they take me seriously, they think I don’t “actually” work, or that my job isn’t a “real job.” Building and maintaining my small business Crafterall has not been what most would call a “regular job,” but it has become a source of regular and adequate income, it occupies my Monday-Friday work time, and I have earned a legitimate title as an artist and small business owner. Read More>>