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.

Hyunju Lee

Long story short, I am happier as an artist than as someone with a regular job. I can say this because I’ve experienced both briefly. I am a recent CalArts alum, class of 2023. Right after I graduated, I was desperately looking for a job. Not only because I am an international student needing to extend my visa by having a job, but also because I wasn’t sure about being a full-time artist. Luckily, I was able to get a full-time job a few months after I graduated. Read more>>

James William Moore

Happier? Hmm, that’s an interesting question. I’d say the creative process is where I feel most alive, but that doesn’t always equate to happiness. Being an artist is a strange, sometimes isolating existence. It’s fulfilling, but it’s also a grind—there’s always this pressure to push boundaries, experiment, and justify your work. It’s not a switch you can just turn off at 5 PM. Art bleeds into every part of your day, whether you’re ready for it or not. Read more>>

Nils Jiptner

There are upsides and downsides to being a self-employed independent artist. It can be struggle especially in the beginning, but I would not change a thing. I send a lot of hours working on my craft and my career, but it does not feel like work. It’s what I would do in my free time anyways. Of course I am oversimplifying a bit, since I do have to deal with business aspects well and some clients can be a pain, but for the most part I get up every morning looking forward to doing what I love to do. Read more>>

Harper He

Right now, I have an interesting combination of roles. I’m a part-time content creator, while also being a full-time PhD student. My academic life can be intense and stressful. Research requires a serious mindset and commitment to the scientific process, which doesn’t always leave much room for flexibility or creativity. On the flip side, as a content creator, mainly posting videos on Xiaohongshu, I get to explore a different side of myself.  Read more>>

Slim Da Wit

I knew I wanted to be a full time artist while in college. Unfortunately the numbers across social media didn’t support the reality I was trying to usher in. In the interim, I became an English teacher at my old boarding high school in Waltham, MA (4 hours away from my hometown of Newark, NJ). While there I ignited a passion for inspiring the youth, helping them grow and expand their linguistic capacities through the means of music and songwriting. Around my fourth year, after becoming the 10th Grade Class Dean, I experienced what stepping fully into a teaching job would look like. Not only did it deplete me of my energy, but it sucked up every bit of my time. After this year, I left in hopes of pursuing a music career full time. In this past year (since leaving) I haven’t been financially stable, my eating and workout regimens have altered considerably (not in my favor), and I’ve been at the heart of resolving family issues. However, along with that, I get to see my nephews and little cousins grow in real time. My closest friends and family aren’t just a phone call away, but a walk/drive/bus or train ride away. I get to go to my church right around the corner from my house. I’m surrounded by my tribe in what has been a difficult year, while I felt pretty isolated with a salary and benefits in Massachusetts. While I’m not yet successful by society’s financial standards, my soul and spirit are full and I get to creatively express myself. This all ultimately has led to me experiencing more joy. I think about going back to teaching full time every single day. It’d be less financial pressure on the people around me who have been helping me pay all my bills. However, I know the time that job demands. I know I’m happier on this side of things. Read more>>

Sally Young

I have done many things in my life to survive. I was a single mom and an artist who landed in the East village in 1980 with a 2 year old. I left the Cass Corridor in Detroit for NYC not knowing what the future would bring and also had a solo show scheduled at the Feigenson-Rosenstein Gallery in Detroit the following Spring. I was very young and went blindly into the future making the art in an unheated Bowery loft with no hot water throughout the winter with a young child. I worked construction jobs to make money, built all the crates to ship my art and had a successful show. After that I moved eastward towards Ave B and C. It was hard to make art, raise a child, and make a living all at the same time. Survival and my child came first, then my art, and I did both, but the gallery wanted what I couldn’t give. If I had stayed in Detroit I could have probably given them what they wanted but I needed to grow and moving to NYC regardless of how difficult it was was the best thing I could have done. Read more>>

Adam Stern

My last “regular” job was in 2016. I was burnt out with music in Denver and moved to Delray Beach, FL where I lived with my mom and stepdad. As far as I was concerned I was done with playing forever. I got a job in call center selling “tech support” for Windows computers. People’s computers would get locked up looking at sketchy porn sites and be directed to a helpline where you would magically “fix” everything for a fee. The customers were old men desperately trying to get whatever was stuck on their screen taken care of before their wives came home. Online extortion. Read more>>

Sam Skelton

I am very grateful for where I am at right now in life and my photography career. I have had lots of great opportunities that allowed my work to shine and for those who have been supporting my work I am very thankful for. Although there are lots of positives and negatives as a creative, which goes for any job anyone has, there are times in which being a creative can be stressful. I am very happy being a photographer, but for a while there are times where I get into my own head about the work that I want to be published and this can kill the flow in which my photos are released. Figuring out various ideas to bring to life and how I want my viewers to interpret the work is a challenge and can take me weeks or even months to figure out the perfect idea. Read more>>

Joel Austin

I’m actually in a seemingly ever-shrinking group of people who think it’s better that I have have a regular job in addition to my creative work. Now, don’t get me wrong, I too fantasize about the day when I can lay all my annoying obligations down and pursue the creative life fully. But were that day to actually arrive, I’m not sure I’d be able to take it. Here’s why. Something I’m keenly aware of is that I draw a lot of inspiration when I’m not trying to. Life just has a way of filling the artistic well if you’re trying to be present, at least some of the time. Paying attention to life is an especially invaluable asset for an actor (read some Stella Adler if you want a wiser person than me to substantiate that claim). And, being essentially forced to adhere to the standards and practices of an entirely different industry every day by way of a job is a great way to ensure that the font of inspiration never ceases, especially if it’s a public-facing position. Read more>>