Everyday, somewhere, there is an aspiring artist or creative daydreaming about pursing their creative career full time. Everyday, there are countless creatives thinking about whether to pursue their passion more seriously and so we wanted to hear from folks who’ve made the leap. We asked them to reflect on if they wish they had started sooner or if they feel they would have been better off if they had waited a bit longer.

CS Taber

My career in music is a tale of two places and times. In my teens I began a serious exploration of creating and performing original music in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee. I was in a series of progressively serious and talented groups, culminating in a three year run with the folk rock band Three a.m., while I was also going to college in east Tennessee. Read more>>

Karina Müller

I had no idea that there is a little bit of talent hidden in me! Participaiting in a painting workshop during a rehabilitation after a cancer treatment I saw that my paintings where not too bad… Read more>>

Margo Connolly-Masson

I have always done art in the background of my life. It wasn’t what I studied in college, or had in mind when thinking about potential careers. I always viewed it more as a hobby. I have had a TON of different jobs, ranging from cutting open cod in Alaska to extract their inner ear bones, to running an after school program in Massachusetts, to working as a college admissions counselor. Read more>>

Junior LLedo

It’s interesting because we’re all on our own individual path and I’ve learned to be patient with the journey. I can honestly say that it was small things in the beginning that lead to the opportunities I’m coming across today. The only thing I can control is my pace and the consistency of how much I’m working towards my goals. If I started sooner nothing would have changed the path because my timing is already destined. Read more>>

Demuir

The simple answer here is, “I wish I would have started my professional creative career sooner…” because the more I mature in business and life, I recognize the value of time. It’s the one currency you can never replace. Read more>>

Dana Foreman

Honestly, I wished I would have attended the University and obtained my Bachelors in Photography when I was just out of high school. I enjoy the art of photography and bringing the likeness of nature around me to an image that can be shared through wall art, print, books and marketing materials. Also being younger and stronger physically would allow me to hike to places I am limited as a golden aged woman. Read more>>

Kay Soul

There are often times that I wish I had started my career sooner. I always knew what I wanted but really taking it serious and having the courage to follow my heart was no small task. I let fear, self doubt, and lack of confidence keep me paralyzed. I even quit making music for a couple of years, convinced that I would never have a successful career. Couple that with some toxic interpersonal relationships, and I definitely lost some precious time. Read more>>

Francesca & Nicodemus Piazza

Oh ABSOLUTELY! We wish we had started a lot of projects earlier. Not just our podcast, but our Tiktok, our comedy, acting lessons, really almost everything. And its funny because we always felt like it wasn’t the right time or that we just needed something, what ever it was, before we got started but that’s all really just an excuse. Read more>>

William Medrano

I always had an interest and admiration in wanting to be creative but never really took it seriously until I was in high school when I started taking theater classes. I wish prior to going to high school would have had an idea of what I wanted to focus on creatively but at the same time I am kind of glad I wasn’t as decisive and got to try out various outlets in being “creative”. Did acting, started a radio show that led to a podcast, did some video editing in high school and shot documentaries, tried to DJ for a bit. It’s been a lot but all this it has led me to a happy place in what I do now. Read more>>

Steph Blondet

I think I started my art career at the right time. I knew I wanted to be a professional artist when I was a child, but I wasn’t able to pursue art back then, so I followed a different path. I went to college, obtained both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, and then started my career in corporate America. Read more>>

Michelle Thomas

I wish I’d had the confidence to start my creative career sooner. It’s taken most of my life believe in my creativity and find the courage to pursue it. It wasn’t until I went through my divorce that I went back to school for art, and even then I thought I was going back for Interior Design. Read more>>

Jade Harman

I would’ve started my creative career sooner. This was when YouTube wasn’t well known yet and Instagram was barely in the picture. I remember Facebook and Vine were the go-to platforms for creatives to show off their skills and for those who wanted to make people laugh. I was huge into my creative side and vlogging, but I never dared to post on social media till I got into college. Read more>>

Daniel Chan

I wish I had started my creative career full-time later. Why? Read more>>

Heather Kathryn

I think about this question a lot. I think about how I could’ve already made it if I was living in LA at a young age. About how I could be doing so much more. But then I look around and I realize that I’m only 22 and that people older than me are doing the same things I am. Everyone’s creative journey is different, and mine is just beginning Read more>>

Kelly Spieker

Sometimes I wish I had started my creative career sooner, but I think timing is everything. I was still finding myself in my 20s, but now that I’m well into my 30s, I have a better idea of who I am, what my long-term goals are and how my art fits into those goals. Read more>>

Brian McGrath

That’s tough. The real answer is all the time. I think it is tough to say whether starting sooner or later would have shaped you the same way when you are artist. It is really tough not to compare your path to those of others, but I know I do at times. I will say that one of my professors at University of Arizona, Harold Dixon, at one point told me I should just move to LA. I think he saw the path for me coming out here before I did. Read more>>

Amy Jay

I don’t necessarily wish that I had started my career sooner, but rather that it was clearer and more linear. I understand in hindsight that I had to go through each step of my journey in order to find my next step, but I wish that I had realized sooner that I wanted to pursue my art through and through. I wish I didn’t have to think so practically and therefore spend time studying a major that wasn’t where my heart was or be in jobs that weren’t the right fit. Read more>>

Alexandria Neonakis

I think social media has brought a lot of positives but one of the major negatives it has spun up for everyone, not just creatives, is the idea that if you don’t get started right out of school you’re falling behind. The focus tends to be on the success stories not on the failures. So when you see the 16-20 year olds finding success in their creative fields, it lends to this feeling of “too late”. Read more>>

Olivia Edpinosa

Sooner! I have always been fond of making videos and telling a story that resonates with my viewers. I remember for small events or family memories I would try to capture footage and document the process or event. Then I would compile it and add special effects and share it with my family and friends. Read more>>