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.

Josh Sadowski

My mom was a classically trained opera singer, which influenced me to start singing at a very young age. I also began writing music when I was in middle school, but I was always so insecure and scared of singing in front of others, especially once my voice started changing. When I started posting content in 2018 I knew that comedy was something that did extremely well, and I loved writing comedy skits and acting in my videos. From the beginning, I intentionally grew my audience to be able to pursue music full time. I wanted to be able to move to LA and support myself financially. Read more>>

Cassie Howard

My business unexpectedly began while I was in high school. I say unexpectedly, because I wasn’t trying to start a business! I just loved taking pictures, was excited to share my work, and that work seemed to resonate with people, so they started hiring me. As graduation neared, my passion for photography was continuing to grow. I felt a lot of uncertainty about what I should do next. Should I attend a 4-year college, perhaps study photography at an arts school, or just focus on growing my business? Ultimately, I decide to enroll at Purdue University and get a degree in marketing and a certificate of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Blue Mystic

I got a pretty late start… I think I was like 22 when I started to really tap into my artistry. To this day, I definitely wonder where I would be by now if I would’ve been more invested in my music career when I was younger; But the journey I’ve been on has been special and I wouldn’t want to discredit it. It’s one about self-discovery and healing more than anything. My poetry, music, and art found me in divine timing. I ended up on the path any way. Read more>>

Dominique Shepherd

I definitely wish I would have started sooner like in high school. I seriously started around early 2016 after leaving college for financial reasons. I was living with my sister and working at Walmart in Sterling Heights, MI. A friend of mine was doing a stage play and was looking for actors. I never done any serious acting but I always had interest. Working with her taught me a lot and really got me more into acting. I moved to Georgia a year later and the rest his history. I definitely think if I started back in high school at Cass Tech in Detroit and learning the craft at a younger age I think I’d be much better at it and my journey would’ve been totally different. Read more>>

Lillie Lorraine

As the saying goes, “If I could go back in time with what I know now….” Yes, I do wish I would have started my music career sooner in life. It is something that crosses my mind, however, I am not one to ponder on this thought for too long as I believe it can hinder the mind more than help. I have always been very creative and my love for music started at a very early age. I was surrounded by various family members– among those being my father and brother– who all shared the same passion for music as I did. It took me many years to gain the courage and the confidence to share my talents with anyone but myself. Read more>>

Felicia

If I could go back, I would have started blogging about home decor more than ten years ago when initially the idea. I was too afraid to share myself because I was afraid of unkind comments. I’ve been into interior design my entire life, and even started college in that direction before I switched majors. I believe that starting home blogging earlier would have provided me a great release from the stresses of life – something to pour some creative energy into. Also, starting earlier would have been a fantastic way to see how my style, skillset, and position in life has changed. I believe that my early DIYs could have been super helpful in that time period for young adults like me. But the great thing is whenever you’re moved to start something, you’ve just got to start. I got the push I needed ten years after the initial idea popped up in my head and embraced it. Read more>>

Ariana Pérez

I have always really liked the world of beauty. I have a degree in education and I had always wanted to be a micropigmentator and now is the time with more than 6 years of experience. I will be teaching Micropigmentation courses. I always think that God’s timing is perfect. Read more>>

Kenya Carter

My creative passion is being a music artist. I think that my start, which began when I was a kid, was the beginning of the career I have now. So, I wouldn’t change any part of the process. To give more background I’ll describe the experience as different phases. During the first phase, I began to learn and understand sound. My parents would always tell me that I would beat on the pots and pans in the kitchen to make a beat. Then, growing up around a family that often had gatherings and played lots of music, I was exposed to different types of sound. From jazz, and blues, to pop, and more, I began to differentiate between types of sounds. That led me to phase two. Read more>>

Jazmine Bell

If I could go back in time, I would definitely have tried to start my career sooner. I started singing in the church choir at the age of 5. Once I got to high school, I was in Chorus all 4 years and joined a girl group called Divine. We were only a group for about a year. In high school, I also met my now ex. We were together for 7 years. In those 7 years, I feel like I lost myself and my drive/love for music. I was too busy loving the wrong person who didn’t want for me what I wanted for him. Once we broke up, and I finally moved on, I got right back into it. Read more>>

Margaret Byrd

A creative spirit has burned brightly in me since childhood. If born an artist, an artist you will be. At 8 years old, we moved into a house that had a camera painted on the wall of a cold storage closet in the basement. I assured my mom I would convert the space into a darkroom so I could become the photographer I was destined to be. Although I would never develop film in that home, I graduated the oldest student in my class with a BFA in photography 20 years later. Read more>>

Leticia Demeuse

I believe everything happens in the right time. Sometimes we can easily get frustrated because things don’t go our way or don’t happen as fast as we wish. With maturity we start to understand that everything, even the “detours” in life, are shaping us into the person who we are supposed to become. In my opinion, it’s not what we get in life, but who we become along the way. It took me several years to take the leap of faith to become a full-time artist. Today, I look back and realize I was getting prepared. Read more>>

Jordan Yewey

Oh man, what a loaded question… but one I have contemplated many a time. To give you some back story, I have always been drawn to music. As I have mentioned before my dad bought me my first guitar when I was only 4 and the first time I remember actually sitting down, putting pen to paper, and formulating lyrics I was only 8. And when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up 12 year old me was most definitely quoted in her 6th grade yearbook proclaiming, “I want to be a Rockstar, despite my advance math skills which will never help me in the real world.” Read more>>

Meagan Dewberry

I began my ceramics journey when I was in high school. Pottery was offered as an elective and I always enjoyed art classes and being creative as a kid so I decided to try it out. I took two semesters where I learned the basics and found a love for ceramics. When I graduated and went off to college, I tried to get into ceramics as an elective course but was never lucky enough to be one of the few able to snag a spot. After graduating from college in 2015 with a degree in Information Technology, I got a job in the real world working as a technology consultant. Read more>> 

Damian DJ Jackson

As a child I always was into the arts I performed in the black history plays in elementary as well as performing in plays with the recreational centers and winning first place I also modeled in Barbizon school of models as a kid so to me the arts has always been my passion it just took God my higher power to activate it being stuck blessfully in Atlanta really matured me in so many ways being the fact that I had went through so many traumas but when its your time its your time and God makes no mistakes on timing once I turn to my talents to get me out of a domestic violence situation and was able to start on set doing background acting since TV and film at the time wasn’t my strong suit being that I had a background in theater from college I had to learn the process as well as learn the business thankfully my first day on set on Fox’s star season two I was able to meet the honorable Lee Daniels and his encouraging words and kindness helped push me in the right direction and I will always be thankful for that Read more>>

Capt Drew Rodriguez

Before guiding I was a locksmith for 12 years. I’d only go fishing in my Bass boat once on the weekend. Every time I went fishing I’d upload my catches of the day to Facebook. Dedicating one day for the family, one day for fishing & back to the locksmith grind on Monday morning. One day a very important man came into my life. His name is Captain Shane Procell. Captain Shane contacted me through Facebook and asked me (in the most polite way possible), how the heck are you catching big Bass this time of year & where are you fishing”? I laughed and told him I was at a certain spot but it’d be really hard to explain how to get there and how the fish were biting. We’d have to go together. Read more>>

Taylor Rollins

I definitely wish I would have made my business official sooner than I did. Prior to staying home with my daughter, photography was something I did as a way to make a little extra income but was very infrequent. I didn’t make it an actual LLC until this year and I wish I would have done it sooner! To make it an official business brings a sense of ownership and responsibility that I have thoroughly enjoyed maneuvering. I also feel like when you have LLC in your name, people take you more seriously and realize that it is no longer just a hobby, but a career! Read more>>

Camila Martinez

absolutely not, I think I did it in perfect timing. I came from Cuba 8 years ago with an accounting background, back then I use to work for a public relation firm as an accounting manager where earned a lot of experiece on the event Industry. I always felt passionate about decoration and events. Planning my friends and family events was my hobby and brought me so much joy, that is why one day I decided to start doing it professionally so I got back to school and became a certified wedding and event planner. Starting my entrepreneurship have been an amazing challenge for me. I feel bless and greatfull to have my own business and make people happy with the results of our work. I wouldn’t change a thing. Read more>>

Daphney Poyser

Knowing what I know today, I wish I would have known how necessary it was for this business to exist years ago. To be honest I knew very little about the matchmaking business before I became a matchmaker, and never even knew that people were receiving coaching sessions from professionals just about their future dating life. However, ultimately, the reason I wish I would have started my business earlier is because of the people I get to work with every day. The people I have the opportunity to work with bring me so much joy, they have me rolling with laughter sometimes and other times they have me wanting to slap any b*tch who’s wrong them, Read more>>

Cameron Thompson

If I could go back in time, I definitely would have started my own business sooner. I think sometimes, we have this notation that our ideas, dreams, and passion aren’t impactful and life changing so how in the world can we create impact and income? This is something I fight every day mentally in my business because it can get discouraging. Read more>>

Randi Schaeffer

In 2014 I made the leap in creating a Facebook page for my photography. I had just graduated high school and I wanted to start pursuing photography as a side hustle. Even though I loved photography so much I never thought I’d be able to make it my career. Fast forward to November 2019 I was fired from my job and instead of being distraught about it I pushed myself to go head first into my photography so that I could have a free schedule to be with my kids instead of working st a 9-5 demanding job. I was able to really focus and put so much thought into my business and growing it to where it’s at now 2 years later is such an amazing accomplishment! I thank my kids for pushing me to make my love for photography a full time career because without them I don’t think I could have done it on my own. Read more>>

Carlos “Loso Perez”

If I could back in time I would have started my business sooner. I established Prime Vice Studios, LLC in 2017. Before that it was a brand name I came up with my friends. When I decided to take building PVS seriously I had just finished graduate school. At that time in my life I knew the business had to exist in a legitimate form so that I can build the life I wanted to live. Read more>>