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.

Thompson Vanya

I didn’t start playing the keyboards until I was 45 years old, and I didn’t start playing the bass guitar until I was 52 years old. (I’m only 19 now, though! Just go with me on that) I see so many talented kids, literally 9 year old’s, that are phenomenal players. I used to wish I had started playing as a young adult. I have to wonder how much better I would be now if I had started years ago. Then I had dinner with a 44 year old last week, who said he “wished he could play the guitar”. I told him why can’t you? It’s never too late to start. He went and bought a guitar. Read more>>

Jose Cruz Velazquez

If only I could’ve started my career sooner. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to have a career as an artist of some sort, but I wasn’t sure how it would’ve worked out if I jumped right into it. I had to come up with a game plan sooner than later because I knew once I entered adulthood, life was going to get real and the best time to take career risks in life is when you’re young. Read more>>

Lynette K Henderson

I have been a visual artist since I could first hold a crayon, but my professional artistic pursuits began in my 20s. I actually started college in the medical field, thinking about both an interest in science and future employment. However, stymied by the math in scientific disciplines, I moved into journalism (I am an avid reader), then advertising, then design, and finally found my home in what was called “Fine Art”. Once committed to that, I pursued a BFA (1982) and MFA (1989), both of which of course I enjoyed tremendously, finding opportunities for travel, research, grants, teaching, and exhibition. Then when those programs were over I was released into the world to make my own way. Read more>>

Ruth Waziri

If I could go back in time, I definitely wish I had started my fashion career sooner. I officially began in 2020, fresh out of university, and at the time, I was really just testing the waters. Fashion was more of a hobby that I was experimenting with, rather than diving into it headfirst. Looking back, if I had taken it more seriously earlier on, especially before COVID, I think it would have given me a strong push. Pre-pandemic, the fashion industry was still operating at full force, and the momentum in terms of networking, events, and even production was completely different. I would have had more opportunities to immerse myself in the fashion world and perhaps build those connections that became harder to make once everything went digital. Read more>>

Sahar RAHMATI

I really wish I had started earlier, but the pressure from work didn’t allow me to. Honestly, up until a few years ago, it wasn’t that easy to just dive into it, and I kept postponing it. But now, I’m focusing more on myself and my work, and I hope to eventually expand my efforts onto platforms like YouTube as well. Read more>>

Dylan Seeman

A bit of both. I started at 26 and now I’m about to be 30. Skill wise to anyone just starting I’m ahead of the curve but for colleagues my age I often feel far behind. A stable income and a developed mature mindset would not hurt pursuing this artistic endeavor, and yet I find myself yearning to have started younger. I can recall kindergarten and a teacher explaining to my parents during a conference that I had advance drawing skills for my age but no one acted on it and it disappeared from life. Although, more likely, I just have a pinch of romantic in me. Who wouldn’t want to crave art from the cradle and steep in a culture that kindled those passions and brought them to startling heights like Beethoven? Nonetheless, I’m equally attracted to the idea of people like Joseph Conrad, living a full career of adventure out on the Seven Seas and slowly building a literature oeuvre of impeccable quality. Read more>>

Elite Shaier

I started my romance with ceramics when I was a high school teacher, about ten years ago. The art teacher, Cheryl Mybro, offered free classes on the wheel for teachers and I was thrilled. I did, however, suck at the wheel, the clay flying all over the studio and my pieces looked very organic and not in a good way. To hide it, I covered it with faces and dragons and then fell in love with sculpting. Some years later, I took a wonderful bust workshop with Filippe Faraut and discovered my talent. Today I have my studio in which I make usable art such as sculptured mugs and vases and wall art made of mosaics but also fantastic animals. Almost all incorporate my love for animals, from elephants to bees to pigs and of course, dragons, duckozaurous and snailozaurus. The other side of my creativity is writing. I write novels, fiction and fantasy, short stories,
and poems some of which were published in magazines and anthologies. Read more>>

Patrick Coyle

I went to art school and got a degree in illustration, fully intending to become a comic book artist. But when I got out of school, I discovered how incredibly difficult it was to break into the industry, and that I was not good enough. I also decided I could not live the life of a freelancer, I needed more stability. So I backed my way into a career in UX Design. In the 90’s, if you knew HTML and Photoshop, you could make a living as a web designer, so I did that for a long time, worked for some great companies (some not so great), and eventually worked my way up to Creative Director for a few global companies. Read more>>

Bri Nicole

In theory, I do wish I started my creative career sooner because perhaps I would be further established. In reality though, I truly believe starting later was better for me personally, and business wise. On a personal level, starting later allowed me to have growth and healing experiences that would ultimately pour into where my creative career has gone. It also gave me time to develop my capacity which I think is essential to success. In a professional/business aspect, starting later allowed me to meet people that would become a support system and my role models. I think if I had started sooner I would’ve gotten consumed by trends and wouldn’t have as much to offer as I do now. As well as the confidence to do so. Read more>>

Annastasia

I’ll be honest, yes. I knew I wanted to do music at a young age, but I wish I had stuck with it a lot sooner. I didn’t stand on my decision to be an artist until 2020, which is much later than when I had initially had the thought of being one. Growing up in American Samoa, I didn’t have anyone to look up to nor did I have access to things that I do now. Therefore, it was hard to avoid the naysayers as it wasn’t a career that was common or guaranteed back in the islands. Read more>>

Renee Benot

No, I believe I am right on time. The music business is a very fickle business because it shifts with fads or what is trending, so you must keep up. It is not for the faint of heart. While you’re learning and nurturing your music goals, you must have a way to financially support yourself with some type of employment. You must count the cost and be prepared for the climb, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially. A book that helped me is “Emotional Intelligence” -a practical guide by Dr. David Walton. This helped me to take an in-depth look at myself. self-knowledge, Managing your emotions and being able to provide some insight on how to build your network by understanding others. You can start where you are and remember that this business is cyclical. The traditional and classic jazz in addition to R&B sounds will never die. Read more>>

Patty Perrin

If I could change anything in my past, I might have sought opportunities to earn a living from writing a long time ago and would not have spent as much time reading books. But if I had, what would I have missed? For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed writing. Growing up in a military family and living overseas in Germany and Italy, without the distraction of television, motivated me to read more than write. I consumed quantities of books. Some touched me deeply, while others provided entertainment and exercised my imagination. I admired the authors’ abilities to build worlds, expand my worldview, touch my emotions, and teach me things I didn’t know I wanted to learn. I never imagined myself as being one of them. Read more>>

Lily Bean

I wish that I could go back in time to my 20 year old self and say, “start now.” Even if it isn’t perfect, even if I didn’t know how to do everything, or where to start. I would have been able to capture a whole different story and a whole different person. I view my podcast as a large scale time capsule. I’ve only been podcasting for a year now, and the growth and changes that I’ve had and been through have been DRASTIC. I got engaged, cut off friends, lost my grandmother, traveled all over the United States, tried new things, the list goes on. I started last year on my one year anniversary with my, now fiance, he’s my biggest supporter and told me to upload an episode and see how I like it. And I’ve really grown to love it- it’s almost an addiction. I’ve always been creative, held leadership positions, and had a knack for yapping. Read more>>

Iman Muhammad

If I could go back in time I would have definitely started my content creator journey way sooner back when I was in high school. At the time I used to post a lot on Snapchat and I would watch my favorite Youtube girlies do makeup and fashion hauls. Yet I never felt I was “ready” to actually take that type of career on. I believe starting earlier would have definitely boosted my confidence way sooner and seeing the way the social media has blown up in the past decade, I would have definitely been in a different space in my content creator career as far as gaining bigger opportunities or having a bigger community. However, I do believe that all of my life experiences led me to where I am today. Which in return has made me into the creator and human being I am. Also, think about it without a test there is no testimony to tell so I wouldn’t trade my journey for the world.  Read more>>

Devin Hodge

I would probably not change too much or I wouldn’t be here where I’m at. I could be further ahead or a quick flop like many other musicians. I’m fairly comfortable saying I’m good in the “Now” . But if I had to really choose, I’d go back and start when I was in my early teens on a more serious note. Read more>>

Jake Leizear

I’ve been doing stand-up for almost 6 years now, meaning December of 2018. While I had been involved in performing for over a decade before that, it mostly consisted of improv and other theater-related opportunities. I held back from trying stand-up for a long time due to the perception that it was a very solitary art form. You’re on stage alone, crafting and performing your own material, and that makes it unique amongst a lot of performance art. Even singers tend to work with a few bandmates, but for most comedians, it’s just you and the microphone. Read more>>

Deborah Hall

I consider myself an emerging artist at a mature age. And, yes, there are times when I wonder how my art would have evolved if I had embraced a daily practice decades ago. I had so many false starts, primarily because I didn’t know what or how I wanted to paint. It took decades and two varied careers to realize any art practice worth pursuing, for me, was based in “why create?” not what to produce. I was already 40 when I enrolled as a fine arts post-baccalaureate student at the University of Akron. Even then, it was a 20-year deferred dream to study art. My original degree was in communications and I’d built a successful though unsatisfying carrier as a magazine editor, feature writer, publicist and radio and tv producer.  Read more>>