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.

Desteny Tolbert

Honestly, I think everyone who realizes their potential and starts discovering their purpose as an artist looks back and thinks, “Wow, I could’ve been doing so much of this sooner if I had been in the right mindset and focused.” But that’s part of the journey. Everyone finds their artistic path in their own time…mine happened between 19 and 21. Read more>>

Daniel Antonio Ramirez Perez

Looking back, I don’t wish I had started my creative career sooner or later—the timing was authentic to my journey, though I sometimes wonder what might have been different with an earlier professional focus.
My relationship with music began in childhood, watching my father play his Yamaha organ from the 80s. When he wasn’t home, I’d sneak over and experiment with it, drawn to the sounds despite having no formal training. My musical foundation developed in school, where I learned basic theory and played flute, piano, and marimba during grades 1-6. I even joined my Catholic school’s church choir, despite my voice being merely adequate. Read more>>

Elana (Mansa) Marsh

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have started my creative career any sooner or later. The time I spent immersed in my studies in London, along with the experiences I gained during that period, profoundly shaped my creative inspiration and continues to influence my creative process. Read more>>

Kam’ron White

I’ve thought about this question a lot recently. I always knew when I younger I wanted to leave my mark on the world but I really never thought that would lead me to being an artist. When I started my journey in being an artist I had no idea about the business or how to really get into it so looking back know I think if I would have started out so young I would have been a easier target to be taking advantage of. So taking my time to really figure out if this was my true passion, I didn’t really start acting until I was a senior in high school and that was just me taking classes on my own until I graduated and attended NYCDA to really dive into to my craft. So looking back own when I could have started and were I did start. I feel like I made the right choice in starting at the time I did. Read more>>

Arthur Avalos

This is a great question because I started my publishing career later in life but I have been working on my craft as a writer since I was ten years old. Growing up I loved to read and write and when I was ten I was blessed to be able to live in a community in Chicago, IL, in the Pilsen Neighborhood where I had opportunities that I took advantage of. In the neighborhood a women started a local newspaper called Newberry Times, based of the street we were located, and it was a newspaper written by kids for the entire community. Here is where my love for wiring and specifically journalism and news started. I remember my first big article. It was on the history of an old church that had burnt down but stood standing. I got the writing bug and never stopped. Read more>>

DeAundrra Jackson

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change when I started my creative journey. I launched The Vibe Flow Podcast at a pivotal moment in my life when I was navigating personal transitions, embracing motherhood, and striving to realign with my purpose. It wasn’t the most convenient time, but it was the most authentic. Read more>>

Adele Yonchak

Despite double majoring in Business and Studio Art I had no intentions of pursuing art professionally. I had fallen in love with drawing and painting my senior year of high school and recognized the need to have a creative outlet and was fortunate enough to be able to study art alongside my Business degree. I went into marketing and product management after graduating and it wasn’t until almost 10 years later and having my first 2 children that I had a chance to revisit my art. I had been laid off and was working freelance from home and had a friend say that she was looking for a particular style of painting and I thought, I could do that for you. Read more>>

Jennifer Keller

Do I wish I started a creative career sooner? No, I don’t think so because I think with me I have always found a way to tap into that creative side in whatever I was doing. I think most creatives and artists can relate to that. When I think back on the path that led me to where I am right now, I laugh thinking I have never once enrolled in an art class of my own doing, but here I am painting banners as a full-time income. Read more>>

Bonnie Brooks

I started my photography journey seriously in 2011. I was pregnant with my 3rd and all I knew is I wanted to learn how to make better photographs of my children’s childhood. If I could go back and start sooner, or realize the resources to start sooner than I did were available I feel like I would have had more time to enjoy the craft without all the adult responsibilities. There’s really no telling how my life and my photography journey would have changed had I started sooner. The possibilities are truly endless. I lived in Germany for four years, and had I began learning the craft sooner, the images I have from those years would likely look much better. Overall though, I’m happy with my journey. I’ve had the privilege of photographing various stages of people’s lives from their wedding, their birth, adoptions, and other defining moments of life. Read more>>

Tammy Gallant

Oh, if only I really could go back in time. I would have said no to that date with Kevin in high school. Ok, well not THAT far back. Maybe if I could just go back to, say, when I was in my early 20’s and tell myself to skip nursing school and just do what I love, I would take that opportunity for time travel. It probably wouldn’t have done much good, though, because my 20s-year-old self thought she had the world by the sack and definitely didn’t like being told what to do. However, I would still try to convince that younger version of me because for all the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial roller coaster, it’s been a great ride, overall. It’s one that I wish I had started much, much sooner than when I was almost 50. Read more>>

Marla

I wouldn’t say I wish I had started sooner or later—I truly believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time. Before becoming a makeup artist, I owned a women’s boutique in Little Italy, San Diego, for four years. That experience taught me so much about retail, customer service, and the business side of the beauty and fashion industries. Read more>>