We’ve seen way too many talented creatives quit because they couldn’t make it work financially. No doubt, the financial challenges of pursuing a creative or artistic career are daunting, but we felt there wasn’t enough discussion around how to make it work. So, we connected with artists and creatives who’ve been able to earn a full time living from their creative work and asked them to share their stories with our readers.

London Kaye

Before I embarked on my journey to make a livelihood out of crocheting, I found myself working at the Apple Store, where I sold computers and iPhones. Initially, I enjoyed my full-time job there. However, after a couple of years, I felt a strong desire to pursue something more creative in life. I began making lists of activities I truly loved, and crocheting always held the top spot. Read more>>

Jon Hargett

It took me about 2-3 years before I really started to see my creative work reach full-time job levels of income. Starting out, I had no formal website or marketing strategy and relied solely on word of mouth. I wasn’t charging nearly as much as I probably should have been, but I was making incredibly strong connections with my clients and recommended clients that would later support my new networking opportunities moving forward. Read more>>

Josiah Williams

I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling for quite some time. In middle school, I started watching WWE, and I very quickly fell in love with it. As a theatre arts kid, I loved the theatrical elements of it – storylines, character development, making ‘decisions’ and ‘choices,’ the overall presentation. And most of all, I loved the music. 99% of professional wrestlers have a song that plays during their entrance, and that alone tells a major part of their story. Read more>>

Rebekah Delmatto

Earning income as an artist always seemed like a far fetch idea when I was in art school. The graphic design side seem to have a more practical approach right out of school and it translated pretty easily into the professional world. I am such a hands on artist that working solely on my computer wasn’t a path I wanted to take. However, prior to this year of working for myself I was in the restaurant world like many post art school graduates. Read more>>

Elizabeth Emery

The thing no one tells you about earning a full time living as a blogger is that it’s totally possible, but a lot of people give up early on. If you keep showing up each day and always aim to improve a little bit as a business owner, you will figure out a way to run your business profitably. Read more>>

Jacqui Smith

I have been pursuing a full-time career as an illustrator for the past three years, while also freelancing part-time for a period of six years. Prior to the Covid outbreak, I held a full-time position managing an art studio, while engaging in freelance work during my spare time. Additionally, I participated in vending at festivals and art shows on weekends. During this period, I dedicated two years to creating daily portrait illustrations, which I shared on social media platforms. Read more>>

Kamri Cordero

My business partner and I were 19 when we started our business! We got the idea while we were in college at Southern Utah University, I (Kamri) was studying marketing and communications and Audrey was studying hospitality, tourism, and business. We are best friends and would road trip every weekend to get away from homework and the small town and on our road trips we would collect stickers of all the places we would travel. Read more>>

Andy Gesner

As a member of a rock band playing bass guitar, doing many shows, putting out records, you could never rely on that income the level we were at. I knew that when I started Hip Video Promo, I would need to be doing other things, such as helping artists with marketing outside of hip, as well as, putting on shows locally here in Central New Jersey. Read more>>

Shelly Shell Williams

Absolutely! My journey towards earning a full-time living from my creative work has been an adventure. Every time Facebook memories pop up, they remind me how far I’ve come. Just recently, one from 10 years ago showed up. Back then, I was the Creative, Social Media, and Community Relations Manager in the corporate world. I cherished that role. It allowed me to harness my creative talents while earning a salary many strive for with master’s degrees. Read more>>

Trudy Perry

I am fortunate that for the last few years I have taken my creative work into a full-time living situation. I have always work as a creative in some capacity however what I do now is the end game. In 2016, I lived in Hawaii. I had a full time job at a beautiful events property. I ordered a loom thinking it would be great to do something creative and de-stress. I ended up creating wall hangings. Read more>>

 Jonathan Nee

In high school, I had a reputation for playing World of Warcraft far more than I should. I engrossed myself in the game to an unhealthy extent; raiding dungeons, slaying dragons and farming gold, Wow was my life. There was a point in which I wanted to make video content about World of Warcraft. Read more>>

Lea Ann Slotkin

I love this topic. I’m often asked about how I got started selling my work. To me, that question is like putting the cart before the horse. If you decide you want to pursue a full time career as an artist, I find it helpful to think about it like you’re building a house. You would start with a strong foundation, which in this case would be your artistic voice or style. You need to get that really dialed in since everything flows from it. Read more>>

Tom Kubik

I’ve been fortunate enough to make a full-time living in the photography industry for the last 12 years. In the beginning I was H-U-S-T-L-I-N-G; going to school full-time to finish my photo degree while assisting as much as possible. Once I finished school, if I wasn’t on set I was emailing every photographer on the first 10 pages of Google asking if I could assist them. Read more>>

Zakkary Stefan

Fortunately, I can confidently say that I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. My journey in the world of design started at a young age, influenced by my mother’s career as an interior designer and my father’s involvement in the investment of rare art items and collectibles. Growing up in an environment that valued art and creativity, I was exposed to various artistic expressions, even showcasing art galleries at a tender age of 8 or 9. Read more>>

 Pollyana Conte

For the past year, I’ve fully embraced the artist’s life, dedicating all my time and energy to my creative pursuits. Before taking this leap, I spent some time working in an environment that allowed me to make valuable connections in the art world. During that period, I focused on honing my artistic skills and improving my portfolio, while also actively engaging with social media platforms to showcase my work. Read more>>

Emily O’Brien

Yes, I went full time with my creative work in August of 2022. I have always had a creative business on the side of my day job work of small business creative marketing, but it was usually a business that involved me hand crafting art that was too time consuming to go full time with. A big part of why I was able to become my own full time boss is that I am super lucky that my first Kickstarter campaign for enamel pins went amazingly well and had great support. Read more>>

Edward Traynor

I was very much working on a hobby that turned into a career. Prior to DJing, it was always exciting for me to hang out in the DJ booth at events, learn how to mix watching videos of inspirational DJ’ that I followed, and controlling the music at house parties. This was something that I did for fun and after diving in, I was able to be compensated. Outside of being paid for DJ services at clubs + bars, I worked to get into other spaces that would help me earn a living while mixing music. Read more>>

Kayla Pitre

When I was in college I realized I wanted to pursue my passion. I knew college wasn’t for me but I pushed through and earned my degree. I was keen on making my parents happy. Once I graduated I decided to go to cosmetology school full time because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. While I was in school I had the opportunity to work with Gladys Knight as a fill in for her previous makeup artist. Read more>>

Zoe Fitchet

I’ve been a full time artist for the last four years, creating works in either coloured pencil or acrylic. Prior to this I worked in the interior design industry as an in-house artist and managed the team of creative designers. Stepping away from an employed role to the unknown territory of the small business world was definitely a daunting prospect; however I had gradually started to build a client base alongside my job and felt the time was right to at least try it out. Read more>>

Jack Silverman

I think in order to earn a full time living pursuing the arts, there’s not necessarily one way to do it, but you’ll find common threads that persist regardless of the specific art form. I’m a big believer in the power that comes with consistency. A lot of artists struggle with the feeling of not being where they want to be, but that can be so overwhelming, Read more>>

Travis Esposito

Yes, I now do what I love full-time and make a living from it which is always the goal when you pursue your passion, but it comes with a lot of hard work and determination. Three and a half years ago is when I decided to turn my passion for photography into a business. I was working full time back then and any spare minute I had I dedicated to learning everything there was to know about my camera and the art of photography. Read more>>

Matt Woods

I have been very fortunate to earn a living through my creative work, though sometimes the uncertainties can be stressful. I find that, as long as I am able to manage my expectations and responsibilities, it is more rewarding than stressful most of the time, though. Taking the leap initially was due to scheduling. In the early days of playing in and around the Knoxville area, Read more>>

Stan Juzwiak

In 2019 I moved to Minneapolis, the bustling cityscape brought with it a vibrant music scene that ignited my creativity and propelled me into the world of music. At the University of Minnesota, I immersed myself in the rich cultural and artistic atmosphere, honing my skills and expanding my musical horizons. It was during this time that I discovered my interest in recording local artists. Read more>>

Caitlyn Mims

I remember making a video that I posted on YouTube, holding me accountable to pursuing my dreams in film. I made that video five years ago. It is crazy to look back and see how far I have come. More importantly, I actually accomplished what I said I would do in the video. I went from doing a little bit of theater in high school, to making a full time living off of film. I cannot fathom the fact that I just wrote that down. Read more>>

Lauralee Chisolm

Learning how to make a full-time income from my artwork was a process. I needed to figure out a way to monetize my art skills by exploring realistic careers where drawing and painting were going to be my main job functions. After some exploration, I found that Graphic Design specifically in the Fashion Industry was a great place to earn a living while getting to do what I love. Read more>>

Meg Smith

I worked retail jobs for several years while getting myself back on my feet from fleeing domestic violence and supporting my 3 children completely alone. Initially, I wrote down my intent to have my jewelry presented in 3 stores. I would look at my visualization every day, slowly making my way into stores, as I worked making jewelry at night while working retail during the day. Currently, my line is in over 80 retail stores in 8 states throughout the Midwest. Read more>>

Michael Griffin

My first priority is to continue to expand my knowledge in photography and digital art. I started really focusing on my art and the many connections it has with other forms of creative expressions about 10 years ago. Since then my main goal has been to earn a living selling my artwork. I had opened an art gallery (Griffin Gallery NW) in 2021 to create an outlet to present and sell my work. Read more>>

Tyler Kidd

Over the past year and a half, I’ve had the opportunity to make a full-time living from my creative work. My journey to working in my career full time was me learning my worth. It took years of me doing free gigs though. Some of the significant steps and milestones were refusing to work for free which meant turning opportunities down and I feel like I could have sped up that process by learning how to say no earlier on in life. Read more>>

Karri Jamison

I’m grateful to say that for the past 15 years, I’ve earned a full-time living from my creative work. My love of art and my journey to become a professional artist started at a young age. Art class was always my favorite time when I was growing up. I loved learning about the different mediums and possibilities art offered. By seventh grade, I realized I wanted to be a professional artist. Read more>>

Halle Riveness

I’ve always been someone who was drawn to documenting life through photo and video. At a young age I was always taking photos on family trips or making fun videos with my friends. I love the art of storytelling and went to college for communication and journalism. I’ve also loved business and throughout my whole life customer service has been a huge passion of mine -serving others through whatever work I was doing in that season. Whenever in group settings, I oftentimes found myself in leadership positions. Read more>>

Celine Van de Voorde

Being a Pro Mermaid didn’t exist in Europe when I first started out in 2004 as far as I know, the only thing that I knew was that I loved performing (I was studying Acting, Singing & Dancing at the time), I loved being underwater, swimming like a mermaid and wanted to know what it felt like to swim in a tail. So I decided to make myself one and see what I could do, I’m a certified scuba diver and free diver, because our job is not without risk and there’s lots of technique involved. Read more>>

Bri Broxx

To earn a full-time living from your creative DJ entertainment, it’s essential to focus on several key factors. First and foremost, continuously hone your skills and stay updated with industry trends to ensure you deliver exceptional performances. Building a strong brand identity is crucial, so develop a unique persona that sets you apart from others in the industry. Identify your target audience and tailor your services to their specific needs and preferences, whether it’s weddings, mitzvahs or corporate events. Read more>>

Patricia Hernandez

Coming to the United States as an immigrant was already a culturally shocking experience for me. However, settling in Atlanta, Georgia, took it to another level. I had envisioned living the American Dream, but as a Latina immigrant, I faced a unique set of obstacles. From a young age, I was conditioned to believe that struggles, financial instability, and societal prejudices were an inevitable part of our lives. But as I embarked on my journey of growth, I realized that these stigmas didn’t define me. Read more>>

Veronica Camacho

Earning a full-time living from creative work can be a challenging and unpredictable journey. It often requires a combination of talent, perseverance, networking, and a bit of luck to be honest. First off, I began by honing in on my creative skills and worked in many levels of styling. From food styling to advertising. This narrowed down what exactly I felt called to. I dedicated Read more>>

Erna Blooms

Yes, but not at first. As a full-time Creative Director in a fast-paced fragrance industry in 2014, I saw the seed of a fulfilling journey and decided to pursue my purposeful entrepreneurial path. My story began when I met a woman in Germany on Instagram who was struggling with a severe rheumatoid arthritis. Because of this permanent illness, she said she won’t be able to follow me back. Read more>>

Brian Knoche

I hope someday to be able to focus more on my and my kids creativity and grow our business to be able to life off of it. Unfortunately, I have not been able to make this my full-time job. Art is something someone does not feel is a necessity in their life. Trying to sell online is not going great for me at this point. The internet is so large, and you get maybe 15 seconds to catch someone’s attention. Read more>>

Jayda Abello

I’m so grateful to be able to do what I love for a living! There’s no better feeling than having your bills paid with money you earned by doing something that lights you up. Especially when it’s a craft that you’ve cultivated over many different phases of your life. I look back to when I first started, playing records for free drinks in dive bars, and I was such a different person then! Read more>>

Maya Jones

So, day 1 started January 9th 2019 at Amway center and I was a stagehand for Cher. I already had previous passions of wanting to DJ/Throw events/ Run lighting and I used starting out as a stagehand as a stepping stone to climb the ranks, learn the ropes, network, all that. I did this for a year and a half before covid hit and I had to get a part time job at Checkers to maintain. It was a really scary time frame. Read more>>

Mike Ross

Yes, I have been lucky enough to make a full-time living from my work for the past 6 or 7 years. It was definitely not that way from day one! To make that happen it requires a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment to your work. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence that what you’re doing is of quality and is unique – with a healthy degree of humility and gratitude as well, Read more>>

Floyd Roith

Life is full of opportunities and choices, if it wasn’t for my father, giving me the opportunity to take the risk and follow my dreams and turn my art into a full-time career. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. There’s no better feeling than being blessed with the opportunity to take what you love and turn it into a full-time living it’s not even like a job, every day I get to wake up and be happy that I get to create something that someone is going to enjoy for the rest of their life. Read more>>

Si’mone ‘DJ Monie’ Lewis

As a full-time DJ, I revel in the lifestyle and career that exudes luxury, excitement and fulfillment all at once. Being in command of my bookings and deciding the amount of money I make is exhilarating. Every booking is meticulously selected to ensure I’m aligning myself with events and brands that match my vibe and support my goals. I love the freedom of having full control over my earnings, Read more>>

Peap Tarr & Lisa Mam Graffiti Cambodia

I’m originally from AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND , but later grew up in the Inner City of Sydney, Australia in a neighborhood called Glebe which was close to the city , Glebe was an interesting place to grow up and I went to Glebe High. The first section of Glebe was a mixture of trendy little shops , local Food stores and Dairy’s or in the States known as Bodegas in New York City or the equivalent of a convenience store , Read more>>

Taneia Surles

It wasn’t easy, but I have been able to start freelancing full-time for about seven months now. When I started freelancing, it wasn’t my goal to make freelance writing a full-time career. Initially, I was just looking for a side hustle to make some supplemental income while job hunting for a full-time job in public health. In May 2020, I signed up for Upwork and began submitting proposals to attract clients. Read more>>

Veronica “Ronnie” Erickson

My name is Veronica- most of my clients know me as Ronnie. I’m a tattoo artist at Black Coffin Tattoo in St. Paul. I’ve been tattooing for almost three years; and have worked in the tattoo industry for over five. Tattooing is my career, my only source of income, and my favorite thing in the world. I feel so incredibly lucky because my job does not feel like work at all! Read more>>