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.

Theo Schmitt

I feel so lucky I can sustain a comfortable life in Los Angeles working exclusively in the music industry. I come from Switzerland and I started conducting amateur orchestras there at 16 years old. Read more>>

David Bush

Whether or not I make a full time living from my creative work depends on how I define that work. When I was just getting into the film business, I considered my ‘creative’ work to be solely the screenplays that I was writing in the hopes of someday getting them made, and I viewed on-set film production work as a two-part tool to help me achieve my creative goals. Read more>>

Krista Rogers

I have been fortunate to be able to earn a living from my creative pursuits, both making polymer clay jewelry and portrait photography, but it has definitely taken a different path than I expected. Read more>>

Michelle Hagewood

I currently work full-time as a storyboard artist, animator, and artist. My practice is a combination of applying my skills for Andrea Love’s animation studio and pursuing my own independent freelance commissions and projects. Read more>>

Willow Winters

When I started self publishing these romance stories, I wanted to make five dollars a day. We were so broke, and I was a stay at home mom of 2. I thought if I could just make a few dollars it would ease my stress of stopping by Dunkin Donuts on the way to play dates. Read more>>

Zach Gill

I make a living as a musician through a combination of writing, recording and performing my own music and supporting other artists in a number of different musical roles. Read more>>

Rodney Badger

I have had some health issues and they got worse. I decided to retire from work and become a full time comedian in October 2022. I was diagnosed with ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease) which is a terminal illness and originally given 3-5 years to live. Read more>>

Noelle Carina

Burn the boats they told me. At least that was what I had heard so many entrepreneurs scream out on so many podcasts I had been listening to for inspiration and hope. Read more>>

Jamie McKeogh

I’m a full time musician in an Irish band called JigJam. We have recently recorded our fifth album which is called ‘Across The Pond’. We will be going on tour in the US for the full month of March playing mainly on the East coast and the Midwest. Read more>>

Alaina Marelli

I am currently able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. In fact, I am making more money than I ever have in my whole life. I kind of fell into this by accident. Read more>>

Sarah Soule Webb

I’ve “always been an artist” as every child starts out as one…. I was encouraged to pursue a more stable career so in college (The university of Alabama) I studied Nutrition and obtained my Masters degree.. Read more>>

Annie Brace

One thing I’ve learned from growing my art passion into an art career is it is an individual journey full of twists and turns, but one thing remains steadfast – you must be passionate about the process if you are in it for the long game. Read more>>

Jan Buckingham

Through the years, I have been paid as a staff writer on many different publishing companies, including Warner Chappell Music, Lorimar and Windswept Pacific. Read more>>

Kaylin Janiczek

Earning a livable income; how the heck do you do that?! It IS achievable for anybody, but it takes consistency and tenacity! I will highlight the key points and aspects from my own personal experience and journey here. Read more>>

Amanda Kern

Not only do I earn a full time living from my creative work as an SEO copywriter, but I’ve doubled my income from when I was working a 9 to 5! Read more>>

J. Michael

As a budding artist, I’m embarking on an exciting journey in the realm of music. While I haven’t yet achieved a full-time living from my creative work, I’m incredibly passionate and dedicated to making that dream a reality. Read more>>

Shawn Murphy

I have been making a full time living as a freelance graphics designer for 25 years now, and 12 years before that as a staff designer at various companies. Read more>>

Jamie Homs

I was a waitress for way too long. The day I quit, not knowing how I was going to make money was a pivotal moment in my life. Sometimes you have to take that leap of faith. Read more>>

Clara Pascarella

After graduating from USIU School of Performing and Visual Arts I worked as an Illustrator for SDUSD drawing LEP curriculum materials and visual aides. This was my day job while I auditioned for parts in plays and TV commercials. Read more>>

Leanne Larson

I graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris in the spring of 2012, determined to turn my Studio Art degree into a living. t the time, I wasn’t sure which direction that would be.. selling art, pursuing teaching or some way I just hadn’t thought of yet. Read more>>

Jeremy Ray

Making a living & providing for my family solely through my creativity is the hardest & most rewarding challenge I’ve ever faced professionally. When it’s going well, it’s the best feeling in the world. Read more>>

Sierra Barnes

Earning a living from creative work is difficult, I’ll put that up front. It’s not so much doing one thing full-time as it is having a number of constantly-rotating side-gigs, having income coming in from book royalties while working on other books, having commissions open, having a studio where I can sell work from and traveling to conventions and shows around the country, giving talks at local libraries and teaching classes on art. Read more>>

Kristina Mills

I’ve been extremely fortunate to earn a full-time living from cosmetic tattooing, and I owe my entire journey for that. The steps leading to my current career began in 2007 when I attended cosmetology school at Paul Mitchell in San Diego. Read more>>

Emily Piepenbrink

Having two degrees in theatre pretty much guarantees that ever person you know will ask you what you’re going to do with your life. There is no set career path for theatre artists, thus ensuring everyone’s curiosity will push them to ask personal questions about what you’ll do with your life. Read more>>

Virginia Dupont

From the moment I graduated high school and entered college as a dance major at the age of 17, I was determined to make my entire living from that time forward in the field of dance. Read more>>

ALLISON Handler

I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to do what I love every day, flex my creative muscles, all while making a very nice living. But let’s not kid ourselves. Read more>>

Anndell Wubben

I’ve been doing henna for 17 years but it took about 10 years until I was able to go full time with my work as I focused mainly on festivals and arts events. Read more>>

Cassandra Zepeda-Kelley

My name is Cassandra Zepeda-Kelley and I am the Co-Founder, Creative Director, and Lead artist for MageCraft Miniatures. My husband and I started this business in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and we never actually expected it to become what it has! Read more>>

Anna Charney

Although I began selling my work and earning money from it at a very young age, I consider the beginning of my career to be immediately after I graduated from art school at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago and returned to my hometown of Denver, CO in the beginning of 2016. Read more>>

Aphrosoul Lukumi

I am and have been a full time working artist for 25 plus years. Majority of my work is as a DJ spinning an alternative, eclectic blend of soul, jazz, funk, rare grooves, deep house music, techno, world music, global polyrhythms of the African Diaspora. Read more>>

Akhalia Fearon

I started creating natural hair content in 2021, its something I have always wanted to do, however I had absolutely no idea about the business side of content creation until I met other content creators who were getting brands deals. Read more>>

Rodney Page

As of last year, I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I do realize that I am very blessed to be in that position. Here is how it began. After I quit my job as a teacher in 2009, I began playing the violin at weddings. Read more>>

APRIL BLEAKNEY

A bit on my background: I graduated from Kent State University with dual degrees (BFA in Fine Art, Printmaking/Serigraphy focus and a BA in History) at the height of the Great Recession in 2008 and it was rough out there for a recent grad. Read more>>

Kerry Walford

I am earning a full-time living from my creative work, but it took several years to get to this stage. Since I was a little kid, I loved art, drawing and all things creative. Read more>>

Olivia Vargas

Every day I wake up so grateful to do what I love day in and day out. When I was younger, I knew I wanted to make a living in music somehow but I wasn’t quite sure how to attain it. Read more>>

Danielle Wood

Being an artist is a process, it is definitely being a creator and creative as well as a small business owner. I am a ceramic artist in Phoenix, AZ. I earned my BFA at Arizona State University and my MFA at New Mexico State University. Read more>>

Lindsey Bundschuh

I guess our journey with photography started about 15 years ago… initially wedding photographers, we started shooting with minimal gear, confidence and education. Read more>>

Shana Levenson

I feel incredibly fortunate to say that I make a living as a full time artist. It’s not necessarily all through art sales. I also teach workshops nationally and internationally as well as mentor students online. Read more>>

Jessica LeeAnn

Yes, I’ve been able to make a living as an author full-time. I’ve learned that it takes more than just selling books to become a full-time author. It’s important that as an author you learn how to repurpose your content so it can be monetized by way of digital courses, coaching programs, consultation packages, and signature events. Read more>>

Amber Guyton

Yes, I’ve been able to transform my hobby from a side hustle into a full-time career. I started Blessed Little Bungalow as a blog and creative outlet where I shared my new home and how I chose to decorate each space. Read more>>

Cherise Richards

Yes, I earn a full time living from my photography business. When I quit my corporate job ten years ago to pursue photography full time, I had 9 months+ of my monthly bills saved. Read more>>

Isa Ramirez

Growing up we are always asked this question: What do you want to do when you grow up? And my answer has always been, ” I want to dance”. That response was always met with uncertainty and 9 times out of 10 with the follow up question “Yeah, but what’s your back up plan?”. Read more>>

Zuri Pryor-Graves

Yes, I have been fortunate enough to earn a full-time living from my creative work, particularly as an intimacy coordinator with a background in sex therapy and professional mental health. Read more>>

Idonteá Richardson

Earning a full-time living from my creative work has had its advantages and disadvantages. In June of 2022, I was working in the corporate sector as a Senior Manager in Legal Operations for a well-known nonprofit organization. Read more>>