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.

Elaine Alonzo

I have had to find new ways all the time, to make a full-time living from my creativity. I made the leap in becoming a full-time artist in 2017. Read more>>

Dan Radin

I’ve been a full-time artist for a year and a half now. Prior to playing music full-time, I was in tech sales for almost a decade. It was actually Oracle that formally brought me to Austin in 2015 after grad school. Read more>>

Nilangana Banerjee

Embarking on my creative journey, I’ve been fortunate to forge a full-time career as a professional photographer and artist. However, the path to success was not without its challenges. Allow me to guide you through my narrative of perseverance and passion: Read more>>

Nicole Chan

I make my living entirely through photography. I left a secure job in management consulting to follow my creative passion, which was the biggest gamble I’ve ever taken. Read more>>

Rooks Moore

Yes, I have been able to have an average of $20k (before tax) income per year, for the last 3 years. Prior, I use to work in mostly factory jobs and worked on whatever art I owed on my time off before/after work, and some more time on the weekends if I had the energy, which was pretty often if I didn’t have too many chores in my way. Read more>>

Yu Shu

I am currently employed as a full-time 3D animator at Epic Games. My journey began when I graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a major in Computer Arts in 2022 and started job hunting. Read more>>

Marcus Askew

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. The journey to achieving this was multifaceted and required persistence, strategic planning, and adaptability. Read more>>

JonDutchMusic

We moved out to the Temecula Valley 6 years ago. We had pressed the reset button on life. My wife went to high school in Temecula, so she had some family that still lived here.  Read more>>