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.

Obed Padilla

I’ve been working in the industry full time for about 5 years. It’s a grind but I can’t see myself doing anything else. I booked my first gig in 2016 playing lead guitar, came back from tour and started learning how to make beats and then producing records. It led to me putting out my own music and now I do a little bit of everything. Read more>>

Kirstie Kraus

I have been able to make it work as a full time recording artist for the last 6 years and have been fortunate enough to make a living supporting myself through touring, merchandise sales, music sales and random jobs where I help other creatives. From day one I prepared by building out a spreadsheet budget and began to look at the numbers of how many shows I needed per month and per week at what price in order to cover my expenses. Some major steps for me was to have 3-4 months ahead booked out solid with shows and additional shows in future months. Read more>>

Adam Collier Noel

Finding a career as an artist and creative person can seem like a daunting task, however, there can be many opportunities to forge one’s own path to success. The key is to stay engaged in the arts, network with the people in this community, and engage with creatives who are committed to honing their craft. The creative path of an artist can be divergent and uncertain. After I graduated from art school I found that many of my classmates chose to not pursue careers in their chosen discipline. Read more>>

Desy Gato

I am very blessed to say I do earn a full-time living from my creative work. It all started in 2017. 2017. I was working full-time at a real estate office and I was realizing how popular social media was becoming. I was inspired by a few people that I followed on Instagram and decided that I wanted to start taking pictures. At first I bootstrapped it and did mostly iPhone content. I was lucky enough to run into a few photographers that had just started out and we’re willing to work with me since we were both new in the industry. I made many mistakes along the way but I was working full-time at a real estate office and taking pictures/creating content every weekend for about two years. Read more>>

Zoe Branch

My business, flora & phrase, started as a side hustle while I was working full-time in journalism, and was so for almost two years. I started it not with the intention to run it full-time but just because I enjoyed what I was doing — typing up some of my favorite poems and quotes, as well as work by myself and my friends, on my great grandfather’s typewriter and pairing the pieces with flowers I’d been pressing for years. I was selling online and at my local night market several times a month, and just making a little extra money with it. Read more>>

Mace Hibbard

I think this is one of the most important aspects of being an artist. Very few artists/musicians are able to make a “full-time living” by doing just one thing. I think my story is fairly typical in relation to what I know of my friends that are musicians. I started playing gigs in high school. Obviously at that point, it was more fun than anything, and the money was just for fun. Read more>>

Lea K. Tawd

Earning a full-time living from my creative work has been a long journey for me. I knew for many years that I wanted to be an artist, and that working a 9-5 seemed to be a lot harder for me than many other people. In 2000, I graduated with my BA in Art and a two year old to take care of. I became a single mom shortly after that, so I had to take care of my child but I was also determined to be a full-time artist. I took an office job because I felt that I had to, but after a short amount of time I developed acute tendinitis from the pressure of the job. Read more>>

Darcie Teasley

It has taken quite a few years to earn a living full time as a Makeup Artist. There are so many ways you can earn money doing this but few are able to make it their sole form of income. I started out in retail, working the makeup counters from department stores to high end department stores. During that time, I figured out that I am service oriented and not so much product sales. I enjoy the transformative nature of my job and not necessarily the numbers. Read more>>

Anita Mumm

Being able to earn a full-time living from creative work doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen faster than you might think if you are conscientious about laying the groundwork. Before starting my editorial business, I did a lot of networking at writers conferences and other publishing industry events and built a following for my blog. When I launched the business, I continued to do those things, as well as guest blogs and as much word-of-mouth marketing as possible. It suddenly seemed like almost everyone had a friend who is writing a book or interested in writing one. It pays to open up about your passion for your current or future work. Read more>>

Erik Reeves

I have been able to earn a Full-time living from my creative work for well over 20 years. I remember first selling my Artwork to my classmates at Birdie Alexander Elementary School in Dallas,Texas when I was very young. I would purchase a paper tablet and pencils from the tablet machine and pencil dispenser in front of the Principals Office every week. I had a love for Visual Story Telling at a very early age. I would fill each tablet with artwork, each page was fully colored and helped progress the story till the last page. Read more>>