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.

Alex Blitstein

Earning a full-time living from my creative work has been both a gift and a curse. There is no denying that sustaining a career in performing arts, choreography and or dance is a never-ending journey, but when the major shift happens when your passion becomes a career , it happens in the blink of an eye. I would still fight to say I am still trying to “make it happen” each and every day , but at this point I feel proud to see myself where I am, versus where I was when I decided to start this journey. Circumstantially I feel that I was born at just the right time to experience my career trajectory in real time and not through a cell phone or social media. The learning curve was more personal and less about others and more about my personal goals. I attribute much of my success to that, and knowing how to listen to understand versus listen to react.  Read more>>

Sauce Samurai

As of now I make a living of my music royalties , beats sales, mix and master and owning and operating my own recording studio. So 2015 I was working at Guitar Center as a Pro Audio Associate in sales. At the time I was going to the studio recording every night till 7 am going to take a nap and clocking in at 9am. I did that for 2 years from pure passion I would get my checks and spend it on pro audio equipment and performance slots. I would drive to Austin and Atlanta for SXSW and AC3 wit no second guess because I knew that’s what I wanted to do. 2015 I quit my job after talking to my good friends Jrag2x and Iceman Chamberlain. They said ” Man you want to be the best you gotta jump down all the way ain’t no half steppin” So I did & I struggle recording for hours on end making beats till sunrise giving it my all. Read more>>

Graham King

I have! I started out as an intern in a studio as an audio engineer in 2020. I had no prior schooling or training as an audio engineer but I knew I wanted to be one. So through lots of Youtube and trial and error with my own music, I learned enough to land me an internship. From there I continued to learn and develop my skills. It was definitely hard and there was a lot to learn on the technical side of audio recording. Learning the ins and outs out of how a studio functions and fundamentally works was really important in the success of said studio. I was able to learn fairly quickly because I was passionate about using these skills for my own music.  This eventually landed me a full time job at the studio and I still work there to this day.  Read more>>

Patrice Thompson

It was definitely one step at a time! And in the food industry if you don’t want to take out a large loan or have financial backing it might seem impossible but it’s still definitely possible! In the process of building this business I learned how to create content on social media which actually gave me a safety net and helped bridge the gap through building this business. I’m the world of social media and being able to utilize it for monetary purposes I highly recommend because it doesn’t take a lot of time away, it benefits your business knowing that skill and it’s not something you need to physically leave for! Read more>>

Dean Mitchell

I’ve beeb able to support myself and a family being a visual artist (painter ) for over 40 years and counting. I started off entering local fine art competition and then on to college and upon graduation was employed at Hallmark Cards for 3 years, then fired. After being fired I got a local gallery representing my work but was unable to sustain a stable income through the traditional gallery system because I wasn’t know. I figured I needed to figure out how to merit the right audience for the type of fine art painting I was interested in. What I came to understand is that most people are insecure about their own taste and wanting some kind of validation from the art world. The art competitions became my window into financial rewards with cash winning that some time during a year could be up to 40 or fifty thousands . This lead to article in magazine as well as finding a new audience and more established galleries to sell my original works. Read more>>

Jennifer Maples

It’s great to be able to say yes I am able to earn a full-time living from art. It wasn’t easy at first. I was a full time Sr Mortgage processor who was stressed out and felt that I was working to pay bills and was very unhappy. So in 2020 my therapist asked what do I do for fun. I didn’t have an answer except I like to party and bowl but I explained how bowling has become stressful due to the loss of my dad in 2016. I explained my love for the sport wasn’t there and that I only did because it was all I knew. But I told my therapist that I love art and I have been drawing since I was about 5. So she suggested that I go back into art to find myself. Read more>>

Nicho Now

Yes. Since a child , I have always been a person to love to create. Whether making home made videos , making music on a cpu headset or starting random crews in my school. These are things that I just love to do and when I do them I like to present them to as many people as I can . As I got older I never stopped crafting my interest or honing my skill to be as sharp and professional as I see on tv or the internet. After going through a series of labor jobs like cable installation, car salesman and janitor , I realized I could make money from the things I love to do . So I invested in a camera , took my personal taste and found people who would pay for me to film things for them whether it be events , music videos or promotional material. I always found people interested in hiring me for the type of videos I would make. And on the music side I got more confident in my abilities as a producer the more people started to work with me . Then it got to a point where people pay me for my production, mixing and mastering skillset. As for me being a solo artist releasing my own work , I am always going to express myself via that lane because thats what I have always done from the heart. Read more>>

Katie Mcmahon

It is very difficult to make a full-time career as a musician these days. If I had not had the big break of being the original lead singer in the Riverdance show and if I was not able to supplement my performing income with private music lessons, I’m pretty sure that I would not be a full-time musician now. I dropped out of university at the age of 20 and decided to dip my toes in the water and see if I could get work as a musician. I immediately got work in a professional choir. Then I joined many other musical groups and while I did earn money, I would not have been able to completely support myself. One of the most important things I believe, along with honing your craft is to always be on the lookout for making friends and connections and being as pleasant a person as you can be. I can’t tell you how many times being socially open has resulted in my getting work. Read more>>

Vincent John

My father, brother, and I created a show called “The Bronx Wanderers” in 2004. We’ve been headlining in Las Vegas for 8 straight years, just performed our 2000th show, and have been touring the world successfully for over 20 years. We knew we had something special early on, and were each driven by the same thought – “how can we keep making this bigger and better?”  We wanted to combine stand up comedy, a musical concert, and a Broadway play all in one jam packed immersive experience centered around the story of our family. Something we haven’t seen done before, by anyone.  We advanced quickly through the Las Vegas ranks, earning over 9 Best of Las Vegas Awards and having a top 10 show out of 256 shows.  Read more>>

Brunno Kawagoe

Yeah, I’ve always tried to find a new objective as soon as I reached a goal. Knowing where to go has always guided me, and I’ve always moved in the direction where creativity and enthusiasm show up—it was like a radar. At first, I was shooting portrait photography in my hometown in Brazil. Then I realized there was a growing market, so I started photographing events and music festivals, and my career expanded to cities nearby. After covering all the major festivals in Brazil, like Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza, Universo Paralello, and others, I moved to São Paulo and began working with publicity and brands. São Paulo is the place where things happen for most of us in the audiovisual world, and now, after exploring different areas, people are starting to notice my creative vision. I’ve been working on projects that align more closely with my personality and beliefs, moving toward my artistic interests, creating, innovating, and always wanting to change myself and the world around me. Now, I feel drawn to live more quietly or perhaps in another country, and I know my career will make that happen, as it has since day one. <3 Read more>>

Yeonho Park

Yes, I’ve been able to make a full-time living from my creative work, but it didn’t start that way. In the beginning, I faced challenges building a client base and finding my niche. Specializing in pet tattoos was a major turning point, as it allowed me to connect deeply with clients and stand out. Social media and word-of-mouth played huge roles in growing my business. If I could go back, I’d focus on networking and using social media effectively earlier. The journey was full of learning, but I’m grateful for where it’s brought me. Read more>>