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.

Carly Stock

I am a freelance musician, through and through. I’ve been paid not only to perform, tour, and record as a creative artist, but also as an educator and administrator within music. Whether I like it or not, making it as a full-time musician in Los Angeles requires treating yourself as your own business; everything is an investment, every connection is a networking opportunity, and creating and maintaining relationships will get you far. I earned a BM in Jazz Studies the University of North Texas. In college, I developed the relationships and skills necessary to feel prepared going into the real world. I played in the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band, was President of the Jazz and Gender Equity Initiative, and even led my own ensemble, the Carly Stock Big Band. All of these opportunities taught me not only how to master my instrument and perform, but how to be a savvy in the music industry. Read more>>

Holly Birch Smith

I have! It definitely didn’t happen overnight. I remember getting laid off from my last job (this was about 14 years ago now) and thinking “now what?” I went to the library the next day and started doing research because I decided then and there that I was all in on my new full-time self-employment. I still had a few odd jobs off and on for a while, but gradually I built up my SEO, clientele, word of mouth, and kept putting myself out there. The inquiries became more steady and I’ve built up some great relationships in my community that are so invaluable to me. I don’t think the process could have really been sped up, and like most businesses, mine has evolved over time. I’m not doing exactly now what I was doing 10 years ago. I also don’t know that I would change anything in particular, but I could definitely see a few things I could have done better or improved upon. Networking is huge for me now and part of me wishes I would’ve pushed that a little more early on after I went full-time. Read more>>

Ava JUSTIN

I’ve been in the entertainment industry since I was about four years old. I’ve booked many commercial and print gigs for companies like target, 3M, General Mills , Best Buy and for numerous Ad agencies. I’ve also booked principal and supporting film roles right opposite some of the most talented Hollywood working actors like Brian White , Sharon Leal, Monica Calhoun, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern and more. I’ve had to work very hard to book any job I’ve booked. I had to audition and sometimes going through several call backs it’s not an easy journey at all. These are the only proper steps to booking roles . An agent sends you an audition, you send a self tape and after you hear back , it’s either you booked or the next steps on call backs. Read more>>

Tessa Dilley

A lot of people argue that you don’t need a college degree to be a photographer. And while I can understand the logic for many; for me, college was the launching point that lead me into full time photography work. Not primarily because of the knowledge I gained, but more so the connections I was able to attain and resources I was able to use. My dad is an amazing entrepreneur and instilled into me from an early age, that it’s all about the people you know. So I decided to take my college career and dedicate it to making connections and learning as much as I could from other professionals. Read more>>

Jeremy Spath

Yes I have! I am so very fortunate to say that. I fell in love with plants in my early 30’s, and love them all, but eventually realized to learn as much as you can about plants, it’s best to specialize on less rather than more as there are so many. After working at San Diego Botanic Garden, I shifted to Rancho Soledad Nursery in Rancho Santa Fe. Here I was fortunate to work with older agaves with beautiful genetics. I began cross breeding them and creating all sorts of plants that hadn’t been made before. Cross breeding is common among other groups of plants, think a wild rose vs. what we see is capable once people began working with them. Agaves were a relatively untouched group, and their popularity worldwide has been expanding significantly in recent years. They were likely untouched, as it can take decades for them to flower, hence the nickname century plants, making the breeding process slow. Eventually I opened Hidden Agave in Escondido, and people from around the world make it a point to come visit. Read more>>

Trent Foo

Yes! My journey toward earning a full-time living as a creative began back in 2019 when I made my first dollar performing at a state fair – I spent a hot day inside a pig mascot costume! It wasn’t much, but I was still in drama school then and thrilled to be earning anything. My first “real” acting job didn’t come until 2021 when I was cast as an understudy/swing for the theatre production <i>Is There Anybody Out There?</i>. It felt like a huge milestone, not just professionally but personally too. I didn’t care about the money—I was just happy my hard work was paying off, and it felt amazing to finally call myself a working actor. After finishing my training in 2022, I signed with my agent/manager Gina Stoj. Shortly after signing, I booked my very first TV commercial for VISA. That was another incredible moment that reassured me I was on the right path. Since then, I’ve worked on eight TVCs, three short films, and a feature, earning enough to sustain myself as a full-time creative. Read more>>

Shihori Nakane

This is a good question! I started my professional career as a studio singer in 2002 while gigging around in Japan, but it wasn’t easy to make a living with music. After I had failed to get into major record labels a few times, in 2005, I randomly decided to work at a regular company as an office lady for the first time in my life, to learn how the regular world for other people was. That was what I never thought I would have chosen because I’d only pursued to be an artist since I was 7. As an artistic and autistic young woman, I knew almost nothing about common sense in the regular world outside of music. I felt like I needed that experience to break through my career. I was 25 years old at that time and I had no skills or knowledge about office work and I was super frightened for my very first experience. Read more>>

Clay Newman

I haven’t had a “day job” since things shut down in 2020. That said, I still need to pick up countless side gigs if I don’t want to eat too many pb & j’s. I do a lot of background acting (keep an eye out for a curly headed blur hanging out behind successful actors in your favorite shows and movies). I’ve acted in the occasional commercial, created social media content for businesses, done paid audience member gigs, participated in focus groups, as well as pet/house sitting… there’s countless ways to make an extra buck or two without having to commit to a 9 to 5. Read more>>