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.

Macarena Bravo Espinoza

It was a long and complex process, which cost me quality time, a lot of work and a lot of energy, but I don’t regret any of the decisions I made along the way.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning, I worked as a waitress for a year while I finished my thesis and a year after l finished university I learned to tattoo.
Since my approach to tattooing was only from the curiosity of painting on another medium, it wasn’t my priority. My priority was to become independent and not have to depend on my parents (they already had enough expenses between normal life and my three younger siblings who were just finishing primary school), so I stopped my tattoo practice and started working as a photographer in a jewelry store. Read more>>

Sera Petras

If you were to visit my website right now, you’d see mostly wedding and engagement photography, which might make it seem like I only shoot weddings. But that’s far from the full picture. While weddings are a major part of my business, I also work extensively in food, lifestyle, interior, commercial, and editorial photography. Read more>>

Bhavana Dv

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it took dedication, continuous learning, and strategic steps to get here. It wasn’t instant, but every experience along the way played a role in shaping my career.

My background in art, combined with my education at SCAD, gave me a strong foundation in creative problem-solving. Beyond technical skills, it also taught me the importance of storytelling, strategic thinking, and collaboration—key elements that have been essential in my career growth. Read more>>

Patrick Greenwood

Yes. I write full-time as a freelance cybersecurity blogger and ghostwriter. I continue to write my fictional novels when I am not writing for others. For the last 4 years, I have made a nice living as a professional writer. Read more>>

Ryan Krysiak

My band/business First To Eleven is lucky enough to earn all of its members a full time income. Because we are a cover band (a band that reinterprets other people’s songs) we have to carefully navigate the world of copyright when posting our songs on YouTube and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. When we first started posting, YouTube’s content ID system would identify our covers as including a copyrighted work and divert 100% of the ad revenue to the original artist. Happy to just have the exposure that comes along with Millions and Millions of views we accepted the situation. It wasn’t until we had amassed over 100k followers that someone approached us and told us there are actually TWO types of copyright claims. One for the people that wrote the song and one for the people that recorded it. Read more>>

Michael Shipley

Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I have been able to support myself with my creative work for the last 25 years. Artists have always needed patrons, someone who recognizes the intangible but profound value of creativity to society. I’ve been fortunate enough as a TV writer to essentially become my own patron. Read more>>

Rashaad Clinkscales

my journey in the creative field. I am happy to share some personal insights about how I have managed to earn a living through my culinary profession.

At present, I am fortunate enough to earn a decent livelihood through my craft, but the journey here was not clear-cut or simple. This role as an executive chef, I believe, has not yet tapped into the vast potentialities it possesses, particularly considering the avant-garde cuisine I create and the extensive high-profile caterings I manage. Read more>>

Taylor Ritchie

Everyday, I am still amazed that ceramics continues to support, hold, and sustain me as a medium and lifestyle. Seven years ago I said yes to myself for the first time and chose the path of a ceramicist. At the time I only had an Instagram page and I had no idea what that journey would look like. What followed was seven years of learning, growing, and figuring out how to survive off of pots. Clay became more than just a craft; it was the catalyst that deepened my connection to self-trust. When I started earning a consistent income from something that felt so grounding and restorative, I knew I had found my path. Read more>>

Mike Folden

I’ve always been a trial by fire kind of learner. I was waiting tables in my twenties and always working on creative side work, whether it was music, photography, design or video. The more I made in my creative work, the less I’d work in the restaurant. I went from 5 days in the restaurant and before I left I was doing one long double shift a week. This allowed me the stability I needed financially but the time needed for creative work. Read more>>

Autumn Thomas

I consider myself incredibly lucky as I have always been able to earn a full time living solely from my art. This was not without struggle, sacrifice, and sheer grit; but the exchange is well worth the payoff. Success is different to everyone. My personal definition of success has varied drastically over time from ‘performing with reputable companies’ or ‘booking high paying gigs’…to simply ‘feeling grateful to go to work everyday’ or ‘feeling that my art has contributed some level of positivity in this world’. Read more>>

Laura-paige Keller

I earned a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics from James Madison University; however, I wasn’t confident that I would have a steady income as a creative, so while in college I also studied Art Education and received my teaching license. I spent 8 years in the public school art studio teaching kids about creativity and problem solving through art challenges. In the evenings and on the weekends I played with clay in my pottery studio. For a while it was just a “hobby.” Then I started selling my pieces to make space to create more. Over time I started selling through local stores, at art markets, and on Etsy. Read more>>

Rebecca Fordham

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I came up with the idea to create my company, Caloosa WaterWear, due to a lack of stylish sun protective performance shirts for women in the South Florida area. All of the shirts that seemed to exist were very sporty looking and designed for men, so in 2016 I came up with the idea to start a performance apparel line geared toward women who wanted to look stylish while at the beach or boating. I began by designing the shirts and having a friend print them. I would sell at art fairs and nautical flea markets on the weekends while working a full time job during the week. After 4 years of working both the full time job and growing my business locally, I decided it was time to focus full time on the business. Read more>>

Mags Mellen

Yes, I’ve built a full-time career from my creative work—but let’s be clear, it wasn’t handed to me, and it sure as hell wasn’t easy. I didn’t just step into the industry with connections or a roadmap. I built everything from scratch, took risks when there was no safety net, and refused to wait for permission.

I grew up in Indiana, where a career in music or nightlife wasn’t just rare—it was almost unheard of. There was no blueprint, no established path to follow. But I knew if I stayed, I’d never become the person I was meant to be. So, I took my first major leap and moved to New York City to study audio engineering at Engine Room Audio—no backup plan, no guarantees, just the belief that I was meant to be there. Read more>>

Jayesh Phadnis

It definitely wasn’t smooth from day one. Dropping out of a conventional path like engineering comes with a lot of societal pressure, skepticism, and self-doubt. The gaps in academics and the uncertainty of making a stable income in the arts make it even tougher. But what kept me going was my deep-rooted love for art, movies and games. I wasn’t interested in anything else, and I knew I had to make this work. Read more>>

August Tye

Since moving to Chicago in 1991, I have been fortunate to make a living through my creative work, teaching and choreographing dance. I originally came to teach at Maria Tallchief’s School of Chicago Ballet while also training as a dancer with Joel Hall. My foundation in dance began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I trained under Therese Bullard at the Bullard School of Ballet and danced in the Kalamazoo Ballet, the company she directed. Read more>>

Peter Foldy

I’ve been interested in music since I was a little kid growing up in Budapest, Hungary, and even more so after my family immigrated to Sydney, Australia where at the age of 12 I somehow found the nerve to audition for a kid’s talent show called “Opportunity Knocks.” It didn’t exactly knock for me but they did give me a prize for being on the show. It was scary as hell to be on TV, but also exhilarating and a bit of a confidence booster. Read more>>

Janice & Edwin Ng

We have been able to earn a full-time living from our wedding photography and videography business, but it wasn’t an overnight success. When we first started, we were simply passionate about capturing love stories, inspired by our own wedding experience. At the beginning, we worked on smaller projects, often balancing our creative work with other responsibilities. It took time to build our portfolio, establish trust with couples, and gain recognition in the industry. However, through persistence, we turned our passion into a sustainable business that allows us to do what we love every day. Read more>>

Paras Zaveri

Yes, Lens and Beyond Photography has become a full-time business, but it was a journey filled with dedication, persistence, and passion. It didn’t happen overnight. In the early days, photography was more of a side passion, and bookings were inconsistent. However, I was determined to turn it into something bigger. Read more>>

April Cutler

Earning a full time living is very possible but you have to be committed to the craft. I absolutely love creating murals and creating music, but in order to make a full time living you have to sacrifice many daily activities and family time to make it happen. I know it is possible, but I’m trying to find the sweet spot where I can do the creative jobs I love and also still have time with my family. Balance is where I’m at. Seeking jobs that allow me to have the passion for creativity and not get burn out, and still be able to be present with my family. I guess I’m a part timer until I find that window of balance. Read more>>

Ak Westerman

I left my ‘regular job’ as a graphic designer to be a full-time artist and freelance designer over a decade ago. It was a leap of faith, and at the time I had the luxury of creating art when and how I wished and learning how to navigate the art world at my own pace. I was very fortunate to be awarded solo opportunities to exhibit early in my career, and I have sold a lot of work. However, I can’t think of a single year when I looked back with total satisfaction regarding my income or success. It’s perhaps a personal thing – I am fairly driven, and I have always found it difficult to relax and enjoy the moment without thinking ‘What next’? I admit to often feeling like I started a bit late in this journey, and am perhaps behind the curve of where I would like to be. Read more>>

Danielle Denicola

I’m fortunate enough to Cosplay and Stream full time and live comfortably from my earnings in these fields, though it definitely wasn’t the case in the beginning. I graduated from college in 2014 in Creative Advertising and I was working various Social Media management jobs while I began my career in Cosplay.

It started as a hobby, but soon I realized that there were conventions all around Florida that needed Cosplay guests and judges for their Costume Competitions. A group of friends and I started emailing every convention we could find to pitch ourselves, and I was working on my costumes at home and sometimes even behind my desk at my job. Read more>>

Marcus Reyes

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it took time, persistence, and strategy. Early on, I focused on honing my craft, networking, and taking freelance work to build experience. The turning point came when I treated my passion like a business, diversifying income streams through freelancing, licensing content, and launching my production company, Mad Titan Productions. If I could have sped up the process, I would have focused on branding, marketing, and selective collaborations earlier. Success in creative work isn’t instant; it’s about consistency, adaptability, and treating your art like a business. Read more>>

Beth Anderson

I am a full-time artist/maker, earning my living from my creative work in fine art and artisan craft work. Before I went full time, I spent about 4 years ramping up to go full-time. This included learning and honing various skills, acquiring equipment and supplies, reacquainting myself with Etsy, building a social media presence and branding, getting set up for and doing in person markets, setting up my business, and financially maneuvering myself to take the leap by paying off all debt, accruing savings, and moving to an area with a lower cost of living. It was the scariest move I ever made, leaving a very secure profession (teaching) for one with no guaranteed paycheck, and moving across country from Dallas, TX to upstate NY. It was the best move I’ve ever made, and wish I’d had the courage to do so earlier in life. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the hardest I’ve ever worked, and a constant juggling act, but it’s joyful work that I’m deeply satisfied doing. Read more>>

Jon Martin

I’ve always had a solid career outside of music but I’ve dreamt about only doing music for a living forever. I’ve made a few thousand of music between merch and shows but never enough to quit my day job. I create music because I love to so the money was never something I absolutely needed. I’ve been making music since the 6th grade and always plan to create as long as I have the means. Studio time, videos, and throwing shows costs money. I’ve built my own studio, built relationships to host in venues, and funded videos out of pocket. There’s not much that would have changed how things have gone besides getting signed. I’m honestly at a point where that is no longer a goal. I’ve advanced so far in my current career where my life is care free. I take care of my family. I create now for release and out of pure love for the craft. I wouldn’t change that for anything. Read more>>

Snow

Working up to a point of being self sufficient and financially stable in tattoo industry doesn’t happen from day 1. It takes years to establish yourself but when you do, it’s truly wonderful being able to do something you love while not struggling financially. In my case I had to establish myself twice – once initially and then second time when I moved to a different city and started over. In my experience being open with clients and giving them the most personal experience guarantees their return and recommendation to their friends and family which helps establish myself more and more. Read more>>

Megan Wilson

I always knew I wanted to work as an independent. In fact, I was a successful freelance writer before I even graduated from the University of Richmond. Alas, journalism was changing rapidly at the time in 2009. The internet rose up fast and swiftly changed the face of what I thought I’d be doing for the rest of my life. Amidst the changing seas, I shifted gears and found full-time employment in the nonprofit industry–they were eager for me to use my diverse skills applied in the digital age of fundraising and marketing. I took some of the first social media classes available, learned how to design websites, launched email marketing campaigns, and continued to learn more about digital marketing. Read more>>