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.

Martin Dugard

Way back when I graduated from college and got my first “real” job I learned very quickly that I didn’t fit into the corporate world. I desperately began looking for a way to make writing my career full-time. It took five years of freelance magazine work before I got my break. Out of the blue, I got a call asking if I could travel halfway around the world to Madagascar and cover a major endurance competition. The job would require taking a three week leave from my regular job. Well, I got the time off, made the trip, had such a great time that I wondered how I could ever go back to the corporate world, then had that question answered when I was fired my first day back. I’ve been a full time writer ever since. Read more>>

Jens Bjornkjaer

Yes, we are full time working artists. Read more>>

Wendy Alcala

Earning a full-time living from my creative work has been a journey, not an overnight success. I’ve been in the field since I was 11 years old. While acting has always been a goal, my income has come from a mix of content creation, brand collaborations, and media opportunities that have allowed me to build a sustainable career along with a 9-5 here and there. Read more>>

Lucinda Dilworth

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it hasn’t always been easy. It can be unpredictable, and planning ahead is sometimes difficult.

I actually started posting and sharing my work on social media as a distraction while applying for jobs. At the time, I didn’t see it as a career—I was just creating and putting my work out there. Then, overnight, a reel I posted on Instagram went viral. I thought, *maybe this is something*, so I posted another. Soon, my phone was blowing up, my audience was growing, and I started getting more attention. Read more>>

Aaron Evins

I havent yet cracked the code on making a full time living on my music yet! I still sublimate most of my income with day trading in the stock market, from the income I make off of my creative works. As where it currently stands, I’m dedicating 6 hours out of my to strictly work music business and dialing back on the creative process. Personally, I found myself trapped in the game of seeking validation for my creations and not focusing on the monetization due to being trapped in my head with thoughts of “are people even listening to my music!!” and had to take a step back to focus on the being greatful for the fans I do have and learning to cater to their needs. Read more>>

Caitlin Rice

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it wasn’t an overnight success. It took a mix of strategy, risk-taking, and a deep belief that I could build something that aligned with my values while also paying the bills.

I started my career working in the nonprofit world, running digital communications for statewide ballot initiatives and progressive campaigns. I loved the work, but I kept burning the candle at both ends yet struggled to pay my bills and save anything for the future (hello student loans). So, I took up second gigs (building websites and dog sitting). It wasn’t until two months before my daughter was born that I realized I needed to do something where I had more time, more flexibility, and more financial security. Read more>>

Estefania Iglesias

I have 20+ years on the industry working as an actress, TV Host, Journalist, and meteorologist. Read more>>

Nate Moore

I’m one of those few people who knew what I wanted to do at an early age, and then actually did that thing. As a kind growing up in southern California, I quickly fell into surf, skate and snowboard culture. And in the pre-internet days, that culture existed in magazines. I would get to the beach and the snow when I could, but most days my connection to this world was through the stories, images and brands in those pages. I understood the concept of brand at a very early age. Read more>>

Gary Palmer

I grew up in Belfast during the years of the conflict. After completing an MA in Architecture at the University of Edinburgh I travelled with a few possessions and box of chalks the world as a street-painter. I was invited to participate in festivals for 3D perspective work in Europe, Australia, and the US. I came to America ad an immigrant in 1996. A book of my drawings was published and that helped me set up my studio practice. I worked as a muralist on MTV music videos and movies on location in the Caribbean while developing my independent studio practice. Read more>>

Madison Frazier

Yes! I’ve been able to earn a full-time living as a photographer, but the journey to get here was anything but instant. My love for photography started as a little girl, inspired by my grandpa, who did photography as a hobby and always had a camera in hand. That curiosity turned into passion when I got my first camera in high school and joined the yearbook staff—I never wanted to put it down. Read more>>

WASLY

I get asked this question a lot. I have had the opportunity to work as a full-time creative but I ultimately decided against it. In my circumstance, the work I had to do involved writing songs for people regularly as well as producing instrumentals and selling art on the side. I tried it for a month and it led to a full-on mental breakdown. The pressure of making ends meet was killing me and I no longer loved what I was doing. Read more>>

Dalton Portella

I’ve been surviving as a full-time fine artist for the last twenty something years. Before that, I was a commercial artist, a photo retoucher, then a digital artist, mostly working on movie posters and print advertisement.
When I was in high school I thought I wanted to be an illustrator, I grew up on album cover art, influenced by Roger Dean, Ralph Steadman and illustrators like Marshall Arisman, all illustrators that were very painterly. Read more>>

Stephanie Hilen

I started my creative business as a side hustle to my full-time job in 2017. At the time, I didn’t set any expectations for the business. I created mostly commissioned work for family, friends and friends of family. I relied on others to direct what kind of work I was creating. I held a variety of day jobs from retail to banking and then marketing while also running my creative business nights and weekend. It wasn’t until things started picking up that I realized it could be possible to run my business full-time. My business was still heavily reliant on the commissioned work, but I also started creating and selling my own paintings and prints by then. Read more>>

Joshua Lynch

I’m fortunate to make a comfortable living as a creative, but it took determination. People often say, “You can’t get paid doing that!”—a lack of imagination that can be discouraging.

Challenges like unreliable transportation and working 60-hour weeks kept me from finishing community college at first. Fifteen years later, while freelancing in photography and videography, I finally committed to college with my wife and family’s support. Read more>>

Kylie Sivley

I am a full-time creative artist and teacher. I use private and public art classes and paint parties to supplement slower selling months as a commission artist. From day one, my art business journey started small and ambitious as a collegiate high-school student, getting my visual arts associates degree from College of the Mainland. I sold pieces to family friends and vended at local outdoor markets while waiting tables. After I graduated with my BFA with minors in Art History and Education from the University of Houston Clear Lake I began to dedicate more time into creating, vending, and marketing in the hopes of getting my work in front of larger audiences. Now, I have a wide range of creative abilities to help me fit into multiple niche markets simultaneously. Read more>>

Danielle McCoy

Absolutely, but it wasn’t instant, easy, or romantic.

I didn’t wake up one day with a perfect niche and a six-figure brand. I built my blog, The Rustic Elk, over time with tons of late nights, babies on my hip, and burning out and coming back. I had to learn how to write SEO without sounding like a robot, and constantly asking myself, “Does this still feel/sound like me?” Read more>>

Jewel D. Pearson

Not yet, but I truly hope to do so soon… Read more>>

Hunter Phoenix

Yes, I have been fortunate to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it has spanned creative professions – actress, model, voice over artist and now content creator. It has been wide and varied, but not an overnight success— definitely a journey of persistence, adaptability, and continuous refinement, mores today than ever! Read more>>

Regina Sayles

I went to theatre school. When I finished college, I thought I was headed to NYC for a life of auditions and acting. WRONG! I had started singing acoustic solo gigs when I was in college to pay the bills. When auditioning in NYC was not helping me make very much progress after a year, I started booking more gigs in addition to being a substitute teacher by day. Over the course of 7 years, I detailed cars in an auto body shop, worked in a deli, worked as a real estate assistant, and was a substitute teacher during the day and played gigs at night and on the weekends. Read more>>

Lauren Fuller

My career has evolved into a rich tapestry of pursuits. I’m honored to serve as a mentor for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, nurturing the next generation of musicians. As an accompanist at Loyola, I have the privilege of supporting students in their musical journeys. Read more>>

Maryline Damour

I’m an interiors and garden designer and the founder of an annual design showhouse. After 15 years in corporate America, I returned to school to study design at Parsons. I didn’t get a job the first two years after finishing school. I took that time to create the annual Kingston Design Showhouse to better connect the design-build industry in Upstate NY. Through that process (and being a participant in my own showhouse), I gained a good amount of press and then design work. Read more>>

Ashley Wilson

I’ve been earning a full-time income from my creative work since August 2017, but it definitely didn’t happen overnight! When my son Don was born in February 2015, I knew I wanted to stay home with him, but financially, that wasn’t an option. I’d always dreamed of becoming a blogger, but I wasn’t brave enough to start—until he was six months old. I finally talked my husband into it. He thought it would be a fun hobby, but deep down, I knew I could turn it into an income-generating business. Read more>>

Brandon Stauffer

The short answer is yes—but it was a long and winding road to get here.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted to build a life around creativity and the arts. My journey started with degrees in Technical Theatre Management from Utah State University and further studies toward an MFA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I traveled the country working in nearly every aspect of theatre, from Cirque du Soleil to regional theatre, and even immersive productions like The Palm Springs Follies. But as fulfilling as those experiences were, they weren’t necessarily stable. Read more>>

Olivia Battles Reap

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it wasn’t immediate—it took years of persistence, adaptability, and strategic decision-making. My journey started with formal education in film, followed by hands-on experience in the industry, working under established professionals in TV and film. I built a strong network and honed my skills in producing, casting, and production coordination, taking on both union and independent projects to gain a well-rounded skill set. Read more>>

Jackie Phillips

I have been able to support myself and my children doing what I love . I happened to meet two amazing men at lunch one day and told me they owned a flower shop . I smiled and said how fun ,, that had to be an amazing job. That led to being asked to come in for interview which intern led to a full time job , where I learned all about flowers and how to create works of art with them . The shop closed , I got a job at another local flower shop for a few years and then I decided I wanted to open up my own ,that specialized in weddings and events. Read more>>

Joe Laureano

I wanted to be a professional musician since maybe 6th grade, when I figured out that I would never make it as a professional baseball player. I knew music theory, and I found I really liked the sound of the piano. When I was a sophomore in high school, I finally got my first piano, an upright Yamaha P22, which I still have. I wasn’t able to take piano lessons, so using my theory knowledge, I taught myself piano. A couple years later, I was off to college. On a random Tuesday, I went out to the bars with my friends, as Tuesday nights were college nights, and you didn’t need to be 21 to get in. We ended up at a dueling piano bar, where my friends surprised me by paying a $20 stage fee to have me go up and play one of the half dozen songs I knew at the time, “Hey Jude”. Read more>>

Samara Bortz

I’ve been earning a full-time living as a self-employed creative entrepreneur for the past seven years and now I help other women do the same.

In 2017, I was in grad school studying choral conducting and was asked to take over a small community women’s choir with 25 members. Our Wednesday night rehearsals quickly became the highlight of my week – we laughed, made music, and grew into a family. This was very much a side gig. For the first year, I paid myself $50/month and I poured a lot of energy into learning the foundations of marketing and sales. Read more>>

Sean Carr

Turning my elopement photography into a full-time business has been a dream come true, blending my creative passions with the untamed beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It all starts with my love for nature—those misty mountains, cascading waterfalls, and endless forests that seem to whisper inspiration with every step. Exploring this region feels like stepping into a living canvas, and I get to capture couples at their most authentic, saying “I do” amidst towering trees or rugged coastlines. What began as a side gig snapping love stories over a decade ago has grown into a thriving business, fueled by my passion with chasing light and crafting images that feel as raw and real as the landscapes themselves. Read more>>