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.

Nina Ishii

Yes, I make a full-time living as both a designer and content creator, though it didn’t happen overnight. I started by sharing my handmade crochet bags on Instagram to connect with others through storytelling. Everything shifted when one of my reels—where I was crocheting my Bow Bag—went viral with over 9 million views. That moment taught me that content isn’t just how I share my designs—it’s a powerful creative work of its own. Since then, I’ve built a loyal community, collaborated with brands like Coachtopia, Sézane, LoveShackFancy, BURGA, and Glossier, and even worked with the MTA and Instagram on a surreal NYC campaign. Read more>>

Ciara Hager

Yes, I’ve made a full time living from my creative work. In 2024, I graduated college and began freelancing as a violinist full time. I make my living from both performing and teaching, with teaching being more of a stable, predictable income, and performing being a more fluctuating type of income which is dependant on holidays and seasons. When I first jumped into the freelance scene, I was so anxious about not having work that I auditioned and applied for every job imaginable to a musician. What I didn’t realize at first is that the summer is very slow for all musicians, so graduating school in May and then trying to jump into the music scene in the month of June just won’t be a thriving time for work for any musician, let alone a musician straight out of college. Read more>>

Katie Kasperson

Doing creative work often means sacrificing job security and a high salary. That said, you don’t need to be a ‘starving artist’, either. There are plenty of ways to earn money – decent money – doing what you love, as long as you’ve got the impetus to make it happen. Read more>>

Zach Rich

I’ve recently reached the point where I earn a full-time living from my creative work. It’s been quite a journey to get to this point! Like many trombonists, I started playing in middle school band. I definitely liked being a “band nerd”, but have to admit that I never considered it could be an attainable career path outside of being an educator. I originally wanted to pursue biochemistry or neuroscience and began my undergraduate degree with that in mind. I had a music scholarship covering tuition, but I still thought of music as more of an extracurricular activity. Read more>>

Kyle Jamar

Yes. It’s not without challenges. I’ve been building high end custom airstream and boat interiors for the last 14 years. It started with a boat restoration I did for myself. People started asking if I could build a cabinet or table for them as well as restoring their boats. I did an airstream for myself and that took off. I haven’t looked back. We now have 7 employees and stay booked out about 5-10 months. It was scary at first wondering when the phone would ring. In fact, it still is scary. Read more>>

Lupita Djody

Yes, I’ve been able to build a full-time career through my creative work, and it’s been a gradual but rewarding process. I’ve always been interested in motion design and animation, so I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Motion Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Read more>>

Amy Olszak

I am now earning a full-time income from zoo&roo, but the journey to get here was long and filled with many lessons, failures, hiccups, and successes. I started zoo&roo back in 2016, when both of my kids were in elementary school, and I found myself with more free time. I’ve always been creative, making handmade gifts for friends and family. I heard over and over again, “You should sell this!” or “I’d pay for something like this!” So, that’s exactly what I decided to do. At the time, I had a vinyl cutter and had discovered acrylic blanks, which I used to make earrings, keychains, and more. I also enjoyed making beaded bracelets, vinyl decals, jewelry dishes, and basically anything people asked me for! “Can you make this?” Sure!  Read more>>

Joyce Rainbow Art

I currently earn a full-time living from my creative work, but the journey hasn’t always been easy or straight forward. In college, I attended a lot of anime and comic conventions which had inspired me to start selling my work as an exhibitor at these events. This launched my entrepreneurial journey, which showed me the benefit of getting out of my comfort zone and to just go for it! I did this for a while and although I didn’t have much business knowledge then, I was just happy to get my work out there and know that people saw value in my work.  Read more>>

Veronica Sinclair Dominique Calvillo

Both Dominique and I make a living from our full time creative work, and have for many years. We have a wedding hair and make up company called LA Native Beauty, Where we are the lead Makeup Artist and Hairstylist. We also do hair and make up work for the entertainment industry, and Dominique has a successful crochet design business. But it was not always this way! We both started a careers at a very young age and honestly our success has come from straight grinding. Read more>>

Pioneer Winter

Fresh out of grad school I juggled three gigs: choreographing anywhere that would have me, adjunct teaching at FIU, and public-health outreach. That mash-up kept the lights on and bought me studio time. Eventually I realized I had to treat Pioneer Winter Collective as its own little world—shows, community workshops, a screendance fest, and my university teaching all feeding each other. Funders loved that ripple effect: the 2022 Creative Capital Award and National Performance Network support cracked open multi-year grants and legitimated the model. Read more>>

Lucy Brownlee

I think there is a difference in people’s vision of what being a successful artist is. I have been blessed to work in a creative capacity to earn my living for most of my life. I have worked in many different fields of art. For many years I was employed as a graphic artist, working for, and owning screen print shops, sign fabrication, and offset printing businesses. In some fashion, I have been drawing, painting, cutting or printing for over 40 years. Read more>>

Nicole Gonzales

I’ve been a full time HMUA since 2016. It did not happen over night. I started as a makeup artist intern in Austin, Tx on an Indie horror film, then titled Boneboys. This was in 2010 and I believed the title since changed, I went on to work a couple of indie films with the head HMUA director for the next year and a half. In the meantime I was working local events like ATX fashion week and music videos with the friends in the industry. During this time I’m quickly realized it was imperative to learn styling hair as a lot of smaller set gigs needed and HMUA, and not 2 separate artists, if possible..  Read more>>

Jennifer Charboneau

As a young Jen I always imagined myself becoming an artist. For me there was no other option. I would create daily… making drawings and cartoons like my heroes: Walt Disney, Bill Watterson, and Shel Silverstein. Then, as I worked my way through a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in University, painting took the center stage. My love for nature and adventure guided me to learn more about the techniques and the lifestyles of artists such as Turner, Monet, Whistler, and many of the impressionist and action painters that lead the creative movements of the early 1900’s. I became fascinated by the stories behind the paintings just as much as the artworks themselves. So, taking inspiration from those early pioneers of “art for art’s sake” I decided after graduating I would embark on a one-way trip to Europe and thrust myself into a life of adventure and travel. Read more>>

Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann

I currently am able to support myself fully through my studio practice, but that privilege is only because of decades of support, work, and failure. After graduating from college, I taught at the elementary school level, studied abroad and worked as a graphic designer and illustrator before attending graduate school for painting. After that, I supported myself by teaching as an adjunct professor. Now, I pay my bills by combining my studio practice with public art, applications to grants, occasional teaching, and odd illustration jobs. Read more>>

Ciara Parker

Becoming an Entrepreneur and doing it full time was truly a Faith journey! I’ve always worked hard and when it was time for me to stop working my regular 9-5, I literally had to trust God for my next steps which ultimately ushered me into entrepreneurship and actually utilizing all my gifts and talents…this was quite a pivot but necessary. I now own a business that has several branches underneath and I also have a beauty brand along with my best friend as my business partner. I’m able to set my own prices and goals and attract the clients that I deserve. Read more>>

Jenifer Vinson

In 2019 I started learning how to make dice so I could make custom ones for myself and my the other players in my weekly Dungeons and Dragons game. At first, the results were a bit of a mess, but once I got the hang of it and started posting what I made on my personal Instagram account, I started getting a lot of inquiries about ordering them. I wasn’t quite ready for that at the time, but once I honed my craft a bit more, I started offering them for sale later that year. Read more>>

TAYLOR Mason

I have worked in show business since 1979 – including television, theater, streaming services, comedy clubs, casino showrooms, churches, synagogues, corporate events, colleges and any person, place or event that would have me. I am into my sixth decade as a showbiz lifer, and although the business of show has changed and morphed and moved during my time as a performer/writer/creator, some things remain the same. Significantly and critically, the constants are: keep writing, performing, creating and working (somehow). Find a way to do whatever it is you do as an “artist.” Read more>>

Annie Temmink

I earn a living from my creative work. I am 35. After college, I took on a variety of jobs to develop my skills, including working as an apprentice to another creative professional, working in a fabric store, serving as an industrial designer, and sewing costumes for a nightclub. When I got tired of this, I moved home to save money and to explore what it might feel like to be an artist (I was 24). Read more>>

Kate Hunter

Very much to my surprise, yes – I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it definitely wasn’t always that way. Photography started as something personal for me, something I never really imagined would become my career. Read more>>

Ryan And Sara DeVere

Yes, we feel abundantly grateful to be able to earn a full-time living from our creative work! It didn’t happen overnight, and the journey looked different for each of us. For Sara, the path started early. She sold her first photograph at 14 in a local art gallery, booked her first paid portrait shoot at 17, and went full-time as a freelance photographer at 19, primarily shooting senior portraits and weddings. For many years, it was a solo effort, but when we got married in 2014, Ryan joined in, and less than two years later we were both working full-time together in the photography business. Read more>>

Anthony Postman

I have been teaching music for 28 years; mostly as a guitar instructor, but also teaching some bass and piano. I have been fortunate to be able to make my living in music, sharing what I love with the masses. In the best of times, I saw 30-40 student a week, teaching at one of Reno’s old (now gone) local stores. At the same time, I was playing in bands and DJing, keeping well-bust with this array of pursuits. Most of the local bands are really only making enough for some side-cash. At times, I held as many as three DJ residencies, including hosting specialty music programs on public radio. Read more>>

Yi-Lun Chien

Carrying over 10 years of experience working in the costume department in my hometown of Taiwan and having just received my MFA from the Costume Design program at CalArts, I felt more than ready to dive into the dream of working in the Hollywood film industry, but I also carried huge anxiety because what we had heard was that the flourishing days of Hollywood had gone. Read more>>