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.

Avery Houser

I started my mural business a bit backwards. I decided that I wanted to learn how to paint, but I am admittedly bad at having hobbies. I don’t have the dedication it takes to learn a new skill without an endgame or purposeful goal in sight. If I was going to dedicate hours to learning a new skill after quitting a full time job and with two babies at home, I needed a practical reason. I had to make money, so I needed to make my new interest a financial benefit instead of a financial burden. I started a business painting murals, and in the process I learned how to paint murals. Read more>>

Moksha Rao

I consider myself extremely lucky to wake up every day and do two things I absolutely love, plus earn a full-time living to do them both. I have been an artist ever since I was a little girl and could’ve never imagined myself doing anything different (and I’m so grateful I never had to). I work at The Weather Channel as a Product Designer which fuels the geeky, creative, analytical side of my brain and is the culmination of the biggest decision of my life; to move from India to the United States. Read more>>

Leyah Childress

Growing up, photography was always a passion of mine. I would take photos of family members, friends, or anyone that would model for me. I always loved using my creative side through a lens. I started taking very minimal clients when I was in high school and gradually acquired more over the years. When I got married in 2016, My husband, who had always wanted to own his own business, really pushed me to dive into it more and he helped me grow it into something I never dreamed. Read more>>

Mekenzie Zimmerman

It’s hard to call tributing a band “creative work” but it has given me the freedom to record my own original music. Being in this band the past 8 years, I’ve learned so much about sound and dynamics and I’ve also been introduced to other musicians’ music. I play with 5 other people and we are all very different and our music taste spans several genres, so it’s really awesome to always be hearing and learning something new. Read more>>

Danae Stephens

I have been extremely lucky to be able to earn a full-time living off of what I do – being a photographer. I went from being a stay-at-home mom to a business owner making six figures a year. I still can’t believe that I get to do this every single day. I was in the middle of a divorce; I had just started getting into taking pictures, trying to start a business. I threw myself into it 100% knowing I was about to be a single mom of two kids. I offered free sessions on craigslist at a local park to learn – so at first I was only getting some tips here and there. Now here I am, 8 years in – and I’ve got a studio as well downtown that I share with a florist. Read more>>

Jenny Eickbush

My art career took a bit of a winding path before I landed on illustration. When I did set my sights on becoming an Illustrator, it was about five years before I could say I was earning my living that way. My degree is in musical theatre, so I have a passion for storytelling. But when I graduated and decided I didn’t want to pursue a career on the stage, I was feeling pretty lost. I’ve always loved making art, so I interviewed for a summer job at a theatre where I used to perform, and was hired to paint sets! That experience helped me get a job working at a faux finishing and mural company, and still let me spend my summers painting at the theatre. Read more>>

Javier Reyes

For almost 5 years now I’ve been able to live off my creative work. When I first began I had no clients, and I had to create something that didn’t exist, and that’s people who cared and who was willing to pay for my services. I had to think about my brand, and the services I wanted to offer within the creative field of photography and videography. Once I understand what I wanted my brand identity to become I then had to do the work to attract those people. This process took almost 2 years to fully grasp what my calling was within the creative space. Read more>>

Grace Torres

Photography went from a college side hustle to my full-time job in May of 2021. Throughout my college years, I worked jobs in public relations and local news/digital media that I feel prepared me for a lot of the aspects of running my photography business full time, but I didn’t have a lot of business knowledge. My strongest skills came from my formal education in art and communication, while I developed my business skills as I built and grew the photo business. Read more>>

Caleb & Madelyn

We shared our art online for nearly three years before finding a way to earn a full-time living. Practically surviving off of odd jobs and contract work, you could say we were starving artists. Somehow we always met our needs and were able to continue adventuring, but there was a yearning to sustain ourselves independently. Early 2021 we were camped out in the Utah desert when we learned about non-fungible tokens. Investing what little money we had to spare, we minted our very first NFT: a VeeFriends Series 1. GaryVee’s content had motivated our entrepreneurial spirit for years and we believed he was on to something. Read more>>

Danilo Parra

Indeed if it is possible to make a living making music full time I come from a family where many make music professionally in various facets from singing to music production so I know that you can make a living from music but you have to be disciplined and focus on the fact that this is not a hobby but a job. From an early age, I began to go to recording studios and I saw my relatives work in the industry. So eventually I also began to record children’s voices singing in locutions and throughout my adolescence I made professional music and I was earning money from the musical talent inherited by my family. Read more>>

Jaron Yancey

I have been working as a full time Musician for over a year now. Prior to that I worked in restaurants for almost 10 years. I learned a lot about work ethic especially working in the kitchen. Do a little here, do a little there, a lot of multi tasking which is essential to running your own business, and being a musician is just that, it’s running your business. The last day I worked for someone else I remember it clearly, I worked at some fun sponge place in Coronado, I asked to get my meal discounted on my break but was denied because it was a “kids” cheeseburger. Read more>>

Vanessa Velib

I started painting when I was 12 years old. I took it as a hobby but in my school notebooks I wrote in every single page that I was an artist. time later, I decided to pursue an acting career in Miami Fl, I loved theater and television. That was one of my dreams, but at the same time I began to exhibit my paintings in galleries and art fairs, I no longer had time to do two things at the same time. I had to focus on just one. It was a difficult decision but after a year of acting I decided that painting would be the first thing I would do and that I would focus my attention on it 100 percent. Read more>>

Jastin Artis

I did not start off making a living from my music in the beginning. But in true success fashion, I was forced. Three years ago, I lost the contract job that I just re-signed and lost my child in the span of two weeks of each other. The job said the “business needs had changed” while I took a few weeks to grieve. After months of applying to jobs and being interviewed, I felt I was being blocked. It was like shooting on the basketball court and though the shot felt good, nothing was dropping. So, I decided to focus on music. I’d done it full-time while working a day gig but now it was time to do it with no day gig. It definitely has not been flawless, or easy, but I make a living from my music and my business prowess. Read more>>

Brynn Osborn

I am currently making a living as a freelance photographer, which still feels like a dream when I say it out loud. I’ve had a camera in my hands my whole life, got my BFA in Photography from Texas State, and maintained shooting alongside jobs I’ve had. My last 9-5 I had was at a camera store, which fortunately meant I was surrounded by both creative people and an assortment of gear to play with and learn from. Read more>>

Karen Bagley

I have owned my business, Significant Moments Photography, for eight years this summer and have successfully made a wonderful full-time living from my career as an artist. Like many businesses the first couple of years my income went right back into my business. However, my business became profitable right around year two of being in business. I realized very quickly the need for the portraiture I was capturing and just how many people were looking for the art work I was creating. Read more>>

Stacey Steele

I think I always knew I was meant to be a performer, but society tells us we need to have a “backup plan”. For many years, I had so many different jobs in various fields and never quite had the direction to be able to earn a living entertaining. Eventually I figured out that I also loved fitness and teaching which would serve very well as a supplement to being on stage – and bonus – being up in front of my classes was very similar to being on stage! I got certified and soon became a certifier (aka I trained the trainers on how to train) for thousands of fitness instructors in South Florida. Read more>>

James Sims

I’ve been lucky enough to make a full-time wage from my creative work but that wasn’t always the case. I started off solely as a musician studying Music Theory in college and playing local gigs. A few years into it, I realized it was hard to make a comfortable living only playing locally–and this was before outlets like Spotify and YouTube became the giants that they are now, so it was harder to gain recognition. I ended up switching my degree to Graphic Design because I knew I still wanted to work creatively and I’ve always had a knack for sketching–it seemed like the best route. Read more>>

Bree Sinclair

I’ve been blessed to be a full-time tattooer for the last several years. Most times I’ll pick up a side job because I’m passionate about working with kids or in education/community — but sustainably I have been on my own. BuUuut it was not always like this! I did a lot of the wrong jobs, bumped my head a few times listening to what other people felt was best for me. Read more>>

Jarrod Barefoot

I have a unique perspective on making a living through my creative passion. Unlike some I have never placed my focus on exposure, rising to the top, or making a name for myself….I also never focused on making a single dollar from my work as a musician, yet here I am with more opportunities than I know what do with. Yes I did get a college degree in music production, but the main thing I took from educating myself on the music business was that I wanted nothing to do with it. Business minded people are wonderful and I need them, although I realized early on that I don’t want to be one. Read more>>

Jacqui Moore

I am almost there! I consider myself lucky to have had the amount of work I have had this year considering this was my first year being a full time independent makeup artist. I actually went full time in March but had my first job of the year in February and I pretty much hit the ground running. I was introduced to a amazing brand photographer who was fairly new to the Austin area and making a name for herself as well. We worked together for a networking photoshoot and we just clicked! She started recommending me to her clients for their photoshoots and the rest is history! Read more>>

NaKeitha Melton

For the last several year NaKeitha K Creative Services has just been a side hustle for me. A way to make extra income. However, in early January 2022 I lost my job at a promotional products company. Deep down I knew if was time for me to part ways with the company but I called myself trying to wait for the right time. I believe God had other plans for me. I had been entertaining the idea of working for myself full time for quite a while but I let fear get in the way of that. Read more>>

Eric Grady

I’ve been able to make a living by drawing caricatures ever since I opened my first shop. When I was in art school, I did a few freelance gigs. After school, I worked for a company, drawing caricatures. But I didn’t make a living until I opened my own shop. Luckily, I opened my first shop in 1992, so the cost of living was much, much lower than it is now. I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve also expanded my company. Now it makes a much better living than when I first opened. Read more>>

Al Leake

The pandemic created the opportunity for me to work full time. I lost my job and that was my main source of income. Design was a hobby project but i made the choice to pursue freelance design instead of looking for a full time job. At the time The BLM movement was happening and that helped create clients that wanted to support black owned businesses. I was still learning a lot about graphic design and the business aspect because you can be a great designer but terrible at business. That has been a fear of mine so I applied myself and did the research. Read more>>

Leora Sowell

I have had work as a photographer, not quite full-time as I have not marketed myself to the point where I am completely booked (unfortunately). The journey comprises of putting ones self out there: taking lots of pictures, sometimes doing jobs for less money as I build my clientele, posting very often to different social media platforms so people see how serious I am, and having the right equipment. In the slow process of building my photography business, I have also started a non-profit to honor men and women of service. I can definitely speed up the process of fully building my business once I dive into marketing myself. Read more>>

Ellen Blomgren

My income comes in various ways, adding up to a modest living. It has taken me 15 years to get to this point and I hope to be able to start saving for retirement this year. I knew that I needed a studio and I knew that I loved sharing the love of my medium with others, so in opening a community studio, I was able to do both! I have a thirst for learning and have not stopped taking workshops and inviting teachers to the studio to teach. Read more>>

Chris Carr

I am able to earn a living as a full-time artist. The journey here has had its ups and downs along the way. My first year or two was very slow and did not bring in enough to earn a living. In year one I think I had my art at 3 events. Only sold a few prints and art pieces. During year two I had my art at maybe 10 events. Still selling a little bit of art but still not enough to consider it a living. Then near the end of year 2, I was introduced to outdoor art festivals. After setting up at one early into year three with a cheap pop-up tent and some grid panels, I was able to sell even more art. Read more>>

Ashley Christine

Being a full time hair and makeup artist is not for the faint at heart! I built my business from the ground up about 5 years ago. My journey is quite the testimony for anyone looking to make that leap of faith into having their own business. I went from being a successful HR manager earning almost 70k a year to starting my own business. It took about 1.5-2 years before I started making a real profit. I’n between that time I had part time jobs to supplement my income until I my clientele base was built up. Read more>>

Beto Martinez

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work for some time now. I’ve been a musician in Austin since 1996. When I moved here, my goal was to be a professional working musician, but coming from my hometown of Laredo where there is no real music industry, I wasn’t quite sure how to do that. I knew I had to play shows and that’s the first thing my band and I set out to do. However, the reality was that we were young (18) inexperienced and not quite ready for prime time. Read more>>

Dwight Morrison

For the last two years, I have been a full-time content creator on YouTube and Twitch. Originally this business started out as a way to promote a local streetwear brand I started up. At the time, influencer marketing was getting huge and I had spent a good portion of money investing into it, especially on Instagram. Meme pages were huge on the platform back then, so I decided I would create my own and take advantage of that engagement to promote my separate business while also making some extra pocket money doing shoutouts. Read more>>

Tina Berger

I started as a DJ around 23 years ago. I had just started learning the art, spinning vinyl on turntables. I had several friends who were resident DJs at clubs and they brought me in for a few guest gigs to get a fee for it. I eventually earned my first residency at Club Onyx. I earned very little for the amount of time I put into my art, and expenses (music mainly) far outweighed what money I made. I eventually started multiple residencies as well as starting a night on my own and was able to steadily earn more money. Once the club closed down, Read more>>