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.
Matt Baker
Yes. It’s been the only job I have ever had. I have been doing this full-time since I was 17 years old (minus a two-week stint as a barista). My journey actually started when I was a kid. My great-great-great-great-great-great step-aunts were the Brontë sisters, so I grew up under the crushing weight of a literary legacy. Read More>>
Lauren Aurigemma
Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it wasn’t like that from day one. Early on, it was a mix of freelance projects, navigating pricing, and building consistency. I’ve always approached my work from a business lens, but it took time to align my creative skill set with the right clients, scope, and level of work. Read More>>
Ashley Isbell
Earning a full-time living wage while starting and running your own business is definitely a struggle. I started my company while I was in college, so I definitely didn’t have a financial backbone that allowed me to jump into full-time after! Read More>>
Evan Harris
This is a great question! Short answer: yes. However, it wasn’t so easy when I started out full-time in my photography business. When I left my job in 2023, I didn’t really have much income coming in, no plan, nothing. Read More>>
Marya Nguyen
I started over five years ago in a bedroom just big enough to roll out a yoga mat. From day one I knew two things: I needed to keep learning, and I needed to keep connecting with people. Read More>>
D. Pierce Giltner
Yes — but it was a long time coming, and every step of it was intentional. I was born with a natural creative talent. That’s not something I take credit for so much as something I’ve always felt a responsibility to honor. Read More>>
Ella Sophie
I have been stubbornly making my creative work my full time income since college. During the early years I was more diversified. Offering wedding and event photography, product and portrait photography, tutoring art history and adobe programs, and throwing in the occasional graphic design project. Read More>>
Shuzin
Well, I think I was always able to make SOME income from my creative work – it’s just that at the beginning of my journey I was more willing to live like a bum in exchange of doing only art and creative work with my days (and nights). Read More>>
TJ Fuller
At the time of me writing this, I’ve officially survived 2 years of living off of my passion, working within a highly volatile industry: MUSIC. Read More>>
Brianna Shelko
Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it definitely wasn’t like that from day one. I’ve spent over 20 years honing my craft, writing more than 500 songs and putting in over 20,000 hours. Early on, I faced financial barriers, especially when trying to access songwriting rooms and camps that could help advance my career. Read More>>
Sudeep Kanwal
Yes, but not from day one. While I was in film school, I realized early on that filmmaking didn’t offer a guaranteed paycheck, and as an immigrant, being a starving artist was never really an option. I needed to find a creative path that was both meaningful and practical. Read More>>
Jono Diener
It was a long, odd journey to create a full-time living as a creative. Starting out as a drummer in a band who traveled the world, I’ve had amazing experiences that continually turned ideas into tangible objects. Song ideas into physical vinyl records. Lyrics into album artwork. And accidentally became the Creative Director of my band. Read More>>
Wei Li
To earn a full-time living from my creative work is rooted in my belief in growth, hard work, and the sense of achievement that comes from overcoming obstacles. In another word, I’m full of optimism in my creative career life. In the early stages of my career, I faced constant rejections and struggled to find projects. Read More>>