We think the world needs more artists, more creatives and more folks unwilling to spend their days as a cog in a giant corporate machine. We don’t necessarily dislike cogs or machines but we think the world clearly needs more artists and creatives and so we wanted to try to figure out how more artists can make it work financially since this is one of the major obstacles blocking so many artists and creatives from pursuing their art full time. So, we asked folks who have been able to make a full time living through their creative work, how they did it.
Candance Campbell
I have absolultey been able to make a full time living from my creative work! My journey was a long 10 year road to get to where I am now with my business, however, I would do it all over again any day! I got into photography when I was only 15 years old. Read more>>
Adam Skeppar
I have been able to earn a full-time living from being a musician. The trick is to have many different skills and to always plan ahead. Let’s say you’re going on tour, have you written any songs before the tour that are now going to be published? Can you record guitar parts while on tour and produce songs? Have you planned out social media content for the tour? Read more>>
Shaunna Spivey-Spinner
Earning a full-time wage through being a creative , model, author , personal trainer and many other entrepreneurial ways has been challenging . You have to bet on yourself and take a chance. I started to research services that people actually support and learned how to monetize those talents . Some days are better than others but the hustle and motivation has to remain. Not all business is good business but remaining positive , promoting yourself and believing in the services you provide is key to success. Read more>>
Denis Leon
Yes, my art work and photography is my main source of income. For me as a creator I always loved the challenge of bringing my thoughts and ideas to life. Either its a concept an image or a piece of art. Or all of those put together to create a mixed media piece. So I did exactly that, creating concepts in my head which were appealing to me and challenging as well. Read more>>
Diego Brawn
I first started making money in the music industry on tours doing production. I worked with several artists stage managing and doing backline. I picked up a camera on a tour and fell in love with the process of capturing a live event. The energy of the room was something that I felt I couldn’t let pass me by without capturing. Read more>>
Lmao Geno
So back in 2020 my college decided to have classes done remotely due to covid and I really didn’t like it. I didn’t mind the time at home, but I was a major in graphic design and I really missed being hands on with the work and being in studio with my classmates. I heard that the following fall semester would also be online so I made the decision to take a break from school. I’ve taken breaks from school before but at the time I didn’t know when I’d be back due to the pandemic and also me having to pay off my previous semester. Read more>>
Cate Anevski
I do currently work full time as an artist, but it certainly wasn’t like that from day one. I started my business around the summer of 2005, when I graduated from college, but I didn’t work as a full time artist until 2015. Read more>>
Wenny Blackman
Following my passion has provide full time income allowing me to provide for my family, siblings and parents. As a kid who just graduated, I took a risk in 1996 saying; “What do I have to lose”, and opened a salon called, ‘Hairspray[. Without any business education, mentor or relatives here, I took my Cosmetology license and hit the ground running. Read more>>
Priya Narasimhan
Yes!, after a very long journey. I formulated and sold my first products almost fourteen years ago, and my business has grown slowly but surely each year, until it became a full-time living a few years ago. And last year, I made a big leap: my husband left his job to work with me on the business, and we moved to a cabin in the woods in Vermont where we live and create the products that make up Priya Means Love. Read more>>
Grant Fisher
I moved to NASHVILLE to pursue a music career as a singer. I wasn’t necessarily that interested in performing country music but I just loved this city so much that I decided this is where I would call my new home. I worked in the service industry to pay bills and it was the best move ever. Read more>>
Tina Sokolovskaya
I can consider myself a happy person because I got to do what I really love every day and I made I living out of my hobby. That’s a whole different art, mastering your craft to the level when you can pay your bills with it. It’s definitely not easy, but possible. I made my first money on photography when I was 11. I designed some postcards in Photoshop and took some pictures for the passport for people when I was 14. Read more>>
DeAndre Bonds
Yes I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I was hustling and getting my money out the streets than one day I decided that I no longer wanted to be in the streets looking over my shoulders so I took all the money that I had and invested it in tattoo equipment. The crazy thing about it all is I never really had a hard time making the transition from hustling to doing tattoos. Read more>>
Jasmine Mathews
I’ve been earning a full-time living from my work for almost 3 years now. Funny enough, I actually had no intention of becoming a full time artist or starting a business whatsoever. When I graduated college, I thought I’d use my English degree to go into publishing. Read more>>
Allee Mackey
I read somewhere once that unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art. Read more>>
Josh Vietti
I’ve been earning a full-time living as a professional musician since 2006. I’ve always been practical and started out as a street performer. I recorded original music out of my apartment, pressed my own CDs and sold over 50,000 CDs on the street between 2006 – 2011. I treated it as a full time job, set sales goals and didn’t leave until I hit certain numbers daily. Read more>>
Charlotte Bolton
I am now currently earning a full time living from my creative work since being self-employed as a tattoo artist, but it has definitely taken a few years and perseverance to get to this point. Since I can remember, I knew I wanted to work for myself doing something creative, and as soon as I left school at 16 I started taking on drawing commissions to start earning a bit of money. Read more>>
Dona Bollard
I have been earning a full time living for over 30 years with my photography. I started in the editorial sector working as a photo tech at the Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, Florida. Just before I got hired at the newspaper, I was taking art classes at a community college and stumbled on photography as an elective. I did not own a camera and had to borrow one to start the class. Read more>>
Ian Day
Yes I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. Absolutely, I believe that your gift will make room for you. In highschool I fell in love with art in every form. I was able to pursue that into college and had the opportunity a couple years into my education to further my interests in art through tattooing. I remember walking into the tattoo shop that I apprenticed at and I was just there to get a tattoo for myself. Read more>>
Gary Smith
Earning a living as a full-time photographer is a huge challenge to get to that level and to have the longevity that could be called a career. There are so many factors that come in to play like the economy, your market, your goals as a photographer and of course the ever-present financial obligations. I have realized that there are always photographers that are more talented and less talented. Read more>>
Elizer (Elly) Morcillos
I’ve been working full time in the industry as a concept artist/visual design developer for five years and have tackled many different projects along the way. Read more>>
Burka Bayram
Yes! and I wish it had been like this from day one. It has been exactly one year since I quit my job as a designer and became a full-time artist and it was the best professional year of my life! Read more>>