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.

Dave Tada

Over the past several years, somehow I’ve made it work, at different times as a full time employee and also as a freelancer. It definitely took a lot of meeting people, but so much is just plain luck. You know someone, that knows someone, that knows someone else, who’s roommate is dating some big art director. Even to this day, it’s been very difficult to find consistent work and that’s really the only thing that makes me reconsider going back to full time. Moving from Salt Lake City (I was working as the photographer for a model agency at the time), my first job in LA was retouching for a celebrity photographer, which didn’t last too long, as I quickly found out I was in way over my head at the time. Read more>>

Heidi Schwegler

Since it’s rare for a sculptor to earn a full time living from their studio work, I’ve always embraced the notion of teaching as a form of patronage. I sell my studio work but I never wanted to rely on that to financially survive. In graduate school I knew the academic institution would like be my patron as I focused on more conceptual work free from the constraints of the commercial market. Because of this I either managed one of the art studios or taught throughout graduate school which not only gave me marketable experience but paid for my education. Read more>>

Davey Jarrell

I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to have made a full-time living working in animation for the past six years. The work has been pretty consistent up until this year, but now we’re kind of at a weird transition point in our industry. It’s harder than ever to make something that a lot of people will watch because people’s attention is divided across so many different platforms. When I was a kid, everyone watched “SpongeBob”, everyone watched “Seinfeld”, but there are really no modern equivalents. People spend more time on TikTok and YouTube than anything else, so most shows don’t get a fraction as many viewers as they used to. Streaming looked like a viable option for a while but now that business model is imploding. Read more>>

Jonathan Shaw

I am so thankful to be able to focus on my artwork full-time and support my family through my business. It still feels surreal to say that I am a freelance artist even though I resigned from my “day job” over two and a half years ago. Sometimes I simply ponder, “How would I feel if I showed my younger self a little snippet of what my life looks like now? To show 18 year old Jonnie my studio space, projects, and the freedom it allows for family life, travel and recreation.” I mean, just this morning, I decided to commute to the studio in my kayak and thought, “What if I saw this scene several years earlier, how would I respond?” Read more>>

Rajan Kapila

Working and living off my creative work has been rewarding and satisfying honestly. At the start, it seemed difficult to even begin but what I learned over time; what isn’t difficult in life. Getting my first in studio job was a milestone, working for clients like amazon, Disney and many more. I am not sure if I could say that there’s a way to speed that process up, but as fellow artist we just need to keep that the hungry and desire to create great work at the forefront and the rest is sure to come along. Money. Consistency. Success and everything else you may desire. Read more>>

Trish Gianakis

I am a a full time artist in residence funded by a grant with Creatives Rebuild NY. This was an interview process in May 2022, I was selected as one of 250 artists through out the state of NY employeed by the grant recipient BronxNet TV. They have employed me in a two year contract as one of their artist. I also ran my own digital marketing agency for 20+ years prior to becoming a full time artist. Working in the entertainment world of sports, music and was also Bayer’s in-house agency of record. The major step to make the switch from CEO, Digital Marketing Creative Director to full time artist was when I cam down with breast cancer and i realized I was not living the life I wanted. Switching out of the corporate world took a couple years. Finally during Covid I was offered a full time teaching position as an art professor at Saint Peter’s University. The teaching, though was less money, offered me the flexibility to do my art and give back to the community by sharing my knowledge with our future generation. Read more>>

Aaron Bowen

Before the pandemic I was working full time as a performing musician and music producer/engineer traveling to Europe a few times a year for shows with the label i was signed to More Than Folk Records France then with the downtime I was learning the craft of guitar building from my friend Connor of high spirit guitars here in San Diego then it just took off now I’m building and selling guitars to lots of wonderful artist all over the world. Read more>>

Ashley Taylor

It took me a while to go full-time with modeling, especially living in Chicago. It’s expensive to be here. I worked as a dental assistant for a year just to get established and have a stable income. I was unsure of all the opportunities because of my 9-5. It can be scary in this industry because you never know where your next paycheck is coming from. However, going full-time opens the door to freedom and flexibility so you can take all the jobs you want. Read more>>

Clare Mottola

I knew from a very early age that my life would be one that included a marriage of my creative life and my interest in education. While in college, I studied things that felt important to prepare me for that path. It was such a privilege, with graduate school being a time that I could really synthesize the hopes and craft the path. I worked hard to gets lots and lots of experiences, producing my own work, surrounding myself with people whose work I really looked up to, working for organizations whose missions inspired me, and taking on all kinds of jobs that supported the ultimate goal. Read more>>

Stephanie Campisi

Not quite, unless you count my dayjob as a copywriter, which draws on a lot of the same skills, although I think in a year or two I’ll be on track to. A writing career is a cumulative one, with payments from advances, royalties, speaking engagements and so on gradually building over time. One of the biggest challenges is that not only do you never quite know how much you’re going to earn, but it can take a long time between payments – six months is the norm for royalties, and contracts can take a long time to be finalized. I try to balance things out by doing events and talks where I sell books directly, or taking on work-for-hire creative projects that tend to have quicker turnaround times and more amenable payment terms. (Those are the books you often see stocked in supermarkets and big box stores!) Read more>>

Colin Simpson

For most creatives, the idea of learning a living doing what they love is both inspiring and terrifying. Owning a business is not something I suggest for people who are afraid of hard work, but it’s very satisfying and freeing when you get it right. Being my own boss suits me well because I’m very much motivated by the success of our company. It supports our family and lets my wife and I have the life we want. Read more>>

Jon Sideriadis

I have. I wasn’t finding much work, so I started teaching while creating my own mythology and world on the side. While teaching, I picked up a much larger set of skills, learned to network better, to communicate, to present to a wide audience, and to stay in touch with current trends in the sci-fi/fantasy world by taking an interest in my students’ favorite past-times. It was extremely difficult from day one, and I often escaped my workaday life by painting and writing stories for what would eventually become my illustrated book series. One of my major milestones was getting into my first convention after taking my prints and originals to small shows in Connecticut, where I live. Read more>>

Sarah Rowan

For the past NINETEEN years, I have been a full-time artist, and I’ll be honest…the first SIXTEEN years were nothing to celebrate financially. Granted, I was getting another degree a couple of those years, then having babies in a new country away from family support. Baby steps literally and figuratively filled my life. I grew in my skill, confidence, and a bit of direction of where I wanted to direct my art career. Day One: October 2004, I painted LIVE in front of my first audience as a speed painter. I didn’t have any training in this particular form of entertainment and suddenly found myself in front of 4,000 people! The adrenaline rush was insane and I loved it! Read more>>

Chip Miller

Yes, since I was 15 years old, starting as an illustrator, and after graduating art school in NYC, went professional as a much-in-demand magazine, album covers, book jackets, illustrator and eventually as a successful graphic designer as well. I always loved movies and stories, and lived in a movie theater when I lived in NJ. I began writing original comic book stories and sold several to DC. Comics. Though my artistic talents came naturally, learning more became my drive, thus 4 years in a trade high school studying commercial art, followed by 4 years in art school to achieve a BFA. When I was drafted during the Vietnam War, I served in the USAF as a Graphic and Visual Specialist and learned about equipment and cameras. Read more>>

Ferran Torras

My creative career began in Spain after completing my studies in Graphic Design and Illustration. I had always wanted to pursue a profession related to the arts. Coming from a family of teachers on my mom’s side, I initially thought I would become an art teacher. However, I later discovered Illustration and its editorial community, and I fell in love with the possibility of becoming a children’s book illustrator. I worked in this capacity for several years while living in Barcelona. A few years later, I felt the need to travel and consider living abroad. I had previously spent 2 years in Bristol, which got me thinking about exploring other cities and cultures. Read more>>

Carly Quinn

I started my company in 2011 after quitting my day job and jumping into tile making full time. I started with a really crappy studio in a bad part of town that I could afford, and a large kiln that a friend sold me for dirt cheap. From that point on I spent every waking hour in my studio creating art and turning it into tile. Within a year I was able to rent a store front studio space in a nicer part of town and hire my first employee. From the moment I started I was able to eke out a living, but my expenses at the time were extremely low. I now have 8 employees, have since purchased the building we work out of and we make about 1,000 tiles per week. My artwork has not only provided me with a full time salary, but I am able to employ other artists at a competitive pay rate with benefits. Read more>>

Rob Hann

I spent about fifteen years shooting portraits for magazines and record companies. About eight years into that career I started taking roadtrips throughout the American southwest for my own pleasure, shooting whatever caught my interest along the way. At a certain point my paid work started drying up and the money was being reduced for both magazine work and record company shoots due to the effect of the internet. Out of desperation I thought I might try selling prints of the roadtrip photography on the street in SoHo, New York City. It went well and I was noticed by gallery owners from both NYC and Stockholm, Sweden, who started selling large limited edition prints of my work. Read more>>

Paige Borowski

Earning a full-time living by working as a creative was truthfully never something I worried about as I grew up training for a career in the arts. I had parents that supported my decision to dance professionally, earned a BFA in dance from one of the world’s most prestigious performing arts schools, and yet my primary focus was always the work itself; without a mention of how this work could support my life financially. It wasn’t until I had graduated from school, began my professional career, and even went through a career transition that I began to understand just how unique of a system earning a living in the arts truly is. As many artists, I never thought it was possible to create a financially fulfilling future for myself, but I have learned trough the natural trial and error of any entrepreneurial endeavor, that committing yourself to studying your finances and consistently assessing where there is room for improvement that a bright future for a professional in the arts is not only possible but something to demand in every job you do every day. Read more>>

Domonique Bechtold

Yes, I have been blessed to make a full-time living from permanent makeup. From the start, I was dedicated and driven. When my mind is set to something, I am pretty consistent until I reach my goals but that is not to say the road was easy and without struggle. Any artist will tell you, it is hard to make a full time living off of your art. You have to find passion and purpose in what you are doing, without that – it will be harder to be successful and nearly impossible because you wont have the desire deep within to keep pursuing your dreams. I often like to say “You can have anything you want, it just depends on how bad you want it.” Ive also had someone very wise say to me in the past, when i needed it most, “When you love something the money will follow.” Read more>>

David Teel

Yes! It took a while and I still have a long way to go, but being able to earn a living as a creative is a blessing. I first started exploring music the summer of 3rd grade going into 4th grade. The school I attended at the time had a band that you could audition for once you became a 4th grader so I started playing trumpet! My older cousins were already in band so they helped to inspire me to get my start and gave me my first trumpet! Read more>>

Titus Maz

I have a long history of live music and bands from an early age but as an Italian born and raised I’ve always felt a slight judgemental attitude from the people around me. Many environments suffer from a certain kind of social pressure which forces a kid to put the artistic talent aside and keep it as a hobby while focusing on achieving a more ” serious ” job. Despite all that i managed to always get some great achievements as a guitarist or composer and then I got to a point where i could think about only doing music. Read more>>

Wally Kelly

I struggled a lot with pricing myself from the time I was first published at 17. I felt that every opportunity was one that I shouldn’t pass up just because I priced myself “too high” and that still translates in my stuff today. It’s really hard to establish your personal value and that’s definitely something i’m still working on! Read more>>

Catalina Matamoros

I am currently in the process of becoming a full-time freelancer, and I find it to be an exciting yet somewhat daunting experience. This endeavor demands a high level of self-organization and curiosity. It’s important not to fear not having all the answers and to feel comfortable asking questions of those who are on a similar path. I believe there is no definitive right answer to speeding things up; there’s always a learning curve that cannot be circumvented. Therefore, from day one, I am committed to remaining open to learning. Read more>>

Neil Newcomb

In today’s society being a full-time musician is quite difficult unless you land a symphony gig. As a saxophonist is that makes that possibility impossible. With that being said, yes it is possible to make a living as a free lance musician. However, it requires an immense amount of time investment, luck, and patience. Many free lance musicians that I know all have secondary sources of income related to the field. Some examples include teaching lessons, arranging music, or in my case, owning an instrument repair company. Read more>>

Kevin Eugee Wilson

Being a creative is truly not an easy task, especially if you’re an unknown artist just starting out. I have fortunately been able to earn a full-time living and solely rely off my creative work for the past fourteen years to fund my lifestyle. Have I had moments where things weren’t so bright and had nights where I didn’t know where my meals were coming from, yes. But it seems to be apart of the industry unless you have wealthy parents to assist in the hard times. Everyone has had ups and downs in this field. Even the most famous and rich people in the world have slept in their cars trying to make their dreams come true. I’m surely no different from anyone in that aspect. I’ve too slept in a car trying to make my dreams come true. I’ve been very happy that I’ve been able to live out a few of my dreams in this lifetime. Read more>>

Mike Luckas

Miraculously I HAVE managed to make this work! haha. I think my journey into this was a an odd one that benefitted from a lot of luck. Fresh out of art college I tried to find comic work with any publisher I could. I was rejected and ignored for years and fell into a big rut of “I’m never gonna make a living with this”. I started selling art at anime and comic conventions in college, and after graduating, conventions became my main “thing” because it was the only kind of work I could get. Read more>>

Lucy Peru

One story comes to mind… I had just moved to LA from New York. I was supporting myself entirely as a professional modern and ballet dancer as I forged my new life in music. I knew how to make a full-time living as an artist but I was switching from dance to music. It was a completely new chapter! I believe all the crazy jobs I’ve had along the way (when I needed to supplement my income) have deepened my creative well and enriched my life in ways I wouldn’t have even chosen for myself. They are unexpected blessings! Read more>>

James Gallardo

For me, the journey to achieve being full-time creative musician didn’t happen over night. Currently I’m an international commercial-freelance studio & professional musician. I mainly contracted for Norwegian Cruise Lines performing, acting, and touring the world. For over a decade, I’ve been primarily a working up-right and electric bassist. Essentially, a day in a life for me has varied over the years. Read more>>

Eric Guilmette

I am lucky. Upon moving to Southern California in October 2019, I didn’t have much of a plan… I just knew that I wanted to do something that would inspire me and feel fulfilling. On my second day here, I booked an editorial shoot as a model. I loved it; being in front of the camera felt so freeing… I felt artistically awakened. Four days after that, I booked a campaign that paid very well, as an independent model I might add. And I thought to myself “I can make a career out of this…” So I did, and from that moment on over the last four years, I have been a full-time model and actor making a living from doing something I love. Read more>>

Evija Fairo

Our favorite part of being full time artists is that we can be our own bosses and that we have full control over the decisions, operations and direction of our creative work. Being own bosses offers us greater flexibility in terms of work hours and location. We can create a schedule that suits our personal preferences and lifestyle. But of course with great power comes great responsibilities. We are responsible for every aspect of our creative business ,including finances , operations, management, marketing and more . This can be rewarding and challenging. We love the freedom to innovate and bring our own creative ideas to life. Read more>>

Audrius Plioplys

In an overarching sense, I have been able to make a very good living from my creative work — but this requires considerable explanation. While in medical school at the University of Chicago, the desire to paint, to create visual art, gradually overtook my soul. By the time I graduated, I felt that I had made a mistake — I should not have gone into neurology, rather I should have been an artist. My friends convinced me to at least finish my medical internship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, which I did. Then, I quit the world of medicine completely. I moved to the east coast, established a studio. And my art career was launched! Read more>>

Tara Mascara

I had a couple of moments where I went in different directions trying to find what I wanted to do for a career. As cliché as it sounds, the best advice I can give is to follow your heart and do what makes you happy. I originally wanted to be a dentist so that I could make people feel beautiful. After working in a dental office as a receptionist, I realized that wasn’t the path that I wanted to go in, so I stopped going to school for biology. I began working in hospitality full-time because I loved interacting with people. I was dealing with celebrity clients and other VIPS and was making the the most upsells for the hotel, but it wasn’t rewarding for me. I had to really sit down and think hard about what I wanted to do. Read more>>

Krystal Fortune

From as far back as I can remember I have always had an interest in the blending of music, culture and art. These three forms of creation have always been a source for my personal motivation to innovate and create with intention and impact. The desire to transform my ideas into reality led me to start sewing at 11 years old. In middle and high school I was able to constructively and successfully create garments from my budding imagination which was instrumental for me in finding what my life purpose and future career goals would be. Read more>>

Aaron Reed

We’ve been able to earn a living from music by providing a diverse array of performances capable of fitting into everything from a festival to a corporate party. Our show is about the performance and audience engagement as much as it is about the music. Having a huge catalog, which includes six albums and countless covers allows us to tailor make a show to fit a myriad of circumstances. Read more>>

Jackie Loubriel

The story of this leap I took to go into working for myself full time as a professional photographer is a little crazy, bittersweet, but exactly what I had needed to do for a long time. I had been operating my 10-year business, Jackie Marie Photography, on the side of my office job, working as a full-time, E-Commerce (ECOMM) Product Photographer for one of the top online lighting retailers since 2019. Before that, I was working as a freelance, commercial-photography assistant for two years out of college, after I graduated with a BA in Journalism with a minor in Photography. Read more>>

Tiffany Smith

I’ve followed my creative passion from the very young age of 5. Fortunately, it wasn’t something I was willing to let go, I pursued 2 creative degrees a Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design and an Associates Degree in Photography. My career has been incredibly fulfilling, I’ve been earning a full salary since graduation, I’m very excited to continue my journey. Read more>>

Henri Martel

I think a mistake a lot of music creatives make when first starting off in the industry, myself included, is that the only way to make a living from music is to sell records and eventually tour, with a majority of that support coming from loyal fans in the thousands if not millions. I feel like this mentally, while a great goal to have, really becomes an obstacle that prolongs the process of beginning to profit from your creativity; especially if you do not understand how the business end of the music industry functions. Read more>>

Paul Hoyle

I always wanted to be able to make a living as a full time Music Producer and Songwriter. I knew that I had to master many disciplines, from understanding music theory to playing many instruments, to understanding Audio Recording and Engineering. So I started Mechanical and Electrical Engineering where I was born, Lima Peru, while I playing with bands and getting my taste in writing music and performing. When I was ready for the next step, I applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and I started my Production career in 1980. After graduation I was able to move with my family to Miami, where I started playing in Clubs, and establishing myself as a studio musician and arranger. Read more>>

Isabelle Alice Jolicoeur

Me and my business partner have decided in 2018 (a year after opening our business) to earn our living only from creative work and not building work. It was a huge decision for us in the socio-economic context in Haiti. Architects in Haiti frequently build themselves their project in order to be profitable and control all aspects of the project. However we felt that we were not serving our clients as best as possible, and making interesting projects and spaces with this traditional way of practiving. It was especially hard not having any role models to look to when we had questions and doubts. I personally took from my experience working in Canada in order for us to put in place protocols and systems to make the work efficient but still enjoyable. Read more>>

Alise Loebelsohn

I came from a working class family with very nurturing parents, My mother loved art and was a fashion illustrator. My father was a New York City police officer. I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was old enough to walk. My mother. encouraged my twin sister and I at an early age and we are both artists today. I graduated from Pratt institute. While at Pratt, I worked for a professor who had the idea that public institutions could be made more beautiful with color and art. We painted large colorful patterns and murals throughout hospitals and other public spaces. I knew that I wanted to paint large and this would be my focus.. Read more>>

Michelle Marks

I am so excited to say I have finally been able to earn a full time living from my creative work. I would say this is not the first time in my years of being a Stationery Designer but I truly believe that this is the first time I feel comfortable and secure in my business. I have always been in the creative business from when I was in college. I loved planning parties and hosting friends or family. I always put a creative spin on each event no matter the occasion. I went on to put my creative ambitions in catering and wedding/party planning. Having a family made those times of working weekends not possible so I bought a Wedding Invitation business 18 years ago. Read more>>

Jessica Meuse

I’ve been performing publicly ever since I was 10 years old. Everything I know about the entertainment industry I have learned from doing it myself — “baptism by fire” as I oftentimes call it. There have been innumerable adversities along my path that have forced me to either give in to pressure or become highly introspective and grow and accept myself as a person; I like to think I’ve chosen the latter. I have encountered anything from the petty misinformed who don’t realize that being a creative is a “real” job (thankless at times) to a copyright issue with an old manager who refuses to give the rights back to songs I remember writing about real experiences and events in my own life. It’s a cutthroat industry, and the fact that I’m still here making music full-time and performing every chance I get hopefully shows the world how much I truly love what I do. Read more>>

Wendy Hickey

Mine is a creative journey with a twist. For nearly 20 years I was in sales, national sales, sales management in the billboard industry. The creative is really what drew me into the out of home industry and when I wasn’t on sales calls you would find me collaborating with the design team. In early 2000’s I was serving on a local arts council and it occurred to me the best service I could be doing for local artists, was putting their art on our billboards! Read more>>

Julia Tranfaglia

I started out interning for different production companies and rental houses throughout film school, and upon graduation I began working on sets, working many different positions in production. I think that only gave me better perspective on not only the type of work I enjoy, but how to be a better producer and director through better understanding what I’m asking of my crew. Since then I’ve been independently producing and directing projects for myself and clients. It wasn’t always easy, especially establishing myself, building a client list, and growing my business, but after enough successful projects, things started to become more sustainable with regular calls for work. Read more>>