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.
Jp Warner
I have been so fortunate to be able to make ends meet as a full-time creative, but it certainly took me some time to get there. It wasn’t until year 7 of releasing music professionally that I could finally quit my day job, and even then I lived mostly off savings for the first 2-3 months as I ramped things up. Read more>>
Jared Molton
From 2010 to 2013 I worked as a full-time magician in New York City. This was shortly after I graduated from college and I was living the dream.
I was the GM of the oldest magic shop in the USA, Tannen’s Magic, by day. By night and on weekends I would gig. Performance would range from corporate parties, to bar/bat mitzvahs, to performing my act on stages across the city. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Cramer
It certainly has not been easy and I’ve had a lot of luck on my side to make it work, but I’ve been extremely fortunate to earn a full time living from working in creative fields. Like most people who start out pursuing theatre or creative work, I spent many years as a waitress, had a stint as a barista, and worked from home as a call center employee during the day while doing shows in the evening. Read more>>
Joselin Linder
I have a friend who used to always say, “My shit’s about to blow up,” after every hit he got with his art. But the truth is, “shit” doesn’t usually blow up. Instead, it sort of simmers, sometimes flames up. Also, this is a gross metaphor.
I realized early on that the trick to being a professional writer was-WRITE. Like never stop. Always be working on your next thing. Always be working on multiple next things. Another great piece of advice came from writer, Sue Shapiro. She pointed out that plumbers don’t get “plumber’s block”. Why should writers claim, “writer’s block?” Read more>>
Ronald Conner
I am fortunate enough to earn a full time living from my creative work. It was not like that from day one. I left college after my sophomore year to pursue a career in acting. For two years it was a lot of auditioning and working behind the scenes at local theaters. Fortunately, my mentor, Carol Mitchell Leon, who was over the theatre department at Clark Atlanta University, allowed me to sit in on acting classes and cast me in plays at the University ( this was before the turn of the century. The University’s policies are much different now). So, even though I wasn’t earning a living, I was still able to receive training and hone my craft and in 2000 I booked my first professional acting job. I was hired to be apart of a Children’s Theatre touring company( CLIMB Theatre, St. Paul Minnesota). From there my career was peaks and valleys. Read more>>
Victoria Levinsohn
I think this is an interesting question for my unique situation because really, I am not in fact earning a full-time living from my work. If I’m being totally honest, not even close. However, this is a conscious decision for this stage of my life.
In 2023, I decided to leave my full-time, in-person job in café management in Los Angeles to pursue a dream of moving to Spain. I was lucky to already have a relationship with a small marketing agency that hired me as a contractor so I could take on some projects, which I thought would become the full-time remote work that would fund my new lifestyle. Read more>>