The world needs artists and creatives. Unfortunately, being needed doesn’t often easily translate into financial stability. The struggle is real for so many incredibly talented artists and creatives and so we think it’s important to hear from creatives who have made it work – there is so much to learn from the folks we’ve featured below.

Loren Smith

Gas is not cheap. Groceries are not cheap. Rent is not cheap. California (Where I currently reside) is not cheap. EVERYONE i know has fifty-four eleven hustles, and that’s the beauty and challenge of what we do as creatives. For a while, I believed there was no way I could make a living as a performer so I worked in the medical field. Read more>>

Anita Roelz

I have been a self supporting, full time metalsmith since 2012. When I first started my metalsmith journey I owned a gallery with my partner who was a muralist and painter. We had a successful art driven business since 1996 and I was the half of the business that worked on the supportive part of the entity. Read more>>

Allison Welsh

Starting in 2023, I was able to dive head first into my business full time! When I started it was more of a side hobby, but as I took time to invest in my education and experience, I started gaining more clients who admired my work and wanted to book with me. Read more>>

Amanda Weygand Zehr

“Starving Artist” is a term of the past. Artists are here and we are determined to make a living wage off from doing what we love. The best advice I can give to any aspiring or beginning artist is to create multiple revenue streams. Make prints, create merchandise, vend at artisan markets, teach classes. Read more>>

Olive (awlivv)

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my work! Actually, I’ve been living off of content creation solely since June 2021. Read more>>

Nancy Woo

For the last two years, I have been “fully funded” by different organizations. Last year, I had a year-long project residency with Artists at Work, and this year I have a year-long project grant with the California Creative Corps. Both of these year-long situations pay me as an artist to do two things: 1) work with a nonprofit in order to create public arts programming, and 2) create art. It’s my dream come true. Read more>>

Serge Martinenko

There was a point in my life many years ago where I was making a move to Los Angeles and this event crossed over with my rapidly growing dislike for employment. Management at my last employment job were reasonable but there was no potential growth and when I started to notice that my solutions for executive decisions would be more practical, would save time and effort I thought it’s time to call it a day. Read more>>

Luna Lee Ray

I wish I could fully support myself solely from the sales of original paintings!! However, I consider myself extremely fortunate that I am able to support myself through an ever changing combination of painting sales, commissions, sales of commercial work( such as reproductions and greeting cards,) and teaching art classes to adults part-time. They all fall under the umbrella of working artist, and I get to think about art and talk about art in one way or another every day. Read more>>

Nikhil Koparka

Earning a full-time living with creative work I’ve found is a constantly evolving process. Both the joy and the uncertainty comes from the fact that it’s not a static notion. There’s been times where I found myself juggling many projects for months on end, and then suddenly, things are quiet for weeks or even months. Read more>>

PinkBastard ArtShop

Yes. Being creative came naturally. Like most children I enjoyed making and playing with crafts, but my other noticed I had talent to draw and nurtured that a Lon the way. It was around 11 years old we were out in public and I saw a strange man with a curious device around his neck, which turned out to be a camera. I saw I was staring at it so he asked if I knew what it was, which I did not-he proc end to slowly show me his camera. Read more>>

Freddy Mac

Earning a full time living doing something that you love is not easy. It takes determination and extremely hard work! I’m one of those people that have known what I wanted to do. Getting here was no easy feat. I’ve worked hard to achieve what I have so far. My journey started in 2012 as an intern as K92-WXLK in Roanoke, VA. Over the next 8 years, I would work my way up in many different capacities, from part-time to full time on-air staff. Read more>>

Jennifer Ingalls

It’s not easy. A a sole proprietor, you have to do it all! From purchasing and accounting, to the actual creative work. You have to know you industry, and your personal business, inside and out. It’s a lot to juggle. Read more>>

Valentina Olarte

Earning a full time living from your creative work is a roller coaster. There are times, especially challenging ones like the pandemic or a strike, that can make it feel like I’m taking a step back by supplementing my income with “non-acting” related job. BUT, I always feel like I can practice and enhance my acting by learning about different jobs and experiences. I feel like the key is to keep going, and to receive every opportunity as a time to learn and become better! Read more>>

Luther Schlaifer

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my work as a photographer. in the Winter of 2018 I was playing basketball at my community college when I suddenly got sick and had to drop out for that semester. I planned to go back in the fall of the following school year and had my classes scheduled. For Christmas that Winter, I received a camera and started taking photos at my local high school. Read more>>

Jermaine Johnson

I quit my full-time job as a radio host in 2019 to pursue comedy and content creation full-time. I wanted the freedom of creating my own work schedule and honestly, there were many months that I made my entire year’s salary in just a weekend from doing shows and online sales. Read more>>

Nestor Toro

There is often confusion and certainly strong opinions on the topic of money and artists. The “starving artist” stereotype has been made it seem that a “real” artist can’t make money with their art. Naturally this is not true and it actually is one of the goals. Think Picasso, Dali, and Warhol. There is nothing wrong with being rewarded for using one’s time to create and then to sell those creations to collectors who appreciate the work and want to own it. Read more>>

Nicole Ward

You really just have to apply yourself in order to earn a full-time living in this industry. Anyone can go to school and learn the basics but not everybody that goes to school is motivated enough to build from those basics. Getting into this industry is hard there’s sacrifices you have to make you have to be willing to take corrective criticism, knowing you’re going to mess up for a little bit before you get good.. sucks. Read more>>

Fernanda Uribe

Yes, thankfully I can live off my work, but it’s been a very a journey with many peaks and valleys. When I moved to NYC eight years ago I started waitressing, bartending and picking up gigs wherever I found them to help support me. On my way to work I would pass by a ceramic studio and wished to take classes as I couldn’t afford beautiful things for my home. I eventually saved some money and started making my own pieces. Read more>>

Maia Zakay

I only began making a full-time living from my music career about a year ago now when I started livestreaming consistently on TikTok every night. I gained over 80 thousand followers at a very quick pace, created a huge family-like fanbase who came to watch me sing for the world, and it was all done through TikTok livestreaming on my phone. The way I would receive money is by selling my merch on there and by receiving the TikTok gifts the app provides for people to send to their favorite creators. Read more>>

Kristine Lisman

Earning a full-time living as a makeup artist in Los Angeles is possible, but it can be competitive and challenging. To succeed, Here is my how to! I had to build Skills, I invested in professional makeup training and continuously improved my skills. Staying updated with current trends is crucial. your portfolio is very important. Read more>>

Shane Foster

Earning a full-time living as an independent artist and digital marketer in today’s music industry is a viable and exciting prospect. This entrepreneurial path requires strategic use of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), social media platforms, and digital marketing tools that can increase visibility, audience engagement, and ultimately, revenue. One of the key strategies is to leverage SEO to optimize your online presence. Read more>>

Meilani Darby

I grew up in a time where it was considered “a waste of time” to be an artist, or to be a creative at all. If it wasn’t making you any money, then it just wasn’t worth it. And, being a single, teen mom at the time, not only was choosing to get my BA in Graphic design and Marketing considered a “waste of time” but it was also considered selfish. Read more>>

YueTong Tsen

Two years ago, I moved to Los Angeles determined to build a career in animation. I was 21, had meager savings from my college part-time job, and would not meet my roommate until a week after moving in. This is how I earned a living from my creative work. Read more>>

Jaz Cole

I’m currently a full-time graphic designer and illustrator at a local publishing company in Nashville, TN. I also do freelance work, namely: creative direction in book design and marketing campaigns, product design, stationery layouts, brand templates, digital illustrations, and traditional paintings. Read more>>

Optimus Grind

I have been lucky to be able to make a living as a DJ for the last 18 years. Working mostly weekends has afforded me time to work on my song writing and audio production. When I first got to L.A., it was definitely a lot of hard work and being broke. I worked delivering pizza on melrose for 2 years, which was actually really fun. Read more>>

Chris Han

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work through my social media since 2017. However, it wasn’t an overnight success, and my journey had its share of ups and downs. I had doubts before it became a reality. Read more>>

Brad Vigorito

I turned a passion of mine (figure skating) into my career. I trained and competed as a skater for 18 years and now I’m thankful enough to do 45 hours a week as a coach and choreographer. Read more>>

Marlene Forte

The working class actor is disappearing. This is why we are on strike. The future of the working class actor is in danger of extinction. I worry about the young artists coming up right now. I joined the union in 1988. And except for a few years, I pretty much made a living acting. I was a single mom who needed health insurance so I worked in all mediums. Commercials, industrials, TV shows, movies (mostly Indies), theater, and even extra work! Read more>>

Maria Hojas

Being an actor in Los Angeles comes with its share of dreams and difficulties. LA’s entertainment industry offers numerous opportunities, but it also means dealing with fierce competition and financial uncertainty. Trying to make a living solely as an actor in LA has always been tough, and recent events like the SAG-AFTRA strike and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike have made it even harder. Read more>>

Natalie Kovacs

I graduated college in 2006 with a degree in English and a minor in art. I was initiated into the corporate world in 2007 first working as a proofreader, an editor, a copywriter, and even a medical writer. I stayed on that career path for 12 years barely pursuing art, raising a child, and just generally feeling pretty disconnected from who I truly was at my core. In 2019, I hit my breaking point. Read more>>

Debra Jones

To be honest, I was trained as an artist and took a long vacation. I took it up while still working and could afford my art supplies. Ha ha. In order to earn a full time living, I worked hard to bring way down my necessities and tried to balance, reducing my hours of the day job while working harder, marketing better, demonstrating, pretty much all I could think of to bring them to even. Read more>>

 Jessica Rizo

Great and loaded question Canvas. Read more>>

Woody Henderson

Dad would say, “Do what you love, eventually someone will pay you for it.” Well I wanted to travel to beautiful places and experience new cultures. In high school I installed window coverings. After high school I was running my own window covering business while attending business college classes. Read more>>

Kym De Los Reyes

It’s not always simple, but taking a chance on yourself and acting on your faith is incredibly rewarding! Every day and every circumstance has the potential to succeed or fail, but at least you are in control and have choices to make along the way. Working hard is a requirement if you want to make a life as a painter. Read more>>

Andy Shaw

Earning a full-time living from my artwork. Read more>>