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.

AnnaMarie Stephens

Absolutely! It took a long time and a TON of work on my end, but it’s great to be able to say I make as much as I would at a “regular” job, if not more. It has been 3 years of constant marketing, building my social media presence, learning new skills and editing techniques, the list goes on and on. I have never stopped learning and never stopped trying to improve. Read more>>

Ruggero Vittorini

My whole life I’ve danced around the arts. Well, I actually never danced, but definitely jumped around from medium to medium, expressing creativity in different ways at different times. I’ve never considered a job at a desk, it’s not them, it’s me, we’re not a good match. When I realized skateboarding wasn’t going to be my profession, and that I wouldn’t be making movies for a living any time soon, I went with the third best choice: a music career. Read more>>

Kasey Headley

After I graduated college, I was at a crossroad. I didn’t want to pursue a career in the field of study I was in. I didn’t know what to do or where to go; apparently that place was Discount Tire! I was a regular at the coffee shop in my college town, and I saw one of the baristas while I was getting my tires rotated. He asked what I was doing, I told him that I was about to start job hunting, and he told me that the coffee shop was hiring! I applied and got the job! I thought this would be fun, but I didn’t know that it was going to be my life! I fell down the speciality coffee rabbit hole! Read more>>

Jenny Grumbles

Earning a full-time living from my creative work is one of those things I have to pinch myself about all the time. I can’t tell you exactly how I was able to get here, but I am certain that a huge percentage of it has nothing to do with the actual art I create. There is this pie chart that is being passed around creatives right now about how your expectations of being a full time artist are to make art all day and then sell it. In reality, in order for you to sell that art and make money, 90% of your day is spent working on, prepping, planning, shipping, inventory, photographing, marketing, websites, etc. Read more>>

Eric Hebert

The music and entertainment industries are both highly competitive industries to make a full-time living in. The way I have been able to do so is by not focusing on one specific craft. Working in studio, live sound, and post-production environments each require different skills and knowledge. I made my introduction to the music industry through pursuing the path of an artist and songwriter. At 18, I started a band with some of my friends which led to years of us writing music together, touring around the country, recording in various studios, and seeing some of those songs land global placements such as the season premiere of MTV’s The Real World: Portland and Journey’s shoe stores worldwide. Read more>>

Maria Connors

I have been able to maintain music as my full-time profession for over 17 years now. I started out by sharing the craft with others around age 18 and soon realized that I truly enjoyed and felt natural in this calling. I began growing my customer base until I was able to break away and independently start building up my own school to teach out of. As I developed this part of my career, I also began playing paid gigs of all kinds, and recording/producing different musicians in town to contribute to sustaining me monetarily. Read more>>

Sharisse Coulter

Earning a living from my creative work has been (and still is) a work in progress. For me, as with so many others, photography started as a hobby. I wanted to learn how to capture great photos of my own travels. My grandmother bought me my first Canon film SLR and I just started out shooting what I saw. I had no training or designs of making money so there was no pressure. When I moved to San Diego in 2006 I got involved in the local music scene and began shooting live concerts. First for free, and then paid. Read more>>

Ed Salas

Luckily yes, we sustain our full living, and no, wasn’t an overnight kind of thing, being preparing myself to be here my whole life (literally) spend most of my childhood evening drawing and creating comic characters, not knowing i was turning into the graphic industry and clearly directed to the marketing aspect. had friends with business and without thinking I started to create logos or handmade signs for their advertising, a huge milestone was when at 14 years old got hired by a magazine to illustrate a comic book made for some elections going down in Mexico City, since the designer crew didn’t have anyone to create cartoon characters one of my cousins who work there, Read more>>

Gina Corso

In my late 20s, I found myself teaching full time at a privately owned music school, which had serious growth and financial limitations. After belabouring my options, I resigned from teaching at the school and hit the pavement on my own marketing campaign. I literally walked door to door with 5000 flyers in South Jersey and presented free pop/rock improvisational music workshops at every school that would have me. I also promoted private events on every platform available. With a relentless amount of perseverance, one private client turned into 30 and my private music studio had become known amongst the local community. Read more>>