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.

Cheryl Cook

Always stay open to an opportunity to use your skills to try new things and learn more of your craft. Read more>>

Camilo Rodriguez

Through my knowledge of drums and percussion, I have participated in several international projects with artists such as Sebastián Yatra, Guaynaa, Tu Rockcito, 123 Andrés, MPP Entertainment, Paula Arenas, Mike Bahia, Magic Juan, Claraluna, Eddy Herrera, Mickey Taveras, Lucas Arnau, Bonka, Sin Ánimo de Lucro, Manuel Medrano, Cali y el Dandee, Charlie Zaa, Llane, Los Tri-O; among others. Read more>>

Vincent Dore

I have been able to earn a living as a working musician by remembering this is not just my passion but my business. When I started my career while still in college I would jump at low paying “major” roles on the hope of getting famous even though I would lose money being part of these projects. Read more>>

Kent Youngstrom

Everyday you wait is a day you won’t get back. i’m kenT, and i’m an artist.  but not the tortured kind.  i create one of a kind images – no two are exactly the same.   some are big.  some are small.  some have words.  some have none. Read more>>

Karyn Mannix

Being self-employed in the Arts is a full-time job within itself. For me, it takes a lot of juggling and wearing of many different hats, but it is my preferred way of life. Read more>>

Kaitlyn Hale

I just recently left my full-time job to pursue being a small business owner full-time. My business initially started out as a hobby and in February 2023, I launched Raising Hale Designs as a way to make some extra income for our family. Read more>>

Antwan Taylor

My journey has been long and hard. I started my business in 2011, a year after I graduated from college. I still lived at home so I had a safety net. Read more>>

Tiffany Pichardo

For the first two years of my career, I worked for free. Yes, you heard that right. Anyone who needed a website, I was there, eager to dive into the project just for the sheer joy of it. At the time, I was a stay-at-home parent with a two-year-old, and designing websites was a fun way to pass the time. Read more>>

Alex Coghe

Italian photographer based in Mexico since 2010. I have a full time career as photographer, writer and photo coach. Read more>>

Alexander Kryzhanovskyi

My art practice has been going on for about 7 years, the first three years I couldn’t make a full time income from my art and had to work a regular job, first as a bartender and then as an assistant curator at a local gallery. Read more>>

Vic Rosario

Yes.. At first I knew what I wanted to do but didn’t know how to get there. In the beginning it was a struggle but with time and hard work I’ve learned anything is possible if you believed in yourself and your own vision. Read more>>

Mark Hersch

When I turned 60, preparing to retire from a career in marketing and advertising, I began to think about what I would do next. I had been taking pictures all my life, and by now photography had gone digital. Read more>>

Olivia Kuan

The short answer is yes, I have been able to earn a full time living with filmmaking. But that doesn’t mean that can’t change tomorrow. The path to financial success in a creative field is not linear. Read more>>

Tony Redmer

It’s easy for it to feel like you have to dedicate your entire existence to your art. If you don’t, you’re less valid as an artist. But I have found that mentality unsustainable for the age we live in. Read more>>

Daniel Clark

We have traveled almost 30,000 miles so far, through 25 states, performing in the streets of cities and tiny towns alike. We are literally powered by music! We are passionate about music and want to bring that passion to the people. Read more>>

Annie Lewis

I’ve finally been able to earn a living as an artist, but the process was, as I’m sure it is for many people, slow and arduous. I had a pretty distinct moment of clarity in my mid-twenties, during which I decided that visual art is what I’m best at and what I wanted to pursue as a career. Read more>>

Lewis Carlyle

Earning a full time living with creative work. Oh boy, you may not like the answer, so here we go. . . When it comes to photography, there are two types of work: Read more>>

Erik Ljungholm

Yes, I’ve been working as a freelancer full time for five years now. When I graduated from college I started out by getting coffee with every producer, director, DP, or agency person that I could get in touch with. Read more>>

Jayd Cisneros

Jayd Cisneros Aka illijahbeats is an Artist/ producer DJ from Bakersfield CA by way of Los Angeles. He is an original bboy- Producer- Artist- DJ and is also known for his high level Finger-Drummimg performance. Read more>>

Deborah Schwartzkopf

Twenty-plus years ago my ceramics professor Steven Godfrey said, “If you want to be a potter, go work for one and get a picture of what this life looks like.” I had been a student at the University of Alaska in Anchorage for a few semesters. Read more>>