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.

Margaret Shipman

Yes, I now earn an income as a full-time artist that is comparable to my last full-time job. Every now and then I’ll remember that this is my real job now and I’ll have a moment of panic. I’ll think, “Am I really making this work?” And after a moment of assessing it I confirm to myself that it is working and everything is okay. I have much further that I want to take this, but I’m so grateful and amazed that my time is spent making and marketing my own work. My life as an artist didn’t start this way however. For over a decade, I worked part-time, staying home with my son after he was born and dedicating every spare moment to my art practice. I moved my easel into a corner of the kitchen and if I had ten minutes between household tasks, I would spend them painting. I spent years painting like this without actively trying to sell or exhibit much. Instead, I focused on experimentation and learning. I made plenty of bad art alongside some decent work, but I set aside the pieces I was proud of and dove deeper into the parts of the process that resonated with me. Over time, I became more intentional about what I was painting and why. I noticed recurring themes, which led me to further research and, ultimately, a deeper connection to my subject matter. Read more>>

Ian Mccrudden

Choosingto not work a job for a living is a life challenge and it is part of the path that will lead you to where you hopefully want to go. I have made over 17 films, and all of them involved raising money from people I’d never met before, but somehow convinced them to give me there money. Now I have my own company, so many of the expense blend with my life of surviving day to day. I’ve never felt completely desperate, money is like water or wine, its there to share and spend on experiences. In a manner I’m a guide for those adventures. Making films in Sweden and Mexico and Maine and Colorado with wonderfully talented casts and crews is the adventure. The job is to get the money and to sell the movie, script that I’m pursuing. Luckily I’ve done that with every film I made from my first called Tralier – the movie, made for 50k and sold for 150k. From that deal I got a re-write gig, that became a movie and I was asked to direct. Read more>>

Eric Salazar

After about 15 years of work, I am excited to be living my dream as a full-time musician! As a clarinetist and composer, I started my journey by going to college for music. I then went on to graduate school to earn a masters degree in clarinet performance. In my early twenties, I was freelancing and taking every gig I could get and… I hated it. I was burnt out before I was even two years into my career. I then took a step back and took some time to really think through what type of musician I wanted to be. I realized that I’m not the kind of musician who is happy to just show up and play whatever I’m told to play. I really need to have creative control, and also be able to control operational aspects of music-making (like, the venue, the music we are playing, and the people I am playing with). Read more>>

Tad Sallee

I’m grateful to be able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it’s been a journey with its share of twists and turns. My love for the creative arts started with acting—I’ve always found something deeply compelling about stepping into different roles and telling stories through performance. But even as I pursued acting, there was this persistent pull toward being behind the camera, where I could shape the narrative from a broader perspective. This led me to establish TS Cinema, focusing on commercial/wedding work and PlayTest Network, our documentary brand, where I could channel that passion into something more tangible. In the early days, balancing a full-time job with my growing business was exhausting. I was working 80-hour weeks, trying to keep up with both worlds. By 2020, it became clear that if I truly wanted to succeed in this industry, I had to take a leap of faith. So, in the midst of a global pandemic, I made the decision to go full-time with my businesses. Read more>>

Valin “zeale” Zamarron

I have been earning a living as a full-time creative for some time now, primarily as a musical artist and visual creator. The journey was long, but completing my degree in Advertising at Texas State University and developing various skillsets were crucial. I decided to move to LA post graduation and supported myself with a handful of clients I connected with during my internships in college. Reaching a sustainable living as a creative is a challenge. During my early stages I didn’t have an understanding of how to generate leads. However, I knew that networking was key. I decided to put a lot of energy into networking with creatives and professionals through every avenue possible. This helped me to accelerate my growth and opportunity. Read more>>

Maggie Yurachek

Following my graduation from photography school I accepted a job taking yearbook portraits for high school and college seniors at various schools throughout New England. While this first job was relatively low paying, it was important to me to work in my chosen field of photography. This position gave me the confidence and ability to quickly put people at ease. Additionally, I also honed my lighting and posing skills. After about a year and a half I began to get requests from friends and referrals from friends and family for weddings, events, and portraits. I traveled back and forth from MA to my hometown in NJ until I had enough work to justify the move back to NJ. It was then that I officially started Maggie Yurachek Photography in 2011. Since that point, my company and client base has grown each year. I work primarily through word of mouth, which has yielded great results (not to mention clients that are a very good fit) and required minimal marketing on my part. Read more>>