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.

Nick Hagelin

I was paid for the first time as a performing artist at age 12 dancing with American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. I don’t think I realized we were getting paid for what we were doing in the show, so when I got that check, I was hooked. Both my parents were passionate about the arts and so I was lucky enough to be raised in a household and geographic area where pursuing a career as an artist was not only viable, but encouraged. I studied ballet at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center from age 9-18, so I got this amazing pre-professional training and first-hand exposure to the kind of dedication and diligence required to be great as an artist. I was lucky to have never worked a traditional 9-5 but I have made money as a creative artist in just about every way imaginable, and it is still evolving.  Read more>>

Mia Freda

I’m so beyond grateful to say that I’ve been able to turn what was once a hobby into my full-time career. It’s been an almost-five-year journey that is still changing and winding every day, but I’m having an absolute ball. Back in 2020, I was at the beginning of my freelance makeup artist career here in NYC. I had just dropped out of college and gone to beauty school the year prior. Makeup was a super fun job, but an exhausting one. I didn’t realize how much it actually stressed me out until I had to take a step away from it in March when the first cases of COVID hit the states. I moved back home with my parents in Jersey for a few months, and with some forced downtime and reflection, rediscovered an old hobby of mine: graphic design. Read more>>

Adrian Adams

From a young age, I always knew that I wanted to teach and make a difference in the lives of young people, particularly through music. This desire was not just a passing hobby; it was a calling. My love for music, combined with a deep-seated passion for education, set me on a path that I was determined to follow. The journey to becoming a full-time band director was not instantaneous. Like many in creative fields, I began my career with smaller gigs, community programs, and part-time teaching positions. Each experience, while not always stable, brought valuable insights and skills. I leaned into every opportunity to refine my craft and deepen my understanding of educational methodologies. Over the past 15 years, I have hit several significant milestones that shaped my path. My first role as a music teacher allowed me to gain confidence and discover effective teaching techniques. As I navigated the educational landscape, I gradually established a reputation as a dedicated and talented educator. I expanded my influence by participating in community events and school programs that showcased my students’ talents, further building my network. Through perseverance, I earned recognition within my field.  Read more>>

Andrew Winans

Success is found in the silver lining of the theatre industry. Between the lines, not black or white. Making a living as an artist has taken me over ten years to find a rhythm for and I still feel like I am constantly reinventing myself. Saying “yes” to every opportunity that comes my way because you never know where it is going to lead to. Almost every door that’s been opened for me has been through a previous opportunity that brought about new work by working with new people. And not being afraid to knock on other doors to express interest in what I am interested in. It can feel scary at times, but the worst someone can say is “not now” and you keep forging ahead. Read more>>

Tiffany Topol

I was working full time as a theatre actor in Chicago, but when I moved to New York ten years ago, that changed. My unemployment ran out and my savings dried up, so I became an Instacart shopper and driver to make ends meet. That really took it out of me, hahah. Having to navigate the Costco in Brooklyn on a time crunch is no joke. After about a year of that, followed by a year of selling vintage clothes on Etsy and passing out samples in Whole Foods, I decided to quit it all and figure out a way to make my living solely as a creative/performer. Read more>>

Jake Palumbo

November 17th – about a week ago – marked 16 years since I have had a traditional 9-5 job. Life has a way of initiating change whether you are prepared for it or not. On November 17th, 2008 I was returning from a live performance at West Chester University in PA & was informed my day job would be closing its doors at the end of the week, a casualty of the 2008 Recession. In the next 72 hours, two things happened: I had been interning at a recording studio for the previous year & a half, trying to be the most useful unpaid assistant I could be. One of the engineers at the studio quit, & in a bind, the owners decided I was qualified enough to record a rapper named Wyze (who I never saw again) for $40. The next day a rapper named Wally Dutch (who I also never saw again) answered my Craigslist ad selling Hip-Hop beats. He purchased 3 tracks from me for $300. Soon after I released the “District Selectman” album & left for a self-booked tour. Read more>>

Marcelo Gutiérrez

You don’t find art; art finds you. I’ve always been an academic person. During my school years, I studied business, and dance was merely a childhood dream—something I enjoyed but never took it seriously. That changed when I fell in love for the first time. She was a dancer and an artist, the one who introduced me to the world of art and made it feel accessible. We all need someone to guide us into a new world, to encourage us to try, and to make us feel like we belong. Her passion and dedication inspired me deeply. With her support, and the encouragement of an incredible group of friends, I finally made peace with the fact that I loved dancing. That inner love began to show, and others noticed it too. Read more>>

Christen Bane

We were a one income family with very low overhead to begin with. I wanted to be able to not work outside of the house and be with our kids at least for their first few years. We came up with an amount that we would need to bring in in order to make it work without Josh’s full time job. Once we could make that number happen with only working photo/video work- mostly weddings- it was time to take the first giant step, put in a 2 weeks notice. Once we were on our own- it was always “yes”. All kinds of projects. We never really niched down, and somehow still haven’t. There are a handful of things we don’t advertise, like newborn photography or music videos. We built our gear and space slowly in cash until about 2020 when we financed our first office space. I’m sure we could’ve done something to move that along more quickly- but we were insistant on investing in our own space and it has been rewarding. We recently purchased a little larger space in Downtown Dothan, AL and fulfilled Josh’s vision of our very own infinity wall. One of the major milestones for me was being able to sustain full time employees. Knowing someone else’s livlihood relied soley on their paycheck that I write was so fullfilling. I want to be someone’s stepping stone, but I also want to be someone’s final destination for employment. Read more>>

Justin Moraczewski

I’m very fortunate to be able to make a living as a creative professional. It’s a challenging career that has had me working with great people and on some interesting projects over the last 16 years. I never thought I’d be working as a creative, after high school I had originally started college for a biology degree. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with this degree but I knew I liked taking photos of plants and animals, and that led me to eventually changing paths to studying photography and graphic design instead. I’d taken on a few small freelance jobs during college but my first full-time creative job came after just moving to New York City, where I got a job as a graphic designer for a small wholesale cell phone accessory company working on designs for cell phone cases, advertisements, and updating the website. This was a great first job but something was off and I left after a year. I took a short break in my creative career and got a job as a bread baker where I worked the overnight shift making rye bread and pretzels at 2am. Read more>>

Lee Jones

I’ve been fortunate enough to turn my creative work into my full-time career. It definitely didn’t happen overnight, though. It’s been a mix of patience, perseverance, and aligning myself with the right opportunities at the right time. I started off by focusing on perfecting my craft and gradually building a reputation. I wasn’t always sure how everything would come together, but I stayed consistent and didn’t hesitate to invest in myself — whether it was in learning new skills, expanding my network, or creating high-quality work that really spoke to people. Read more>>