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.

Sarah Davison

When I first graduated from college with a piano performance degree, I knew it would be hard work but I was determined to earn my living doing what I had really felt called to do. What that meant for me personally was wearing a lot of different hats professionally to make a living doing it full time. Especially as a musician you will need to be prepared to do a lot of different types of musical jobs that pay well enough to make it work. For example, I worked in artist relations during the day and also at a church leading music, in the evenings I played studio sessions and work at restaurants or other venues. I had four jobs! I soon began to tour more full time and taught a few lessons for extra money. Now, twenty years later, I am making a living doing songwriting and touring full time. You have to be able to do lots of different things at different points if you want to make a living! Read more>>

Randye Kaye

Many who fall in love with performing when they’re young – the creativity, the camaraderie, the applause – dream of finding full-time work – and often, fame too – when they grow up.

I was no exception.

From the pride in my parents’ eyes when I sang at family gatherings (good thing, since I couldn’t do anything athletic, including catching a ball – to the applause from the audience when I stepped onstage as Mabel in the sixth grade production of Pirates of Penzance, I thought I had finally found the answer to feeling loved and accepted: Get On Stage. Read more>>

Vanessa Fuller

Yes, I have been able to earn a full time living from my creative work since I was 19 years old. I started out as a dance teacher at local studios, teaching several classes per week as well as leading my own dance company and producing shows. I picked up freelance choreography work and coached high school dance teams in my area as well. When I turned 23, I opened my first dance studio space that lasted about 2 years, and ultimately, was a Fail. Owning a business was so much different than working for one, and even though I knew a lot about studio life, I knew nothing about running a studio. Initially, I tried to do what everyone else in town was doing. I tried to emulate their classes and programming, their pricing structure, marketing… Read more>>

Kimberly Zamlich

I am very blessed. Through education, perserverence and building skills I have managed to keep a career as a creative. I got my design/illustration degree from San Jose State back in 1989 and at the time it was only $3.000 a year for tuition, the cost of dorms and meals at the commissary. By the time I graduated, there was a recession and there were very few art jobs. But soon, computer gaming was budding and that employed a lot of graduates. I started when it was so very new~computer art was low rez! And within a matter of months, we went to hi rez and literally had to re do the artwork. We drew with the mouse; the stylus came later and it took us awhile to trust it, as it crashed our computers every five minutes! Read more>>

Hayley Horn

I can finally say with confidence that I’ve built a full-time career out of my love and passion for music. It wasn’t an easy path—there’s no college course that truly prepares you or holds your hand when it comes to working in the music industry. I graduated with a Marketing degree, and my first job out of college wasn’t just something I wasn’t a fan of, I was truly unhappy. Waking up every day to a life that didn’t excite me was draining. Read more>>

Carolina Hidalgo Bascur

Since I can remember, I’ve always loved drawing. As a child, I spent a lot of time sick at home and would draw characters, changing their outfits and hairstyles. When it was time to go to college, I decided to pursue a scientific path for financial reasons. In Chile, being an artist wasn’t well respected or well-paid, and university tuition for these careers was very expensive, so I chose to study engineering. However, I never felt motivated or happy in that field. For around 12 years, I explored different areas of science, trying to find something I was passionate about that could also be financially viable. Read more>>

Tobechi Mezu

Yes, but it’s been a journey of passion, resilience, and constant growth.

It started in high school when my twin sister and I dreamed of becoming YouTube stars. Editing was our superpower, and creating videos became our vision for the future. After completing a video production program, we built our social platforms, learning through passion and persistence. Read more>>

Tony Avila

I’ve been able to work full time from my creative and analytical work since 2016 when I first discovered e-commerce and saw the potential in this industry. I always wanted my content, and strategy to be fun, edgy, and outspoken regardless of the niche. I didn’t wanna wanna be just another e-commerce bro selling things online. Read more>>

Brandon Mann

For me, flexibility and adaptability has been crucial. The music industry had completely changed since I started in the 90’s. In my early days, as with most creative types, I was very focused on my craft and not the business side. I was working hard and not so smart. But, I was flexible enough to be able to take whatever gigs I could get, and make it work. I also found supplemental income by teaching lessons. Later on, I took a gig as a cruise ship musician through a booking agency. That was my first encounter with an agency, and it was a realization that it is a lot easier to get the higher paying gigs with someone else booking you. Read more>>

Ruthie Grumbine

I have been able to earn a full-time living as a camera assistant in the film industry, which has given me a flexible schedule to take off weeks at a time for friends’ passion projects, travel, and a plethora of life experiences.

Film is one of those professions that has no clear path from start to finish. The answer to the question, “How did you get where you are today?” will be different for each film worker in the industry. Read more>>

Kyle McKenzie

My journey to becoming a professional pickleball coach was anything but straightforward. As a player, I enjoyed success pretty early on, traveling and competing in regional and national tournaments at the highest level. Like many kids growing up, I dreamed of one day earning a living as a professional athlete. Pickleball felt like another chance to do just that. But despite this desire, there were many obstacles in my way. I was in my early thirties and married with four children at the time. Professional pickleball was just starting out and there were only a couple of players that were making enough to quit their day jobs. Even the top players in the country made the heavy majority of their money through teaching the game. Read more>>

Hikari Fleurr

Yes. I actually started by posting mini tutorials on my Instagram to direct people to my YouTube channel and my first couple of tutorials on Instagram went viral. I got reposted by a lot of high following beauty pages it actually all happened very fast. I woke up the next morning to a bunch of brands, wanting to pay me a lot of money for short form videos, and I could not believe it. I definitely think if I knew what I know now I could’ve sped up the process by being more intentional with my content, figuring out my niche and actually posting what my followers care to see for me. Read more>>

Roger Hendricks Simon

I always loved acting, directing and teaching and somehow managed to get by combining the three. It helped that I grew up in an artistic family and married an artist. They all understood what it took to survive and they encouraged me to do my “thing”. Read more>>