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.

Garrett Aitken

Getting to the point of earning a full-time living was the main challenge for my first half decade of working in the photo/video space. For me, it came down to three things: 1. learning to understand that although it is creative, it is a business. 2. trying to find out how I could find the right opportunities. 3. honing my actual abilities. Read more>>

Bobby Hedglin-Taylor

I started as a ballroom dancer and actor. Moved into theater, film, TV and then Circus. All of my training in theater/dance school led me to where I am today but life experience is what made me who I am. You have to fail and fail miserably to learn the hard lessons and apply the experience to your day to day life. Read more>>

haeun mun

I worked as a spatial designer, developing my creative career while supporting myself, with the goal of one day leading my own projects. Early in my career, most of my work focused on cost estimation, paperwork, and technical tasks, leaving little room for creativity. Read more>>

PeiPei Alena Yuan

I am PeiPei Alena Yuan, an entertainment professional. I’ve worked as a stunt actress, stunt double, fight coordinator, stunt coordinator, and indie filmmaker. Prior to my career as a performer in TV/Film , I worked on movies as a Pre-vis Animator (CGI storyboard animatics) for 8 years. Read more>>

Shisheng Song

Yes, I used to have a full-time living as a professional orchestral violinist in China right after I graduated from college. Read more>>

Sofia Liotta (this is my professional last name)

I have been earning a living as a full time creative person since 2011. In 2011 I got married and decided to start a new life with my husband at the time (ex now) in Greenville, SC. Before this we had been living in NYC. Read more>>

Caitlin Belcik

Yes and no! I think it depends where you draw the line on ‘creative work.’ This past year has been the first time I’ve come close to and dare I say actually earned a full-time living from my creative work. But it wasn’t for the faint of heart. Read more>>

Jose Rosete

I’ve been a working actor since 2007. I moved to Los Angeles in December of 2009. I didn’t know what to expect but my transition was smooth and thankfully I had demo reels that helped me get work on a consistent basis. It definitely wasn’t like that I. The beginning. I was an actor in Arizona for 10 years before moving to LA. Read more>>

Kalinivel Melo

Have I been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work? Yes and I’m beyond grateful for it. But let me be clear, it wasn’t always this way. While entrepreneurship is often glamorized, the truth is it takes deep internal work, risk and a whole lot of faith. Read more>>

Ranessa Hendrix

To be honest I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, and sometimes still don’t! It was 2020, I had just been laid off from a job I loved. Office Manager for a local children’s magazine, and I also did all of the layout and most of the graphic design work. Read more>>

Dr. Tacasata Hunter-White

My motto is “Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will Understand.” I was once in the same shoes as most of my students. Read more>>

Dave Harlequin

Well, it’s no secret that finding ways to make money in the film industry, or really any industry dealing with the arts, is pretty difficult, but the ways I’ve found that help the most with that is to really branch out and diversify what it is that you do. Read more>>

Atul Marewad

To be honest, surviving as a writer in India is incredibly difficult, let alone making a full-time living from it. It was never easy, and it still isn’t. Everyone wants to be a writer these days, but the space has become so cluttered with content that lacks depth. People are mixing stories, reusing ideas, producing work that is shallow, and yet calling it literature. Read more>>

Kelsey Schroeder

After covid hit it was harder to work in retail emotionally and I felt like I needed to make a change. I had a few personal reminders that life is short and I needed to pursue what made me most happy. Read more>>