Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ariel Sugar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ariel , thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My path to independence as a creative started in July of 2018 when I took a leap and invested in an online stock-trading educational/mentorship service. I at first invested only a few hundred dollars, and ended up investing around $10K over the next 6 months… The first few months and years were quite painful, as I continued to make the same mistakes and quickly give back whatever gains/profits I was able to pull from the market because of my stubbornness, past trauma, and ego (thinking I was smarter than the the market)… Now, a little more than six years after taking that first step towards my goal of developing a skill that would allow me to earn income independently of an employer or an office, I have become a sustainably profitable stock trader/investor. My intention from the beginning of this journey has been “create” a money-making system/machine from stock-trading to fund my numerous creative visions/projects. While I am far from generating enough money to fund the full development of the projects that I have in mind, I am progressing, and enjoying the rewards of the pain and stress I have endured in my endeavor.

Ariel , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After majoring in Rhetoric as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, I took a wandering path, working in everything from architecture/furniture-design to hospitality (while writing screenplays with the intention of producing/directing feature films) to photography to door-to-door sales… Throughout my life, I, and my friends/family/clients, have considered my facility with language/communication to be my strongest “skill”/asset. Though, as I have become more mature and committed to practicing stoicism and reigning in my inherent tendencies, I am naturally verbose with a comedic sensibility… I am proud that over the years I have learned to honor my natural character while tempering it to get past my ego, so that I can more clearly observe how I can successfully interact/work with others to contribute to the world while living the life and having the freedom I want.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

My view of NFTs is that they are a new type/class of investment/collector’s item, and should be considered part of the larger asset/investment world (including equities, artwork, baseball cards, coins, antiques, classic cars, etc.)… I don’t think they are a wise financial investment, as I think they are a fad like Beanie Babies or Tamagotchis… That being said, they are works of art, and certain works of art have much higher financial returns on investment than stock shares or gold/silver coins.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative/artist is the freedom to choose my own endeavors and to authentically present myself and my thoughts to the world; to be a dog that holds/pulls his own leash…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: arielnsugar / liquid.capital
• Facebook: Ariel Sugar
• Linkedin: Ariel Sugar
• Twitter: liquikapita
• Youtube: Ariel Sugar – https://www.youtube.com/@ansugar
• Soundcloud: DJ Top Notch – https://soundcloud.com/top-notch