Is there ever a “right” time to start a creative career? Our goal has always been help people pursuing their passion. Helping those people often means helping them think through important decisions such as when to start, when to take the leap. Below, you’ll find our conversations with successful creatives reflecting back on when they had to decide whether to start or wait.

ASHLEIGH SINCLAIRE

I could not have started this career any sooner, although I wish I could have; I wish my parents saw the natural, innate talent I had when I was younger so that I would have taken Drama and Theatre in school; Read more>>

Tan Onwimon

I never see myself as a musician or composer. I do not have a music background nor did I go to a conservatory school of music when I was young. Read more>>

Kristal Young

I absolutely wish I had started my creative career sooner! I grew up believing that to be successful in life, you had to go to college, graduate, and work a 9-5 job you can’t stand until you save up enough money to retire. Read more>>

Nancy Rivera Gomez

Honestly, this is a question I’ve been asked a lot. I started dancing in a small town in Mexico where the dance scene was very green. Read more>>

Yoko Izu

No. As cliché as it may be to say this, I think my creative career came together at just the right time. The work I’ve been able to produce in the past couple of years has been because of my cumulative experiences leading up to this point. Read more>>

Natalia Sanchez

Taking in consideration my context, I think the decision came to me right on time. I was 16 when I decided I wanted to pursue an artistic career, Read more>>

Elise Morris

So far the timing on being able to prioritize time in my studio has been a steady pattern of growth. I strongly believe creative careers begin with a day job – something that provides a paycheck and benefits – and also having a place to be creative. Read more>>

Emily Afton

I wished I started my career a lot sooner, with a million different decisions, but there is no point in thinking about regrets or the past. Read more>>

C. David Durkee

I did not start to share my creative side with the world until I had already lived most of my life. I had been married, divorced, had two grown children, had paid mortgages and had made my reputation as a litigator in South Florida. Read more>>

Robb FrostByte King

A lot sooner! When I was in my 20’s, I was trying to figure out my life’s path. I stopped studying Commercial Art because there were people in my life that constantly reminded me that there were no stable careers in Art. Read more>>

Jeanette Drake

I most definitely wish I started my creative career sooner. Coming from a very small town in the Alabama, I honestly thought some things just weren’t possible coming from where I’m from. Read more>>

Chelsey Ray

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, but I do sometimes wish that I would’ve started this plan about five years sooner. Read more>>

Jamie Rex

I wish I had been brave enough to pursue my own business in the arts from the beginning – I would have had so many more years of experience behind me. Read more>>

Misa Doi

Yes, I do. I try not to have regrets in life, mainly because if I can learn lessons from challenging experiences, they haven’t been made in vain, and those lessons have helped shape me into the person I am today. Read more>>

Heyke Kirkendall-Baker

In 2017, as a mother of four children juggling the demands of both work and family life, I sought greater flexibility and autonomy. With this in mind, I embarked on an entrepreneurial journey. Read more>>

Elizabeth Davis

I moved to LA 10 days after I graduated from college to pursue acting. Since I was five years old and watched Poltergeist (strange movie choice for a five year old, I know) I had always wanted to move to Los Angeles and become an actor. Read more>>