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.

Jillian Duvall

I feel like I “started” at the perfect time! What I mean by that is I’ve technically been creating content practically my whole life, I never really took the risk to where I would post regularly or even post a lot of the content I actually made. I would just post things here and there thinking maybe it would work maybe it wouldn’t. Read more>>

Gio Yaquinto

I’ve been a musician my whole life, but for a long time I was walking a very specific path. I got my master’s degree in Opera and was fully committed to that world. It wasn’t until I finished school and moved back to Atlanta in 2018 that I picked up a guitar and really started trying to create something that felt like me. Read more>>

Alex Bohatka

I actually did start earlier, I just didn’t stick with it the way I wish I had. Around 2015, I started a streetwear brand called ThredLine. Fashion and personal style have always been a part of me. Read more>>

Wanda Easley Perkins

If I could go back in time, I think I would have started modeling a little sooner—around age 45, after my children finished college. At that time, I was deep into my career as an art educator and soon became a Dean of Secondary Schools. While rewarding, I now see that modeling part-time alongside my work could have been an incredible creative outlet. Read more>>

Vicki Lueb

Looking back, I wish I had begun painting earlier in life. There is no question that learning new skills comes more easily when one is young, though it is certainly still possible later on—I did not begin painting until I was 59. My interest in art first emerged during college, when my roommate was studying an art-related field. Read more>>

A.Shoaib Khan

I don’t think necessarily wanting to start my career earlier is what I wish though that certainly could be of benefit I rather feel being more engaged and open with the creative process is what I hoped I’d done. Read more>>

Cody Steinmann

A lot of accomplished musicians start playing as kids or teenagers. As a musician who started at the age of 19, I always wished I had started sooner. There are definitely a lot of things over my life and career I’ve spent time wishing I could have done differently. Read more>>

Michelle Moore

Yes. I have always been creative. I was an imaginative and artistic child. As I got older, I was always drawn to unique things- from fashion to art. I was in High School in the late 90’s and didn’t realize that creative jobs existed or that chasing them was a realistic dream for me. Read more>>

Luiz Booth

For sure, sometimes I catch myself thinking that if I had started earlier, maybe I’d be at a different level today. But at the same time, I also believe I probably didn’t have the maturity back then, and that makes a huge difference. At the end of the day, I am where I am because of that journey. Read more>>

Asha Ball

I didn’t begin my entrepreneurial journey in insurance. I actually started in the beauty industry, and on paper, it looked like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. At just 23 years old, I owned a full-service salon that was highly successful. I built a name for myself quickly—my work spoke for itself. Read more>>