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.

Cassandra Quinn

I graduated from Perpich Arts High in 1998, received my BA in Studio Arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2004 and got my BFA in Art History from Columbia University in New York in 2010. While I was at Columbia I studied in Venice, Italy drinking in all of the Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance masterpieces. I fully anticipated a career in The Arts. But despite the creative passion and specific preparation after I graduated I ended up with a career in…..Bridal? Read more>>

Rachel Silva

That’s a great question! I think for me, I’ve always been the type of person that believes that everything happens at the exact time you need it to, even with hardships. This gives us the growth and the lessons we need to constantly evolve into our path. For me, being a self-taught artist, I began this journey a little over 4 years ago because I was going through a huge personal struggle with dealing with the loss of my mother. Read more>>

Jessica Contreras

I wouldn’t wish to have started my creative journey sooner or later. While I’ve always had a creative spirit, there have been moments of doubt and uncertainty in my artistic journey, times when I didn’t feel good enough or worthy of recognition. However, I wouldn’t change a thing because those low points have been invaluable. Read more>>

Kitty Paul

I started my journey with tattooing later than most. While I’ve always been creative and pursued art as a hobby and side gig, I didn’t start my apprenticeship until I was 29. Much like any older student it can be a weird experience where your peers are 10 years younger, but overall I think waiting was the right choice for me. I knowI was immature and honestly, not a good student, at 18 or 20. I’m at a place now where I’ve learned how better to connect with others and better apply criticism. Read more>>

Marion Maclou

Reflecting on my life is something I find myself doing quite often. The simple answer to whether I wish I had kickstarted my career sooner is a definite yes. However, delving into the intricacies of this question reveals a more elaborate response. Despite my yearning for an earlier career launch, I take immense pride in where I stand today in my professional journey. Read more>>

Jessica Cohen

I wish that I had pushed myself to paint more as young adult. I always felt pulled to create artwork, but was afraid of putting myself out there, and never really considered that it could be part of my career path. By the time I really got started selling and showing my work, I had lots of other adult responsibilities that would often pull my attention away from creating. Read more>>

Stephanie Louise

When I first started playing guitar, and became more familiar with it, I had wished I’d believed in my ability to play earlier on. Though now I believe there’s a reason for the timing of everything. It is true that it’s never too late to do what you love, because it’s better than not doing it at all. Read more>>

Noirba

I have always been a creative person. It started with acting, then designing clothes and clay sculpting. Growing up I was always complemented by how photogenic I am but being unsure of my beauty because I was always bigger than the other girls I didn’t think Modeling was a feasible route. I am glad that I took the route to get to know and fall in love with myself to the point that going after me was important. Read more>>

Michael Castellano

I feel like, given the age that I am, I definitely missed the specialization of education. If given the opportunity to specialize in a creative field, performing arts or the like… my career would have and would be going much differently. Read more>>

Allison Clements

I wouldn’t change my story; I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Following college, I did begin to pursue my art career. I was painting, selling my work, and teaching art at the Toledo School for the Arts and The Toledo Museum of Art. I loved teaching and inspiring young students from kindergarten through high school. I left my job as an art instructor after having three kids in four years. I chose to stay home with my amazing kids and put my art career on hold. Read more>>

Tzahi Kerem

On one hand, I wish I started my creative path earlier, but on the other, I couldn’t do it without what I gained so far in life and without my wife and family. Read more>>

Dorian Gayle

Yes. I do often think about what my career would be like had I started earlier in my life.I told a joke in front of an audience for the first time at age 16. If I started at 10 or 9 years old,I would have so much knowledge. I believe everything happens in God’s timing ,so I know I’m at the right place in my journey. Read more>>

Jenni Dale Lord

I suppose, technically, I started my creative career at a fairly young age. I, however, took longer than I should have to really give it my all. When I was 19, I moved to Austin, Texas to pursue a career in music, but I chose to focus on sowing my wild oats instead. Moving to the big city from country life, doing things I’d never done, it was a whole new world and I wanted to play in it. Read more>>

Sofie Rimler

For a long time, I wished I had started acting professionally sooner. After all, I had been acting my whole life—whether it was in my parent’s living room at 3, in the middle school production of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (as Grandpa Joe) at age 12, or in college plays at 18. Read more>>

Emilio Alvarado

I definitely do. I’ve always created art since before I could even write. I only really started creating 3d art in 2018, and went full-time in 2021. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some projects that I would’ve never believed possible before, and am always curious on what else I could’ve achieved if I started much earlier. Read more>>

Selina Roman

I have thought about the timing of my creative career often. I came to it late, as my undergraduate degree was in journalism. I always loved writing, crafting an interesting story, grabbing readers’ attention and seeing my name in print. The daily adrenaline rush of never knowing how your day will unfold can be addicting. But the tragic stories, late nights and angry readers can wear you down.  Read more>>

Biz LaChance

I’ve thought of this often as of recently. “Everyone moves at their own pace,” sounds cliche, but it really is true. Many independent artists, be they musicians, visual artists, or filmmakers use their past experiences (or lives, if you will) to help them navigate and pull resources from to be successful. Read more>>

Carla Wilson

I wouldn’t call it a career, but my creative journey began when I was very young, and I was always doing something artistic, whether it was writing, acting, singing, drawing, or painting. I do wish I had started taking my creativity seriously much sooner than I did. Read more>>

Launa D. Romoff

I started my creative career at the age of 50. It actually was the perfect time for me. I was ready to change my life and pursue my art. Because I started late in life, I had no expectations and was open to all that was available at the time. I have a curious nature so I started exploring ways to express myself and really started listening to what people were saying about their art careers, I asked lots of questions, without the fear of sounding stupid or silly. I wanted to learn and was willing to find out how. Read more>>

Venus

Sometimes I think about how life would’ve been if I got into what I’m doing now, when I was younger. Growing up I’ve always been musically inclined so sometimes I wonder why I didn’t start sooner, but I didn’t have anyone to show me how doable being a creative is at a young age. In college, I was able to see people that I was in close proximity with use their creativity to open doors for themselves and that’s when everything became real to me Read more>>

Mimika

I often find myself having thoughts about timing and success, and looking at artists that I admire and trying to trace back from where they are now to the start of their careers. More often than not, they found success very young and this can either be a blessing or a curse. Read more>>

Gina Cunningham

I have been a creative/artist ever since I was a teenager. Yet, there were times in my life when I had to earn serious money. I have two daughters and when they were young, I found myself in jobs that weren’t as inspired because my artistic projects could not earn the money needed. Now that my daughters are grown, I focus much more on my career as an artist/ activist they I could before. Read more>>

Riggy Marz

My career began at a very early age i was 15 years old when I started writing my own songs, 18 when I started recording and performing music. So I def didn’t start late. I have no regrets but if I did, it would be to have believed in myself (gotten over imposter syndrome) 15 years ago. Read more>>