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.

Bisi Alabi

While I wish I had started blogging earlier, reflecting back, I know that if I had begun blogging before 2020, it would not have been the right timing. I would not have been as dedicated as I am right now. Although I may have missed the opportunity to build a larger community earlier on, I appreciate that I had the timing that allowed me to try other things and finalize that blogging is the path for me. Read more>>

Sylvan Valladares

Yes, I wish I had started my creative career professionally, sooner. Though I was able to earn a monetarily satisfying, living in the business world, my heart was in performance. But I had to put that off for a bit as I was a recent immigrant, had a mortgage and a son to put through university. I just had to wait for the right moment. Read more>>

Dylan Kyle

100% Sooner. I got a rather late start on my photography journey. I had always been into it and even got accepted to Sac State as a photography major but didn’t follow through due to money and loans. This was all pre-social media before photos were a major daily part of everyone’s lives and creating a career out of it just seemed unobtainable. Read more>>

Mikey The Legend

I have always had a creative imagination and a love to entertain other. But finding avenues to harness it have always been difficult. Plus sometimes REAL life takes over and before you know it 30 years go by. But the passion and quest to create never dies. Maybe I would be in a different place if I started earlier. But I am loving the experience even more now because I had to wait. Read more>>

Victoria Arthur

I’ve always been an artist. But as I started out in my life, the artist had to wait its turn. I chose the life of a wildlife biologist, mother, and wife. After graduating from high school, I just didn’t have the confidence I would need to make art my career. A life in nature and working toward its protection fulfilled another side of myself. Read more>>

Dominique Moreno-Baltierra

I first knew that I wanted to become an actress when I was a young child. Having been born in L.A., I think it’s just normal for most people living there to consider a future in the entertainment industry. Read more>>

Abby Ramirez Alcala

As a photographer in the creative field, I do find myself constantly thinking about what life would be if I had started my creative career sooner. I didn’t pursue photography professionally until I was about 21 years old; now 7 years later I’m working at my first creative job alongside younger colleagues and it stings a little to know I could have had the same advantage my younger colleagues have if I would have believed in my myself a little more and just applied. Read more>>

René Villa

Undoubtedly, I wish I had commenced my creative career earlier. Each moment is precious in the journey of artistic expression, and an earlier start would have afforded me more time to refine my craft, explore diverse opportunities, and connect with audiences. The early stages of a creative career are a crucial period of growth and learning, and I believe an earlier initiation would have allowed me to reach milestones sooner, honing my skills and making a more significant impact in the world of modeling, singing, songwriting, and acting. The eagerness to share my creativity sooner fuels my preference for an earlier start. Read more>>

Bill Arnold

No, absolutely not. Though my passion is writing and performing music, my family was and is the most important part of my life. I would not change that for all the fame and fortune in the universe. I’ve always been at least partially tied to music in one way or another, but when it was time to raise my family, that was my main objective. Read more>>

DAunte Hugie

Yes I wish I could have started a lot earlier In my career as a child, but most importantly wish I had the knowledge of the music industry and having the right executives and people to push me at that time. Read more>>

Yilin Li

I still wish I could have started earlier, because starting earlier allows me to look for more possibilities in the process of painting. Because for me, painting is a process to be enjoyed, I think I can find and feel more wonderful experiences in different pieces of artwork! Read more>>

Adrian Huth

The more and more I learn about the art world longevity carries a lot of weight with the acquisition of opportunities. Building a brand of your name takes time and you realize quickly people are skeptical of your work if your time of production and resume is short. I don’t regret the paths I’ve taken in life with other artistic pursuits besides painting but I do feel now it would have helped if I had started earlier. Read more>>

Erika Rosenbaum

If I had it to do over, I wish I began my creative career sooner. My jewelry career started slowly by taking classes at night as a hobby. As time went on, I became more fascinated with the jewelry process and eventually took a job in the luxury/high end craft business. I started participating in small retail craft shows while holding a regular job and did this for several years before transitioning to a full-time commitment to jewelry as a business. Read more>>

Pauline Jans

My experience of creativity is that, it’s in our bones. All of us are creative,… just in different ways. Read more>>

Beverly Carlson-Bradshaw

I learned to draw from my Father at a young age but even though I was passionate about it and felt it was the one thing I did well, I also didn’t want to be a starving artist. Back when I graduated from High School in the 70’s and in Montana, it seemed the only directions I could take with art was to teach it or be a graphic artist which neither appealed to me at the time. Read more>>

Ningyi Sun

What is remarkable about art is that you can start anytime. Personally, I do not wish I had commenced it sooner because, had I done so, I would not have gained such a profound understanding of myself or discovered what I truly cared to express or change; I would not have had the opportunity to visit countries like Brazil, Singapore, and the Central African Republic, where I had to forge friendships and collaborate with individuals from vastly different cultural and social backgrounds. Read more>>

Clinton Bailey

I wish i would’ve started sooner. I think i would’ve made mistakes earlier in my career and learned form them sooner to progress sooner. Nonetheless, Im perfectly ok with how things have turned out. Im satisfied with my path, my struggles and ultimately MY journey. Read more>>