Risk is a topic that comes up a lot in our conversations with entrepreneurs and creatives, but a related topic is investments. Investments come in many forms – investing your time, money, heart and soul, etc. So, with that broad definition of investment in mind, we asked rising stars in the community to tell us the stories of the best or worst investments they’ve made.

Jessica Cao

The “best” investment I made was a $6,500 3-month coaching program aimed at helping artists with improving their business operations. At the time, I’d just decided to make a real go of it as an artist and had thus far made maybe $3,000 off my art. The content of the program and the coaching was arguably not worth the fee (I’ll share some recommended readings at the bottom), but the community was invaluable. It meant a lot knowing that my struggles with asking for higher fees, figuring out where and how to print things, and balancing commercial/personal work were quite common and not signals of my unsuitability for making a living as an artist. Read more>>

Hannah Mcdowell

My best investments would be my trips to Paris Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. It opened my eyes to a side of the industry that I hadn’t experienced before. The energy, the packed schedules, and the shared love for fashion with everyone around you makes for an amazing experience every time. It also gave me the opportunity to meet fashion designers and other stylists who I otherwise wouldn’t have met. Between the flights, hotel, and outfits needed to attend, it’s certainly an investment, but it’s all worth it to me every time I go. Read more>>

Laurène Vanlichtervelde

Moving abroad was the best investment I’ve made in myself and in my business. Living abroad helped in personal growth, to learn more about myself but also gave me more opportunities in my work than just on one territories. Read more>>

Christopher Squier

My collection of books, which includes fiction, biography, and theory, exhibition catalogs, old textbooks, artist objects and ephemera, vinyl collections of atmospheric music for when I work, and so many random things picked up in life. It has definitely been an investment in time, money, and back pain! I continue to lug all these wonderful things around with me, always thinking there will be a time when I’ll want to pull on that one very particular thing for a project or a new idea. Read more>>