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.

Keila Alvarado

Hi, there! The best investments I have made as a business owner starts from taking my passions and hobbies: including writing about film / Television, covering red carpets / VIP events, and hosting internal or sharing external events-to making them, on a professional level, a business, while building audience, clientele, as well as monetizing occasionally on services rendered. Read more>>

Annakatrin Burnham

The best investment of my time, money and energy always comes back to my practice. It is a continuum, whether its collecting tools and materials or getting a babysitter so I can go into the studio and make work, keeping my practice central is always worth it. Read more>>

Stephanie Hensel

I’ve had a lot of firsts in my family. I was the first to go to college, the first to earn an internship, and the first to study abroad. Of all those milestones, the best investment I ever made was studying abroad, even though at first, it terrified me. The thought of living in another country for five months, and doing it alone, felt overwhelming. Read more>>

AJ Lova

The best investment I’ve ever made, in terms of time, was dedicating myself to perfecting my writing.** I’ve always prioritized sharpening my pen game and tapping into my creative instincts—it was never just a hobby, it was the foundation. I became an artist purely out of love: love for music, love for poetry, and love for the craft of storytelling. Read more>>

Caleb Thompson

The greatest investment I have ever made is in myself—specifically in my personal development. I have dedicated years to building emotional intelligence, mastering core areas of business such as marketing, sales, and finance, and cultivating the discipline needed to consistently create value. Equally important, I’ve learned to develop resilience from failures, refusing to let setbacks define or deter me. Read more>>