Getting started sounds so easy – but for millions of aspiring artists and creatives, the uncertainty of the path forward presents a very real challenge. So, we wanted to gather some artists and creatives we admire to open up about their experience and how they think about whether they should have started sooner or waited for a better time.

Tom Coverly

It was not until being 50 years old, that I was featured in LA Weekly (top 10 influencer in America) and Forbes for the impact my school assembly is having on youth in school all over America. I also became a TEDx speaker. Watch here — https://youtu.be/OpDy_EzwTvo?feature=shared Read more>>

Sabrina Richardson

Absolutely, I wish I started my creative career sooner. Looking back, I realize the immense passion I had for photography from a young age. Starting earlier would have allowed me to express myself creatively, and given me the confidence to trust my instincts and not succumb to external opinions advising me to take a different path would have empowered me to follow my true calling more assertively. Read more>>

Federico Parra

I don’t know if anyone ever makes the conscious decision to “start” a creative career, and personally I don’t wish I had started one earlier, but I do wish I would have realized my interest in it sooner. I always viewed my life in a cinematic way, whether it was my 12th birthday party, my first date, or the daily commute to work. My mind is and was always filled with ideas of what these events might look like as the intro to a movie or play, and I would imagine what music would make them the most stimulating. Read more>>

Gino Lucas

I’m a firm believer that when it’s the right time, then the opportunity will present itself. That’s what happened with me and photography. It’s funny because I actually didn’t start taking it seriously until the pandemic. I’ve always loved taking pictures, but never thought it would be a viable career option for me. I was always told to “do something practical” or that I don’t want to be doing photography because it’s too much work. Read more>>

Tania LaCaria

While I have an arts background and graduated from York University with a BA in Fine Arts and minor in Art History, I had no idea what to do with an arts degree! I decided to go back to school to study Interior Design and happened to graduate from Sheridan College during a recession. Read more>>

Sophie Adamson

As a kid, I was convinced I would be a ballerina. Watching Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” touched my heart, so my mum enrolled me into a ballet class on Saturdays. I hated it. From the chain-smoking teacher to the gossiping students, the itchy costumes, and the ash covered floor. It became more of a chore than a hobby. I quit. Read more>>

Tasha Christensen

I think I started at just the right time. I’ve always loved writing, but I didn’t take it seriously as a career path until I had my first child. Once my extra time and energy were taken away in caring for a newborn, I realized I had to consciously decide how I wanted to spend any bit of free time that I had. Read more>>

Austin Copps

Now this is an interesting one. My honest answer? Of course I wish I had started earlier. Do you know how different things would be? My resume as an actor would be considerably longer and undoubtedly more impressive. I would have already worked with big-name creatives, hopping back and forth between LA and NYC. I would have already “made it” financially. I’d have it all figured out. Read more>>

Mia Jones

I wish I could say I should have started sooner, but I believe that timing is everything. You see, I’ve always had a creative side growing up and I nurtured that creativity every summer between middle school to high school. I’m what you would call a “serial hobbyist”. I’ve learned how to design and sew simple clothes using my mother’s sewing machine and even learned how to draw digitally using a drawing tablet (although I wasn’t very good at it). Read more>>

Joseph Atkinson

I think I started my creative career at the correct time in my life, but I do sometimes wish I started it earlier. I officially started my creative career after I finished my graduate degree because life was starting to slow down, and I had more free time than ever before. Starting sooner would have given me more time to learn and master my craft. I might have had the chance to experiment with different techniques and formulations, possibly quickening the learning curve and enhancing the quality of my candles. Read more>>

Nneoma Kanu

Everything happens in God’s timing. Although there are things that I wish occurred earlier or later in my career, I just always tell myself that there’s a reason why everything happened the way it did and that I can’t see the full story yet to understand. For example, I used to think that I started my brand and got into styling pretty late. For someone that’s always been in the fashion, to me, it just always felt like starting my brand. Read more>>

Nocturnal Fix

Absolutely! There’s plenty I would have hoped to have started sooner. But the thing is, you don’t know until you know, ya know? I try to take this into consideration when I get bothered about not being further along. You have to look back and learn. Read more>>

Joshua Thomas Bray

Yes, there’s a part of me that wishes I could have avoided the pain and trauma by starting my creative career sooner. However, no, I wouldn’t change the timing of my journey. The experiences I’ve had, as challenging as they were, have profoundly shaped my story and its impact. Without them, the depth and authenticity that I bring to my work wouldn’t be as rich or impactful. The journey, with all its ups and downs, has been essential in creating the unique narratives that I share with my audience. Read more>>

Patti Resso

I started in Watercolors after I became an empty nester. I have been working on my watercolor technique for about 14 years now, sure wish I discovered it a long before. Read more>>

Betty So Yan Lam

OH definitely! Read more>>

Alina Poloboc

I have often thought that if I had started my artistic career when I was younger, I might have progressed further in my professional journey by now. I would have organized more exhibitions and gained much more experience in this field. Read more>>

Chris Denmead

I wish I had started it many years ago, I started writing poetry when I was 19 years old and really wished had pursued writing stories more then at a young age as well. I started writing when I was in my 30s ans definitely wished I went further and hard with it. I was always day dreaming in class and tried to write stuff by my english teacher in highschool was not creative and didnt embrace my imagination, to me thats a BAD teacher. Amny teacher who stifles a students creativity is a terrible educator. Read more>>

Jemonique Barnabie

I’m a strong believer that everything happens when it’s meant to. With that being said, I believe that when I took the leap to pursue my passion for fine and visual arts in 2016, it was divine timing. Any sooner, I did not feel that my skills were up to my personal standard of excellence, especially looking to compete in an already difficult market. Any later, I may have invested my time and energy into other interests, leaving the artistic side of me uncultivated. Read more>>

Egypt Iredia

Definitely sooner. I was stuck in the toxic cycle of people leasing, and not listening to my inner voice. I wasted many years of my life, doing things that brought me little joy Read more>>

Mason Douglas

I had a deal with my parents that they’d support me on anything I wanted to pursue…as long as I finished college first. I loved college and I’m so glad I went and graduated. Little did I know, though, that the country music industry was about to be upended right when I was finishing up and getting ready to move to Nashville. Garth Brooks was about to retire and nobody was a clear-cut winner to fill his shoes. Read more>>

MARSHA BAILEY-WOODARD

Do I wish to start my own real estate company in the future? Yes, that is my dream. From a young age, I’ve always dreamt of having my own corporation called “Bailey Enterprises”. I didn’t know what “Bailey Enterprises” would do, but I knew that’s what I wanted. Once I discovered my love and passion for real estate, I knew that was it. Read more>>