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.

Brooke Delgado

Absolutely, if I could have done it all over again, I would have majored in musical theatre. Music was always my first love. However, for the last 17+ years, I’ve spent my professional career as an accountant working in every industry with various companies from large corporations to startups. Read more>>

Caroline Johnston

I absolutely wish I had started my business sooner rather than later! As an artist, it can take a while to build momentum and find your own unique style. Starting my business in 2020, it was a rollercoaster of a ride, with a huge learning curve amidst such a strange year for many small businesses. Read more>>

Prehistoric Nation

Our story begins with two brothers looking for something more to life other than the 9 to 5 grind. Thinking about it now, we wish we could have started on this adventure earlier. But it’s safe to say it’s never to late to start doing what you love. Read more>>

Steven Bley

Due to the subject matter of my work, I do wish I started a lot earlier. By the time I got serious about photography and abandoned buildings, many notable ones had been knocked down already. Since I started 15 years ago, close to half of the hundreds of buildings I’ve explored have been lost to fire, rot, demolition or renovation. Read more>>

Julie Kim

Honestly, not really. I think this career came into my life at the perfect time. If it came any sooner, I definitely would have struggled with ego issues. I had a lot of shadow work and trauma healing to do before I got my confidence back. Read more>>

Marisol Del Valle

I have been drawing on and off since I was a kid. The thought of being a creative and pursuing a career as one didn’t occur to me until my 30’s. Even though I would have loved to start at a younger age, I think it happened at a good time in my life. Read more>>

Faith Rodriguez

Honestly, I believe in the right timing. Truth be told, a younger me would have wished that I could’ve started modeling sooner than I did. At 16, I was constantly pushing to begin going to photoshoots and taking modeling opportunities, but at that time, my parents didn’t want me to take that path. They wanted me to focus on school. Read more>>

Rachel Hiemer

This is a question I think about a lot especially in the culture of new years resolutions, pressures to be productive, or even the messaging stating if you would have started six months ago you’d already be six months better. Read more>>

Curtis Glover

Yes, I wish I had started my art career sooner. Early on, I did not quite know how to monetize painting for a living let alone doing mural work so I worked in art fields commercially at first for other businesses. Read more>>

The Native Tongue

We each started learning music from a young age, and when you’re young you dream of making it big until the reality hits and you realize that it’s not that easy. We’d all been parts of projects over the years that faded for various reasons, so by the time we met we didn’t really have that wide-eyed optimism. Read more>>

Jill Rumley

As a woman in my mid-50s, I wouldn’t say that I wish I had started my creative career earlier, but I wish I had spent more time learning artistic techniques and doodling. The first time I painted a painting it was in an oil painting class. Read more>>

Tess Hansen

The important thing to note about creative careers is starting. Whether an artist, designer, dancer, actor, writer, or any other professional who makes a living doing something based off others interpretation – the biggest hurdle is starting. Read more>>

Rose Alaimo

I remember writing songs in my head when I was 3 or 4. I would hear them, run to the old piano we had in the house, and play what I was hearing. When I hit the age of 13 I learned the bass and started playing in a band that had our first gig at an old shopping mall in my hometown. Read more>>

Alex Wiggins

I wish I had started my creative career much sooner. Read more>>

Fan Yu

My artistic career is taking place at the right time. As long as I maintain belief, every moment becomes the best timing and the perfect arrangement for me. Read more>>

Jevon Westmoland

My consist thought of where my career would be had I started comedy when I was in my teenage years. Read more>>

Bunny Gregory

I wish I had thought of myself as an artist sooner! I’ve almost, always done some type of creative work, but I’ve simply never considered myself a real artist. Read more>>

Meng Fei Lin

I wish to start my creative career later! Read more>>

Duane Bowen II

I believe everything happens for a reason! So I feel that it was the right time for me. Read more>>

Mack Duncan

Would I have liked to have done this with my whole life? Maybe. Was I ready for this in my 20s? No. I had to live my life for awhile and gain some maturity in order to tell the stories I want to tell now. Read more>>