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.

Patty Meriam

I love making art, so it would have been wonderful to have started a professional career sooner and spent more time engaged with it. Rick Rubin, the music producer, says “art is a moment in time”, as such, it can be a mirrored reflection of society. Read more>>

Ryan Yingst

I think about this a lot. In most ways, I’m really happy with my timeline because I’ve had a lot of interesting experiences that have opened me up to a lot of sides of music. Read more>>

Anna Lapera

Ever since my school’s poetry week in 5th grade, I knew that I wanted to be a writer. However, I did not begin writing seriously until I was 33 years old. Read more>>

Katie Moore Howson

I’m so glad I started my art career when I did. I returned to painting in 2020 while pregnant during the pandemic. I was so scared of what the future held, both for my daughter and the world we all share. Read more>>

Melissa Steach

I often ask myself this and the overall answer is neither. Where I am today is an accumulation of the many mistakes, missteps, meaningful considerations, and magical moments that are sometimes apparent only after they’ve passed. Read more>>