As almost any entrepreneur or creative will tell you, unexpected problems are to be expected. Below, you’ll hear some incredible stories that highlight and illustrate the kinds of issues and problems entrepreneurs and creatives are dealing with everyday. It’s not easy, but the silver lining is that dealing with unexpected problems is one of the best ways to develop antifragility.

Hayley Mellum

Opening a performing arts business 2 months before a global pandemic In the Summer of 2019, Nicole Surran ( Co-Owner) and I were sought out by a group of teenagers from our childhood dance studio looking to take classes from us. Read more>>

Michael Hilliger

When I graduated high school, I was hell-bent on attending prestigious Hogwarts-y art colleges, which was deemed financially out of the question. Read more>>

Antonina Osnos

From early days of my career (long before i even realised it was even a career), i wanted to be part of a cool project that would influence someone’s life just like some cartoons and videogames changed mine. Read more>>

Zero Surico

FOR3ST HILLS originally started with just my drummer and I. We were in a romantic relationship, which started shortly after our band did. Read more>>

Steven Tralongo

One unintended consequence of pouring oneself into a creative endeavor is that it forces us to confront parts of ourselves that aren’t serving us, both within the work and in our broader lives. Read more>>

Fée Brandt

One of the most unexpected challenges in my creative journey was finding my place in the industry, especially as someone who prides themselves on being multidisciplinary. Read more>>

Nick Drozdoff

When I left Maynard Ferguson’s band in 1981, I was expecting to lead a lucrative career as a studio-free lance musician, However, in the early 1990’s the free lance industry was decimated in Chicago by looming technology. Read more>>

Shaun Buckalew

My life on the road of creativity has been a long line of roadblocks, barriers, steeps, and canyons as far back as I was a child. I have always had a fascination with cartoons, both animation and illustration. Read more>>

Ross Stockdale

When I started the business bright-eyed and bushy-tailed I thought fathering a newborn and recently exiting a business partnership would be the toughest challenges to navigate. Read more>>

Josh Beaton

The biggest unexpected problem I found when I started my business was that I expected to post my images on social media and the clients would come rushing in. It turns out, that’s not the case. Read more>>

Laurence Elle Groux

I was diagnosed with lung cancer two and a half years ago. Two years earlier, I became a full-time artist after a long break and a stifling 9-to-5 job that had crushed my soul. Read more>>

Shea Stratton

I battled alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, anxiety, and now my mom’s passing from a brain tumor. I stopped playing music to conquer my own personal demons and right after I got a hold on things my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Read more>>

Jesse Lewis IV

The most disappointing aspect of working with filmmakers is when the funding is not secured. Actors spend so many years and, or even careers preparing for that perfect role and furthermore the opportunity to be accepted to play the role. Read more>>