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.

Sarah Merz

I think one of the most difficult aspects of selling my art has been learning not to get swept up in the currents of market dynamics. Line Street Studio initially got its start in the local San Diego farmers markets, beginning as an alternate filling in for other established vendors with scheduling conflicts. Read more>>

Shelby Hayes

One of the most unexpected challenges on my journey into the animation industry has been navigating the sudden and steep downturn in the job market. I graduated with a degree in Visual Development for Animation in late 2019, just as the world was on the brink of shutdown in 2020. As a fresh graduate, finding my footing was a daunting task.  Read more>>

Derek Williams

I started my record label back in 2020 with my former business partner who also wanted to be a rapper at the time as well. He recorded a song before the 2020 presidential election called “Make America Great Again?”. Around the summer of 2020 there was a BLM rally happening in Washington DC and my business partner wanted to film the first half of his music video down there as it correlated with the song he had recorded. Read more>>

Sarah Tupper

I am a small business owner in the cannabis industry, and the most prolific challenge I encounter is multi-faceted and centers specifically around gender inequity and treatment of women, both who are working in this industry and potential consumers. Read more>>

Kimberly Eitland

Picture the sterotypical image of an artist. Covered head to toe in flecks and specks of paint in a choatic pattern of bright colors strewn about them. Add in some glitter and random paint brushes and pencils sticking out from the messy blonde bun atop the artist’s head and you have me on a daily basis. My art is a chaos train and I am the conductor. Read more>>

Carrie Marshall

We all face various obstacles in our journey, from frustrating setbacks to life altering changes. My two biggest obstacles were divorce and then 5 years later (in 2020) some crazy health issues, that I nicknamed “The Triple C”: Concussion, Covid (which we all dealt with!) Read more>>

Christopher Layton

I would say the biggest unexpected challenge that I’m currently facing right as a growing artist and wanting to take it my craft more seriously as a professional is understanding the amount of work that actually comes it. Read more>>

THERESA MUSATTO

I had been playing music on my own for years and hadn’t shared any of it with almost anyone. The last couple years I started playing live, recording and releasing music. Through a lot of different events, I decided to record and produce my first album. Read more>>

Fran Rescigno

An unexpected problem I faced multiple times during the first few years of my business was realizing I built a business I hated. Prior to starting my business, I fully believed in the saying “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Read more>>

ROSAY R

With everyone wanting to be a Rapper or musician in some way, being a female “rapper” now and days seems pretty impossible. Especially being apart of the LGBTQ community. A lot of people will look down on you and hate on you or have their opinions on how you choose to live your life but that’s the last thing that should ever make you stop following your dreams. Read more>>

Richard Scott

As we know, challenges arise in the entertainment field as with any other field. My biggest shock was the amount of deception I have encountered by people literally lying to you either to sell a product, get you involved in their works or even by misrepresenting who they are to take advantage of your works. Read more>>