Do you ever wonder what life would have been like had you chosen a more standard path? Does everyone have these doubts sometimes? We wanted to find out and so we asked as many talented artists and creatives as we could and have shared highlights below.

SANTYI

If happiness was achievable, the wealthy and their infinite pool of promising markets would collapse. It would crunch their spine inward like a Junji Ito uzumaki character. Luckily for them, happiness functions quite differently. Like sadness, it lies on the temporal plane. Fluctuating in our bodies for a few fleeting moments. Finally, it withers. Read more>>

Jay Horn

Being creative has its ups and downs like any other career. The difference is you work for yourself, so you are contracted often if you have talent, and not so much if you don’t. But you are under so much scrutiny, you have to have very tough skin to be creative in this day and time. There isn’t much encouragement until you are recognized as a certified artist. Read more>>

Matteo Miles

Working hard at whatever i’m doing has always been my main priority. Giving your best shot even just once at anything you want to try is worth doing. I’ve held several occupations of regular jobs throughout my life while being a creative on the side and has improved my work ethic no matter the task. In the recent years when I was able to fully commit to just painting and designing, I’ve taken the leap and no longer was worshiping at the altar of self doubt. Read more>>

Deonna Bettis

I experience so much joy in almost every facet of my creative process – but that emotion runs deeper, and it is quieter on the surface than happiness. A good amount of my joy comes from knowing that creative work is meaningful, AND my delight in always having something I can learn more about. I do not really wonder or compare being an artist with “regular” jobs for a few reasons. Read more>>

Christopher Perry

As a creative, I feel like I’m always chasing after something. The next photo, the next creative idea, the feeling of how to elevate myself to that next level. The happiness arrives when I get into my creative zone and I know that I’m piecing something together that will evoke an emotion. Something that will be relatable to the viewer. Read more>>

Vincent Manuel

I’ve been well-pleased on the path i’m on as a creative. Although it is very tedious, I choose to continue to do the right thing with my craft since I’m forever aiming to be one of many beacons of light. Personally, I feel like being in the Hip-Hop field you you start off with two paths to choose from which are the path of passion or one of limelight. Read more>>

Chino LaForge

Being happy while being an artist is complicated. Many artists draw an amazing amount of strength and inspiration from their pain and suffering. Not to mention the severe ups and downs of a performing arts career. It’s a life that not everyone is built for. I think it’s important for artists to define what they believe true success in their industry is, and set their sights for that in a realistic way. When others define your success for you, you’ll never find satisfaction. In short, yes, I’m happy as an artist. I believe I owe that to knowing the worth of my contributions. Read more>>

Yeonha Park

I’ve usually thought about this topic when I struggle with something, like life issues or going into a slump. In my job, I always have to think about what I really want to put into my work. I chose my job because I love creating something and showing it to people. However, sometimes it makes me so tired. I have to consider more than one person’s view (myself) -I consider what other people would love and feel interested in my work. Read more>>

Eva Dominguez-Peralta

My life is definitely better and happier as an artist. Growing up in poverty I learned that the bills never end and regular jobs might pay the bills but they don’t lift you out of poverty. Only Vision, Education & Entrepreneurship can do that. So I made it my goal to develop a vision of my future capable of providing for myself financially, support my community and build space for others, with my creative skills. As an artist, I get to build my dreams by doing what feeds my soul. Read more>>

Terese Young

I think being a full time artist is perfect for my personality. I’m VERY sensitive to my surroundings and the crazier the world seems to get, the happier I am to be in my bubble of peace working from home. Sometimes I do miss the relationships and collaborations that typically form from working in an office. I’m also an extremely social being. But I thrive most on alone time. As long I make time to see my friends (which I do!) I’m in a good place. Read more>>

Ashley Palmer

I have experienced numerous instances in my life where I have come to realize that my utmost happiness lies in wholeheartedly dedicating myself to my craft as an artist and creative individual. This realization first dawned upon me during my college years. I explored various educational fields such as Computer Design, Game Design, and Interior Design, all of which piqued my interest to some extent but failed to truly fulfill my innate need for creativity. Read more>>

Madelyn Dover

I am only happy as an artist or creative. Regular jobs can be helpful for making a living while you’re working on the things you actually enjoy. It doesn’t matter if I get paid or not for my art, it’s gonna be made either way. That’s what makes my life happy. Art brings meaning to my life Read more>>

Maria Frey

Some days I find myself looking back and wondering what it would be like if I was still at a regular job. However, I’m reminded that pursuing this art has been my greatest passion and makes me happy. I carry this quote with me from renowned potter, Warren MacKenzie: “The challenege is to do the thing you have to do because you’re in love with it and can’t do anything else. Not because you want to become famous or rich, but because you will be unhappy if you can’t do it.” Read more>>

Dexter Walker

I can honestly say that being an actor/creator gives me a peaceful mind in every aspect. I know what it feels like to be working a regular job. As a rising artist from Houston,Tx…I’m currently working while pursuing my career. the goal is to work even harder for the rewards to be even bigger. Not money. Success! Read more>>

David Liban

I feel very fortunate to be in a situation where I can be an artist. My situation is unusual in that I have both a ‘regular’ job and my creative outlet. I am a professor of film and television and along with that comes the expectation that 40% of my job is to be creative. Read more>>

Tenille Byers

Before I started working as a singer/DJ I did have a regular job. I struggled through college and finally graduated with a degree in veterinary technology. I did work in the field as a vet tech for over 5 years. I was good at my job, but it was so stressful and the pay was horrible. It was a struggle to get up in the morning and honestly work was not somewhere I wanted to be. Read more>>

Amy Cheng

I am very happy to be a visual artist. I don’t wonder what it would have been like to have a regular job because I have had many of them. In my 20’s while going to grad school at Hunter College in NYC I started doing office work and moved into word processing, taking evening shifts to be able to paint during the day. In my early 30’s I got some university teaching jobs, finally landing as a painting/drawing professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz about 90 miles north of NYC. Read more>>

Rachel Debolski

When faced with challenges or feelings of overwhelm, I will often engage in an internal monologue contemplating whether I should have pursued a more practical or stable field. However, deep down, I know that my passion for art-making would have inevitably guided me towards this path. I have attempted to envision an alternative life, but I just can’t imagine it. When I set my mind on wanting something, I can be particularly stubborn. Moreover, storytelling and creating art have always been as my means of unpacking and understanding my own reality and subjectivity. So without it, I probably would be a mess. Read more>>

 Lara Lenhoff

Generally speaking I believe that I can say that I have learned how to be very happy with what I do creatively and with who I am, and it flows into every facet of my life. When I’m inspired to create I am completely immersed in what I am doing and am profoundly happy when I’m standing before my easel. It took many years to find out and how to balance things and make time for what matters to me. Read more>>

Fiya Flowz

Yes I’m very happy being an artist/creative. I love music! It’s definitely genetically programmed in my DNA lol. Being musically creative is my passion and being an artist is an undeniable desire I’ve had in me from a little girl. So when I made up my mind to pursue my dreams professionally, the excitement and determination I have to succeed is a feeling I would’ve never experienced working at anybody’s job for anybody’s paycheck. Basically pursing dreams and passion bring me more fulfillment, purpose and happiness then any J.ust Read more>>

Keith Marks

Like many artists, our formative years are the ones that propel us into our current reality. Attending concerts as a teenager changed my life, and I set a course to be involved in my music scene. While I was never the guy holding the guitar, I found myself in support roles to the arts – hanging posters, organizing concerts, writing press releases. Read more>>

Mizz

I’m very happy to have the privilege to do what I love. It has its ups and downs but that comes with any job. I think humans are suppose to create. So I hope as I walk my path, I encourage others to be creative too.I’m very happy to have the privilege to do what I love. It has its ups and downs but that comes with any job. I think humans are suppose to create. So I hope as I walk my path, I encourage others to be creative too. Read more>>

Kevin Walkman

I’m really happy as an artist, but it definitely took me awhile to get there. I think many of us crave stability, especially financial, and with art, especially in the beginning, that doesn’t really exist. I tried to convince myself for YEARS that I didn’t want to be an artist for that exact reason; I wanted to be the kid who jumped into a full time job right after college, got their own place, and started an adult life. Read more>>

Kate Zacharias

There is not a day that goes by where my mind doesn’t ponder the idea of having a “regular job.” Every cell in my body would combust into flames if I ever gave up being a musician, yet somehow the idea of a “regular job” seems like a fairytale dreamland. As an artist, I have chosen a different route to this pursuit of happiness that leads to my own fairytale dreamland. Read more>>

Isabella Valente

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a normal job, but when I’ve tried even art-adjacent normal jobs I would sit thinking about all the art I’d rather be doing. I was extremely unhappy and would be too exhausted any time I wasn’t working to accomplish any artistic goals. It felt like being an artist was a need not a want that I couldn’t live without. Read more>>

Sheree Greider

I am completely happy as an artist. It’s something I knew I’ve loved since I was 4 years old and painted my first painting. I drew a horse on a block of wood left over from the construction of my small home I dad was building for us. I drew the horse in crayon and painted it with water colors from a little school tin I had. Read more>>

Autumn Embry

Every day I wake up, and not a minute goes by that I regret the path that I have chosen for myself. I’ve always wanted to be a makeup artist and cosmetologist. So, for me to be able to go to school for something that I love and do it anywhere in the country is a privilege. Read more>>

Kareemah Scurry

I love working as an artist. I feel like I thrive more in creative environments. It’s so easy to find inspiration and beauty in the most simplistic things. Do I wish I could provide for my family based on art sales alone?, Absolutely! However, we are living in times when I feel like art isn’t as appreciated as it used to be. With the introduction of AI, it’s so much easier for consumers to get what they want instantaneously and for a fraction of the price. Read more>>

Mark Edge

I was born to be an entrepreneur. My entire family are entrepreneurs and my father groomed me from an early age to establish a business and work for myself. If I had accepted a job from someone else, I probably would not have lasted a day as I’m wired to be an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Danny Archer

If you ask most magicians when they started to be interested in magic the answer you will hear most often is from ages 8-12. That’s the norm. For me, I started when I was 27 and didn’t become a professional entertainer unit I was 39! So I had a regular job (or a series of jobs) for many years before I became a pro. Read more>>