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.

Cade Legat

Being an artist has always felt like an extension of myself, like breathing. But every now and then, I do wonder about the path I didn’t take, especially when the demands of creativity weigh on me. Trying to balance the creative flow with the grind of constant self-promotion and networking, all while keeping up with the need to create new work to stay relevant can be a taxing on an individual. In that chaos, there are some times where I question if I should have gone down a more predictable and safe route. The idea of stability, predictability, and weekends without worry sometimes feel tempting. There is a quiet allure in thinking about a nine-to-five that didn’t demand pieces of my soul along with my time. There was a time early on I prayed for God to give me a different mindset so that I wouldn’t have to pursue this treacherous industry. Yet through all I have peace and know what my call in life is; to create. I was created to create and help other get their visions out of the minds and into the real world. In the creative field, that is the simplest definition of a producer. Read more>>

Taylor Taglianetti

After spending four years with my subject, 102-year-old Dr. Tucker, I’ve been inspired to model his lifestyle. I know I can’t be a doctor but I find myself looking for a day-to-day work situation where I can truly help people and also create human connection in such a fragmented society. Read more>>

Samantha Adams

Often, I find myself in what feels like a dark tunnel, with a small beam of light far at the opposite end, and, everything freezes around me for a few moments, my mind goes wild and before I can even grasp a thought, my whole life flashes before my eyes and I can see myself from the outside looking in…. I ask myself, “what the heck are you doing?!” In these moments, I get a flash of ‘reality’ and suddenly, all of my hopes and dreams as an artist/creative replay before me quickly, and I wind up in a trance, second-guessing every decision I’ve made in my life up until that point. Read more>>

Ron Bracale

I am very happy to be able to play the very flexible shakuhachi flute, the vertical bamboo flute of Japan, and daily express my music. I am also very happy to have written many poems and short spiritual essays and write continually as part of my life. These did not support me and my family, so I worked in IT and am now retired and dedicating even more time to these creative acts. I feel that being creative fulfils my life and transcends their economic value. I have 24 years of private music lessons, first with silver flute, keyboards, and theory and now with Shakuhachi. I studied shakuhachi with Grandmaster Michael Chikuzen Gould for ten years and am currently studying Myoan pieces which are hundreds of years old with master Nick Bellando of Hon-on Shakuhachi., I previously studied the Ragas of North India and before that western music and even a couple years of jazz composition. Continual learning is a huge asset in life and I believe it keeps one young in spirit. While I have played in a couple of bands and made a few bucks here and there, and still occasionally play solo gigs, I am mostly satisfied with being creative, I have released a lot of music and inspired many people. I have self-published numerous books and heard from many people that they deeply like it and have learned from it. It is both healing to express one’s deepest contemplations as well as providing a service to those inclined to deep thinking. There is a wonderful feeling that arises when a new cutting edge creativity flows through me. It is indescribable: fully human and yet transcendental. Read more>>

Domo Montoya

ive always known i was meant for something greater. I’ve always known i wasnt meant to follow someone’s rules, or work under someone else. I was meant to go out and take what’s mine and be in charge of my own destiny Read more>>

Kaitlyn Johnston

Throughout my career, I’ve held various positions, but none truly fulfilled me; there was always something missing. I never found satisfaction in conventional jobs, but now, as a tattoo artist, I have discovered a profound sense of contentment. This profession allows me to exercise my creativity and enjoy my work, providing the perfect balance of artistic freedom and personal satisfaction. Read more>>

Assata Amani

I am much happier as an artist. Although, I think the common misconception is that you don’t get burned out. It is quite easy to not know when to cut off the art and sometimes it does in fact leak into your social life as well as your home life. I think it’s important for artists to learn to be more strategic and actually plan out their days with a schedule. It is hard sometimes to do this. I recommend paying attention to when your mind is most creative (morning or at night) and schedule your life around that. There are times when I compare myself to my peers who work their regularly scheduled jobs but then I remind myself that I have to really define success by my own means. Success isn’t always living the normal lifestyle. Experiment with your life, with your art, and your perceived notions and stop comparing yourself. You’re loved, you’re successful, and you’re brilliant. Read more>>

Viktor Cich

Being an artist—especially a music producer and sound designer—is both a privilege and a challenge. There’s a deep sense of fulfillment in creating something out of nothing, shaping sounds and melodies that didn’t exist before, and knowing that your work has the power to inspire, move, or even change someone. But there’s also a weight that comes with it, an invisible burden that many outside the creative industry don’t fully see. Read more>>

 Nayeli Benitez

I am happy as a creative—it’s something that brings me joy, gives me freedom, and allows me to express myself in ways that feel natural. But if I’m being honest, it’s also the only real option for me. I’ve worked traditional full-time jobs before, and because of my disability, they weren’t sustainable. The rigid structure, long hours, and constant need to mask left me completely drained—physically, mentally, emotionally. I was burning out at a level that made it impossible to function outside of work. So while I love being a creative, it’s not just about passion—it’s about survival. It’s about creating a life that actually works for me. Read more>>

Lisa Fleming

I am allowing myself to be more and more happy as an artist as I begin to accept that this is what I do, this is a valid career. I have struggled with the idea that this is a real job. Read more>>

Audrey Smith

I think about this question a lot as I slowly grow older and enter into the professional/adult world. I ask myself, if I pulled out now before I invested all my time and money into this, “Will I be better off with a smarter career that will make me more money?” — but I always end up circling back to the most important question: “What makes me happy?” Sure, I could go to college and get a degree in business or finance or anything that would pay the bills, but I know that I would be absolutely miserable every second of every day working a job like that. It doesn’t require anything from the side of my brain that I love to utilize. There is nothing wrong with that being your profession, but for me, art has simply never felt like “work”. That’s why I choose it. Even if I have a deadline for a piece, I still receive that rush of dopamine when my paintbrush hits the canvas- it’s the excitement of being able to create something that no one else has ever created before. Every time, no matter how I try to picture it, I always come to the same conclusion with myself: I would rather be broke and do what I love than make good money and be discontent. I am so lucky to have been born a creative and I want to take as much advantage of that as I can. God has blessed me with this gift for a reason, so I am going to continue on this path as long as I feel lead! Read more>>

Ivonne Blanco

I often joke about being my own benefactor because I do work a 9-5 job as a designer for cancer scientists. I spent most of my time at RISD in Brown’s medical library, reading about diseases and surgical procedures. The majority of my career has been spent as a scientific illustrator; I currently design interactive visualization tools that enable cancer research scientists to discover vulnerabilities in genes. This enables me to finance my personal work— which revolves around dual identity, grief, and processing emotions—allowing me to experiment and fail without fear of where my next meal will come from. I am deeply satisfied walking these two worlds; the digital, which allows me to help cancer patients through design, and the deeply therapeutic analog world of inks and ephemera. Read more>>

Tinghe Yang

I think there is a mis-understanding that being an artist isn`t a regular job. For me, it is always a normal job that I am happy about and suit for. I have never thought of changing my job. And again, I believe artist is a regular job. It is like people who are genius in numbers who might go for Math, or people who are contributive and kind might become a teacher. I think we artists are also just human who happen to have an insist in beauty and love to do it. We are not special. Just like all the other jobs, we do a job to fulfill people`s need too. Read more>>