Is it natural to wonder what life would have been like had you chosen a different path? Is it common? We asked many artists and creatives from all over the country if they’ve ever wondered about whether they should have pursued a more standard career path to see what we could learn from their stories.

Francis Maxwell

It is something I think about at times. I don’t like the label ‘regular job’ as it could come across as minimizing a field or profession. But in regards to say, a more rigid job with 9 to 5 hours, I worked many a jobs that fit into this mould. I worked in a grocery store, as a roofer, and as openly terrible mechanical engineer in the shipyards. Honestly, I’m surprised the boat didn’t sink with me working on it. Read more>>

Mao

Being an artist is incredibly fulfilling for me! While there are times when I can’t draw due to artblock or school, I value the days I can just sit down and draw for a whole day. When I see the constant evolution of my art it just brings me so much joy and pride. It’s like a never ending learning process. The idea of a regular job may have crossed my mind occasionally, since I’m about to graduate from school. I certainly dreamed of a stable job however I don’t think it can replace the passion I have for art. But I’m still young, so I’ll need more time to think about this matter. Read more>>

Drake Dalgleish

I have been extremely lucky with my career to almost never have to work in anything that wasn’t related to the arts. I got to be a Stage Manager of a couple soundstages in LA (Shout out to Nick and Venus over at Nvisionate Studios), teach drama and improv to middle and high school students, a content creator for Harlow Wealth, and countless sets in many different positions where I learned so much. While I do work as a Paraeducator I still get to work in the theater department and get to work with many gifted aspiring artists every day! Read more>>

Kenny Steimle

As an artist, I am happy with being creative through the medium of painting and drawing. My art has changed so much throught the years, it has offered me so much joy in life and knowledge in the art. I truly cherish the art process and creative thought. I find continued renewal in observing the world around me. I’ve learned to be more at peace with my work and the opportunities it may bring in my life. Read more>>

Karolina Adams

I am so grateful life unfolded this path of a professional artist for me. I stumbled upon the path while searching for my life’s mission…and for myself, in 2012. My background is in interior architecture. I worked in the field for about 6 years, when i realized the demanding schedule, the lack of artistic expression, the office atmosphere and the mundane space planning, were just too rigid for my free spirit. Creating art for a living is probably one of my most proud achievements in my life. I sketch/draw/paint everyday. Creativity recharges me and fuels my spirit. It allows me to purge my emotions and keeps me grounded. Read more>>

Haozhe Li

I find happiness in being an artist or creative individual. The ability to express myself through various forms of art brings me a profound sense of joy and fulfillment. The moments when I find inspiration in the simplest of things in my daily life and transform them into tangible creations are truly magical. However, it is not uncommon for artists to experience periods of insecurity, especially in the initial stages of their career. The uncertainty of income and the constant need to prove oneself can be daunting. In such moments, the thought of having a regular job that offers stability and security may cross my mind. Read more>>

Sam Chandler

I am happy as an artist, but it is a challenging career path for sure. For the longest time, I’ve known that playing piano and playing music is my calling. It awakens something in my soul that nothing else does. I have a deep connection with music and know that it expresses how and what I feel with more clarity than words. To show others that a deep connection with oneself is possible through performance or composition, and to show people the way to this self-knowledge through teaching is inspiring and uplifting to me, and I feel that this is the real reason why I am an artist. Read more>>

Cynthia Wierschen

Finally, yes! I am happy as an artist. It’s been a long journey. Up mountains, down in valleys. But I’ve reached a plateau where I can look back, from where I started and look forward to my next venture! I’ve never thought much about what it would have been like had I chosen to continue working a standard 9-5 job. Instead of choosing the long days and often long nights working as an artist. I think that I was destined and created to be an artist. Read more>>

Jessi Beebe

I love being a creative! Creating is one of the best things for my mental health. I’m disabled by chronic illness, but even before I got sick and had a “real job” that I loved, making jewelry always brought me the most joy. If I were healthy enough to work another job again, I would prefer to just work more on my jewelry than I can currently. Read more>>

Chrxstal Sarah

My happiness as an artist definitely fluctuates. I’m eternally grateful for being a vessel for music but, unfortunately, I have to deal with the physical, 3D aspect of wondering if I’ll be able to survive on this planet as an artist. I’ve been very blessed recently in regard to seeing that it’s possible for me to successfully make good income off of my art. But it’s still up and down and not steady or consistent. That worries me at times. It’s become a bit more worrisome over the last three years. I’ve definitely had moments where I’m like, “I don’t know if my nervous system can handle this kind of anxiety, maybe I need to just get a ‘real’ job!” But every time I throw a tantrum like that, the music pulls me back. I can’t fight it so, at this point, I just need to make it work. Read more>>

ILIONA BLANC

I am an artist and creative in the soul. I’ve always been one for as long as I can remember. I can only find happiness by creating, whether it’s music, a song, a script, a film or sometimes doing some home interior design or furniture renovation… I could never consider a life having a regular job. I could never work from 9-5pm everyday, having a boss and knowing exactly how much I’d be making at the end of the month. To me it’s the opposite of excitement. Being an artist is the only way I know how to live. Read more>>

Nick Rascona

Now and then I do wonder what it’s like to have a regular job, to be able to compartmentalize work and life sounds interesting but ultimately I’m super grateful I get to live and work as an artist. I do work “overtime” basically every week and lines between work and life often bleed together but I am happy to show up everyday and make the work that is important to me. Read more>>

Tianyi Wang

I absolutely happy as an artist. It’s a passion that brings me immense happiness and fulfillment. While I acknowledge that a regular job might offer stability, I believe that the freedom to express myself artistically and capture the world through my lens is incredibly rewarding. I’m committed to pursuing this creative path throughout my life because it’s not just a job to me; it’s my calling and my way of connecting with the world. Read more>>

James Pack

I am very happy as a writer. I don’t make enough money to support myself with my writing, but I earn a little more each year and that’s enough to keep me motivated. I have a regular job to pay the bills and this allows me to pursue my writing in my free time. I occasionally work on small art projects as well. Read more>>

Dahlya Glick

For me, being a working artist means complete dedication to the unexpected. The costs are many, but the rewards are more. Throughout my years in the workforce, I have explored many other avenues of 9-5’s: all of which somehow lead me back to entertainment. I can confidently say, I don’t wonder what it would be like to have a regular job, because I’ve had them. And I was bored and sad! I think for many artists, creating is the pinnacle of our life-force, but surviving off of it in a capitalistic world requires social and personal sacrifices, thick skin, and constant emotional maintenance. It’s not for everyone, but those of us who chose to marry our dreams, find a way to make them into a reality. Read more>>

Abigail Ervin-Penner

Although I am entirely happy making art and I wouldn’t choose anything differently, I do often find myself wondering if life would be easier if I had a regular job. I know the answer is “no, it would still be difficult, just in different ways.” I wonder what the financial stability would be like the most. It sounds nice. But then I think about my husband, who had a stable desk job making websites for a large company, and out of nowhere, he and about 30 other people were fired for no apparent reason. That’s the thing, even if it’s a “regular” job, it doesn’t mean it’s yours. Read more>>

Dana Mooney

I feel like I didn’t have a choice in being an artist. It is who I am, and have always been. My early career path was a creative one, as a makeup artist turned prop stylist turned interior decorator to finally a painter. During covid, I had a baby and found that the combination of motherhood and the economy severely impacted my ability to make a living with my paintings. So I had to try a new career path that could pay the bills until my art started to pickup again. Long story short, I went back to school for digital marketing and worked in an office 9-5pm Monday to Friday for a year. So I finally got my first taste at a “real job” there. Now I know that I do not like working in that setting, and I continue to push on with my artwork, and freelance for digital marketing clients. Read more>>

Christos Tsiantoulas

I think that this is a really great question. Yes I am happy, but I would rather use the term fulfilled. I believe that the creative/entertainment industry is not designed for everyone, nor is everyone built for it. It allows me to feel the “highs” so euphorically, and “lows” so intensely. Essentially, when your love and passion becomes your career it can feel similar to a double-edged sword at times. That being said, I have always been a dreamer and an advocate for following your dream, no matter how grand, ridiculous, or out of reach it may feel. The fact that I am in the middle of mine truly has been a testament to myself because I have continuously chased whatever makes me happy and I would not want it any other way. Read more>>

Michelle Pugh

I recently left my regular job to focus on my art full-time. I wake up every day excited and full of ideas for my next project. Without having the distractions of a time clock and commitments to a job, I’m able to have the freedom to create without limits. Of course, not having a paycheck I do have to be creative with my resources but I’m very happy with my decision. At 57 years old, I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to have any regrets about not pursuing my passion. Read more>>

Will Eskridge

I am definitely content as an artist. I have known what I wanted to do since I was 4 years old. It took me a while to get in my groove and I was my unhappiest when I tried to do other things to pay bills while pushing my creativity to the side. I have worked many different odd jobs and positions the years prior to going full time as an artist. I have worked a factory job at a CD making plant, janitor, dishwasher, cook, desk job in an office, bar back, prescription drug delivery person, and my first was helping my dad out at his veterinary practice from the age of 10-16. Though I have worked various jobs, I am curious by nature and sometimes fantasize about what it’s like to do other careers that I would aspire to choose if I weren’t an artist. Like a Wildlife Biologist, Park Ranger, Wildlife Veterinarian, Anthropologist, Geologist, etc. Read more>>

Katherine Gramann

Identifying as a creative is new for me. A lifetime of the label “entrepreneurial” meant that I always leaned towards roles within my career that felt “safe” to claim: marketing, consulting, etc. And while some of my work still falls under those categories, ultimately it wasn’t until claiming the title as Creative that truly artistic visions for my life made themselves available to me. I’d been walking a fine line between business owner and creative for years, always finding a topic or subject to focus my creative pursuits, but in deciding that my ideas and “creative hobbies” were actually worth sharing more widely, it pushed me to clarify what would make me happy in this new chapter. Read more>>

Raoul Peter Mongilardi

There is really nothing so wonderful as creating. For example, during this difficult time of the strike, it was empowering and comforting and actually felt fantastic to sit down and compose a novella on a deadline. When I finished it I was proud to read it and know that has a place in my slate and portfolio. As far as wondering what it would be like to have a “regular job” I think working as a creative is in essence a “regular” experience in that it is a natural expression of being alive. But not to skirt the question, I have worked in other areas, in physical production and as an estate manager, the latter is a book in itself! Read more>>

Alessandra Lichtenfeld

This has been an ongoing struggle for me lately. Ultimately I know I am on a happier more fulfilling path, but making a living has been very difficult, especially right now with the ongoing strikes and productions being halted. Though in some way it might end up being good because it has inspired me to start my own boutique video production company and find clients myself. Starting a business (and pursuing a life as an artist) is risky and unstable and I often feel like I’m drowning financially. Some of my friends with “regular” jobs don’t fully understand why I’m sacrificing so much for this dream. It’s hard when I see my friends with corporate, six-figure jobs and I feel “behind”, but I do have faith that within a few years this will work out. Read more>>

Giselle Lily

I am definitely the happiest I’ve ever been as an artist and creative! Although the question of “what would it be like if I worked a regular job” has crossed my mind in the past, that thought never seems to last too long or lead me to question the decisions I’ve made about my career. If anything, it only makes me that much more certain about what I’m doing with my career. Since I was a kid I’ve always been the adventurous type, always wanting to move, explore, create, seek out new experiences, and just see what more life has to offer. As cheesy as it sounds, thats exactly what jumping head first into the music industry has provided for me. Read more>>

Nikola Ivana

Being an artist is all I’ve ever known. My mom is an artist and was an art teacher for many years. I’ve grown up playing with every medium that she could give me. I loved it so much, I never really explored doing anything other than something creative. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The only other job outside of art that I’ve thought of is being a flight attendant as I love to travel. Even if I had to change careers I would still do art. Any job has its blessings and pitfalls but I’m so lucky to be able to make money off of something I love doing. Read more>>

James Carothers

I am happy being a country singer, although I did have a regular job for 15 years. Sometimes I think that it would be better to have a regular job again because there are so many ups and downs. I will make a good song and have a good gig that pays well and I’m completely content- also the exact opposite of that happens and it’s no longer fun and it makes you question yourself, your motives, the sustainability, and how it is effecting the people around you. Read more>>

Em Persico

I am happy as an artist; pursuing creative projects like producing a podcast, planning networking events like Wig Brunch, hosting a monthly variety show for queer artists, and heading in the filmmaking direction. The thing is, I do know what it is like to have a regular job because as an artist it takes time for art and creative projects to pay the bills. My day job is at an Electrical engineering company which is in a field not relevant to my interests or Bachelors degree in cinema but it is flexible to allow me to focus on my creative goals outside of work. Read more>>

Cortney Herron

I have to say, despite the ups and downs and volatility of being a full-time artist, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve experienced the world of regular jobs, and while it might seem like an easier path, I quickly realized that “easy” isn’t what I’m looking for in life. When I was in a regular job, I found myself getting bored and not feeling challenged. It became evident that I craved something more fulfilling, something that allowed me to express myself fully. Read more>>

Katie Craig

First of all, I love this question! I have had a “regular” job and loved it, wonderful co-workers, office environment – but It just didn’t fill that creative need in me. I’ve always been an artist, I can comfortably say that now. But, HAPPY? A nuanced answer follows. I don’t think “happiness” drives creativity, nor is it an end product. Being creative is a constant state of wondering, of seeing the world slightly askew, on a tilt and then figuring out how that translates through your brain. I can create a piece and LOVE it, but often times the pieces that are home runs often open up many new avenues and ideas in a creatives brain, honestly, it can be TORTURE, but we are happy that is is our job (insert pained smile). Read more>>

Nikki Contini

I am very happy as an artist but that does not mean that I don’t sometimes wish for a ‘regular job’. This has to do with stress, responsibility and self discipline and feeling overwhelmed. Here’s a big run on sentence…when my studio is a mess with no space to work and I have tons of student work to fire in the kiln and my back is hurting and I have a multitude of unfinshed projects and also paper work and my website in stale and family and social life is pulling me one way…the thought of a regular 9-5 job where I can just come home after a day of work and leave the job at ‘work’….that begins to look somewhat appealing. Read more>>

Jessica Munoz

“Sunday scaries’” what’s that? I get to do what I love on a daily basis and I get paid to do it. I genuinely couldn’t be happier! Prior to committing to “Sips and Soirees” full time, I would dedicate time for it on the weekends or after my 9 to 5 and it never felt like enough. The more time went on, the more I’d daydream about it and was convinced that it was my passion. I did the 9 to 5 and held “regular jobs” that paid well, I was good at, and enjoyed, but even then I felt that something was missing. I kept thinking to myself, “If I can be good at something I like and make money for other businesses… what would happen if I do what I LOVE and make money for myself?” Read more>>

J Nikolé

I am extremely thrilled to be a creative. Just like with any passion/field, it comes with hard days and moments that have you wondering if you’re really cut out for this path. But looking at my life and where it is now, I am the happiest I’ve ever been and sometimes wish I would have pursued DJing sooner. Throughout the course of my journey I’ve had regular jobs that were both good and bad, but the fulfillment I get putting work in towards after my creative goals is unmatchable. Also, I’m never one to side eye the regular 9-5 lifestyle because there are many avenues for fulfillment there as well, but over time I had to realize which space made me the happiest. Read more>>

Justin Yau

Sometimes I find myself forgetting the joy of writing music after getting accustomed to writing in the professional field. Currently I have been trying to write outside the box, less commercial, trying to find my own voice as a writer. After a while, writing does get tedious and difficult to continue, but I’d say its still better than working a 9-5 regular job. There is something spontaneous about writing and trying new approach every time I start a new piece. Read more>>

Amy Dellagiarino

So this is a question I have been mulling over a lot recently, and the answer is both yes and no. The arts certainly took a hit during the pandemic, but let’s face it, the landscape has been shifting and changing for a while. Am I happy? Ultimately, yes. Yes when I am in the act of “doing”, when there is a story that is tapping at my brain and I get to feel the rush of setting it free. But am I happy? No, not really, not when I look ahead at the future and wonder what everything will be like. It’s no secret the path of an artist is hard, and long, and honestly usually on fire, but it feels like lately that perilous road has also now shrunk to the width of a balance beam. Read more>>

Kim Lin

Being an artist always bring me fulfilling and joyful experience. As a very individual and personal journey, it undoubtedly cause setbacks and challenges to my inner self other than joys. Sometimes, I do wonder what it would be like if I have a “regular” job just like all the other friends had done. It happens especially when I am struggled with my self-doubt and faced with creative blocks. But when the thoughts occurred, I would ask one question to myself: “Do I love being an artist?” The answer is always “Yes.” Read more>>

Joey Tapz

Being an aspiring artist, I am currently working a full time job while also pursuing my music career. In the real world, a lot of us are forced to work a job to allow us to invest in ourselves and our visions’. It can be difficult to manage between both worlds’ but being in the right environment can allow you to also promote your music and gain other creative perspectives’. I have met some very amazing people at regular jobs that still to this day, continue to support my music and vision. Working a day job to make my dreams become a reality continues to keep me grounded and blessed for the life that I have created up to this point. Read more>>

Angie Shell

I’m thrilled with the path I’ve pursued. I spent a lot of time really afraid to pursue the arts. When I was about to turn 20 I took entry exams for my local community college in hopes of getting my education to pursue a career as an art therapist. I wanted to be creative but also practical. Eventually, I toured the New York campus of the school I would attend a year later, and all that flew out the window. Makeup had been a hobby to me for so long, and I was ready to alchemize my passion into something real and authentic. Attending Make-Up Designory was the start of that chapter. Read more>>