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.

Adam Price

I am certainly grateful for my career and where music has taken me. I am blessed to have been able to travel the world with my music. It has afforded me some incredible opportunities that few people get. That being said, the life of a freelancer has its own set of anxieties and struggles. Read more>>

Chelsea Rivera

I am VERY happy as an actor and writer. I truly believe that art can change the world and I know in my bones that I am in it for the long hail. With that said, I have absolutely had to find other ways to supplement my income. When I first moved to LA, I did a lot of gig work. While it was flexible, it was stressful to always be on the hunt for gigs and they pay was less than idea. Read more>>

Eric Hammell

Happiness is a hard thing to wrap your head around as a creative. There’s no such thing as stability as an artist, your self worth, and other people’s worth of you seems to rely on what you create. There are times when there is a surplus of imagination and drive and there are times where there is a brick wall in front of you. Read more>>

Richard Raymond II

In my experience, emotions are fleeting. So, saying “I’m happy as an artist” or “I’m unhappy as an artist” would only represent a fraction of my experience. Read more>>

C.K. Sorens

Just the very question “are you happy as an artist or creative” makes me happy. I have a job where someone gets to ask me that question, and it’s a thrill to be able to say: Yes! Mostly. Read more>>

Jaimee Jakobczak

This comes up pretty often in the artist community, usually with other creatives one some level complaining about the challenges of simply being an artist and trying to exist as one in the world. It’s something I sort of turn my head sideways at. Read more>>

Nianxin Li

I think being a creator is the happiest thing in the world. Sometimes I feel that if I had a regular job, my mindset would be completely different. As a creator, I believe it’s important to stay alert to experiences and to genuinely perceive the world every day, just like a newborn. Read more>>

Elizabeth

When I first got started making cosplay content, I was 17. It was for fun, and I never really thought anything could or would come from it. It was something I did mostly alone at that time, but it changed how I saw my own future. I wanted to become a creative professionally, so I set my sights on film school. Once I got to college, I met someone who got into cosplay with me, and we really made something special online. Read more>>

Isabella Chiarini

When I first started singing I never thought it could take me where I am. I had it in my mind that I wanted to be a makeup artist until I was 14 years old. After I released my first single, it was game over. Since being 14 I have never looked back and it’s been such a fun ride. Read more>>

Aaron Poulson

Yes, I am very happy as a creative. I’ve always had crazy ideas and figured out a way to make them happen. No, I couldn’t think of doing anything else, I’ve had regular jobs and let’s just say I was miserable. Read more>>

Opal Moon Facepaint Alexandra Cook

I am so happy as a creative facepainter, artist, henna artist, and more because when I was a child I always dreamed of becoming an artist! I have fulfilled my passion in life, and I am so blessed and grateful for all of the amazing things I have been able to do with my business thus far! Seeing a child smile, and get so excited after you have painted their face as a princess, or Spiderman is such an amazing feeling. Their eyes light up, jaw drops, and they can now live in their fun fantasy world as one of their favorite characters, or animals! It makes it all worth it for me! Read more>>

Jorge Arenas

Up until recently I considered my creative career as something I needed to do to be happy, I imagined that having any other job would make me miserable. But lately I’ve started questioning that, and realizing that as I grow older my happiness is less dependent on anything that happens in my life, and more tied to the appreciation of simply being alive. So I am starting to feel like I could be happy doing something else. Read more>>

Makenna Tuttle

I am! I love what I do, and can’t imagine doing anything else. I like being able to create my own schedule, which is somethng a day job doesn’t allow. I also like having an outlet to be creative, and work with other creatives in the industry! Read more>>

Juliana Frangella

When I was in high school, I believed that being unhappy was a key part of being an artist; if I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t writing. Now that I am out of that situation, I am not so cynical about it, though I still believe that intense emotions are part of the deal. I don’t think I could do anything other than creative work, or more specifically writing. It is certainly disconcerting knowing how hard it is to make a living solely off of music. Read more>>

Alina Gobbi

I am definitely happy as an artist. I absolutely love what I do, even though being a creative or entrepreneur has its own pros and cons, just like everything else in this world. But sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to have a regular job… and I start thinking that it would be nice to not worry about income because I would get a paycheck every week or every other week. It would be nice to have paid vacations and other benefits. Read more>>

Antonio Scott

Being Full-time artist has been one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I became a Full-time artist two years ago after working for a delivery company for twenty-one years. I attended College at the University of Maryland College Park for my Bachelors in Studio Art. I remember spending all-nighters studying for test because I had no time in-between work and school, but I was determined to be my own boss some day and do what I loved. Read more>>

Stacey Lee

This is a complex question, with an in-depth answer. I’ll start by saying I love my work as an artist, creative, and influencer. I enjoy learning from all my creative talents, and continuing to expand my learning to be better, and drive more of my contents insights up. However, like any career it is a learning process, and has its ups & downs. But all in all, I am satisfied. Read more>>

Spike Yee

As a creative, it brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment to be able to do what I do every day. Since I left the restaurant industry in 2020, my quality of life has been much better on the spiritual/emotional side of things. However- financially speaking, there are ups and downs. I do sometimes miss the consistency and dependability of having a “regular” job, along with a regular work schedule. Read more>>

Margie Schnibbe

I love being an artist. Creative inspiration is what keeps me alive. I sell my art and I also have a day job. After working fulltime in the day, I make my art at night and on the weekends. I work seven days a week and most nights I do not get enough sleep. I have worked this way for many years. Read more>>

Jennifer Barlow

This is such a loaded question based on the day or season of life. I definitely have many moments when the grass is always greener on the other side with a regular job, steady pay, solid reward system, and guidance. I find the highs and lows of being an artist the most challenging. One minute you are thrilled that a piece of artwork sold and the next you get rejected from a show you really wanted to be in. Read more>>

Salina Nèou

Being able to support myself as an artist is a dream come true. I think it’s natural to wonder what it’s like to have a conventional job but that thought never lasts long. There are people who’s job stress them out while my job de stresses me. Read more>>

Aline Rich-Tschurtschenthaler

Not one day goes by that I am not grateful for being able to be my own boss and make a living by creating art. It is still surreal to me, that people really want to buy my art. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than when I see people being excited seeing my booth at expos. Read more>>

Tyrin Brewster

There’s a lot of different ways I could answer this question. But of course I’m happy as an artist/creative it’d be very tough to see the dream if I weren’t. With that being said though they’re times when the dream gets blurred and in those moments I do sometimes wonder if I should’ve gone the old school route. Read more>>

Nia Archuleta

As a nail tech I am happy I get to do what I love! As an artist you always think , is my work good enough? Will the client be happy with my craft ? Did I try my best ? I always look at myself and say is it worth it ? I truly believe if you allow peoples opinions and social media to answer these questions nobody would be an artist. You have to be able to roll with the punches, people will always have an opinion or view on what you do. Read more>>

Edwina Alarcon

I am immensely happy living my life fully as an artist. I can not imagine myself in a “regular” job. I have held office positions in my past positions, as a graphic designer, and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot about the administrative side to business so I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. They helped to mold me into the professional that I am today. Read more>>

Lauren Hua

As being an artist has been my second career, I already know what it is like to have a “regular” job. In my previous life, I could rely on a regular paycheck every two weeks after investing a set number of hours. The world of art, however, is far from predictable. Some moments may be filled with exhibitions and a lineup of commissions, but in the next month, the calendar can be startlingly empty. Read more>>

Crysta Coburn

I feel the most comfortable doing creative work. It’s where I am the most confident. I have never had an office job, but I have worked plenty of retail and other customer service jobs. I’ve tried full time and regular hours, and it just isn’t for me. As I’ve gotten older, my chronic illnesses have become more pronounced, making it hard to leave the house some days. I do sometimes wonder what having a “regular” job would be like, but mostly so I can write more realistically about them in my stories. Read more>>