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.

Tracy Riggio

I am absolutely happier as an artist and creative. Every once and a while, I consider stepping away from art and fine art restoration, wondering if a different career might bring me more fulfillment, less back pain, and certainly more money. The thought definitely reoccurs—is there something else out there that would be a better fit, more rewarding? But after each time I question, I realize that leaving would mean walking away from not just a job, but a lifelong passion, expertise I’ve built over the years, and helping people preserve what is so precious to them and history. Read more>>

Alex-Eon Cox

Yes I am happy as an artist.
I do often think what life would be like with a regular job.
I don’t want a regular job forever, just long enough to be financially stable.
I always think about life in this way. I am worried about not being successful. It’s really hard to be an artist full time. Art is one of those careers that doesn’t have alit if linear markers of success. Therefore, I often time find myself settling for jobs and degrees that are less interesting to me. Read more>>

Nick

Even in the most successful times filmmaking is such an unpredictable career from one moment to the next. That can be very destabilizing, and so there is always this voice in the back of my head that says, “what if that was the last film I get to make?” That anxiety can get in the way of happiness. But I don’t think I got into this field for the happiness of it. It’s cut throat, it can take years to get a project off the ground, or you spend years on something that never goes anywhere. We’re told that our dream projects don’t jive with the current market, or that we don’t have the access yet to guarantee certainty around the project so we spend hundreds of unpaid hours trying to secure a story that still may not get made. Read more>>

Lauren Monroe

I spent almost ten years doing regular jobs before pursuing writing as a career, so thankfully, I already knew that the 9-5 life wasn’t for me. I’m definitely happier as an artist. I think creative careers have high highs and low lows. There are times when you’re between gigs or struggling with a project and that can be scary or frustrating. But the flip side is that regular jobs felt monotonous and unfulfilling to me. The moments of chaos that come with creative careers are worth feeling like I’m directing my energies towards something I really care about. Read more>>

Kai Chan

I am so glad and fortunate to be an artist. I did try working a few regular jobs, such as at a production house, but I quickly became bored and didn’t enjoy those typical roles. All the artwork and designs I created for the company belonged to them and were credited under their name, which made me feel frustrated since no one ever acknowledged my contributions. That’s why I decided to start my career as a freelance illustrator. Now, people know that the drawings, ideas, and works are mine. Read more>>

Ulka Simone Mohanty

My immediate answer is a resounding YES, I am definitely happier as a practicing artist. I used to have a “regular job” before I took the full-time creative plunge, and I do not miss it. I will periodically ask myself if I would prefer to maybe go back to the charmed life of a regular salary, regular hours, planned vacations, and a life devoid of the heart stopping chasms of uncertainty that is the artist’s “feast or famine” gig-life, but my answer still remains “oh, heck no.” So until that answer changes, I stay the course. Read more>>

Mara

Being a bandleader, and a female band leader at that, in the rock scene can be extremely trying and stressful. There have been many times during my music career that I have questioned walking away, and many times even now that I really want to. I think the thing that keeps me going is sometimes I really don’t want to do it anymore but something inside me has to. There is a lot of pressure on me being the leader who books gigs, comes up with new songs/concepts, makes hard choices for the group. On top of that I am also the manager of my project in every way, including social media, networking, all of it, and I am the sole financial contributor to anything pertaining to the band, whether it be recording, producing, or even group photos. On top of that I’m just a regular girl trying to make ends meet, to pay my rent and bills and work two day jobs outside of music to cover band costs. Read more>>

Lillian Meredith

I think about having a different job all the time. So much of my time is spent actually doing the administrative work that is required to ensure I have a creative a life. I don’t dislike it – in fact, I find a lot of it really interesting – but the ratio of administrative to creative work is pretty high. In some ways, I’d just love to be a freelancer, someone who is hired on a project-by-project basis, who goes and directs shows for a company and then leaves, without having to deal with any of the budgetary or marketing work. The times when I’ve been able to just focus on the creative aspects of putting up a show have been amazing. Read more>>

Erin Hull

There are definitely pros and cons to choosing a creative path as opposed to a ‘regular’ 9-5 job. Right now, I am actually in the midst of figuring out what it is I want and where I think I will be more fulfilled as it relates to this. With a regular job, there is the potential for a stronger sense of security and routine, but little room for freedom and flexibility day to day. I’m learning that freedom, flexibility and creativity are priorities for me and if that means taking the road less travelled or making my own path, it’s 100% worth it. There is a bit of fear and apprehension of taking radical responsibility for my life and sustaining my own business, but I believe it is possible to live a life of creativity, freedom and abundance without conforming to the 9-5 lifestyle. I can’t picture my life going any other way. Read more>>

Espi Love

I grew up extremely studious and had aspirations of going far in the fields of Medicine or International Affairs. By 18, I was already very impressive on paper and was ahead on my path to excel in traditional fields. Frankly, though, I was a miserable person. I ended up taking a gap year and extending my college deferral to tend to my mental and physical wellbeing. It was only by healing from burnout and getting to know myself that I found art. I used to always say that I “didn’t have a single creative bone in my body” and fully believed this sentiment. But once I was only doing what I wanted and had no outside no one grading me, I naturally gravitated towards the arts. I didn’t even process what I was doing as creative, I just finally let myself…be. Read more>>

Richard Turoski III

As I’ve been interviewing for internships, I’ve actually turned this question around on my interviewers! Each time, I get a similar response: “This is the only thing we can see ourselves doing, and we love it.” And I completely relate. The creative and visual fields are some of the most freeing and rewarding because of the passion of the people in them. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t love it—at least, I know I wouldn’t. Read more>>

Kaylin Wood

At the risk of sounding much too poetic, being an artist was never a mindful choice that was settled on. Rather, it is who I intrinsically am, who I’ve always been. I came into this world with a tilt to my head and a rather different way of seeing things that lie between the ordinary and mundane. “I AM an artist” I’d always say, even when I was very little. I don’t think I’d know how to be any other way. Read more>>

Paula Christenson

Being an artist brings me joy and the freedom to express myself without limitations. I love seeing how my intuition and spontaneity work together, creating unique and dynamic compositions that reflect my life, experiences, travels, emotions, and inner world. It’s fascinating how we, as human beings, connect experiences without even realizing it. Shapes, lines, and colors can say so much about who we are, what we desire, or what we need. Read more>>

Matthew Salas

I feel like I get the best of both worlds, I am able to be an artist/creative as well as have a regular 9-5 job that still involves photography. My art is literally the outcome of my creativity in the sense that I use my camera to create an image. In my mind as I work I am creating and composing the image prior to clicking the shutter. As someone who does a lot of street photography frame work becomes very important, you can see many things panning out before they happen or at least hope they pan out the way you plan. Street photography can be a hit or miss and when things don’t work out you move on, its very fast paced and exciting. Read more>>

Adam Taylor

I am absolutely happy as an artist and creative. I could not imagine doing anything else as a career or as a way of life. However I think I was unprepared for how strange it feels to be going down this road or it’s not talked about often early on how disorienting that path of life can be. I sometimes wished I had a more ‘regular’ career or job (or at least had the capability to do it without being miserable or feeling disingenuous to myself.) I don’t have a specific moment to pull out or speak on but it’s a thought that arises whenever things get hard and moments where I feel disconnected to the rest of the world. I find it at times hard to relate to certain peers and people in my life who have this more modern career path. As a glass bender, making neon, I am working in a creative craft that hasn’t changed in the 100 years of its inception. Read more>>