There is so much to learn from investments that went really well as well as those that went really poorly and so we asked some of the wisest creatives and entrepreneurs in the community to tell us the stories of their best and worst investments.

Hannah True

My best investment has been my van! It’s an empty cargo van and it’s been a tremendous help. I no longer have to rent U-Hauls and guesstimate what size truck or van to rent. I don’t have to worry about rental availability or spending the extra time to pick-up and drop-off the rental. I have everything I need in my van and I’m able to use it whenever I need to! Read more>>

Analisa Hastings

Being a hair and makeup team means that you are in an ever changing and growing demand. Styles shift, products change and develop, you skills grow, you experiment, there are just never ending possibilities. Staying ahead of the game is always key and essential to being relevant in such a saturated market. Read more>>

Meredith Ostrowsky

The best investment in my career has been my aerial training. I was about two years into my professional dance career when I learned the value of a specialty skill to get me in doors that might not have opened otherwise. Plus I loved the combination of artistry meeting acrobatics. It challenged me both physically and as a storyteller. Read more>>

Stephen Pitts

My best investment for my artist career is renting an artist’s studio at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment. before having this studio space, all of my art sales and promotion was based on my website and participation in art shows. Art shows can be hit or miss, are subject to travel expenses, demographics and weather. Sales from a website are subject to promotion strategies, search engine results and other complicated factors. Read more>>

Adam Turney

The best investment I’ve made was obtaining my Yoga Teacher certification. Prior to the pandemic, I was practicing yoga for a few years. When you go into studios, they can charge over several thousand dollars for training – as a creative this was not an option for me. When the pandemic happened, a lot of studios moved to offer virtual training opportunities, this in tandem with the height of the the Black Lives Matter movement, resulted in some studios offering BIPOC scholarships for a 200 hour yoga certification. Read more>>

Taylor Danielle Greene

The best investment I’ve made in my journey was my first major business endeavor, my salon Taylord Styles Beauty Loft. Its funny because for a period of time I actually thought it was my worst investment. Me and my dad spent A LOT of time and resources opening my first storefront salon. I hired many stylists and we serviced hundreds of clients over a span of 3 years. Aside from the cosmetology aspect, Taylord Styles Beauty Loft was also my “breakout” design project. Read more>>

Mia Farrington

I have made several high-ticket investments in myself and my business over the years, but the single best investment I ever made in myself was a VA course in 2017 for 12 payments of $97. It was A LOT of money for me at the time and a major risk. Read more>>

Elijah Rieders

Personally, the worst investment I’ve made as an artist is spending countless hours and money on studio time. When I first started making music, I thought the only way to record and get things to sound how I wanted was to go to a music studio. When you’re just starting out and have no equipment yourself, this feels like the only option. In the time span of about 2 years, I went to 5 music studios. Read more>>

Diana Jacobs

As a business owner you definitely have to be prepared for ANYTHING and also listen to the ones who you know for a fact has your BEST interest! Read more>>

Against The Sun

This year’s releases are really special to us because it’s the first time we’ve done all the recording ourselves. We’ve always recorded guitars and bass on our own, but we worked with a close friend to get a professional drum recording studio setup in a living room, and the drums are the best they’ve ever sounded in our music. Our singer Brad also stepped up to the plate to bring all vocal recording and producing in house. Read more>>

Patrick Shatter

The best investment I’ve made wasn’t a monetary one. The cost was time and a little bit of money. That investment was into learning. Books, mentors and hands on experience. One of the reasons we don’t get the results we want is a lack of knowledge of proper information. When you’re growing up school doesn’t teach you the knowledge and tools you need to do your own thing. Read more>>