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.

Bethany Cramblet

Opening a studio – best investment in personal growth + community, worst investment because it cost me a lot of money and never actually panned out to net me any income. I am not sure how much detail I am supposed to go into at this point but here is the short version. I wanted to open a studio in my small, West Michigan town because there were no rental studio options for local photographers less than a 45 minute drive. There was a new development going in locally and I was shown the space and immediately fell in love. We’re talking an old factory with some office space but renovated with huge 12’x12′ windows lining the walls – an absolute dream of a space! Read more>>

Ivan Slay

Without a doubt I think that the best investment was to have started traveling the world and tattooing, since this way you know many things, cultures, people and artists that inspire you in your creative process, from which you learn many things both technical and from their own experiences, without a doubt I think that art in these times is easy to make known through social media but being face to face with other artists makes it very special. Read more>>

Pakawat Thongcharoen

A recent project I worked on with my team involved shooting photos and videos for a five-star hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The budget wasn’t very high, as the hotel hadn’t invested in content creation for its online presence in a long time. However, their marketing team recognized the value of high-quality visuals and wanted to rebrand their social media image. Read more>>

Mike Quinones G

The worst investment that you can do is taking time off. Trying to figure out things and pausing your career just because you want x or y, is counter productive. With this type of work you have to grab every opportunity that comes along, They never come back around. Do as much work as you can produce. Make your mistakes early. Mistakes are the best way to find perfection in the chaos of the arts. Develop your style, learn everything that life puts in front of you. Read more>>

Emma Kalff

The best investment I ever made for my career as an artist was to learn the business side of things (the stuff they don’t teach you in art school). Personally I went through the MBA program – Mastering the Business of Art, through the Professional Artist Association. It was a series of online modules and interviews with professional artists, gallery owners, and social media experts. Read more>>