Are you a risk taker?  Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family?  We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Rita Casman | Life-coaching & Angel Therapy

Risk is what makes us alive. I took a big jump by becoming American and starting in the Entertainment business which led to my Life-coaching and Angel Therapy business which I’m just launching. It has certainly made me grow, but it’s been a very bumpy road. Every time I’ve wanted to quit something happens. I’m on the right track and I was born to do this. I’ve had to heal along the way and now I feel prepared to help others along the way. Philanthropy complements my life as well. Read more>>

Cortney Herron | Artist & Style Enthusiast

Risk-taking is one of those concepts I never fully understood until later in life. When you hear the word risk, it can be scary, and as a (now) proud introvert, that was always my association with it. But I’ve grown to realize and experience that taking risks actually isn’t that scary. The key here is that you have to break down risks into small, digestible chunks, to not feel overwhelmed. Because at the end of the day, risks are just small decisions, and we make small decisions every day. When I began to see risks as decisions, it was that much easier to make smarter moves in my life and career. Read more>>

Lauren Fowles | Photographer

Taking risks provides you with the opportunity to see what you’re capable of in moments of uncertainty. In 2016 I decided to make a major life change by moving away from my family in a suburb of Sacramento to Southern California. Uprooting from a comfortable job that I loved and close friends I’ve had throughout high school, I was at a point in my life where I wanted an escape from what had become all too familiar. I felt taking this risk could bring new experiences I couldn’t imagine yet. Read more>>

Cherish Alexander | Songwriter, Artist & Musician

The biggest risk anyone can take is just being themselves. I have had to let go of the fear of what people may think, what if they don’t like it, what if they laugh at me, what if it’s not good enough. At the end of the day, you have to find the courage to just be yourself no matter what. We are all different and we all have something special to offer. To trust that the people that are meant to be on your journey will find their way to you. That’s why the biggest risk you can take is just to be you. It’s easy to follow the crowd, it’s a huge risk to be yourself. Read more>>

Jerry Peña | Artist

By definition risk has a negative connotation because it associated with the act of exposing oneself to a type of danger. But as an artist I think we view that danger as something exciting and new. I don’t want to sit here and speak for everyone but to me the presence of risk is something I need constantly. Without it comes stagnation and that is very unsettling for me. Art and existing as an artist is constantly fueled by risk. Many of us have to take calculated decisions not only in our practice but as well in our finances. Read more>>

Ellen Dieter | Painter

I have always considered myself a risk taker. From the time i was a child, until even now. I think that answering these questions is somewhat risky! When I was ten or eleven, my parents were looking at houses, we were going to move. One of the places they looked at had a very tall pine tree in the backyard and that tree was on the edge of a bluff. I climbed to the top of it. Needless to say, that is not the house my parents chose. In my late teens, after high school and some college, I went to Europe with $100 in my pocket. Read more>>

Cassy Laessig | Hair & Makeup Artist

There are a wide variety of benefits that come to those who face the fear of uncertainty. Risks have exposed me to new life experiences, opportunities, ideas and skills which have helped me grow and develop into a more wise and confident person. No matter the outcome, I truly feel like I’m living and experiencing life to the fullest when I overcome my debilitating fears. In the end, you are more likely to regret the risks you didn’t take, than the ones you did. Read more>>

Rocio Jahanbakhsh | Makeup artist

“Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down”-Ray Bradbury Staying in your comfort zone, settling with what you have and not taking risks it’s living to live, not living life. Risk-taking has played a big role in both, my life and my career. In life, leaving home, and coming to a new country, not speaking the language and not knowing anyone, leaving everything we had built, as a family, for years and years and starting all over again, it was definitely a huge risk, but one that has paid off and continues paying off as we grow older, and find new opportunities. Read more>>

John Fluker | Pianist, Vocalist & Composer

I would say I’ve always been a risk taker. I guess the faith that I exercise may be interpreted as taking risks. Fresh out of college, I relocated to California from Michigan with not much money at all. I took the risk because I believed that I belonged in California and that if I could appear on Star Search it would help my career. ” Read more>>

Lauren Adams Thomas | Artist & Teacher

I think it’s important to take risks in life. I moved to Los Angeles from Chicago with my husband 25 years ago. Not being a native Angeleno, I realize now that I had to push myself to create artistic community. When my children got old enough, I returned to painting at Santa Monica Fine Art Studios under the direction of the artist Tanya Rector. In 2014 I began to take class with the artist Tom Wudl at his DTLA studio and I think that since then and under his direction, really began making some of my best work. Read more>>

Christina Son | Cosmetic Tattoo & Lash Artist

We take risks every day of our lives without knowing it whether it’s small or big. I think the biggest risk is not taking one. I took the biggest risk of my life by full investing in my career. I left my full time job to focus on my passion. I wanted to take this risk earlier on in life than waiting later by possibly losing everything. I didn’t want to miss out on something greater. Risk taking can lead to rewards. I think it’s important to be prepared and make sure you know exactly what you are risking and exactly what you would be getting as a reward. Read more>>

Shellie Slack | Educator, Author, Teen & Young Adult Life Coach

I really don’t subscribe to the term risk. For me, my journey has been a walk by faith and not by sight journey. Following my internal navigation in life, has brought so much joy and fulfillment. I was only able to develop this spiritual sense of navigation through building my own personal relationship with God. When I look back over my life and the decisions Ive made, I can attest that the times prospered the most were the times I went to God, first and included him in every step of the plan by being still, praying, and following that unction in my spirit. Read more>>