We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Renata Hinrichs | Renata Hinrichs Award-Winning, Actress, Writer, Dancer, and Producer

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career? My father was a Lutheran Minister and we moved many times throughout the Midwest before I was twelve. I was always the new kid and making new friends was sometimes hard so I found safety in my imagination and in movement. I loved to dance. I tried to hide my dancing but my mother noticed me in the shadows of the living room or in the backyard and took me to a ballet class. I found a place to express myself with my body and Soul. Read more>>

Lora Oliver | Actress/ Voice Over Artist

The greatest danger is the “unlived life,” the life we dream about but allow to die because we are too scared of taking any risks and betting on ourselves. When I was 25 I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area without knowing anyone, rented a room from Craigslist, walked 4 miles to and from the nearest BART station in order to commute 40 miles for a job that paid $12 an hour everyday. Read more>>

Yifan Guo | composer & conductor

I always compare risk-taking in music composition/art creation with business investment – with great risk comes great reward. As contemporary music composers, we occasionally create new sounds, methods of music/idea conveyance, and listening experiences for audiences and performers, which are so called experiments. There are only two results after taking on a significant challenge in a piece: you get a more attractive and original effect or a worse one. You never know which experiments will be effective or valuable. Read more>>

Triet Nguyen | Visual, Game Designer & Producer

In the 90s, a girl and a boy from Saigon took a risk and fought from their respective family’s financial struggles to become a gynecologist and a software engineer. They got married and had me. 20 years later, they took another risk sending me to school in LA for a Bachelor of Arts with almost half their life-savings. I took the risk of approaching a man and woman of hardcore science with a PowerPoint presentation and told them I wanted to…design theme parks for a living. You see where this is going. Read more>>

Alisa Turner | Artist

Risk is something that is absolutely prevalent in an artistic life path. Nothing is guaranteed because so much of your individual success is based off of relevancy and reach. I could have an amazing idea and work as hard as I can, and still not garner any attention because maybe my reach is small. I think risk is important in deciding how important something is to me as well. If I’m not willing to take risks and put myself out there, than how important is it me really? There are so many things that I’ve done and failed at and things in the future that I will do and fail at, but I much rather would have had that experience than not try at all. Read more>>

Pepper Salter Edmiston | Mother of seven children, Founder of camps for children in need

My parents were activists on many fronts. My dad was on the Beverly HIlls City Council in the 1980s and 1990s and was able to outlaw smoking at restaurants and bars. He was vilified but stuck to his principals and the rest of the world caught up with him. I was a school teacher, then started having children. My eldest son, David, got leukemia at age two. When he was eight, no camp would have him, so I founded a camp for children with cancer, called Camp Good Times. Many people, including my ex-husband, said it was a pipe dream. But i spent four months convincing parents of ill children that camp would be great for them. Our first session, we had sixty children, who had the time of their lives. Read more>>

Greg T. Nanni | Playwright

Risk is an essential factor for exploration within my stories. In order to start a new play, I almost have to find something within it that makes me uncomfortable, so that I can see what I can pull out of that discomfort. Sometimes it is the form, sometimes it is the subject matter, but the beginning generative process is centered around why do I feel challenged by this discomfort? Why do I feel this way? And what can only I say about this topic that I feel uncomfortable about? If there are enough answers to these questions, it shows me that there is a reason to pursue an idea. Read more>>

Zeus Views | Photographer & Model

I think about risk in a very detached way. I try my best not to allow myself to attach to things I can’t control because it causes anxiety and can affect the outcome of what’s supposed to be. This is something I’ve had to study and grow into over time but I think I’m finally in a place where I look at risks as just another step towards what you know you want to achieve. Risks has played a major role in my life and career because if I wasn’t brave enough to take them, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. Read more>>

Coco Mary | Children’s Book Writer

All my life I have taken risks! Often I have failed, and sometimes, sweetly, I succeeded. I think the act of risking is exhilarating. Lately, surprisingly, I have found that I also enjoy my failures. Read more>>

Bernard Reed Jr | Stylist & Brand Development

Risk are fun to me! I look at like this, either your gonna win & get what you desired! Or you will still win, even if you don’t “win” because you now have a new insight, approach, & way of tackling something than before. It’s like riding a bike. What kid do you know on their first try rode a bike & never fell? Risks in business are the same way. They come, you adapt & respond accordingly. Read more>>

Jake Richardson | Drummer/Producer

I love this question because I’ve always been a calculated risk-taker. I love risks… they’re what keep life fresh. Taking a jump always has downside potential, but I’ve always found myself asking the question, “what’s the worst that could happen?” Most of the time I personally can’t really come up a good answer so I’ve done a lot of crazy jumps in life. I’m a pretty firm believer that to excel in anything, to reach a new height, to truly turn life upside down, you HAVE to take some crazy risks. I think comfort is the enemy of progress, and I guess that’s a big reason why I gravitated towards the music business. Read more>>

Lie*Lac | Musician & Actress

I think my career choice in generel comes with a lot of risk. Being successful in the music industry comes with the knowldege that everything you do is going to be scrutinized and held under a microscope to the highest standard. It also means forfeiting your privacy/the ability to do a lot of evertday things; It’s not a position you can just clock out of at the end of the day. I think there’s also a lot of risk in being vulnerable with art that gets shared with the world. Read more>>

Vicki Liu | Fine Artist//Illustrator//Web Designer

Risk – Is a motivator. If things don’t work out, you still learn. Its necessary. I like sometimes not knowing what will happen with a piece. Success is something that has many faces. To me, if through taking risks I am pushing myself and my work as an artist, this is success. I find when I’m in a creative slump or not feeling inspired, just going into my studio, sitting down and just starting the process of creating without a specific intention really helps. Read more>>

Matty Marz | Artist

I think risk is an essential part of creating art. The very fibers of this journey are knit together by many many tiny leaps of faith. As an artist, I’ve always felt that as long as I’m staying true to who I am & what I have to say that everything will work out in the ways they are meant to. The most exciting & groundbreaking art comes from a place of raw unfiltered passion. Whether it’s music, fashion, performance, aesthetic everything is defined by how much you’re willing to put yourself in the forefront of that sense of danger. and when it hits, it’s magical Read more>>

Huncho Henderson | Actor

I think as human beings when it comes to success and making our dreams come true, we always have this thought process of “ WHAT IF I FAIL” we all experience that. I always look at life as if i should at least try and see what the outcome will be. When it comes to your dreams and goals you have nuthin to lose by going after it. But that small risk you take could help you gain so much. As far as risk for me. I recently auditioned for a movie. At first i wasn’t going to do it. But i took the risk and did it. And i got the movie role. So it’s just that foot forward you decide to take, and the progression and success will follow. Read more>>

Madelyn Droessler | Wardrobe Stylist & Student

I think about risks as opportunities that not everyone will see at first. They’re firey and unknown. Dreams in themselves are risks. My dream, as a child was moving to Los Angeles from my small home town in Iowa. Not everyone always believed in me fully, but I did so I took that risk in trusting in myself. Now, I’ve been in LA for almost 4 years. Read more>>

Emon Surakitkoson | Artist

When I started painting, I realized it was something that I loved, and for me it was about the choice to pursue it. Life is sometimes “do, or don’t do”; I could choose to do nothing, and the risk would be winding up unhappy, or thinking of what might have been. But I don’t think the risk is always in the material things: I had found something of myself in art, so working for myself, with my own business, was worth my time and attention. I think managing your thoughts is important because many of the difficulties arise there. While there may be challenges, there can also be growth. In my case, the pains that I’ve experienced have been growing pains, that have led to maturity and strength. Read more>>

Darryl Durham | Artist, educator, entreprenuer

Risk and opportunity go hand in hand for me. I don’t mind taking a risk as long as it leads to an opportunity down the road. I would even go so far as to call that a calculated risk. I prefer that over taking a risk just for the sake of it. I’ve taken risks at every stage of my career. For me that has meant venturing into a field that I have a passion for but little training or experience. Read more>>