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.

Izzy Shill | Writer/ Director/ Actor

Being an artist is innately a risk. As an actor, you sacrifice yourself so an audience doesn’t have to. Writers dare to create even through tenacious, haunting thoughts that their ideas may in fact be the most mundane in the world. Directors lead, exposing their creative impulses to a team of people with the blind faith that they will follow. Investors gamble millions while crew members sacrifice time away from their loved ones. We all are taking a chance on each other in the film business. It’s a collective leap in the hopes that we all, together, tell a story that’s worth this enduring effort. Read more>>

Kristel Elizabeth Gomez | Cinematographer

My whole life and career has been cultivated through a series of risks. My path has not always been as calculated as I would’ve liked but has given me valuable life experiences. Im someone who acts on impulse and excitement, diving head first without worrying about the outcome. Thankfully, this has led me to where I am right now. I try to live by the idea that “regret of not doing anything is worse than the feeling of failing at something”. Read more>>

Uros Markovic | Professional Latin & Ballroom Dancer and International Model/Actor

I think my whole life i NEVER played it safe. Growing up in a post war country as tough as it seems I feel it shaped me into very determined person who just go for it, not focusing too much on ” what could go wrong” but “how to make it right’. Facing “little’ issues and problems that you constantly face in a career of an artists seemed less of an issue compared to everything what I faced growing up, so knowing this I always approach everything light hearted and somehow it always works in my favor. Read more>>

Emily Mast | Artist / Interior Designer / Art Advisor / Wrangler

Taking risks necessitates a certain acceptance of the unknown, and surprises turn me on. The Feel’s mission is to incite aesthetic bravery in our clients. We empower Angelinos to make aesthetically adventurous choices when it comes to the spaces they live and work in. Read more>>

Rachel Loren | Feminine Energy & Magnetism Coach

In life, we often find ourselves entangled in the safety net of our comfort zones— reluctant to take risks and venture into the unknown. However, I’m a firm believer that growth, transformation, and our dream lives lie beyond the familiar, outside of our comfort zone. If you desire something you currently do not have, you need to do something that you’ve never done. Read more>>

Cesar Neves | Musical Artist

Anytime I think about the word risk I always think of sacrifice. Pursuing music as a career alone was a big risk but no one ever talks about that sacrifices. Life is full of ups and downs and regardless of what happens. Life just goes on. The world doesn’t stop to wait when things are hard. I had to learn to work through hardships and sacrifice a lot get to the position I am in today. Read more>>

Shamar Marcus | Marketer and Luxury Content Creator

Taking risks has profoundly shaped my life’s trajectory. It began with the pivotal decision to step away from the traditional path by dropping out of college. Despite initial uncertainties, I recognized the need to carve my own journey and explore uncharted territories. Seeking stability, I worked as a tennis instructor, but a persistent inner voice urged me to embrace entrepreneurship. The allure of the unknown pushed me to quit my job and embark on a daring new venture. Read more>>

Richard McCoy | Arts Administrator

I have always loved the risk-takers, the dreamers, those who are willing to be audacious and push into new spaces where they have just an idea of what might lie ahead. This takes confidence in your abilities, which really just means a willingness to fail. It also takes the gift of being able to fail and pick yourself back up to try again. Read more>>

Joy Parris | Film Producer/Talent Manager

I believe taking risks is crucial when you own a business, It pushes us beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones and encourages personal growth. By challenging ourselves and venturing into the unknown, we expose ourselves to new experiences, ideas, and perspectives. Risks foster adaptability, resilience, and the ability to learn from failure, providing valuable lessons that shape our character. Read more>>

Sean Alan Mazur | Actor & Recording Artist

There’s that saying “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” That’s stuck with me for the past couple years. A little backstory,, I joined the Air Force when I was 17 in order to eventually pay for college. I never planned to go to a drama school but I did intend to study something industry adjacent like production. I ended up receiving an email from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and thought to myself, why not audition. Read more>>

Rania Maisonneuve | Actress & Model

I feel like if you don’t take a risk is it something that you really want? because if it’s something that you’re really passionate about you’re going to have to take a risk at some point and if you’re willing to take that risk then that’s how you know this is something you’re really passionate about I’ve taken a lot of risk in my life because I will do anything to make my dreams and career become true. Read more>>

Jeff Payne | Owner/sound mixer

I believe taking risk is inevitable in any successful business while of course one needs to evaluate the marketplace, your business’s place in it, and the trends of the market before taking those risks. Read more>>

Niki Saint Angelo | Multi Media Artist, Poet

Risk has played a very large role in my life and career. I quit my corporate job in 2019 to start my own business and that alone was a huge risk for me. The thing is, the universe has shown me on multiple occasions that it rewards risk – especially an aligned move towards authenticity. I’ve let go of contracts that paid handsomely, but were not feeding me on a personal, soulful level, I swear, each time within the same day, I will receive an opportunity for something more aligned. Read more>>

Bello Eze | Content Creator

I think risk-taking is very essential in our daily life and as Mark Zuckerberg said “The biggest risk is not taking any risk” I couldn’t agree more. Risk-taking has been the highlight of my fashion journey this year. I have tried new ways to improve my content. New tact. Some ideas have failed and some ideas were successful. I have learned that trying is better than nothing. Read more>>

Carolina Mejias Gonzalez | Model, Singer & Actress

Since I started working as a model/music/acting, is being always a risk taking, something that at the beginning was a little scary but after doing that, that looks as a risk and you do it and you realise wasn’t that bad, was actually great, and if was a little bad was just for learn something else, or for redirect yourself in something better was always worth it every risk, that moment where you put yourself in the unknown, and magic happens Read more>>

Mike Tauber | Visual Artist and Muralist

As a visual artist all my life, I take risks on a regular basis. I will say most times they have positive outcomes. I define a risk as taking an action – and not always knowing the result. There may be loss or negative consequences, but also may be some wins. I rely on intuition, or a gut feeling, a lot in making decisions. In some cases I’ll go somewhere, not exactly knowing why, and then I’ll meet a person who would have a hugely important role in my future. Read more>>