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.

Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera | Chicana Feminist and former Rodeo Queen, fiction writer, playwright, and educator

I played it pretty safe for a long time. Mostly followed the rules. Finished college, got a job and taught at the same high school for 17 years. Took some baby risks along the way but nothing drastic until I was 44 and had been accepted to USC’s PhD program in Creative Writing. I quit my job and returned to graduate school full time in 2017. I come from working class, rural people, most of whom probably thought I was insane for leaving a perfectly good job. The assumption was that it was to make more money. It wasn’t. It was for love of the game. I had time to read and write all day everyday. To be a student again, which I’m good at and enjoy. Changing my life’s trajectory allowed me to focus on my physical and mental health in ways I had not had time to do before. Read more>>

Giovanna Caruso | Film Director and Producer

As a film Producer and Director, taking risks is part of the job. Every decision made throughout the process comes with a certain amount of risk and the only way to minimize damage is by careful thinking and planning as much as possible for most negative outcomes. My first risk was definitely leave my country and my family behind in order to pursue a dream that most people believe to be impossible to reach. Read more>>

Todd Anderson | Actor, Writer, and Acting Coach

As an actor, taking risks is very important. I would say choosing to be an actor is a giant risk unto itself. In my coaching, I encourage risk taking. I did some pretty wild things when I worked on the FXX comedy series You’re the Worst, and if I hadn’t have been up for them, the comedy wouldn’t have been as rich as it is. Read more>>

Isabela Costa | Filmmaker, photographer and experimental visual artist

I believe that risk is one of those things in life, which is impossible to avoid. Any decision will make you lose something in order to gain something else. With that in mind, one must understand their limits, principles and objectives to accept and take the right risks. In this way, you can transform the word “risk” into something more positive, such as an opportunity that always depends on self-knowledge. Of course, the number of risks in life is proportional to the financial comfort, community of support and everyone or everything that has your back if things go wrong. Therefore, I do understand taking risks as also a certain privilege. In my particular case, I am lucky to say that I have a loving family supporting my decisions and offering a hand whenever is necessary. Read more>>

James Maher | Photographer, Writer, Documentarian

I think about risk all the time. It’s a big part of why I built my business this way. Many people think that building a photography business is a risk, and it is, but I saw the traditional route as more of a risk. It certainly would have been more stable early on, but now I own my own thing, I can’t be fired, I can shift it in different directions as I need, we had a child six years ago and I was able to shift my work balance to help out more because my wife’s job is not very flexible. It’s a job with a lot of flexibility. For me, the main risk is health. I retired from playing basketball at 30, probably 5 years earlier than I normally would have, because I couldn’t afford to get hurt. As I get older, I’m shifting to more writing and things that are less physical, but the physical aspect is one of my favorite parts of the job, so I’m hoping that doesn’t go anywhere. Read more>>

Juan Gonzalez | Actor, musician & producer

Life is all about taking risks. Taking risks is a gamble, you can succeed taking a chance or fail but still learn from it. Either way you’ll gain something. I took a risk on going solo musically when my band members needed time off, I ventured into acting, producing and supporting independent films as well and my career has been getting noticed and recognized around the world. You never know where the risk will take you but its all worth it in the end. Read more>>

Kelwin Coleman | Printmaker/ Artist

I think of risk as something that accrues in consistency; as opposed to something that should be avoided. For my practice, the biggest risk I’ve taken is by not letting external expectations or pre-existing standards dictate how I make and relate to art. We have responsibilities to our community to innovate and critique injustice but not at the expense of our own sensationalism and pop culture consumption. True risk comes from the understanding of how much of your own personal experience is relevant to larger conversations; and not getting your feelings hurt when you find out that it might not be that much. Read more>>

Eva Ozon | Branding Strategist and Designer

I typically start by envisioning ambitious goals, allowing myself to dream big initially. However, I always balance this enthusiasm by grounding my aspirations in the practical details and logistical considerations necessary to turn those dreams into reality. Risk-taking in my life/career helps overcome the fear of failure, creating new opportunities. Embracing risk equips me to navigate challenges, build resilience, and adapt to changing circumstances. Read more>>

Lexi Johnson | Actress Photographer & Filmmaker

Being a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I know it supports me as an artist, actress, and budding filmmaker. I don’t think you can separate risk-taking from my line of work and lifestyle. It’s inherent. It’s not for the faint of heart. And as if living gig to gig isn’t heart-pounding enough, I went sky-diving this year. Sometimes when I’m feeling sad, my good friend will take me for a spin on their motorcycle and that cheers me right up. I don’t want to feel too safe in what I’m doing, then I don’t feel alive. Read more>>

Melanie Hachey | Cofounder & Creative Director

Taking risks is crucial for realizing your dreams. Without taking risks, I would never have become an entrepreneur. Risks can manifest in various forms, but for me, it meant stepping out of my comfort zone. At the time, I held a fulfilling role in a Fortune 500 company with a promising career trajectory, yet I was unhappy. I embarked on a months-long introspection to identify my passions, which ultimately led me to the beauty industry. After much contemplation, I made the bold decision to leave the security of my five-year tenure at the company and pursue my passion. Without taking this risk, I would not be where I am today. Read more>>

Wes Watkins | Father/Musician/Author/Entrepreneur

When it comes to taking a risk I am all in. My FAITH outweighs anything that resembles an obstacle. The way my mind works is that whatever I put my hands to do it will work. I know for a fact my Vision will work. Having this kind of Confidence and Faith makes it easier to take a risk. I’m willing to bet on myself at all times, even financially. I had an idea to start my own Fedora hat line, partnered with a company to create my own drumsticks, wrote 3 books etc…. I funded every single business venture alone, funded the content/ads/promo with no financial loans or help from anyone. When you understand Vision you understand the goal is not money. I’m in this game for the long haul and it comes with risk taking. Read more>>

Mia Ventura Lucas | Actor, singer-songwriter

We have a saying in Portugal which goes ‘ Quem não arrisca, não petisca’, which roughly translates to : ‘ if you don´t take risks in life, you’ll never be rewarded’. I grew up in Portugal and I have lived and work in both England and the US, so I find that the best life-changing decisions I made, have always involved a certain degree of risk. I think my line of work has taught me that risks are a natural part of life, and that usually most of our successful outcomes result from the growth and challenge of taking risks. In my career, I have learned to look at risk as a necessary means to an end, this idea helps me navigate the anxiety of not controlling every factor that will impact the outcome of my decisions. If risk is everywhere, and I can’t control it, then why not try as hard as I can to achieve the outcome that I want? Read more>>

Brandon Atencio | Actor

I think taking risks is extremely important because although the unknown is scary it can also be a wonderful thing. As far as taking risks one of my biggest accomplishments to this very day is taking to risk of leaving all of my family/friends behind in Texas and making the big move to Los Angeles. The first year was undoubtedly the hardest. I moved away from where I was comfortable and quickly found how uncomfortable it was to move to a new city all by myself. I dealt with loneliness and doubt. I was in an almost fatal car accident that left me without a vehicle just a few months of living in the City of Angels. At that point in my life I was almost unable to work and make money to survive, but somehow I picked my head up and I continued to move forward. By the end of the year I landed a lead role in one of Fox’s & Hulu’s brand new TV show’s. Read more>>

Orelie Varnier | High Fashion Designer

I took risks all my life. I had big dreams since I was 5 and the only way to make them real was to take risks: I used to live in the country side in France and I dreamed about living in California and dress the princesses I saw on TV.
Crazy and unrealistic for my relatives, my dreams became my only goal.
But at this time the risks were limited because I didn’t have a lot to lose In 2019, when my husband, my 18 months daughter and I left France and sold our house to put everything in our project and came to live in California and develop our own Fashion brand, risks were way more important. But I was confident that one day or another I should be successful enough to live comfortably: I’ve been trained by Pierre Cardin himself and I worked in Haute Couture studios of the most prestigious brand in Paris (CHANEL and DIOR), so my expertise was unique in California. Read more>>

Jim Francis Meza | Actor/Podcaster/Author

Well, this is an interesting question. I totally & wholeheartedly believe in risk taking. I have taken leaps of faith in just about every endeavor I have set out to do. As a matter of fact, Life requires us to take risks every step of the way. By stepping out each morning into the unknown, we are placing ourselves in God’s hands. Read more>>

Theo Dolce | Producer/Writer/Artist/Engineer

I feel like risk are the only way to succeed in life’s journey. You know the saying no risk no reward. Risk have got me to the places i wanted to be at in life. It also has brought me to LA to pursue a dream. I have faith in every risk i take just because i know i am going to put in the work to make every risk count. i love the pressure that comes with taking risk, i love the small amount of fear that comes with risk it gets me going Read more>>

Yusuf Nasir | Director | Choreographer | Dancer

Risk is necessary when discussing art, the creation of art, and the life of an artist. When I think of some of the greatest works ever created in human history, regardless of the creative discipline it is derived from, you can usually feel the artist wholly driven to create their work out of dire necessity. Nine times out of ten, that came with great risk. And when I say risk, I don’t just mean purely financial, which is typically the de facto since being an artist and financial stability tend to miss each other. It is, more importantly, the physical, mental, and emotional risk, the depletion of the person that the art is coming from, that most audiences consuming art don’t see, that usually has the greatest risk attached. Read more>>

Alex Frayne | Photographic artist

Risk is everything in the Arts. It all begins when you leave school/college and your peers pursue regular pathways with certain outcomes and a sense of security. As an artist you realise early on that life is going to be different for you. And that is not a negatve, it’s the plus side! It means risking everything to pursue that thing inside you that needs to be unleashed : and that thing is creativity, the fiery furnace of art, the engine that powers the whole shebang. Risk though has other forms in the arts. Risk invites, or propositions the artist to strive and compete in a world where second prize is unemployment. Unemployment is hell, so by being productive and prolific and commercial, one keeps the devil from the door and this creates security. But this security is short lived, mostly. Read more>>

Mo Jiang | Illustrator & Production Designer

I usually have a clear standard for determining whether or not I should take the risk when opportunities arrive. I tend to start by digging into the real motivation of the project – underneath all the form, genre trappings, what the creators of the story are really attempting to say. This deeply hidden point of view, whether it moves me or not, is the main criterion I use to determine whether I should take a risk, and how much of it I should take. When deciding to take risks, I understand that I should be prepared for the worst. I can at least be assured that even if the project doesn’t go as well as I would like, I won’t regret trying to discuss the topic behind it. Even if the worst happens, it just means that I haven’t found the most appropriate way to express the idea, not that the point of view itself is wrong or contrary. These risks can become opportunities to explore appropriate ways to express myself. Read more>>

Pam Douglas | visual artist & writer

Every original artist takes a risk with each mark or word or note. It’s an act of faith to leap into the unknown. Unlike the interpretive arts such as acting, directing, and instrumental performance that build on an underlying creation, the painter confronting a blank canvas or writer staring at a blinking cursor manifests a world out of nothing. Well, it’s not truly nothing because we are filled with the troubles and glories of life, and inspirations from other art. But for me, when I start a new sculpture or page, I have no external guarantee that image is the truest expression of what I mean, and equally important, if it will be meaningful to someone else. I go forward on faith alone. Read more>>

Lance Daniel | Teller of Stories

I took a huge risk by leaving my established law practice to move to L. A. to pursue a career in show business. I knew no one and had no training in writing, acting or production. I had faith I’d meet the right people and I have. I believe one must dream big, go for it, and never fear rejection. Read more>>