Rolling the dice: conversations on risk

Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Tierra Jones | Actress/Award-winning Producer/Journalist

I believe in order to have growth both in my personal life and career, I had to take a risk and leap of faith. One time I booked a supporting role on a short film and needed only one day off for the film shoot and my manager at my job refused my day off request, so I quit that job in order to work on the film. Read more>>

J.R. Heckman | Vocalist, Actor & Recording Artist

Embracing risk has long been a guiding principle in my life. To be successful in the entertainment industry I believe it’s crucial to seize every experience and opportunity that comes your way. It is so important to be authentic and real with people. Read more>>

Britt Michaelian | Healing artist + reiki master

Risk taking has been interwoven throughout my life as a way of being. Not that I’m a crazy adventurous type, but my parents both worked in demanding careers when I was a child, so I kind of grew up having to figure things out on my own, which obviously meant taking risks. Read more>>

Neeta Thadani | Director, Writer & Performer

My family is incredibly practical. I think as immigrants, you kind of have to be. It’s the only way to ensure survival and provide a comfortable life for your family. I’m very lucky to not have to think about practicality in that way and, when I decided to pursue an artistic career, that already seemed like a big enough risk in itself; a much bigger risk than anyone in my family was used to. Read more>>

Bryson Looney | YouTuber & Basketball Trainer

I think now days taking a risk is based on your confidence in yourself. Confidence isn’t something you’re born with, it’s built through hard work and progress. Once you’ve built your confidence up in a career field there aren’t many decisions you face where you feel like it’s a risk because you’ve worked for it. Read more>>

Denise A. Diaz | Producer

I think taking risks is part of life. If I look back at my life and don’t take the risks I did I would be in a very different place right now. I was always fascinated by the TV & Film industry from a young age. I just had never thought it could be my career. Read more>>

Sydney Chase | Owner – CEO of Bodied By Chase

When it comes to risks, I think they’re a really important factor when it comes to progressing within business and life in general. My first order for my business, was a larger quantity and was a big risk. Putting out a lot of money when you only have a dream and a vision, can be pretty scary but you have to believe in it and take the risk. Read more>>

Raza Shahid | Artist

I feel sometimes creative fidelity is not possible without a level of commitment and desperation that comes with knowing failure would come at a heavy cost. Risks play a significant role in my life as I see them as reminders to stay truthful and an anchor for the creative process – and to know how not to live lest I be reminded that certain pursuits can feel hollow but comfortable in the absence of any real progress or potential. Read more>>

Anggie Arivia | Motion Designer & Illustrator

Throughout my life, I’ve learned the importance of taking risks and overcoming fear. It all began when my family immigrated to the United States. Failing became my greatest fear because I believe that being an immigrant gives others a chance to either look up or down on me. Read more>>

Klara Poznachowska | Professional Contemporary Harpist

Taking risks is a crucial part of the human experience and I believe that is why I am here. We all can learn so much from being courageous and not being afraid of failure. In my profession, I am taking risks every day because playing jazz and contemporary music on “non-traditional” instruments such as the harp is challenging. Read more>>

Tyran Brown | Musician, Platinum Songwriter, Actor

Risk Taking is everything to me. One of the things I always admired about my Grandfather who raised me was the fact that he decided to take his family from what was considered a comfortable life in Mobile, Alabama and move my dad and uncles to Los Angeles in the 1960s. I have always been a very bold person and a person who liked to try to rise to the occasion. Read more>>

Tony Prince | Photographer

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Greg Harriott | Cinematographer

Taking creative risks is an exciting part about being a cinematographer, but it’s also a delicate balancing act. To take a risk you need to accept the fact that you might fail. When you pull it off, it’s a rush. But it’s a calculation because if you are being hired to do a job you still need to mostly succeed. Read more>>

John Kippen | Motivational Speaker and Life coach

I had a huge Risk to take after recovering from my brain tumor removal surgery. The surgery left half of my face paralyzed and I hated the way I looked. This caused me to hide from life avoiding mirrors , public gatherings and posing for photos for almost 12 years. Read more>>

Lindsay Staloff | Children’s Author and illustrator- “Divine’s Never Ending Journey” President & Co. Founder- PPCM FUND Inc

Taking PPCM Fund Inc. awareness is a risks with believing in something important that is bigger and more powerful than myself. As a true source of real knowledge is through experience, but there’s a real practical solution to a very serious problem that has molded new shapes in my life choices and career. Read more>>

Erin Gavin | Actress, singer & entrepreneur

We all have to take a risk at some point in life. It’s just how far are you willing to go! How much do you want it! I moved my life half way across the world in my 20’s knowing no one, for my acting career. It has had it’s challenges but also it’s rewards. One reward that stands out is I played the lead role in a hit play as Marilyn Monroe. Read more>>

Dean Evans | Director, writer, theater artist.

As artist and clown: Risk is one of the pillars that holds the metaphorical circus tent up. Risk takes many forms. Emotional, financial, strategic ect. It’s through physical risk that I learned a holistic approach to risk taking. Early in my career there was a troop in called 500 Clown. Read more>>

Bonnie Discepolo | Filmmaker, Actor

I think of risk, and risk taking as chance of harm. Is a certain move dangerous to life, limb, finances, relationships? Harm doesn’t propel a life or a career. I’d rather reframe as the choice of jumping into the unknown, saying YES, to opportunity and channeling fear into excitement. Read more>>

Baylee Toney | Actress and Filmmaker

My whole life I’ve taken risks. I didn’t grow up with any connection to the entertainment industry. I had never been to New York City, I had never been exposed to the business at all. Yet somehow, I knew I wanted to pursue it and live a life in the arts. Read more>>

Giovanni Perez | Artist

Taking risks allows you to learn about yourself. It can be scary and your thoughts can build doubts through the process, but it allows you to really have just another life experience. As an actor you can take from from all those emotions and life experiences, use those feelings to create a world your audience can relate to. Read more>>

Andrew Edwards | Social Media Manager | Storyboarder

I think I have a calculated carefree quality to my life. My big-picture ideals and goals are admittedly lofty, I think any artist trying to make a living off their art can agree. I live in a time where seeking a career in animation is a big risk in and of itself. The dream of working for a single studio for decades feels outdated now, usurped by a model where most will move from project to project, regularly refining samples and portfolios. Read more>>

Don Money | Film Editor

In my opinion, the best art comes out of taking risks. The safe choice/route often leads to generic, or worse yet, boring results. The bigger the risk, the more fulfilling the result is to me. And for me, there is no better example of that then when I switched gears from being an actor to being an editor. Read more>>

Libby Cecil | Entrepreneur, Event Planner, Model, Designer

How can we invent without taking any risks? We were taught who, where, and what is safe for us. In other words, many of us have been in a protected circle without knowing invention and creativity. Based on the environment and education we were surrounded by, our perspective changed. Read more>>

Ting Han Lin | Bassist

”There are no gains without pains” said Benjamin Franklin. Also, taking risk could be so painful since it is often portrayed as a leap into the unknown. Foy many, it’s probably a frightening prospect, fraught with uncertainty and potential failure. Read more>>

Ivy Mix | Bar Owner, Bottle Shop Owner, Events Coordinator and Author

As I am in the process of opening up another bar I am thinking WHY this risk!? Perhaps it is something about youth that risk seems less scary. I think also risk is easier to attempt when you have nothing to lose and nothing to prove. As I’ve gone through my career and started several businesses, written a few books and more, each new venture seems even riskier and scarier. Read more>>

Lily Kennedy | Filmmaker

Risk is a huge part of my career. I moved to Los Angeles knowing two people who also happened to be my roommates. I had to build my career, network, and life from scratch, which was both nerve wracking and exhilarating. Read more>>

Jennifer Hawkins | Student, aspiring Editor, future Post-Production Coordinator

As contradictory as it sounds I would say I’m a very apprehensive risk taker. I love putting myself out there and trying new things, but I’m also a perfectionist and hate making mistakes, so when faced with a big risk I try to think it through, even if just briefly, to make sure I’m not going to regret it. The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was moving to the US. Read more>>

TERRALL TILLMAN | AUTHOR / ENRTREPRENEUR

Risk is the faith you put into yourself to take a chance on you and your skills and If I didn’t take risk I wouldn’t be where I am today. Read more>>

Timothy Boggs | Creative Human Being

I’ve never been much of a gambler in the Las Vegas sense. I don’t care for games of chance. If I’m not confident in my chances based on my own knowledge and skill, I’m generally reluctant to wager my precious money or time to win something I’m not very passionate about. Read more>>

Golda | Eco-Somatic Artist, Ceramic Sculptor, Analog Photographer, Painter

.When I decided to move to a tiny off the grid homesteading community deep in the mountains, far away from every familiar thing and person just after graduating from art school, I was, as one could imagine, full of fear for the unknown environment I would soon steep myself in for months. I spoke with a close friend about my woes. Read more>>

Jada Avezzu Morandi | Singer, songwriter

I think taking risks is probably one of the most important factors when pursuing any goal, especially if you are young. It is when you are young that you are supposed to take risks because you have a lot of time to make up for any loss regardless and if it isn’t a loss then you can gladly take your win. Read more>>