To pivot or to persevere? Or more bluntly – to give up or to not to give up? This is a haunting question, a question that has ramifications far after an answer has been chosen and it’s also a question that almost everyone in our community has had to face at one time or another. How do you know when to give up and when to keep trying?

Jester Productions | Multimedia Production Company

You can tell by the amount of resistance in your life. In our experience we’ve faced this question many times and we always seem to come back to the feeling of ” I’m not done yet”. If there’s more to learn, grow, and experience as a creative or as a person, don’t give up.  Read more>>

Amel Adrian | Film Photographer

All we can ever do as artists is keep going. All we know is how to create. To be an artist is to be a creator and all we ever can do is create our art. We can flow, we can change, and we can adapt, but we can never give up. Read more>>

Keithan Williams | Kaffo, the Sensei (Rapper, Multi-Instrumentalist, & Producer)

I learned recently that every day, you make a choice to do whatever it is you want to do: whether that is getting out of bed to go to your job, stay or leave a relationship, put on two socks that don’t match. Read more>>

Wendy Santana | Brain Tumor Awareness Advocate

In business, I never gave up (almost to a fault because as I’ve learned over the last several years, sometimes you have to know when to let go). It wasn’t until I had a grand mal seizure in October of 2014 followed by the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor that I learned to listen to my body (not that I had a choice) and finally realized sometimes that means surrendering to circumstances beyond my control. Read more>>

Rye Randa | Music Producer, Composer, Singer, Business Owner

In my view, success is not a single destination where one can arrive, but rather a perpetual, lifelong winding road, with many twists and turns, hills and valleys. For me, true success is the ability withstand the highs and the lows, with an open heart, and a dedication to stay true to yourself, your passion, and your dreams.  Read more>>

Erica Estrada | Animator, Comedian & Puppeteer

I wanna give up all the time. Ask my therapist. Just kidding I don’t have a therapist. I mean, I should… but I gave up on that. You see what I did there? But in all seriousness, I do genuinely always have the urge to give up. It’s second nature to me. Read more>>

Guglielmo Cheso | Filmmaker & Editor

The answer is simple, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Sometimes it may feel hard to keep going and give it your absolute all if you are not seeing immediate result, but at the end of the day you’ve got to keep going and ignore the noise if you want to be successful. Read more>>

Christine Evans | Artist & Therapist

Why is the starving artist normalized? Western society fosters a hustle culture; this urgency to make money. It is terrifying to go against what society normalizes and comforts. There’s a sense of false hope when told to pursue the career of your dreams and do what makes you happy when, for example, capitalism does not prioritize the arts. Read more>>