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?

Jonny Servais | Cinematographer & Vfx artist

Ironically giving up on my dreams is how I got started. Before I became a music video director, I was a musician. Playing and writing music was all I wanted to do at one point. However, there did become a time where I started to hate music because I was not ready to turn it into a career. Read more>>

Anisa Fowler | Gospel Recording Artist and Christian Speaker

The truth is as long as you are alive, you can’t afford to give up. Every breath God allows us to breathe is on purpose. There are certainly days that giving up would be easiest. But then I remember that God is going to ask me to give an account for all the gifts He’s deposited in me. Read more>>

Jack Madden | Cinematographer

Never give up. That simple. If something isn’t working, make a change, sure. Try to improve. But don’t give up. If you give up on your dream, then it won’t happen. But if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Read more>>

Ariel Diaz-Beato | Actor & Teaching Artist

You give up whether you know longer have a passion for something or if what you’re doing is starting to overwhelm you. I would rather feel overwhelmed than to lose the passion for me to give up. Losing my passion would be like losing my soul. Read more>>

Mathias Neyrand | Singer-Songwriter and Loop Artist

In terms of creative output, composing, playing music and recording it, this question has never been really acute. Because music and artistic expression are such a big part of oneself, it is unthinkable to give up on them, unless they naturally recede. Read more>>

Danny Villanueva | Screenwriter/Director

I have a clear sense of whether to continue to pursue a passion or let it go. If you feel more comfortable and at ease living without it, then it’s time to hang it up. There’s an unbearable anxiety and FOMO that comes with being separated from your passions. Read more>>