We asked some brilliant folks from the community to talk to us about how they think about risk and the role risk has played in their lives and careers.

Jennifer Berkowitz | Artist

Risk taking is essential to my creativity. Vulnerability, surprise, and the beginner’s mind are central to making work that has depth and excitement. In art school I was throwing my body into 10 foot wide action paintings without knowing the outcome. I graduated from art school with no plan for how I would support myself. From purely conceptual art I threw myself into the business of animation and special effects without any real knowledge or education. Bit by bit, chance by chance, I learned the field and acquired experience. After 35 years in motion graphics for television and film, I got my first studio where the ultimate risks awaited. I made a deep dive into my soul to uncover my voice and personal practice as an artist. Read more>>

Peter Walker | Record Label Owner & Artist

Risk has been one of the most important factors in my life and career. While understanding the privilege of being able to take risks, I have learned to embrace the opportunities that have arisen to do so. Risk, in my mind, always pays off, because even if something doesn’t pan out the way you were hoping, the act of risk-taking will always provide you with information. Risk provides insight into boundaries, possibilities, and maybe most importantly, the factor of the unknown in any given situation. When you risk, you are engaging with what is out of your control, and this space has become central to my artistic practice as well as my business practice over the years. Read more>>

Chelsea Harrison | Interior Designer & Content Creator

Unlike many other ambitious business owners, I do NOT like taking risks. For that reason, when refreshing a room, I focus on maximizing the aesthetics and functionality, with minimal renovations. This allows me to stretch the budget further, with minimal stress and relatively short project timelines. Read more>>

Qiuyao He | Multimedia Storyteller

I have always embraced risks because my choices are driven by my passions. From being an art student to filmmaking and later transitioning to interactive media, each shift was a risk, driven by my need to explore the best medium for my ideas. Moving to the U.S. to explore interactive media art meant leaving behind the connections and opportunities I had built in the film industry in China, but I chose to explore new mediums and environments while I’m still young. Read more>>

Mariachingona | Drag Musician

I think of risk as necessary/unavoidable.. and fun !
Taking risks doesn’t mean being reckless,
it means that I’m betting on my skills and instincts
to achieve results in the face of uncertainty.

The first major risk I took was leaving college to focus on Mariachi.
This led me to find a big name group, the Grammy winning Mariachi Divas
who invited me to join them in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Amanda Aya | Digital Creator

I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for the risks that took. I’ve always been a big believer in doing things in life that make you happy. Accomplishing goals that makes you feel like you’re serving your purpose in this world. For me, it wasn’t until 2020 where I took the risk of making a complete career change from working in a corporate office. Working a typical 9-5 and working for someone to becoming my own boss. Read more>>

Jinda Zhong | UX Designer

Risk-taking has always been a critical part of my journey as a UX designer. One memorable instance was during the development of the Drag & Drop GUI System at Thalerus. The project was ambitious—we aimed to create a tool that allowed non-technical users to effortlessly build fully customizable e-commerce websites. However, the challenge was significant: our company had never tackled such a complex and user-driven interface before, and the stakes were high. Read more>>

Kiff Scholl | Actor, Director, Acting Teacher & Artist

This is such an interesting question because if someone asked me If I like taking risks, I would instinctively say no, but the truth is I’ve centered my entire career around risk-taking. I have no real interest in sky-diving or anything daredevil-related – but 20 years ago, I quit my day job as lead graphic designer for a magazine despite having very few personal clients and very little in savings to pursue my acting and directing career – and that was an enormous risk. But here I am, still a million miles from being a household name, but much happier and better off for it. I’m not delusional about this career – trying to make a living as an actor/director/coach is one of the biggest risks out there – especially when there’s never been a family inheritance or any safety net waiting to catch me should I fall, and I’m no longer a spring chicken.  Read more>>

Ginger Chen | Ceramic Artist

For those who know me, my life is essentially a collection of risk-taking adventures. Like many first-generation immigrants, I initially pursued a life of financial stability. However, after achieving everything I once thought I wanted, I felt the need to hit the brakes and reassess my direction.

Having played a key role in founding three companies, I realized I wasn’t truly in control of my own life. For years, I was content with being a behind-the-scenes supporter, avoiding the spotlight. But after facing some significant setbacks, I came to understand that only by focusing on and empowering myself could I harness my strengths and build the momentum to keep moving forward. Read more>>

Mary Wu | Artist and Educator

I took the plunge and created my Instagram account in July 2023, just two months after discovering the joy of watercolor. I was still recovering and bedridden at the time, but I was eager to explore the synergy between art and social media and sharing my story of being sick and finding art in my 40s. Although I was nervous about sharing my creations, I recognized that it was essential to stepping out of my comfort zone and chasing my dreams. Read more>>

Lena Park | MIXIK Co-Founder

I think of risk as both terrifying and necessary. While I’d describe myself as naturally risk-averse, the people around me often say I have a knack for taking bold steps when it matters. In my 20s, those risks felt more impulsive—decisions made quickly, often without all the information. But over time, I’ve realized that risk is just another word for opportunity. Every time I’ve followed my gut, it has led to a lesson or a reward, whether financial, personal, or experiential. With MIXIK, the risk was stepping into a category I wasn’t entirely familiar with—skincare—but the alignment I felt with my co-founders and our vision made it feel right. Read more>>

Jonathan Wilson | Cinematic stringed instrument maker

If you don’t take a chance, you won’t get one! Playing it safe at the expense of authenticity is not safe! When I started TogaMan GuitarViols, I was not trying to fit into a market. No I was simply creating my own specialty instrument for my own applications. There was no boardroom committee! Unexpectedly, people were more interested in The instrument I made rather than my musical skills! It turned out that it was a perfect match for Film/TV composers and I could not make them fast enough! They had deadlines and I had all the deadline killers! My queue was populated by people with IMDb profiles! Between the years of 2002 and 2008, it was part time until I was so stressed I couldn’t do everything! Read more>>

Loic Zimmermann | Film-maker & visual artist

Safe can be synonym to slow death, and I believe it’s true for most things, not just creative endeavors.
If you don’t put yourself through some kind of challenge, you don’t evolve. Risk is an openness to failure, and the growth that follows if you have the discipline to get back on your feet. Read more>>

Maksim Zverev | Colorist

Risk has always been an important part of my journey. I see it not as a gamble but as a way to take responsibility for my decisions. Every risk I’ve taken, regardless of the outcome, has taught me something valuable. It’s not about avoiding mistakes but learning from them and moving forward with new experience. Read more>>

Andrey Aripez | Standup comedian

I think risk taking is essential in life and in standup. In life if you’re not taking any risk you won’t see any reward. You have to be willing to risk something to gain something. Similarly in comedy you have to be willing to take risks in the jokes you tell, sometimes you risk bombing a set for a new joke, sometimes you risk an edgy joke to find the gold in it but I believe it’s necessary. Without risk there is no growth. You can’t where you’re comfortable. Read more>>

Emma Mcdermott | Singer/Songwriter

Taking risks is what being an artist is all about. It’s putting yourself into the unknown and not having any attachment to what the outcome might be. You need to be a risk taker in order to feel that ebb and flow of success and failure, achievements and set backs. In my life as a singer/songwriter, pretty much every time I’ve sent in a song, or performed, or been in the studio, there has been some sort of risk involved. No matter the outcome of any if those situations, I had to come to terms with the fact that the risk may not offer a reward, but as an artist you need to take the risk anyway in order to have any chance at being heard or seen. Read more>>

Richard Chevolleau | Actor, Screenwriter, Film Director, Film Producer

Starting a production company in the film and television industry inherently involves significant risk-taking, but it’s important to approach risk with a strategic mindset. Risk in this context is not just about the financial gamble of investing in a project or a new venture, but also about how you manage uncertainty, navigate creative challenges, and seize opportunities in a rapidly changing entertainment market. Read more>>

Ryan Pavone | Director of Photography & Editor

I view risk taking as a crucial part of growth within any career. For me, it is important to try and balance the tradeoff between risk and reward, so that I can make a calculated decision on whether or not the added risk will prove beneficial to my personal and professional goals in the long run. Any decision that you make where the outcome is unknown will inherently contain some amount of risk. Am I able to live up to the expectations of this client? Do I have the funds to invest in a piece of equipment or support myself while I pursue my passion? Should I move to a new city to follow my dreams?  Read more>>

Visnja Radosavljevic | Makeup and special effects artist

Risk taking has been a central theme in my life. Every significant achievement I’ve reached involved stepping outside my comfort zone.

Though these choices were daunting at first, they ultimately led to valuable experiences and growth. I’ve learned that taking risks often opens doors to opportunities I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. Embracing risk has taught me resilience and adaptability, shaping not just my career but my perspective on life. Read more>>

Sarah Yvonne Ramos | Endometriosis patient and advocate

As an individual living with a chronic illness, I feel as though taking risks is a part of my everyday life. For example, I never know when or what could potentially send me into a painful flare and disrupt my life and so everytime I decide to go somewhere or do a physical activity, I am taking that risk of knowing it could turn out just fine or it could potentially leave me glued to my bed in pain the following day. . Also, in my professional life, it can be risky to let an employer know you live with a systemic disease that has no cure and this cycles back to never knowing what could potentially trigger me into a painful flare and how my employer will handle these situations. Read more>> 

Megan Mickael | Fine Art Photographer and Artist

I would define risks or risk-taking as an action that evokes uneasiness, or even fear! A risk involves potential failure, understanding that but taking a leap in a risky endeavor also evokes a sense of empowerment. If successful, the validation of your passion and vision can be life and even career changing.

Throughout my career artistic risks and financial risks have equally guided me in defining boundaries. Read more>>

Tonya Le | Hair and Makeup Artist

When it comes to risk-taking, I believe it’s an essential component of growth, both personally and professionally. In the beauty industry, being willing to learn new things and willing to step outside of my comfort zone has allowed me to explore new techniques, styles, and trends that ultimately enhance my creativity to allow more doors of opportunities to arise. Read more>>

Shaina Lavine | Multimedia artist and entrepreneur

To answer the first question I believe, “The worst risk is the risk you never take.” I feel that without risk, there’s no reward. Risk and sacrifice go hand in hand. Everyday, I ask myself, how much am I willing to risk for my art, hoping that one day, it will all be worth it? Being an artist is very uncertain—it’s never guaranteed you’ll make it or that people will understand your art, or you, and why you’re willing to take such a gamble. Read more>>

Ezra Edmond | Writer, Director, Animation Producer

I think that when I have a dream, passion, or interest, it’s worth stepping out of the comfort zone and trying something new to see what I can learn and accomplish. I always have believed in learning and being curious, and many times when I start a new job or project, I know what I want the end result to be, and the “risk” that I am taking is trusting myself to observe, take critique (and self-critique), and do everything I can to deliver a quality final product that can sit on the shelf near the past work or people that have inspired me. Read more>>

Francesco Da Vinci | Francesco Da Vinci/Photographer, Writer, & Screenwriter

I came from a dysfunctional family, and was determined not to let that define my future. There’s a saying that I took to heart: You cannot be defeated unless you accept the defeat.

From childhood on I became a risk-taker, determined to turn my disadvantages into advantages.
I didn’t want to live a life spent in regret. My first step out of the abyss was to read every self-help book I could get my hands on.
Motivational books prompted me to take a self-inventory, which made me aware of what I truly liked and didn’t like. That helped build my self-confidence and pride and allowed me to push through my fears and doubts. My mantra became: Dream, believe the dream, and make it happen! Read more>>