Taking Chances: reflections on risk

Shoot your shot? Take a chance? Society bombards us with messages, phrases, examples and stories of how taking risk is the key to success, but is anything ever that simple? We asked some of the brightest folks we know to tell us about how they think about risk. We’ve shared their responses below.

Connor Walden | Artist & Collaborator

I’m in constant dialogue with risk. My point of origin seems to be prioritizing safety, staying comfortable, observing from the bushes, and trying to maintain control in the known. And yet, when I push beyond these lines of comfort and take a risk, life gushes through. Sometimes the gush is a crush, sometimes that gush is a gash, or a rush, or a mush, or a whoosh, or a touché. But encountering the unknown, that is the risk. Read more>>

Nyla Smith | Film Composer, Music Producer, Vocalist

For me, becoming the film composer that I’ve always wanted to be has always included a certain level of risk. Music is a huge part of my life, and unfortunately, being able to make a living off of music requires not only a lot of studying, a lot of sharpening your tool set, but also completely accepting the risk that it may not work out. And every step of the way, however, I’ve felt like I’m being guided in the direction towards leaping off the cliff and giving it everything I’ve got. Read more>>

Chelsie Taylor | Tattoo artist

A quote I stand by is, “Fortune favors the brave”. Without risk, people would never evolve into the person and life we truly want. We need risk, to help us from being stagnant with the physical life around us. Always asking “what if?”… We wouldn’t learn what not to do and what to change next time in order to accomplish the task at hand. Read more>> 

Maggie Cooper | Digital Content Creator

When I think about risk, I see it as an opportunity for growth. While the idea of taking risks can be intimidating and staying within our comfort zones might seem easier, it’s worth asking how fulfilling that really is. A few years ago, I shifted my perspective and began to view risks as blessings. This change in mindset has led to some of the most rewarding moments of my life. Read more>>

Andres Felipe Bernal Farias | Cinematographer & Director

Filmmaking is a career full of risks, with intense competition and countless creative and practical challenges. As a risk taker, I decided to move to LA to pursue the art of making movies. On set, I continuously take creative risks, always aiming to improve the final product. I thrive on new challenges, believing that innovation and progress only come through taking risks. Embracing this mindset, I ensure I am well-informed about when and how to take these risks to enhance my career and artistic vision. Read more>>

Sara Schelin | Content Creator & Beauty Selfcare Advocate

I’m definitely not afraid of taking a few risks here and there. I’ll never forget the look on my parents face when I was 27 and told them I was moving to Australia with the my Australian boyfriend who was 13 years older than me and I had been with him for less than year! Yes that happened… what I thought would be three months and a trip of a lifetime turned into 12 years and countless lessons learned. Read more>>

Elise Hu | Journalist, author and podcast host

Risk? I am for it. Perhaps it’s a function of my personality, but I don’t hesitate much or even deliberate much between starting something new, or trying things. Even if you fall flat on your face, there are lessons and growth from it. I am shaped by a series of risks — leaving the confines of television news to help start a digital news organization in Texas, jumping at a chance to leave Texas for an editor role in Washington, uprooting my entire family (and dog and cats) to move across the world to a country I’d never stepped foot in before to live there for nearly four years, leaving traditional journalism to become an entrepreneur, and so on and so on. Nothing along the way has gone 100 percent smoothly.  Read more>>

Technodrome1 Takun Williams | Creator/painter/gardener

I think being an artist in general is a huge risk , a risk to ones financial stability, a risk to ones ego and well being , a risk that you bet everything you have and will be on your talent and ability to connect with people through your passion and artistic powers. A risk to put yourself out there into the world out of the comfort of your studio to be loved or hated or ignored. Read more>> 

Nir Shor | Composer, Producer and award nominated Mixing Engineer

I see risk taking as an imperative and fundamental part of life, at the end of the day risk is just another word for fear and most of the time we translate “risk” as the fear of the unknown. One cannot fully explore life and get to truly know one-self without treading through paths that are unknown, even the smallest decision can yield life-changing results and I am speaking from personal experience. Read more>>

Hasika Neethi | Artist, Singer, songwriter, Performer

I took a daring leap of faith when I left my home in Chennai, India, to chase my dream of becoming an international popstar. With just two months to prepare, I packed my bags and flew across the world to Los Angeles, a city known for its vibrant music scene and endless opportunities. Read more>>

Yuchien Wang | Copywriter

I’ve taken a few big risks in my life—like leaving home behind and moving to New York to be a writer. However, when this risk is rooted in a strategic decision and coated in hard work, it becomes a though unpredictable but grounded adventure. I apply this approach to taking risks in my career as well. Read more>>

Giorgio Rossini | Actor and Filmmaker

Risk is the constant driving force of both my personal and artistic life, a motivation and resolution for my projects. I came to the US in 2019 from a very ordinary and routine lifestyle in Italy, studying and living with or close to my family. Los Angeles taught me the importance of risk taking, of failing; yet, never giving up….”to go big or going home”. That’s why I returned in 2021 to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Read more>>

Evan Volk | San Diego artist & lifeguard

Risk-taking it an essential part of life. That doesn’t mean try a double backflip on concrete with no experience-it has to be calculated. I have multiple examples of me driving hours up north to an event/city where I know nobody/nothing about the area and just full send it. Even jumping up on stage with a song I’ve never performed in front of a crowd I’ve never seen contains risk. I’ve been booed off stage (shoutout Druski & Coulda Been Records), cheered on stage, had my voice give out, had my music sung back to me, and everything in between. Read more>>

Robert Kurt Fenske | Casting & Producer

In the most concise way possible, I think risk is the act of breaking away from the status quo. While certain ideas may fumble it’s important to remember that whatever is embraced will be your calling card. Read more>>

Lisa Caskey | Ghostwriter and Developmental Editor

Risk-taking has been one of the hardest lessons I’ve faced, and I’m still learning it. I used to play it safe—a people pleaser and rule follower—until a series of unfortunate events in May 2023 forced my hand. After a mass layoff, I found myself without a job, benefits, or paid time off. It felt like a punch in the gut. Read more>>

Janessa Bookout | Artist, Author and Art Coach

There is a great risk in being an artist on any level. Even just the decision to take my first real art class in high school and then to leap into my future by attending art school felt like a risk. It would have been much easier to stay safe and do the “normal college” thing with state schools and frat parties. I was a straight A student who could have gone in any direction, but I felt a calling toward my career in art. Read more>>

Lorène Catala Boisvert | Biological Dentist

Taking risks is vital for growth in both life and business. I’ve seen this in my own journey. Moving to a new country without speaking the language or knowing the culture was a big leap, especially with the uncertainty of continuing my career as a high-end dentist. My divorce, at a time when my practice was still small, was another significant risk. Read more>>

Amber Meisner | Host of Shit’s Hard Podcast, Personal Trainer, and Social Media Manager

Taking risks has always been difficult for me, as I’m naturally pretty anxious. However, there is no growth in comfort. So I started to get comfortable getting uncomfortable. Quitting my 9-5 at an architecture firm in 2022 and moving across the country to LA was a huge risk. I had no job here, no plan, and about $6,000 in my account (which doesn’t go far in LA). Read more>>

Andie Naar | Writer, Producer, Actress

In hindsight, the moments I was willing to take the biggest risks were the moments that were life-defining. Sounds a bit cliche, but it’s true. I was a young single-mom in Germany, barely finished high school, and certainly felt like I was losing my artistry to the bare struggle of making ends need. I remember this vivid dream where I told myself “You are an artist, Andie.” Read more>> 

Arun Vir | Writer | Director | Producer Mother, Partner | Dreamer-Doer

I am middle child of North Indian farming immigrants. When I was born, my parents gave me a boys’ name… Arun. The story goes that my brother died tragically at a young age in India, my mother became pregnant soon after… with me. My parents thought I was my brother’s reincarnation and so they named me Arun before I was born. Well, the rest is history ~ I emerged as a girl, soon to be known as the rebel child. Read more>> 

Victoria Horochowski | High Vibe Hair Artist

Taking a risk can be scary and stressful but I always remind myself that if you want something you’ve never had then you have to do something you’ve never done. This is something that can be difficult if you are cozy in your comfort zone like I was about 5 years ago. I was working at a great commission based salon with a fun group of stylists. I had been there for about 13 years, and I was one of the senior stylists at that point. Read more>>

Rebecca Soul

Risk has always been an essential part of my life. Being an artist is inherently risky; it’s hard to make it, and there are no guarantees. Everyone tells you to give up before you even try. I was born into a Spanish/French-Canadian family of musicians in the suburbs of Montreal. From the age of three, classical violin was my whole life until I turned 16. Everyone assumed that would be my path until I had a serious accident playing volleyball. Read more>> 

Antoinette Naddour, Esq., LLM

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career? Growth is borne out of risk, the reward we all desire. It comes in the form of financial success, lessons learned, and other benefits, both direct and indirect, some anticipated, and others not. Read more>>

Hraban Luyat

Calculating risk, I would consider that to be one of the most underappreciated life skills. The platitudes are legion, but, as with seemingly all high stakes situations: the boring method wins the game. Risk is just probability theory. There is no fundamental difference between “betting” and “investment”—it’s all about math. Read more>>

Solomon Zivot

I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t take that initial risk to move out to Los Angeles. I moved after college with almost no connections and no real solid plan. At the time I was living in a one-bedroom apartment shared with two girls in the room and me in the living room with a room divider, a bed, and a desk. A few months in out of pride and desperation I had a lemon from a tree for dinner because I wouldn’t dare of asking for help when I made this risk on my own. Read more>>

Isabelle Cloud

I see risk-taking as opportunities rather than obstacles. To me, taking risks has always played out for the better, both professionally and personally. On the professional side, I took a significant risk when I decided to start my own real estate firm at the age of 23, rather than joining one of the leading firms in the industry. While joining a corporate firm would have provided a safety net and a clear career path, I was drawn to the challenge and potential rewards of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Adrien King

The freedom and control you gain from starting your own business always thrilled me. The highs are extremely high but so are the lows but I’d rather experience the dramatic ends of life than be stuck in the middle where nothing happens. Read more>>

Gavin Teragawa

I think the biggest risk is to go through life not taking any. Of course you have to do things intelligently and with a plan, but my greatest fear has always been to grow old with regrets. Read more>>

Whitney Agustin

I like to take smaller risks and build my confidence to take bigger ones. It’s more sustainable for me because I avoid getting overwhelmed and burnt out. I took my first acting class over Zoom in 2020, and I became comfortable with acting in uncomfortable spaces. I did monologues and scenes with my parents in the next room and my dog trying to barge in. It was weird at first, but it prepared me for when things returned to in-person. Read more>>

Ana Matei

Okay, if you were to ask any of my friends, or family, or really anyone thats ever had a conversation with me, they’d tell you that I am the least likely person to take a risk. Like ever. I’ll refuse every rollercoaster, white water rafting excursion, even ordering takeout over the phone. What if I forget my order?! Everything I’ve done from as far back as I can remember has been carefully calculated, analyzing any all factors of the decision and anticipating any possible thing that could go wrong. Read more>>

Jermaine A. Davis

When I think about the word risk, it’s always been defined as taking a chance at losing, being harmed or an injury. I don’t look at anything in my life as a risk. Instead I choose to be more intentional and see things as opportunities to learn, grow and gain experience. A lot of the things I’ve done in my life have either led me to a lesson or gained some experience which has propelled either my career or life experience forward. Read more>>

Mankun Guo

Risk-taking is absolutely a big part of my life and work—it’s something constantly happening, often in small, almost imperceptible steps. I don’t think it requires enormous effort or determination; rather, I believe it comes from a natural curiosity that pushes you into a territory that is partially known and partially unknown. And the unknown part always leads to discovering something incredible along the way and getting a deeper understanding of what I can do, what I enjoy, and what matters most to me. Read more>>

Daliana Lopez

I moved to LA at 18 years old with roughly $200 in my bank account and a job as a barista at Starbucks. Decision that mow I get to look back at in full hindsight and I think “maybe I should’ve saved first” but If i could go back and re-do I would not change a thing. Maybe I’m not a full time artist yet but thanks to that risk I get to create everyday, I have a sense of self and my brand. I’ve grown so much in the last 2 years since I moved, both as a professional dancer, model and artist but also as a human.  Read more>>

Taylor Joseph Booth

For me, I am a man of faith. So, taking leaps into unknown, betting on myself, and trusting God is essentially all risk taking! I believe that I have been blessed with a variety of creative gifts that have made way for me and will continue doing so. However, in order to access that it required a certain level of bravery, boldness, authenticity. Read more>>

Germaine Gaudet

Risk is to dare. To dare to do things differently. Dare to pursue a challenge where the outcome is unknown. Dare to learn, to thrive and to fail. I have taken paths in my life that were and are different. While living in my home country, Canada, I chose computer science at a time when women were few in that field. I chose to give up my career for a few years to chase my dream to live in Europe and then chose to restart my career in Silicon Valley.  Read more>>