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.

Alice Dranger

I’ve always seen risk-taking as part of the gig. As an actor and an artist, everything is a risk because there aren’t really safe pathways. While I’m an actor first, I’ve always believed in challenging myself as an artist. This means I’ve not only taken a lot of risks, I’ve taken risks in a lot of different artistic fields Read More>>

Nazar

For me, taking a risk is clearly the most logical thing to do when you want to succeed in life. Every opportunity and every achievement comes from taking a risk—that’s the way I see things. There’s a French expression that says, “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” and whenever I hesitate to take action or go after something I want, I think about that mantra. Read More>>

Saskia Norman

In most parts of my life, I don’t like taking risks. I don’t gamble, I drive a safe car, and I avoid short connection flights. BUT when it comes to my career, I am the biggest risk taker. I think any actor has to be. Read More>>

Mikaela Elson

I believe that risk is necessary to excel yourself distinctly in the spaces you wish to be in. I am always inspired by artists that are BOLD and take risks. I always self-examine why someone touched me with their creativity and I realized the biggest risk was the one they took on themselves to step into their creativity as genuinely as possible. Read More>>

Hannah Zimmerman

I absolutely hate taking risks; and it’s necessary for anyone attempting to build their own business. It takes a high amount of self confidence, a willingness to fail and an understanding that if you ask 100 people, you will get maybe not quite 100 opinions, but close to it, so ask yourself, consult as needed and then try. Read More>>

Elizabeth Lip

I wouldn’t necessarily say that the word ‘risk’ is my middle name (in a sense I do not particularly like being on the edge all the time) however I do have to admit that it is a part and a parcel of my life. Read More>>

Gelisasangels

When I started out, my identity was closely linked to a collective I belonged to. I picked up a lot about business and professionalism, but I lost touch with my creative side. I stopped releasing my own music, and after the group split up, I worried that my past with them would make it harder for me to get solo opportunities. Read More>>

XYDX

I always tell myself I rather take the risk than lose the chance. If you don’t jump on a risk your answer will always be no. I try everything and anything to push my music out to people even if it’s unlikely they’ll respond back. I’d be more satisfied with myself knowing I tried rather than not. Read More>>

Michael Thompson

It often feels like the narrative out there is “risk is an imaginary limit that people create for themselves”. I think there’s a lot of survivorship bias in that idea. I grew up pretty risk-averse. I was a loner, intimidated, living in a small bubble, and I couldn’t find my people/place. Read More>>

Sam Tobey

I love this question, because becoming a fire performer is one of the riskiest decisions a person could make. Risk is something I live with every day, both in reference to the job itself (there’s always a chance of getting burnt) and when it comes to the long-term constant uncertainty that comes with working in the gig economy, especially as a fire performer. Read More>>

brandon smith

I believe the idea of “risk” is necessary for evolution and even in a revolutionary sense. It’s a perfect gateway for me to expand my thoughts and modernity. In a creative community, I believe it’s an important subjective practice to cherish. It plays an inspirational role in my life and is a great way to learn about myself and the community around me. Read More>>