How do you think about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life/career? Check out responses from hidden gems from our community below.

Becca Lane | Artist and Owner of One Lane Studios

Risk is an inevitable part of life, and a necessary part of starting your own business. My entire art business is the result of taking one of the biggest risks of my life; quitting a steady job and jumping headfirst into my lifelong dreams of being a full-time artist. At the time, I didn’t have savings, but had a few commission jobs lined up; enough to keep my bills paid for about 6 weeks. From that point on, it was one risk paying off after another: Read more>>

Ron Thompson | Creative Director/Designer/Artist

To me “risk” is such a strange word when associating it with my life or more specifically my career. Sure there are obvious things you may do over the course of your life that are risky on a health or life and death level, but when it comes to work and life experiences I always would just say “I’m taking a chance”. Maybe that’s just me minimizing either side of the outcome to make me feel better about a decision…haha. Read more>>

Sebastien Pourrat | Chef & Enterpreneur

Taking risks is part of my DNA. This is for me a positive action. Aiming for solutions, fighting hard, facing new challenges, staying out of my comfort zone. A failure, a success, a journey with a goal is always rewarding, fulfilling.
It triggers the « feeling alive » mindset and i feel it should be the ultimate ambition for anyone. The sense of achievement that comes with taking risks is priceless and this is the best fuel for happiness. Read more>>

Masumi Kambayashi | Dancer, Artist

when I am taking risks I usually don’t feel like I am taking risks. I am doing this just because I know I should do this to make my dream come true. And later on I realize that I was taking risk. For me taking risk is always uncomfortable because I am trying something new. But risk has taught me that trying something new is to know myself more, exploring what I have/ I want to have in the future. Read more>>

Jessica Christine | Founder & Creative Director DeerWomen

My artistic inspiration is drawn from experiences that elicit intense emotions, whether they lead to catharsis, rage, fear, or other profound elements. It is these powerful moments that deeply resonate with me. My artistic practice is an alchemy and an embrace of thought-provoking and challenging themes. I’m influenced directly by travel, cultures that differ greatly from where I reside and whatever my current hyper-fixation is. Read more>>

Amanda Valdes | Actor & Creator

Risks are so essential to being something extraordinary. To stand out we cannot be ordinary in our decisions and the ways we think. I have always been ambitious and have been able to see outcomes of taking risks positively. There is a lot we can learn from taking a leap of faith and learning from it. I started my acting career in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 and if I didn’t use that window of a worldwide lockdown to pursue my dreams, I don’t think I ever would have. Read more>>

Kristina Sefeldt | Jewelry Designer & Artist

“There is no discovery without risk, and what you risk reveals what you value.” I came across this Jeanette Winterson quote in my late 20s, and recall it every time I’ve come to a fork in the road, or a big decision needed to be made. I left my job about a year ago to pursue my jewelry business full time, knowing it would not be without challenges and that I would be relying on my limited savings while I got things moving. Read more>>

Missy Andria | Makeup Artist

Working in the entertainment industry is full of risks and I think a lot of us creatives thrive on it. Risk was, and is, the catalyst for my entire career. I gave up years work towards my former aspiring career, my home state, family, friends, and stable income from a day job to work as a makeup artist. When you break it down like that, it sounds a bit crazy. But it was all gradual and was done with baby steps. Read more>>

Marie Lessel | Freelance Editor and Assistant Editor

Risk taking has always been a little scary for me. When people ask me whether I like taking risks, I usually say no. Because in general, I don’t. You’ll likely never see me skydiving. But then I remember how much risk taking it took for me to get to where I am right now. Coming from Denmark, and choosing to move my whole life to LA to pursue my dream of being a filmmaker was a big risk. Having faith that I’d find a way to pay for 3 years of Grad Film school at USC was also a big risk. And that I’d be able to work as an editor after graduation. But here I am. Read more>>

Hideki Aono | Photographer & Visual creative

When it comes to risk in business, I view it as the spice that adds flavor to the journey. It’s a bit like a roller coaster ride – thrilling, occasionally scary, but it’s where the best stories are made. I believe in calculated risks, where you mix knowledge, preparation, and courage in just the right proportions. Too timid, and you miss opportunities; too reckless, and you invite chaos. Read more>>

Nieta Shipo | Event Curator

Risk are important to me especially in business Worst case scenario I’ll get rejected but to me it’s growth in even that. To not take them means I’ll never progress .. you can’t grow in comfort. Talking risks ultimately brought more opportunities my way and it allowed me to enter spaces and be in alignment. I’m right where I should be in my journey. I’m trusting the process Read more>>

Amanda Holley | Singer / Songwriter / Musician

This question stirs up so many emotions for me – probably because my biggest risks really have led me to my most amazing miracles in my life and career – against all odds and circumstances! Had I not taken hundreds of risks great and small each and every day since childhood, actively choosing to walk in faith – even when I was fighting for my life and fighting with myself through so many waking moments – through every obstacle and seemingly impossible situation consistently since birth, I wouldn’t be living my art in the first place – let alone get to end up performing my songs at venues I only dared to dream of as a little girl back in Newark. Read more>>

Lori Carhart | Holistic Esthetician/Breathworker/Energy Medicine

Risk is another way of having faith in your own creativity so I love a good challenging risky situation! Sometimes I literally set myself up for risk because it’s exciting to sit on the edge of it and await the outcome. I practice this in my business and my personal life. I am the queen of reinvention!I left a small rural town in Oklahoma at the age of 21 to pursue an acting career in Chicago, where I only knew one person. Read more>>

Ebony Rae | Executive producer, boutique owner, model

Risk taking is a literal sacrifice! It’s a scary gamble, but you either win or learn.. you never lose. Taking risks has played such a huge part in my career. I quit a really good paying job during Covid with no backup plan and opened my boutique with no knowledge. I taught myself a lot, and no matter what roadblock I hit the common denominator is that I never gave up! With any risks there’s always a reward. Read more>>

Dan Dressel | Experienced Vp of Gaming Influencer Sales

I took my biggest risk when I moved to LA 17 years ago not really knowing anyone to pursue a short lived acting career. I knew if I didn’t take that chance after getting laid off from my very corporate marketing job, I would have some haunting regrets. While acting did not work out, I learned to: sell myself as a brand, find common ground with many different personalities, keep on learning new skills and most importantly, deal with tons of rejection. Read more>>

Morgan Peszko | Director

I feel like my entire life has been calculated risk. You can practice and learn but at some point you have to take some risk and put skin in the game. In my career I have traveled places and worked with people I never thought would be possible – if I did not take risk and put faith in big decisions, I would be sitting in idle someplace regretting my choices. Take the risk, connect the dots, your time will come. Read more>>

Kayvon Derak Shanian | Filmmaker

It’s not only taking risks but the amount of attempted failures that one can handle before you start doubting your abilities to continue the passion you love. A good correlation would be a couple that is trying to conceive a child, how many times have they tried before they succeeded? Same concept with film or any other business. Keep at it and learn from your failures. Read more>>

Patrick Anthony | Cinematographer

Greater the risk, greater the reward right? I’ve taken on a few jobs that I felt were debatably above my pay grade or outside my comfort zone and my career would be drastically different if I hadn’t taken those risks and the rewards were worth it. I think it proves that one has more to offer than they think they do and the main thing holding them back is self doubt. So when I think about risks, I’m thinking about what the reward could be and how I can benefit from it. Read more>>

Shaune Cohen | Business Coach, Author and Financial Educator

Faith and Fear both cause us to believe in something we CANT SEE! So its up to us to determine which we chose to operate in! When I realized there was some level of risk attached to everything I did or wanted to do, I had to look at things differently. I learned how to better calculate my risk. This enables me not to say saying yes to every opportunity. Read more>>

Nicola Roos | Sculptor & art museum intern

To be honest, I’ve always had a somewhat apprehensive relationship with taking risks. It could be attributed to my neuro-divergent disposition, where I find comfort in patterns and routines, as they act as my safety net. Or perhaps it’s rooted in some trauma, given my upbringing was marked by independence, the idea that relying on anyone but myself might be futile. Read more>>

Kylen Dent | Concert & Event Producer

When I contemplate the concept of risks, I fundamentally view them as opportunities. I am a firm believer that every individual’s life is akin to a movie, with ourselves in the starring role. In my personal narrative, I see myself as the main character. Now, consider this: Who would want to watch a movie that lacks risks, lacks those unexpected twists, those exhilarating highs, and those challenging lows? Read more>>

Valenttina Dias | Singer, Actress & Content Creator

It’s so funny to me to be asked that question right now. Since I created Instagram in 2011, my bio has been the same: “Take the risk or lose the chance”. This sentence has been guiding me in my decisions for such a long period of my life right now, and it keeps making more and more sense every day. The things I’m proud of now were only built because of the risks I’ve taken: Read more>>