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.

Adriana Palomares | Attorney/Author/Entrepreneur

Taking risks has played a significant role in my life and career. Initially, the decision to migrate to the U.S. with my family was a monumental risk, as we left behind our familiar environment and ventured into the unknown in pursuit of a better future. Throughout my academic and professional journey, I’ve continued to embrace risk-taking as a means of growth and advancement. For instance, when I decided to pursue higher education despite financial constraints and societal pressures, I was taking a risk. It required stepping out of my comfort zone, juggling multiple jobs, and navigating unfamiliar territory. Similarly, when I chose to major in English at UCLA, I followed my passion despite uncertainty about future career prospects. This decision ultimately served me well in my career in law. Perhaps one of the most significant risks I took was the decision to move to Portland, Oregon, to attend law school, despite facing numerous challenges and feeling out of place. It required courage to leave behind familiarity and support systems, but it also presented opportunities for personal and professional growth. Even after establishing a successful career as a lawyer, I recognized the need for change when I no longer found fulfillment in my work. Quitting my job, selling my possessions, and moving back to Mexico was another risk I took to pursue new opportunities. In retrospect, embracing risk has been instrumental in shaping my trajectory. Each decision to step into the unknown has been accompanied by valuable lessons, personal growth, and new opportunities. While risks may entail uncertainty and discomfort, they also hold the potential for immense rewards and fulfillment. Trusting in my ability to navigate challenges and adapt to change has been crucial in my willingness to take risks and pursue my aspirations. Read more>>

Mike Frost | Photographer

The risks played a huge role in my career. At the start of 2020 I was active duty in the United States Navy in my contract and did in February. I chose to get out and I got a pretty good job at a pharmacy here in Orlando compounding medication’s. The money was good, and I was knowledgeable and good at what I was doing, but it didn’t feel fulfilling at all. I felt like I was just walking into work and going on auto pilot until my shift was over. So in July 2020 to buy my first camera just because I was scrolling through Amazon and saw an ad for one. I never had any prior experience before that. I instantly fell in love with the idea of capturing images, and spent most of my day learning about photography, either through videos or trial and error. Things started picking up so fast that five months later I had enough clients to somewhat feel comfortable to leave my job. It was still nowhere near the money that I was making at the pharmacy, but at the time I felt like it was enough for me to trust the idea of quitting my job. So one day I went into work, and in the middle of my lunch break I decided to go speak with my supervisor and put in my two weeks notice. I knew nothing great was gonna come out of me living in that comfort zone, so I put pressure on myself to just jump in and figure it out. Everything after that just went uphill. Read more>>

 Megan Prazenica | Director/Storyboard Artist/Comics Artist

I’m from small-town western Pennsylvania, so moving to Los Angeles after college was a huge risk, personally and financially. But I knew I had to do it to pursue my animation dreams. I moved to LA in late 2008 and it was love at first sight. I never looked back. Read more>>

Erika Glasser | Actress and Producer

“I’ve always been a person who takes risks. When I was younger, it was often confused with rebelliousness. But after growing up and experiencing the ups and downs of life, after learning about myself, I came to understand that taking risks was a form of trust. I realized I’ve always trusted that life has my back. Recently, I’ve come to understand that I’ve always felt the need for new experiences, and taking risks has allowed me to have different experiences in life. My level of self-awareness and maturity are thanks to that.” Read more>>

Josh Warren | Performer & Music Instructor

To me, risks have always been an opportunity at something extraordinary. I don’t believe we’re put on this Earth to play it safe. When I was 21 I decided to pack my bags and pursue my dream of becoming the best musician I could possibly be, and move to Canada where I would spend the next 5 years honing in on my craft. I didn’t have the funds, friends, or support a lot of my peers did, but I knew it was something that I had to do! I’ve also quit a stable job right after covid to throw everything at trying to make it as a freelance music instructor. If it weren’t for taking those risks, I wouldn’t have had the honor of teaching over 75 unique students last year! With regard to performing, there’s been many instances where I didn’t feel like I was good enough to share the stage with such great musicians, but I took the risk and it gave me so many amazing opportunities to share my love of music with people! Risks are scary, but I’d rather be scared than bored… Read more>>

Nichole Vikdal | Crystalline Glaze Porcelain Ceramist

As a ceramicist who has chosen a rare art form, I’ve learned that risk is a captivating facet of life and is intricately woven into everything we do. Each choice we are faced with in a day will always have a level of risk associated with it. From small choices like deciding whether to bring a jacket when going out to contemplating the leap from a steady career to starting your own business, each option presents its own set of risks. Read more>>

Denise Carrillo | Comic Book Writer for The Sapphire Directive

Within the comic book industry, it’s a big risk and sacrifice to take the first step into self-publishing. However, we love creating stories and ideas that we want to share with the world. Even though we share the platform with many other artists and stories, we’re willing to take on this risk to stand out above the rest. We’re proud of our creations and hope to achieve value with our art and stories someday. Read more>>

Valerie Gordo | Model/actor

In both the acting and art industries, I see risk-taking as essential for growth and innovation. It’s about embracing vulnerability, pushing boundaries, and exploring new horizons. In acting, it involves embodying complex characters and emotionally charged scenes. In art, it means experimenting with different styles and themes. While not every risk leads to immediate success, each one provides invaluable lessons and experiences that contribute to personal and professional development. Ultimately, risk-taking fosters resilience, creativity, and the courage to pursue our artistic visions despite uncertainty. It’s what fuels innovation and distinguishes exceptional art and performances in both industries. Read more>>

Laura Del Mar | Actress

I believe that risk is necessary for progress. The best thing is always outside the comfort zone, risking getting out of there and fighting for what you want always brings positive things, changes, growth, learning. Taking risks has been the most important role in my life and career. Moving to another country, alone, with a different language and starting from scratch has been the most important but at the same time most valuable adventure of my life. You are never the same after taking a risk and there is always something new waiting ahead. Read more>>

Eleanor Arbor | Artist

I don’t think about risk much in terms of “safe choice / unsafe choice” but rather following your intuition. There have been times I’ve felt pulled in the less comfortable direction and just said fuck it let’s go. Moving to LA from the east coast and knowing almost no one felt uncomfortable, maybe a little risky, but at the same time my intuition was screaming at me. To me taking risks is about trying to silence the fear and going with your gut. Every time I’ve taken a leap a faith against in spite of fear my work and life have flourished from it. Read more>>

CJ and Leah Rivera | Photographer and Videographer

Going all in on AIRN Media was a huge risk in our lives and our career path. Both CJ and Leah are Registered Nurses by background, however, they both got injured and sick on the job. Leah was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition that once left her on 20+ medications, bedrest and bleeding from random organs. After multiple doctors visits and flying to Alabama for further treatments, we came to the conclusion it was best for Leah’s health to step down from nursing and stay home with our son. CJ, just a few short months after Leah’s healing journey, was attacked by a patient that left him on 3 years of disability while he recovered from 2 spinal surgeries. Read more>>

Cassie Brazeau | Print maker, Illustrator & Ceramicist

I love to leap first and figure it all out as I go. Some of the most pivotal moments in my life have happened because I thought to myself “OK this sounds fun, I’m just going to do it and see what happens.” That being said, I also love to always *look* like I know exactly what I’m doing. There’s a little calculation that happens in a scramble at first after I decide to leap blindly. I do love a free-fall moment though, and I’ve always loved to challenge myself in this way. Read more>>

Xiayang Li | Writer/director

Risks are innate to the very definition of life, and even more true for artists and filmmakers. Coming to the United States was certainly a risk I took in 2014. Upon that decision, my life changed drastically, and I felt forced to adapt to the new environment. Nevertheless, the very decision led me to become a filmmaker. Creatively speaking, I believe that no good stories should come from a place of absolute comfort. Just the all the good films that have been around, we want stories with rish-takers. Read more>>

Jon Modaff | Musician

Risk taking, while inherently against every fiber of my being, has consistently proven to be fruitful within my life and career. I feel like there is always a calculated amount of risk taking that is both inevitable and required in personal growth. I think this growth in turn helps perpetuate the natural evolution of self which yields new chapters in creativity, career and general life philosophy. In short – despite the sometimes horrifying element of risk taking, I feel like it’s completely necessary to pushing the envelope of self. Read more>>

Karen Kitchel | Visual Artist

I take calculated risks. I don’t believe there are “sure things”, just educated—or blind—guesses. One doesn’t always see the payoffs or downfalls, it’s very instinctive, even after you’ve done your research. One example: I moved to Montana from Los Angeles in 1990, and I was scared shitless. My husband got a job offer in Billings, and I was at the end of an adjunct teaching position in Michigan. Re-location was imminent: what to do? I was afraid moving to such a faraway place might be the end of my viability in the art world. Instead, it took me on a journey of new friends, influences, confidence and subject matter that indisputably shaped my career and has placed my work in multiple museum collections. I never saw that coming—I took a chance. Read more>>

Heather Hellmann | Multifaceted Marketing Maven & Music and Wellness Event Architect

My life and career have been defined by the willingness to embrace risks, to face challenges head-on, and to transform adversity into opportunities. It’s important for people to know that my journey didn’t start with privilege or handed-down success. In fact, I come from nothing, and each step forward has been marked by struggles, pressures, and obstacles that have shaped my resilience. Read more>>

Stephanie Anuwe | Actor, Writer, Creative

The idea of taking risks has always put me on edge, but some of my best work and moves in life were results of risks that paid off. As a first generation American, my Nigerian parents’ dreams of success for me were very different than what I had for myself. They expected me to work in a stable field. Law was the ideal pursuit. I enjoyed watching legal dramas and other procedurals. I talked a lot and loved to argue – they say. To them, a law degree would have been the perfect blend of my talents and getting adequate “stage time”. But my dreams were somewhere else. While they focused on the practicality of the job depicted on screen, I was lost in the possibilities of the storytelling and exploration of emotion. Needless to say, they were not excited by my decision to pursue the arts. Read more>>

Cherida Smith | Founder, We Be Giggin’

We Be Giggin’ creates a support system and cultivates community for individuals navigating the gig economy. Sharing experiences, tips, and resources can help them thrive in what can sometimes be a challenging and uncertain work environment. Read more>>