We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Joy Galicia | Bridal/Special Events Makeup Artist

I took a HUGE risk by leaving my 9-5 to pursue a passion. It was hard in the beginning due to having to go back to school and not working full-time. Risks come with sacrifices. It wasn’t just my sacrifices but my family’s as well. We had to cut back on certain things, for a while. Read more>>

Parker Heath | Artist, Designer, Founder of PAR KER made, LLC

Risk taking has been a constant throughout my life, creatively and professionally. I’ve grown up riding freestyle BMX my whole life, which was sort of a backbone for understanding how to recognize risk, and approach taking it in a calculated way… or sometimes not so calculated. Growing older, I’ve delved deeper into more commercial pursuits around my creative outlets, as a way to build a sustainable life for myself, and with approaching these pursuits I’ve seen how common risks are and how I am faced with them, literally constantly. I try my best to approach every potential risk as honestly and open-mindedly as I can, as an opportunity to learn. Read more>>

Alison Walsh | Surf & Brand Photographer

Risk-taking has been at the heart of my journey. Leaving the stability of a 9-to-5 corporate job to start my own photography business was daunting, but I was exhilarated by it. I knew that living a life of comfortability and “what-ifs” would never allow me to grow and succeed; I needed to shed that old mindset that held me back.

I loved photography for a long time as a hobby, but when I threw myself into some new – surfing and in-water surf photography – I felt so alive. I constantly felt the risk of looking like a kook, just failing or being bad at it, or feeling like others were judging me. Read more>>