There is a wealth of academic research that suggests that differences in risk appetite are at the heart of differences in career and business trajectories. We wanted to go beyond the theory and ask real people from the community about their perspectives and experiences with risk and risk taking.

Lacia (CDT) | Illustrator, Visual Development, & Story Artist

In some ways, you can say I grew up taking risks. For the sake of making ends meet, I had to take on a number of side jobs while attending school. Because of this that I often take risks in my career. At one moment I might be buried in books learning something new, at another I might be boarding a plane to cross the country. Whether it’s a job, career, or a new lifestyle, I’m an individual who never settles and strives all in to get what I want. You may call it risky, but it keeps me on my toes and makes me strive to improve and stay ahead. Whenever my teachers asked me what college I would like to attend or what I would like to do after graduation, the only thing I could think of was to draw. Whatever it takes. Read more>>

Colleen Flynn | Artist and owner of Art by Flynn

I have been self-employed for more of my adult life than employed by a company, so I do think it comes fairly naturally to me to be a risk taker. Becoming a full-time artist was always a dream that I thought (maybe someday) might come true but I think I always knew it wouldn’t be a simple path. I had no idea it would be a pandemic that would avail the opportunity that it did. So, taking the risk of painting and painting, and then painting some more and somehow putting myself out there was an incredible risk that was really hard for me at first. Each painting is like your baby in a way and rejection is so difficult. I guess the realization that an opportunity like this was a once in a lifetime, so it had to be done. I lost track of my comfort level pretty quickly. Read more>>