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.

Noah Ray | Filmmaker & Photographer

I believe that risk is at the heart of all profit. It’s the high-stakes decisions, the bold leaps into the unknown, trusting in my own resilience and adaptability, that have profoundly shaped my life. A powerful example of this is when I chose to live on my own at 16 years old. This risk fast-tracked my learning of how to navigate the world. Then, at 18, I made a spontaneous switch from traditional 9-5 jobs and restaurant work to the unpredictable but thrilling journey of a full-time photography career. Read more>>

Ben Stephens | Aspiring Wildlife Photographer

I’m someone who puts a lot of time into thinking about all of the potential risks of a situation before making a big decision. I think I’ve taken some big risks in my life. Moving across the country from Pennsylvania to California and Alaska were both big risks. However, I felt like they were risks worth taking in order to get myself to where I am. Before I actually made these big moves I spent so much time thinking about all of the possible outcomes of my decisions, and by the time the day came to embark on these journeys I was pretty mentally prepared. Read more>>

Brooke Moodley | Crochet Artist & Homemaker

I think the biggest risk factor in starting my business has been putting myself out there. I’ve always been more on the reserved side, and even though I’ve always been scribbling away at a story or crafting something, I have hesitated or completely shunned sharing my work. As an artistic person, there’s something so vulnerable about sharing what you’ve created because you really put a piece of yourself in everything you make, and it’s entirely too easy to tie your self-worth to your creations. Read more>>

Ana Duric | wedding hair/makeup artist

Risk can be viewed as a double-edged sword. On one hand, taking risks can lead to growth, new opportunities, and professional development. Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new techniques, experimenting with different makeup /hair styles, or taking on challenging projects can help you expand your skills, build confidence, and distinguish yourself from others in the industry. Read more>>

Megan Ribelin | Makeup Artist, Photographer, & Esthetician

I absolutely adore this question. A funny thing about myself is that I love taking risks. I love challenges, spontaneity and variety in life, and I definitely owe it to this trait for getting me where I am today. I’ve had a lot of bad ideas, but a lot of my great ones have come from taking risks. Some of my ultimate risk taking moments in my life have led me to living in Australia for 6 months when I was 16, backpacking around Hawaii when I turned 21 for four months, led me to moving to Crested Butte (my home for over 12 years now), and now starting and running a dream business of mine. Life doesn’t move forward without risks, in my opinion. Read more>>

Caitlin Marsh | Co-owner and interior designer / professional schlepper

Honest or misguided, I’ve taken risks all my life. I grew up in a household where both my parents had their own businesses, as I think back now being introduced to that at a young age probably instilled in me the drive to do my own thing as well. My dad used to say I was a rebel without a cause and for a good portion of my life that was very accurate. Read more>>

Rebecca Connet | Entrepeneur, Hemp Farmer, CFO & Accountant

I think about risk in the vein of the reward to follow. I love challenges. With each obstacle you have to forge through, it develops your character. I do not believe in coincidences only the path we are lead down. There is a purpose for each of us. Risk helps us find our potential and our weakness. We learn from failure, it is not to be feared but embraced. Without the risks, I could not grow as an individual. This helps in all aspects of life, business and personal. Read more>>

Arietta Chandris | Artist

I think that the word ‘risk’ often has negative connotations because people tend to imagine really drastic and often careless or impulsive action, but I think of it like this: taking a risk is just getting out of your comfort zone and sometimes that’s doing a really big thing but most of the time it’s just doing a bunch of small little things that help you grow as a person. Read more>>

Zachary Foster | Singer, Songwriter, & Content Creator

I view risk taking, at its root, to be the same in one’s personal and career life. In all, taking risks comes down to your willingness to be vulnerable in the situations and opportunities that present themselves. When I left my 9-5 job to pursue music full time, there was a level of fear involved. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be good enough or successful enough to maintain a music career. I was afraid that I didn’t have the confidence to put myself out there for the world to judge or comment on. Read more>>

Ariel 麟 Lee | Tattoo Artist

In my opinion, risk is integral to growth! Every great learning and period of growth I’ve ever experienced in my life has been due to taking calculated risks. In 2019, I was working in a corporate tech job in San Francisco. Fully burning out from the grind that is affording life in SF. I looked around at my life and knew that this was not how I wanted to lead it. I scarcely had time for myself, much less my partner, family, and friends. Read more>>