Shoot your shot? Take a chance? Society bombards us with messages, phrases, examples and stories of how taking risk is the key to success, but is anything ever that simple? We asked some of the brightest folks we know to tell us about how they think about risk. We’ve shared their responses below.
Elke Reva Sudin | Artist & Entrepreneur
Being creative is inherently a risky business. I tend to say, “if it was easy, everyone would do it.” To stand apart you have to go outside of the norm. It may be more difficult to find what works but when it works it’s your own and fits your personality and lifestyle, it’s that much more fulfilling. Read more>>
Chelle Johnson | CEO of Best You Talent Advisors, Exclusive Recruiter for Forbes.jobs & Executive Career Coach
Taking risks is an important part of creating your version of success. When you know in your soul that you need to do something, you have to put faith over fear. Being an entrepreneur is hard. I have had to put faith over fear many times, but it has always been worth it. Read more>>
Kaysyn Chintala | Overly Ambitious Momma & Photographer
I have always been one to take risks – it actually doesn’t scare me at all. Picking up a camera for the first time in October of 2021 then being asked to photograph an engagement session just a week later, most folks would have been mortified, intimidated and would have said “absolutely not.” Me, I took it as a challenge. I am always willing to try and do new things and I’m not afraid to fail at all. Do I like to fail? Of course not, but I am willing to accept and acknowledge I then have to take the proper steps to not allow it happen again and make it a learning experience. Read more>>
JaSew | Musical artist and Graphic designer
It might sound cliche, but I really think it’s just another opportunity to learn. Risks can be the most frightening moments of our lives, but they can also be the moments that shape us into who we are. Taking the time to learn your voice and use it as instrument. Experimenting with every tone and tweaking it to implement your true personality via your music. Read more>>
zoë anjo | Gardener
Risk taking is natural for me. I receive inspiration in flashes, and some of the best outcomes in my life have been via risk taking. I’m the kind of person that if you tell me I can’t do it, I reply, “watch me.” Read more>>
Madeline Bechtel | MCCB Design – Art, Illustration, and Graphic Design
The words “risk” tends to come with a negative connotation and in the art and design industry, you have to take a lot of “risks” – that’s why I prefer the term “chances”. It feels a bit more hopeful. That being said, risk and taking chances is a frequent and important part of my success, despite some abundant rejection and loss. As an artist, I’ve tried to grasp firmly onto the “philosophy of yes” – an idea not termed by me, but very familiar to my way of working. Read more>>
Rodrigo Quijano Paredes | Chef Owner of Santa Elena’s
When I think about risk I think in terms of values. What do I value? Family, financial stability, time, my mental health, community. Not all decisions can check every value; with this venture of opening a food truck and now growing into multiple locations, some of the risks have hindered on some of those values: personal time, family time. Read more>>
D Trickta | Graphic Designer
I think art and risk taking correspond closely with one another on several levels. Creating and putting art out there is a risk that needs to be taken as an artist. If you don’t share your art, it is more challenging to progress with your craft. My first real experience with this was in school at Columbia College Chicago, where critiques were both nerve-racking yet beneficial to the final design. Read more>>