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.

Jeremy Janus | Photographer & Artist

I look at risk as an opportunity. I have always kind of been the oddball and made decisions that others thought were not in my best interest, but they are always based in a risk/reward ratio. If I take a risk and it doesn’t work out, it is a life lesson well learned. I try to take calculated risks as I am a very analytical person, but sometimes things just won’t go as planned and that is okay. If you are not risking anything significant then you are never going to gain anything significant. A lot of people play life in their comfort zone and I try to avoid that in a lot of senses. The only way to learn, grow, and continue to evolve in life is to take risks and you can’t do that if you never step out of your comfort zone. Read more>>

Amber Bailey Klovski | Baker & Cookie Artist

“If you risk nothing, you risk everything” – Geena Davis I believe risk taking is a necessity in life. You have to pursue success; it doesn’t just happen on its own. So many unforeseen opportunities can come from risk taking, and you always gain when you take a risk. Even if the outcome isn’t as you had hoped, you will walk away with internal growth. Risk has brought so much value into my life. When I think back on all my big life moments, risk has always had a starring role. Take chances, make mistakes, find new approaches, it will be worth it! Read more>>

Leah Blanche | Natural Light Portrait Photographer

I have always believed taking risks creates challenges and allows for growth and resilience. I have had many fears and to overcome in my life. Deciding to build my own business and then taking the risks to make it what it is today has been the most difficult. Three summers ago, I was vacationing on a white sand beach with my family about 6 months pregnant with my second daughter. I was passionate about the possibility with becoming a photographer. Not just any photographer, but a great photographer. I talked about it night and day, filling my head with dreams and what felt like intangible goals, but something about it stuck. I was ready to do something for me, something I could create organically from the foundation of my beliefs and my vision. I was determined to find my passion to create. It was there, with my toes in the soft sand and the rushing of waves in the background that I enrolled in my first photography class with very little knowledge and a lot of expectations. Read more>>