Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Agatha Wright | Founder of Fluxus Haus Inc.

I have been a risk taker for as long as I can recall being able to make decisions. I have always considered the notion between risk and reward as a driving impetus for progress and change- both in my life and in cultivating my career path. I am a firm believer that without risk there is no reward. As children we are often taught to shy away from risk but as we develop into mature adults- there is an understanding that when we risk taking the road less traveled we are also potentially welcoming unfathomable success. My career can be described as extremely diverse and often perplexing. A ballerina who works both on and offstage- writing grants, producing her own concerts and exhibiting with artists who are often marginalized or overlooked by popular culture. Read more>>

Lujan Candria | Visual Artist

Many of the decisions we make in our lives involve risk. When we step out of our comfort zone we assume the risk of making mistakes, of losing opportunities or getting frustrated. What I like to keep in mind is that even if the results are not as I expected, there’s always valuable growth coming out of the experience. And well, when you take your chances on something and then the risk turns into an achieved goal, the satisfaction is absolute. Without a doubt, one of the biggest risks I took over the last years was leaving my country. Coming to live to Miami meant leaving my loved ones, my studio, and my artistic community behind. Miami was a city unknown to me and I was unknown to Miami. It was definitely a hinge moment in my life as I had to start from scratch all over again. The experience of being an immigrant is unimaginable beforehand. It was a leap into the void that enriched me deeply, although it was not always easy to transit. Read more>>

Sanem Aytekin Pagliafora | Pottery Artist

I define “Risk” as challenging yourself and being open to changes in life. Hence, risk taking excites me rather than frightens me. It fuels me to take actions to get out of my comfort zone…For example, I moved across three countries over the last decade. First, I moved to Milan, Italy and stayed there for six years. Then, I moved to Geneva, Switzerland and lived there for two and a half years, and finally I came back home to Istanbul, Turkey. Each move was a new beginning for me, and I had built my life from scratch. I met new people, established new friendships and had to learn new languages. It was risky, challenging and completely unknown for me but I did it. I also spent 15 years of my professional life as a HR professional up until I met the clay that completely changed my life. First it was a hobby then became my passion and now it’s my daily life. Read more>>

Michael Janis | Artist

I came to art later in life. I wanted to be an artist from an early age, but when looking at colleges and career choices, my parents were adamant –being an artist it too risky. So, I studied architecture – it seemed the safe choice, and was still in the arts realm. I went out into the big world as an architect, ready to design away. I soon found out that architecture is not centered on design, rather more likely to focus on contracts, safety codes, construction schedules, and budgets. And many meetings reviewing status. For twenty years I worked like this – involved in some great projects and had some designs that were very satisfying, a few design awards… but I always wanted something…different, I always trapped working in jobs for different architecture firms. I continued doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing and told myself I should be satisfied with a nice, safe career, and if I could “wait it out” a little longer, better things will come along. Read more>>

Lori Arbel | ARTIST 🌟 CREATIVITY COACH ✨ TRAVELER

Healthy risk taking. I love it! The unknown is so exciting for me with respect to the art making process and adventure in general. As a student I needed to know the answers, the right way to do things, when I entered college I quickly learned there is not one way but many. And so experimentation began. In my latest works, I thought what would happen if I mix gold oil based paint with water? You arent supposed to do that unless you take the risk, experiment, and see what happens. Magic happened before my eyes, the paint separated and i poured that on my surface. New textures that i couldnt create without the risk of making it ugly. Read more>>

Kitsch Doom | Filmmaker, Printmaker & Performance Artist

Risks are everything! Deciding to become an artist as a career is already a risk in itself, as we all know, but that’s what makes it so exciting! As a visual artist, performer and filmmaker I believe that taking risks just makes better art work all around. It’s always worth the chance. I always rather take an experimental approach with my own work rather than one that is rigid and over thought. The moment I began to embrace risk taking in my art work is when everything started to fall into place. It was a major turning point in my practice. I have a background in printmaking which is a very old art form, it is quite technical and requires a lot of planning. During my BA degree I wondered was there a way to make this quite methodical medium less rigid? I started to make prints in my own spontaneous way, mixing many different mediums in one piece. That same energy has now translated into how I make my films and characters as well. Read more>>