Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Trevaun Walker | Digital Artist/Photographer

I feel you really cant experience life or anything in general without risk. We get to accustomed to a general circle way of living. if you think about it you wake up nearly every day doing the same routine. So, you start to develop that discouragement of taking risk. You will mentally put yourself down before you can even try to take that baby step. Once you break that cycle of thinking and living you already heading into the right direction. Taking that risk to go against your own norm will allow you to go against society norm. Once you take the risk of telling yourself i am going to try it. is one of the biggest accomplishments you can make. We will always be our own worst enemy. Being a risk taker will lead you to multiple possibilities and away thinking. Risk taking has played a huge role in my life. I finally accomplish dimming that voice in my head telling me ill fail or this isn’t a good idea. The small risk i took buying my camera, going to youtube to learn, and putting myself out there to practice any chance i could. It lead me to achieving a lot of things and building two really good friendships who i owe everything to. Read more>>

Jenna Karwoski | Headshot, personal branding and custom portrait photographer

As a photographer of over 15 years, I’d say that I’ve taken plenty of risks during my career. And plenty of them have failed.Over time, I realized that every single one of those failures has allowed me to rethink, rebuild, reimagine how I wanted to move forward with what ever aspect of my career needed attention. Read more>>

Cynthia Martinez | Artist & Candle Maker

Risk taking is something that has always had a stigma around just the thought of it. Many moments in my life and my career I have taken a leap of faith and taken a risk. Of course it’s scary to take risks, but I always think regretting not taking the risk would always haunt me more. Ever since I was 17 and started working I have always taken a risk to grow and advance into a better career. It started with a fast food job, then a call center job, and into a strictly commission job where I stayed for 3 years and became a manager. That job had the most risk in it of all, it was no guarantee of pay and I had to work my butt off to get to becoming a manager making 3k a paycheck. Read more>>

Savalla Schwenter | Dj/Producer/Songwriter

Since i’m a kid, i want to achieve things that are not really in todays society seen as “a real Job” or something, but the thing is that i don’t see for example having a degree or something like this as an achievement for my side, maybe for other people it is and i fully respect it. I also have stuff like this, but for me it isn’t one of the greatest achievements i had in my life. It’s everyone’s choice out there to know themselves what they are made for or most importantly, what makes them happy. For this, somewhere in your life you’ll have a very big probability that you’ll have to risk something and to do sacrifices. Read more>>

Amanda Davis | Hair Stylist

Ironically enough, I’ve been taking big risks since I graduated high school in 2009. When I was just 18, freshly out of high school, with no desire to go to college (with a photographic memory, school was always easy for me yet I had no desire to pursue it) I took a huge risk and moved across the country to New Jersey with $400 to my name. I had the opportunity to go with a high school friend whose father lived there so I thought, “why not!?” My thought process was always the worst thing that happens is i move right back home and am back right here again. That question has always been what has pushed me in every risk I’ve taken since then, “whats the worst thing that can realistically happen?” Read more>>

Victoria Parus | Hair Stylist & Salon Owner

Everyone perceives risk taking differently in their lives. For myself, I see the word risk and I think opportunity; opportunity to grow. I believe nobody would be where they are without risk. Knowing I needed more out of my life and my career, I packed up and left everything behind. Driving from a small town in Wisconsin to Arizona was a big risk. Risk is something I pride myself on every single day inside and outside of the salon and I love it. Within 4 years of living in a new state I opened up my own salon suite which is also a huge “risk” to some but I say it as an opportunity for my business, for me to expand and grow my knowledge of the industry how I wanted to. Read more>>