We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Charlie Huero | Assistant Program Director/Afternoon Radio host HOT 97.5 & 103.9

I took a chance in the beginning of my career moving from Milwaukee to San Diego for just a part time job. It all played out in the end and has been the start of my 38-year career in radio. Having the work ethic needed to move forward in an industry that paid attention to people who went the extra mile to grow themselves was in my favor. Something I learned at a young age from my father. “If you want something, you gotta go get it. Read more>>

Alyssa (Cayden) Eckstein (Christianson) | Social Media Content Creators (YouTube)

Taking risks is the only reason we are where we are today. We were both competitive swimmers on scholarship in college, and after pursuing our social media career for a few months, we had to decide whether we wanted to continue or not. We went through the pros and cons, and the biggest con is that we would regret not trying. This was the first risk we have ever taken in our lives, that a lot of people thought was going to fail, but it ended up being exactly what we needed to do to live our lives to the fullest. Read more>>

Linda Roberts | Photographic artist

Life is a risk. Any decision you make, career-wise or personal, has a risk factor to it. Should I pursue this career? Should I do this or that? As a friend of mine says “don’t should yourself”. I took a risk when I left home at 17 and moved 1000 miles away for a job. Another risk when I married a man that took me from one coast to the other – and then to Montana. Pursuing a career as a photographic artist is a huge risk – but you have to ask yourself if the risk is worth taking. Read more>>

Clifton Williams | Photographer

Taking risks in the journey to self-discovery and creative exploration has been the most valuable choice I’ve made. Often, we hesitate to embrace the uncharted territories within ourselves or express our creativity fully. However, by becoming more willing to take those risks, whether it’s adopting a new perspective, changing appearance, or pursuing a novel creative idea, its opened doors to a deeper understanding of myself. It’s been crucial to acknowledge that new ideas inherently carry risks, as they may feel unattainable at first, but that’s where growth lies. Read more>>

Stephan Cox | Artist/designer/fabricator

Sometimes when an artist has success selling their work they quit evolving and become creatively timid. This is somewhat understandable because most artists are hungry for validation of their efforts through sales and exhibition and are loathe to turn away from something that is working. The truly creative artist often turns away from previous success and rolls the dice, hoping to again experience the exhileration of an idea becoming reality. Read more>>