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.

Maria Resendiz | Makeup Artist

I have thought about “risk taking” all of my life. I think about how it can affect my family and my self. That is because I help provide things for my family. It’s not easy being okay with taking risk, because you genuinely don’t know what is waiting for you on the other side. However I’ve learned if you don’t take certain risks in life then comfort will follow you forever and personally I’m not okay with staying comfortable. I moved to California when I was 21 just a few days after turning 21 and at that moment I thought I was grown enough and adult enough to take life on my own…boy was I wrong. However it was the best decision I ever made by taking the risk. It built me and gave me a stronger mind set and I haven’t looked back ever since. Read more>>

Mark Buller | Composer

Artists of all stripes know – perhaps instinctually? – that some sort of openness is required of us. You have to be willing to fail, and sometimes fail publicly, in order to *make* something worth saying. One of the lessons I learned early on was that it usually doesn’t hurt to simply ask – for an opportunity, for an opening, to create something new. The worst that will happen is a reply in the negative, but even if only one of ten such inquiries results in something new, then the whole thing was worth it. Read more>>

Juan Carlos Ardenti | Visual Artist and Reformer

I believe that risks are part of life and are directly related to making decisions, we make decisions all the time we are always deciding something, most of the time they are irrelevant decisions or that do not represent immediate risks for us … for example What clothes we will wear, what we will eat or which way to go to work, but there are really transcendent and uncomfortable decisions that many times we do not want to face but that is the best way to move forward we have to make decisions and take risks, we must get out of our comfort zone In my case I have made very difficult decisions and where I have really put a lot at risk, for example, for most of us, economic stability is a very comfortable area where we do not want to risk ourselves but it can be the starting point for your complete personal fulfillment … Always remember to weigh if your current situation will lead you to achieve your long-term goals. Read more>>

Eric Egwuonwu | Producer

I think you should always take risks as many as possible especially when you don’t have much to lose perhaps in the beginning stages of your career, especially if the risks might benefit you and your well being. Also for me taking risks has helped me every single time whether it would be experimenting with my production or taking trip to various cities while in college to network and make music. It’s always been my number one priority. Read more>>

Brian Kalinec | Musician & Geoscientist

Whether or not we want to recognize it, we take risks in all aspects of our lives. The choices we make actually are a form of risk, and we typically make those choices based upon logic/information, passion, our gut instinct, or some combination of these. My wife and I got married my last semester in college because I was planning to move to Houston for a career in music. She took a risk on me…of course love played the major role. A year after we were married our daughter was born. When we found out she was hearing impaired, we had to decide on whether to place her in an “auditory/oral” program where she learned to hear and speak only with her aided residual hearing, or in a “total” communication program where we felt she would also be taught sign language. We decided on the first program because we wanted her to have the best chance to assimilate into hearing society. That turned out to be a great choice, but it was a tough decision and, looking back, a big risk. I also decided to change careers and go to work as a geophysicist. Read more>>

Uliana Maslovskaya | Professional Ballroom Dancer, Coach, Choreographer

We take risks every day. Risk can be as simple as trying a new recipe, choosing a new hobby or complex like, changing a career or moving to a new City. Sometimes risk rewards by allowing you to move forward faster, but other times not. Nobody wants to go backwards but many times the safe (or risk averse) decisions causes a mundane result. One of the hardest things to do is to let go of your comfort zone. But life itself is a movement , if there is nothing happing, change should occur and in order to make this change we have to take a risk. Perhaps many risks. Sure, taking risks is sometimes anxiety-inducing but it is necessary in order to grow and live life. In my life taking a risk to move to another country has brought me to where I am right now and that is by far my best decision I’ve ever made in my life resulting in better opportunities in my personal career and meeting the love of my life. Read more>>

Bao Loi | Content Creator and Woodworker

For me, risk is word that often implies that things are out of your control. You take a leap and see where you fall. But I think it’s important not to take risk for risk sake, but to take calculated risks. Taking calculated risk involves planning, assessing the possible outcomes, and foreseeing issues that might arise. But this could be a negative in that too much thinking and planning can cause you to not make a move. Early on when I started thought about opening my business, I made many plans. I thought about the possible downsides, and upsides. I thought about the outcomes, both good and bad. I thought and thought and what consumed me was this fear to even start. I feared not having the safety net of a paycheck. I feared that I would disappoint my loved ones, my wife and family. I think the biggest part was being unsure of the finish line and not succeeding. I came to understand that by not moving I risked not chasing my dreams, not being able to grow, and not being able to give me the chance to succeed. Read more>>

Doug Sweet | Owner Box Speed Photo

Risk is a funny thing. We tend to be afraid of it, shy from it, because we don’t know. Every single time that I didn’t take a risk, I missed out. Every time I have taken a risk, the outcome has been mixed, but at least I took the risk and I know. If I failed, I learned something, if I succeed, I could then move on to the next level. Now, I’m not advocating taking every single risk that comes, weight out the risk and see if it’s worth it. To not take any risks is stagnant behavior. We don’t grow, we don’t learn, we don’t experience, we don’t live. Read more>>

Erica Puckett | Artist

I think risks are necessary for growth; without risk, there is little to no real reward. Some of the biggest moments in my life and career -in both the legal and art worlds- came from me stepping out on faith and taking risks. Read more>>