Tom — You’ve said it publicly now, you’d better keep your word!

I’d say that yes, the rule is true for many people, but it doesn’t apply to the significant number of creative people who are famous for their work — and get paid big money for it.

This post is great timing for me. I just wrote about getting paid for your passion on my blog, and whether there *should* be a separation (i.e., making your passion your job can make you less passionate about it), or if we should take any chance we can get to make a career of our passion.

After thinking about it and reading the insightful comments, I realized that the main distinction is between finding a way to “monetize” your passion, and becoming successful for the passionate work you’re doing. The former is riskier, because you may end up making money as a freelance writer, but you really wish you were writing fiction. The latter is ideal — but alas, also the toughest to attain!

None-the-less, I derive more gratification from the self-actualisation of creating my creative shit- despite what they might say. Yet, the compromise often would be, does it pay? A dilemma I frequently face is- what sells, and does that betray my soul…

A creative sexy spirit
john yeo
singapore

I’m doing The Artist’s Way right now, and it completely teaches the opposite. Haven’t gotten to the practical part of “how” yet…that will be interesting.

How much money do you really need to live comfortably (we’re not talking starving artist here)? Are you willing to leverage the work that you love to make money out of it?

Yes, there has to be a market that you can reach (for starters), but to see it as a permanent either/or situation blinds you to the opportunities to have both.

For some people, there is little or no social value in what they want to do for the people they can currently provide it to. So no money to be made. Can they find new people? Move? Expand? Reframe their work? Or can they find something else that will pay the bills that isn’t too difficult and doesn’t require all their energy? And are they ok with that?

It’s a continuum, from someone who earns all they need from what they love, to someone who earns nothing. And every point on that line plays an important part in allowing people to share what they have with others. No one place is ideal, except for the place that feels right to you. And that can change.

Life is too complex for black and white.

Catherine’s comment also got me thinking about career fields. What is ’sexy’ to one person is not for another (as Catherine said). So people who are lucky enough to find something that generally pays well as sexy (e.g. being a CEO, stock markets – though they are not guarantees of wealth) can find it easier to do sexy, well paid work. Those who find work with lower demand or fewer tangible profits sexy will find it more difficult to get paid well for their sexy work. That just means the latter need to work harder on marketing their social value.