Not Every Love Should Be a Livelihood

How to Tell Which of Your Passions Belongs in the Studio and Which Belongs in the Shower

I’m doing something a little different this week. Yes, I’m still reading Mao’s Great Famine, and it’s continuing to give me much to think about. But right now, I just feel compelled to write about a different subject.

I’ve been posting. I’ve also been cringing.

I have so much respect for people who have the goal of consistently publishing their art online and are able to accomplish that goal because they’re focused on creating more than they consume. It’s so easy for me to fall into the trap of analysis paralysis and feel like I need to have my content strategy all figured out before getting started.

Granted, I have been posting consistently for eleven weeks straight now (Yay, me!), but because I’ve essentially been throwing spaghetti at the wall and trying to figure out what sticks when it comes to what I actually enjoy writing about every week, there are posts I already cringe at when I look back on them. Can you believe that? It hasn’t even been that long, and I’m already wanting to delete all the posts I’ve created and start over rather than being fine with simply continuing to build on what I’ve put out there and documenting the journey.

Don’t worry, I didn’t actually delete my previous posts that now make me cringe, but these are the times when I wish I could be like those who know exactly which passion of theirs they want to share with the world and are able to constantly generate new ideas. My husband is one of those people. The passion he writes about also happens to be a timely topic. There’s always news about it to offer commentary on, which is awesome for him and his content strategy. I think I’ve figured out what mine is, but a part of me is still unsure about it. I don’t know if it’s just because my overthinking nature is making me doubt myself (even if the idea is good), or if it’s simply not the right idea for me and my gut is trying to tell me that.

I guess the only way I’ll know for sure is to keep writing consistently about the topic I’ve chosen for an extended period of time.

But I don’t want to stay a hobbyist.

I don’t just want to be a hobbyist. I want to be able to monetize my writing. Is that, in turn, going to affect the quality of my work and what I choose to write about? Because if I’m factoring in what people are willing to pay for, I may not necessarily love writing about those topics, but perhaps I’m interested enough to where I could write about them consistently without hating my life.

Loving your work doesn’t make it not work.

I think most of us have heard the quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” While I understand the overall sentiment, I don’t agree with it. Even if you love your job, work is still necessary in order to keep improving your skills and producing high-quality results that earn an income. This isn’t possible without consistent effort.

Decompression or Mission?

So then, does turning something you’re passionate about into your regular job lead to you not loving it the same way? Honestly, I think it depends on what that passion does for you. Does it help you decompress? Escape from reality for a little bit? Or is it part of your personal mission in life that goes beyond enjoyment? It takes self-awareness to be able to determine which category your selected passion falls into, because if it’s something you like to do purely for fun, then it probably isn’t a good idea to turn it into your job.

For example, I love singing. Would I like to keep getting better at it? Sure. Does that require some work and extra effort on my end? Certainly. However, I have no desire to make it my primary source of income. For me, singing is fun. It allows me to express myself in a way that speaking alone doesn’t, and it’s therapeutic. Now, if one day I decide to post videos of myself singing online and I happen to make some money because of it, then cool! But it would only be side income. I wouldn’t want to make it my full-time gig because I don’t want to feel the pressure that comes with turning it into my livelihood.

On the other hand, if I were an artist motivated by more than my own personal enjoyment who possessed a point of view that I have a burning desire to share with as many people as possible, then it would be a little different. Music would become a lot more than a hobby at that point, and if it was that important to me, then I would be willing to take on the tasks that aren’t exactly fun but are necessary to promote my art (marketing, etc.). It’s like a doctor who’s willing to go through years of schooling because for them, what they’re able to do after completing their training is worth the hard work and effort they need to put forth.

Why I’ll Do the Boring Parts for Writing

Bringing it back to writing, while it is an activity I enjoy, I’ve realized it’s important enough to me where I’m willing to do the less-than-exciting work that comes with trying to monetize it. Hopefully this doesn’t come across as egotistical in any way, but I do feel like my writing has the potential to help others and be more than an emotional outlet. Will it be through education? Entertainment? Edutainment? I’m not entirely sure yet, but I am determined to find out.