Hey, Friends! What’s your passion? Are you one of the fortunate few who is able to do what they love for a living?
It was always my dream to become a full-time writer. I imagined I could write freely—allowing the muses to inspire me while gazing out of a window. The words would flow, and so would the money.
The words did come, and so did a little money. You know what else came?
Bills.
I’m sure you know how it goes. When bills come, reality sets in.
For a while, I felt like I couldn’t call myself a writer because I had to work other jobs. Not only could I not write full time, but I also had to fight for time to write. Still, if writing in the corners of time was all I could do, so be it. At least I was able to get paid for doing something I loved. For a while, that was enough.
My first question to you: How much have you had to sacrifice in order to simply make it?
Quite often, we sacrifice joy for responsibility. We do what must be done. After all, that’s the adult thing to do. Who needs whimsy when you need groceries? Who needs joy when you can have coffee jitters? (This actually isn’t true for me. Coffee makes me sleepy.)
There’s a risk of something happening when you monetize the thing you love doing. I think too few people talk about it. Monetizing the thing you love can sometimes cause you to fall out of love with it. If you’re a creative person, I’m sure this may resonate. You want to create what’s in your heart, but you also need to create something that will sell and help you pay the rent. Nobody wants to be a starving artist. There’s nothing cute about the struggle. I’m certainly not going to romanticize it. There’s an almost indescribably hollow feeling that comes from compromising your gifts to make sure that neither you nor those in your care go without.
I don’t sell everything I write. I journal, and there are things that I write only for me. That’s how I’m able to keep loving what I do despite having to do what I love with an eye on marketability.
Now, if you’re someone who has abandoned their passion projects and has stopped doing something that used to bring you joy, here’s my second question:
How do you keep the fire in your heart burning so that your light shines through?
Leave a comment here or on one of my social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky, or LinkedIn.
Let’s see where the conversation takes us. Until next Sunday…
-Ash