There are things we are naturally passionate about but fortunately most of those don’t pay well.
I’ve been reading The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway and he spent some time talking about passion. Now my biggest dreams are to make it in a passion project pipe dream industry where nearly every one of the people who try do not succeed. Statistically speaking it’s like winning the lottery to get paid off music.
LIterally instead of making about 100$-150$ driving people around I’ll be in a bar later today performing.
Beyond all the skill, hard work and everything else, you also need to be lucky to win in art and while you stack the odds you cannot control fate.
I encourage everyone to pursue their passionate dreams but also to stay grounded.
You probably are not making a living off that for a very long time, and you still need to eat.
Creating from a place of comfort is better than starving for your art
I don’t know a single person in a place of crisis in their life that can focus on a proper marketing plan.
I’m not saying they don’t exist, but when you are not sure how rent will be paid, it becomes harder to focus on other things that matter. If anything I’d focus on practicing and developing skill during those times, no reason to put dreams to the side, but increasing your income will give you money to make better art.
Access to better environments and collaborators can only enhance your output.
Between paying for studios/engineers, videographers, travel costs and everything else that goes into pushing music once you do get a little love, you will find your momentum stunted if you cannot find a way to pay for it all.
From the macro PRSPCTVS view of your life, taking a year or two to double your income creates a lot of buying power you previously did not have.
It ends up being a question of paying people what they are worth versus trying to cut corners.
You can develop passion for anything you learn about that you “get good” at
Let’s say you rap, there’s a very good chance you can pivot that into voiceover work.
At a technical level it’s the same thing. You sit there in the studio, stand in front of the mic, and spit the scripted words. Instead of performing a song, you are delivering on the contractual obligation. I’m not sure what the market is like now, but for a time that was a good way to take the same skill you are passionate about and flip it.
Your passion projects are teaching you skills. Skills that you can market elsewhere. Skills you really should go out of your way to market elsewhere so you can commit do the drug that is your passion.
Maybe the popping industry in your parts is something you find boring. If you suck it up, do the work and are exceptionally good at it, over time you will start to like it more. Expertise breeds passion. You will develop a passion for it as your excellence (and ideally compensation) continues to grow.
As a more tangible example, the more I learn about battle rap culture, the more I enjoy battle rap videos.
It’s not something that happens overnight but if you take the time to learn, knowing you will find passion, you may find yourself in a much higher value position.
Value is fundamentally about problem solving
Chances are the things you are innately passionate about are not problem solving things.
Yes, the world needs art. However most artists don’t create art that actually solves problems. They create art because they like creating art. There are a lot of people who do the same thing. You only need a few to entertain the masses. Meanwhile the world needs electricians and construction workers. If you really want to make money now, go into those fields. There is a labour shortage meaning prices be going up for those people. Just like the South Park episode said would happen. Basically our parents oversold university and now white collar jobs are losing value and blue collar jobs are gaining value.
Sure if you are a software engineer your life is probably bless, but I imagine copywriting is about to get super cut throat. Same thing with project management. I’m grateful I’ve pivoted into sales where I can stay relevant because people to people will remain a channel as long as people are peopling.
Once your boring job is filled with passion and fulfillment, you can take those extra resources and invest in the things you wanted to do all along.
I warn you that finding passion in your boring work will be a choice that is not easy to make, but it is possible.
Or… find a way to get back in time and get born to rich parents, that would also solve the problem of financing life.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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