"Making it," financially speaking, has always been a major issue in most artistic and creative fields.
And I've heard much well-meaning advice that if you're hoping to make a living you definitely shouldn't get into art, or music, or writing or anything like that.
There's actually a bit of a hidden paradox there, because the truth of the matter is that lots and lots of people actually really like what people do with their creativity and with their music and with their writing but there's a difference between liking something and valuing it.
More specifically, there's a considerable difference between liking something and actually being willing to pay money for it. Which is actually quite ironic given the fact that people often spend money on things they don't like at all! And they do so willingly...
As both an artist and a writer, I have directly had the experience of people enthusiastically letting me know that they love what I do! However they disappear into the woodwork the moment whatever it is they love about what I do actually has a price tag!
Maybe that sounds a little cynical, but I ultimately only speak to what I have experienced directly.
I remember a local newspaper editor who was very enthusiastic about me writing articles for them, but the moment I wanted to know how much they paid per article or per word the enthusiasm completely went away.
As an artist, I've also had the direct experience of having people around me being highly enthusiastic about my work, but after a bit of poking and probing, it would become quite obvious that their enthusiasm was primarily directed towards attempts at buttering up my ego so I might give them some work for free, but when I let them know where they could find my work for sale they headed for the nearest exit.
These are the things that make creativity extremely difficult! Or, at least, it's what makes extracting any kind of a living from your creativity extremely difficult.
There is no easy answer of course. Many, like myself, we love our work and we will continue to create no matter what, however it is sometimes difficult to completely shed the feeling of sour grapes we get when we realize that people's appreciation quickly dissipates like fog before the morning sun when the mention of price comes up.
Some things just never change!
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