560 - Get Back to Passion, Ignore the Internet, Reorient to "Bad" Creative Feelings and Find Your Next Season

Number one, the first thing that maybe, maybe you need is art for art's sake.

Now, this is something that is tough for me because I am a professional creative.

I have the pressure of providing for my family with my creative work.

And so I often forget that in order for this whole thing to work, I need to be tapping into what I would make even if I wasn't being paid to make it.

Even if I don't end up getting paid to make it, I have to be in touch with that, or I lose my authentic connection to my work.

And I think this is especially important to think about when the economy's not the greatest.

Because now, it's important if you are a professional artist or a professional creative person, or your income depends on your creativity in any way, it's important because that's the moment when it's hardest to remember this, but it's the core.

It is the essential piece.

If you get...

Yes, if you are backed into a corner financially, you do have to figure that out, and I highly recommend you figure something out, something small, regular, a part-time job, uh, a, a full-time job if necessary, a, a client on retainer, whatever it is.

It might not feel like it makes all the difference 'cause it's not gonna solve all of your problems, but just getting something that drips in that's regular, that gives you a sense of like, "I am doing something that I know pays off literally, in money." That will help ease some of that pressure and get in touch with that part of you that you must be in touch with, which is, "I want to make this because I'm excited about it, because I care, because I would do it whether anybody would pay me or not." That is the heart of your practice.

And so it's hard for me to stay in tune with that, um, especially as I've monetized all my hobbies.

And yes, I feel sometimes very lucky and privileged t- to be in that scenario, but then sometimes I realize, unless I have something that I am willing to trade a little bit of sleep...

I am a big believer in sleep, so I'm not saying just don't sleep.

I'm just saying a little bit of sleep w- or a little bit of Netflix or a little bit of doom scrolling.

Like, what, what of those things that are easy to fall into and give your time to, little bit of vide- video games.

Am I, what am I willing to not play a video game for this month if I allow myself to do whatever creative thing I wanna do? That's a litmus test for me to like making sure I'm doing stuff that I would do whether I got paid to do it or not.

And this is especially true, especially relevant in times where the economy isn't great, which it's, it's not.

Um, because, like I said, if the pressure's on you, it's really, really hard to remember that.

And then if the pressure's not on you yet, let's say you haven't, maybe you never wanna make this your profession or, um, you're really far off from that, or you don't know if it's even possible.

Back in 2008 when we hit that recession, I had just graduated college, thankfully, luckily, [chuckles] into that recession.

And I'd had a lot of like little breaks, lots of little clients, a lot of positive momentum, and then it just kinda disappeared overnight.

And for a minute, you know, I got a job at the youth shelter juvenile detention center.

For the minute, for a minute, I took down my website.

I put up a under construction page, but I took down my website, and I really genuinely thought that I gave up on being an illustrator, um, because it just wasn't happening no ma- I tried.