So funny to read this post now. My favorite artist is now publishing mainly on substack and letting her YouTube channel (dare I go so far as to say) wither. I've been pondering the wisdom of this choice. She started her YouTube channel a number of years ago as a way to build a community and share her artistic journey. I have watched her since nearly the beginning. She has truly blossomed in terms of skill with the value of her work soaring over the last few years. Recently she is working on a coffee table book, has posted (paid) recorded lessons, is making her own products, has affiliate links, and on and on now. Although happy for her success, I wonder about the "mission creep". What drew her to us was sharing this journey. Now she seems to be chasing monetization first and not primarily how to live an artistic life that brings her joy. Has she accomplished what she wanted or has what she wants changed, or is she being distracted by new and shiny objects and the money they bring? From her recent videos, I think the latter. She keeps talking about wanting to find the joy again and to have time. Would she be better served focusing on creating than these other time and energy sucking activities even though they appear successful?
My bosses' wife once said to me that money follows passion and I still hold that to be wholly true. You can't fake you. You can't replicate or duplicate you. I believe the more you you can allow yourself to be, the more successful you will be.
Right before reading your post, I had written a note to my future self based on this thought to remind myself, an aspiring working artist, that one day, with any luck, I will be at these same crossroads that she is at and will need to ask myself if I am chasing after the right thing. A reminder to keep my eye on the prize. The prize is not the money; it's being able to share the most you you can, effectively through your medium of choice. The money follows that realness, that human expression, even though it seems the other way around sometimes.
Another way of thinking about it... After a recent health issue, I had the realization that when faced with opposing options like surgery or wait and see, even when doctors strongly advocated waiting, I leaned towards surgery because surgery is an action. It feels like I am doing something. Waiting and seeing feels like inaction.
It is an act of faith. Faith is hard. Waiting is hard. Believing and trusting is hard. You have young kids and a family and feel the pressures of that responsibility, Kyle. Do you really need to act or do you need to grow your faith and trust? That's a hard one.
So funny to read this post now. My favorite artist is now publishing mainly on substack and letting her YouTube channel (dare I go so far as to say) wither. I've been pondering the wisdom of this choice. She started her YouTube channel a number of years ago as a way to build a community and share her artistic journey. I have watched her since nearly the beginning. She has truly blossomed in terms of skill with the value of her work soaring over the last few years. Recently she is working on a coffee table book, has posted (paid) recorded lessons, is making her own products, has affiliate links, and on and on now. Although happy for her success, I wonder about the "mission creep". What drew her to us was sharing this journey. Now she seems to be chasing monetization first and not primarily how to live an artistic life that brings her joy. Has she accomplished what she wanted or has what she wants changed, or is she being distracted by new and shiny objects and the money they bring? From her recent videos, I think the latter. She keeps talking about wanting to find the joy again and to have time. Would she be better served focusing on creating than these other time and energy sucking activities even though they appear successful?
My bosses' wife once said to me that money follows passion and I still hold that to be wholly true. You can't fake you. You can't replicate or duplicate you. I believe the more you you can allow yourself to be, the more successful you will be.
Right before reading your post, I had written a note to my future self based on this thought to remind myself, an aspiring working artist, that one day, with any luck, I will be at these same crossroads that she is at and will need to ask myself if I am chasing after the right thing. A reminder to keep my eye on the prize. The prize is not the money; it's being able to share the most you you can, effectively through your medium of choice. The money follows that realness, that human expression, even though it seems the other way around sometimes.
Another way of thinking about it... After a recent health issue, I had the realization that when faced with opposing options like surgery or wait and see, even when doctors strongly advocated waiting, I leaned towards surgery because surgery is an action. It feels like I am doing something. Waiting and seeing feels like inaction.
It is an act of faith. Faith is hard. Waiting is hard. Believing and trusting is hard. You have young kids and a family and feel the pressures of that responsibility, Kyle. Do you really need to act or do you need to grow your faith and trust? That's a hard one.