I fell into a wormhole and accidentally jumped back in time. I had a short audience with my younger self, this is what it looked like (translated from French if course). Hopefully, you’ll get some value from this 😁

Younger me: I have to forget what I enjoy, it’s impossible to make money at it.

Current me: That may be true right now. But things evolve. Right now you think you couldn’t make a living gaming, or broadcasting your views on the internet. You think you can’t produce and sell music without a professional studio and a label. You think you can’t write and sell a book without a publisher.
But guess what? It’s all possible in my timeline.

YM: Ok. But just because it might happen doesn’t mean it will.

CM: True. But even if doing what you enjoy never feeds you materially, it does feed your soul, doesn’t it? It brings you joy. Makes you feel alive. This hasn’t changed in decades. At this point it’s safe to assume this will be the case for as long as you live.

Why deprive yourself of such a healthy source of highs?

YM: When will I find the time to do both what I need to do and what I enjoy doing?

CM: It won’t be easy but it’s possible. Doing what you must do but don’t enjoy will typically take a lot of your day. But setting aside even 10 mns doing what you love will energise you in the long run. View this as part of your self care. Without self care you will fall apart sooner.

The key is to do a little regularly. Daily if possible.

YM: Maybe. I’m not that good at my art anyway. I wish I was better, I’d enjoy it more and be more consistent.

CM: Everybody sucks at first. At least a bit. It’s a process. You must practice consistently.

By being consistent, you will become more competent. By being more competent you will become more confident.
And I bet you won’t need encouragement to practice your art after that!

One last thing before I jump back to my timeline.

When you have some traction, gain some popularity, don’t take it for granted. Trends are fickle. Whether you focus on monetizing your art or monetising your skills on the job market, you have to put some thought into staying relevant, reinventing yourself if need be. Never be complacent.
There is no escaping work, whatever you do. Be at peace with that.

Now go get em!

R.