I wrote about this topic in the past but I decided to approach it again because it represents a problem more and more people have, especially content creators, artists who use their minds to create something beautiful, that can't exactly be used in the physical world, but that is necessary to everyone who enjoys it.
I decided to write again about this topic because there's a general belief people have, that artists and people who do what they love shouldn't be paid. I understand where this comes from, but I don't understand why it's still here, and why people still have those kind of beliefs when society evolved so much.
A while ago, and even today in a lot of cases, if you want to get money you need to work, physically. You need to go to a job you hate, and you need to stay there for more than 8 hours doing something you'd rather not do, in order to get a certain amount of money at the end of the month that you can use to pay your bills, buy the food you can afford to survive, and maybe spend some on things you like.
That's the "basic" life most people live and sadly, that's the life most people believe to be normal. Wake up, go to a job you hate, spend 8 hours there, come home, watch TV or play video games for 4 or 5 hours, go to sleep and repeat. The reason so many people believe this is the way to live it's because it's easy. It's easy to just do those things, to do what you're told and to get some money for it.
But it's different when it comes to people who decide not to follow the rules, and to do what they love. We see them all the time now that we have access to internet. They are YouTubers, bloggers, game developers, writers, web designers and developers, graphic designers, people working all kind of jobs that a long time ago weren't considered to be enough to live a decent life.
A while ago some people were lucky to do what they wanted well enough to be paid for it, but those were exceptions. However, now that most people have access to internet, a lot of them realized they can do other things rather than go to a job they hate, things they enjoy, and even be paid for that. That's how entrepreneurs and freelancers appeared, at least in the online world.
Sadly, there is still a huge mount of people who believe those who have fun working, doing what they love, shouldn't be paid. There are a lot of people believing that if you play video games and you post videos with you doing that on YouTube, you shouldn't get any money for it. They don't care that you need to spend hours and hours editing videos, working with software they wouldn't be able to ever use, trying to entertain people while also making sure to create high quality content in order to make those who follow you happy.
It's really hard work, and if you take only one day to do what a YouTuber does for months, you'll start to have more respect for them and you'll realize that playing video games is just a really small part of what they do.
Same with writers. It's easy to look at someone who writes on a personal blog or for websites like Steemit and think "Pfff, he shouldn't be paid, he's spending time in front of his computer, writing! That's not work!".
Of course it is. Most people who believe writing takes no effort and that everybody would be able to do it, clearly have no idea what intellectual work actually is. If anyone could be a writer then all the people who wrote at least once in a blog should be rich, and everyone out there should be able to write books like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, etc.
I don't see those kind of books being published every single day. I don't see writers getting successful over night all the time. What I see are people writing dozens of books before getting lots of money, working for years trying to get something good out there, and doing their best to not give up no matter how hard it gets.
If you ever wrote something that has more than 10 pages, you know how hard it is. Maybe writing itself isn't such a complex thing, but what comes next is extremely annoying. Having to read your work multiple times, always editing and changing, always adding new things and removing parts you hate.
I wrote a fantasy story a few weeks ago, and I never got the time to focus on it and try to make it better. This week I finally got the time and I started reading it and changing little things. I thought I'd be done in a day. It actually took me 3 days to edit everything, and I got to the conclusion that I should just write all the ideas down on paper and rewrite it, because it's not as good as I want it to be.
All the people out there who had to work, at least once, using their brain, know the struggle of trying to create something that is as good as it can be and not being able to do things just the way they imagine. It requires work, dedication, and a lot of determination to not give up when things fail.
So, after all this, my question is - should you be ashamed of working for money? Should you avoid telling the truth when you're asked that question? Should you hide and try your best to not make contact with other people just to avoid similar questions, and to let everyone think you do everything you do because you have a passion, and money it's something that just magically appears?
Of course not! You're working, you're putting in effort, and you're using a tool most people out there have no idea how to use - your brain. Just because you like what you do doesn't mean you should not be paid for it. I enjoy writing, and I enjoy creating design packages, but it doesn't mean I do it for free. I write on Steemit because it gives me the possibility to make some money and make my dream reality, and I publish my design packages on websites like Graphic River and Creative Market hoping to get some money for what I do almost every single day.
I'm not ashamed of that, and you shouldn't be either. You are creating content, and that's enough reason to get something for your effort. Of course, there are multiple factors that come into play, multiple things that need to be taken into consideration. If you create garbage, and if you don't spend more than a few minutes working, not creating anything useful, then you shouldn't be surprised you're getting nothing out of your "hard work".
But if you do invest time into what you're passionate about, if you do work as much as you can to create something people can enjoy and if you do use your brain to do amazing things not a lot of people are capable of doing, then you shouldn't be ashamed of being paid to do all that. You should do your best to make sure you have everything you need to continue your work, and if that means you'll need to openly say you work for money, so be it.
Your work is valuable to you, and if you're doing something great, it means it's valuable to other people as well. There's no reason why you shouldn't be rewarded for that, in order to keep doing what you do. Never be ashamed of working for money, and never be ashamed of being paid for your work. If people are willing to give you money just to keep doing what you do, then it means you're doing something amazing.
For me it is fear of failure. It takes a lot of cajones to walk away from something that provides me with a comfortable living. I really admire those that have and became successful. One of these day though....
Just keep working and trying, and you'll get there! Thanks for the comment :)
Never be ashamed of working for money and never be irresponsible. If you are only responsible for yourself, then you have the freedom to choose your lifestyle. When there are others who are counting on you that is another story. "When you get older your heart dies" Breakfast Club. I do read your articles. I am a father, just like your father, sometimes I am just working for the money because of the love for family. I read a get quote once, "to be a man is to learn self denial". But you are young, follow the dream, remember there may be a day that you must work just for the money, but perhaps that day is not today.
My father works indeed for money only, and I don't "blame" him for that, I just pointed out how he chose to do that at a time when he didn't have to work for anyone but himself, just like my entire family who decided to not do something they liked just so they can get the money they wanted faster. Thank you for your comment! :)
I get it, follow your dream, and that I absolutely encourage. We live in very different times. Old structures are being torn apart, but new ones are being built. Build your own new structures.
Totally with you. I thank my lucky stars every day that I llive in a wealthy country and am able to pursue my hobbies and try to monetize them. Not everyone is so lucky!