What if...

What if there was a better way? Or a different way?


For some time, I’ve been plagued with intense difficulty surrounding art, my “calling” to it. What if I’ve put myself in a box? What if I am free to explore different methods of making art? What if I’ve never been meant to make a living off my art - what if it was merely a way to express the deepest parts of my soul?


What if we don’t need to monetize every little thing that we are good at? What if constantly hustling is the road to burnout? And especially for me, what if the IDEA of constantly finding ways to earn money from my art causes burnout?


There has GOT to be another way than what we’ve been led to believe is THE way. The constant hustle, the constant social media campaigns, all of that - that works for some people, but what if we’re not all wired for that?


What if I’M not wired for that?


What if I could just let go of what I THINK I should be doing - because that has eaten so much of my life; the idea that I should be finding ways to monetize what I do. Do I need more money? Absolutely! I have a mountain of debt that will NEVER be paid off, no matter what I do (save for some miracle of the Lord).


What if I could just let go of the idea that I am supposed to pursue one type of art. What if I could let go and follow the desire to create wherever it takes me? That might mean I will never master one thing. Can I be okay with that? What is the purpose of my life? It’s not to make money off of art, that’s for sure. I have a spiritual purpose the frees me from the traps and methods of the world. I don’t have to do things the way everyone else does.


What does that look like? No idea. I am going to spend time exploring that. All I know is that the way things are “supposed” to be done just doesn’t work for me. The idea of being a slave to the Almighty Algorithm has been exhausting and I haven’t even DONE anything with it. I think the first steps for me is to figure out why I love making art in the first place, again. And to find what methods of art I enjoy the most. I may end up using social media to share my work, but it will be on my terms, the algorithm be damned.