One of the most frequently-heard lines by young idealists such as myself is that “Your ideals can’t feed you.” We are taught that ideals are great when you are young and in school, but not when you are paying for bills, paying your taxes, and trying to climb up the corporate ladder or raise a family. No, at that stage in your life you don’t need ideals—you need money. Somehow, our society has taught us that if we are idealistic, then will be cursed with poverty.
If that were the case, then the idealistic, freelance “artist” that I am should be starving and homeless (and totally emaciated) by now.
However, as the Universe would have it, this quarter has been my busiest and my most liquid period in quite a while. (Certainly compared to the same period last year!) I have been contracted for projects that are not only profitable but also very much in line with my interests; I have been able to devote enough time, money, and energy to my socio-civic involvements (and work from cafés as often as I need to); and I’ve been able to afford my little luxuries as well. Oh, and there were the home and car repairs that Paul and I had to take care of as well. And the big party we had last month.
So far, the checks have been coming in steady streams for me, and the bookings have been coming in non-stop for Paul. (There are days when he has back-to-back-TO-BACK events—and, as of this writing, he has four out-of-town performances over the next four weeks!) All these when our ideals have been at their most intense, when our “for-the-love” involvements have been at an all-time high. All these when we should have been impoverished for banking on our ideals.
Now I totally, fully understand what it means to “Do what you love and the money will follow.” For both Paul and I, what we’re doing now is what we’d we doing anyway even if nobody paid us. I will continue to write, connect people, share ideas, and organize groups. He will continue to create music, experiment on new forms of expression, and raise the bar of his artmaking. Both of us will continue to stay tuned to the news, engage in political discussions, and take a stand when and where it is relevant and necessary.
Fortunately for us, other people seem to be seeing the value that our passion and our ideals bring into our work. Somehow, they see that this “value added” is worth paying for; it’s as if WE ourselves are becoming premium brand names. And, to a very large extent, that IS true—each of us is our own brand. It’s just a question of what our respective brands stand for and how others perceive and “valuate” our personal brands.
This reminds me of a new venture I’m working on with a friend based in London. She is an environmental scientist with an expertise in sustainable development, and our venture involves teaching corporations how to adapt to global standards in CSR (corporate social responsibility) practice and reporting. In the past few years, CSR has become all the rage in corporate boardrooms, and it’s easy to see why: people need to see what values, principles, and ideals you stand for before they feel comfortable enough to do business with you.
Working on this project has made me realize that, if I were a company, I’d probably have “CSR” written all over me. My freelance writing practice really stemmed from articles and blog entries that I used to write for free anyway. My organizational skills have been honed by years of involvement with volunteer groups. My political involvements began during my student council days in college, and they never really left. Everything that I’m doing now is anchored on something that I had begun doing just because I wanted to. And, somehow, they have all led to fruitful professional undertakings.
Even when I didn’t have money in mind, (above-board, untainted) money seemed to find me. I think it’s a pretty good way to live.
So the next time anyone comes up to me for career advice, I’d tell them: “Go ahead and do what you do best—what you’d do anyway even without getting paid. You’d be surprised how much people would be willing to pay you for that.”
And if you are one of those people who somehow believed enough in me to pay for what I’d do for free anyway, I thank the Universe for you.
If that were the case, then the idealistic, freelance “artist” that I am should be starving and homeless (and totally emaciated) by now.
However, as the Universe would have it, this quarter has been my busiest and my most liquid period in quite a while. (Certainly compared to the same period last year!) I have been contracted for projects that are not only profitable but also very much in line with my interests; I have been able to devote enough time, money, and energy to my socio-civic involvements (and work from cafés as often as I need to); and I’ve been able to afford my little luxuries as well. Oh, and there were the home and car repairs that Paul and I had to take care of as well. And the big party we had last month.
So far, the checks have been coming in steady streams for me, and the bookings have been coming in non-stop for Paul. (There are days when he has back-to-back-TO-BACK events—and, as of this writing, he has four out-of-town performances over the next four weeks!) All these when our ideals have been at their most intense, when our “for-the-love” involvements have been at an all-time high. All these when we should have been impoverished for banking on our ideals.
* * *
Now I totally, fully understand what it means to “Do what you love and the money will follow.” For both Paul and I, what we’re doing now is what we’d we doing anyway even if nobody paid us. I will continue to write, connect people, share ideas, and organize groups. He will continue to create music, experiment on new forms of expression, and raise the bar of his artmaking. Both of us will continue to stay tuned to the news, engage in political discussions, and take a stand when and where it is relevant and necessary.
Fortunately for us, other people seem to be seeing the value that our passion and our ideals bring into our work. Somehow, they see that this “value added” is worth paying for; it’s as if WE ourselves are becoming premium brand names. And, to a very large extent, that IS true—each of us is our own brand. It’s just a question of what our respective brands stand for and how others perceive and “valuate” our personal brands.
* * *
This reminds me of a new venture I’m working on with a friend based in London. She is an environmental scientist with an expertise in sustainable development, and our venture involves teaching corporations how to adapt to global standards in CSR (corporate social responsibility) practice and reporting. In the past few years, CSR has become all the rage in corporate boardrooms, and it’s easy to see why: people need to see what values, principles, and ideals you stand for before they feel comfortable enough to do business with you.
Working on this project has made me realize that, if I were a company, I’d probably have “CSR” written all over me. My freelance writing practice really stemmed from articles and blog entries that I used to write for free anyway. My organizational skills have been honed by years of involvement with volunteer groups. My political involvements began during my student council days in college, and they never really left. Everything that I’m doing now is anchored on something that I had begun doing just because I wanted to. And, somehow, they have all led to fruitful professional undertakings.
Even when I didn’t have money in mind, (above-board, untainted) money seemed to find me. I think it’s a pretty good way to live.
So the next time anyone comes up to me for career advice, I’d tell them: “Go ahead and do what you do best—what you’d do anyway even without getting paid. You’d be surprised how much people would be willing to pay you for that.”
And if you are one of those people who somehow believed enough in me to pay for what I’d do for free anyway, I thank the Universe for you.
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