Paid for

For thousands of years, people made music because they wanted to. They made music because they could.

This is a modern notion that our art needs to be paid. To be clear: I am not saying artists shouldn’t get paid, they should.

What I am saying is no one owes you anything for doing something that brings joy and meaning to your life. No one owes you a living to share with them something that you are proud of.

Yes, we want a connection. The artist brings together the tribe. But that can also be separate from making a living to pay the rent. We have confused this idea if it doesn’t get paid, then it must not have value. That is so far from the truth. Because what’s good is subjective. What’s good is about taste. And just cause someone gets paid doesn’t mean they automatically are better.

The reason I bring this up is that the paycheck hangs us up so much from ever starting something. It is a trap of comparison.

Do it because you love it.