These wise words are from the section "Your Day Job" on pages 152 - 154.
"...over the years, I have watched so many other people murder their creativity by demanding that their art pay the bills. I've seen artists drive themselves broke and crazy because of this insistence that they are not legitimate creators unless they can exclusively live off their creativity...
I've always felt this is so cruel to your work—to demand a regular paycheck from it, as if creativity were a government job, or a trust fund. Look, if you can manage to live comfortable off your inspiration forever, that's fantastic. That's everyone's dream, right? But don't let that dream turn into a nightmare. Financial demands can put so much pressure on the delicacies and vagaries of inspiration. You must be smart about providing for yourself.
...You can look after yourself in this world while looking after your creativity at the same time—just as people have done for ages.
...So many times I have longed to say to stressed-out, financially strapped artists, "Just take the pressure off yourself, dude, and get a job!"
There's no dishonor in having a job. What is dishonorable is scaring away your creativity by demanding that it pay for your entire existence."
- Elizabeth Gilbert
Illustrate and Write On,
Lee
1 comment:
I love this book. I listen to the audio all the time. And it's so true, there's so much to gain inspiration for your work whether your writing or painting then living a regular life I think, meeting characters and seeing new sites to illustrate. IDK it works for me. I like to have a day job although someday it would be nice to have a life at home where I can just be creative. I kind of like Tim Ferris's model of lifestyle design. Thanks for sharing and helping me remember I'm on the right path!
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