I love this post! It is precisely what I’ve been feeling lately with all the noise of monetising every aspect of one’s life! The 9-5 steady income as the first pillar is not only wise, it gives room to test the new ideas. To allow for the seeds to grow into seedlings and later trees. To give back breathing space!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!! And enjoy that beautiful freshly ground coffee!!!
There is a reason why I've not turned on the monetisation features and I am happy with that. Don't want to turn writing into a job. I write because I enjoy it (most of the time anyway lol).
I do work as a cook, 5 evenings out of 7, every week. And as you said, the kitchen is my patron.
Plus, I get to make real food with my hands, to feed real people -as if IRL
I too have written a small declaration on my substack, about the same thing you're talking here, and hung it up, front-page, under the title 'Why I Don’t Offer Paid Subscriptions'.
And to be honest, by putting this little manifesto out there, I freed myself.
Philipp, at one point I thought i was reading an article I've written. Especially the zoom call idea death and the coffee shop ownership. 😄 cheers. Beautiful one.
It is so refreshing having read something that you can tell is coming from a place of passion and artistry rather than trying to sell something. Well done.
Wonderful and compassionate analysis of the drive that many writers and other artists have to say what they have to say while they are still on the planet. Many of us just want to express our experiences and share our hopes and our unique dreams with others. And as you say, here come the vultures, insisting that we turn those dreams into coin. I forget who it was that said this: “we have art not to die of the truth.” Thank you so much for the permission to make art.
I restacked this with a Note. I also want you to know that what you are saying here matters. I came to Substack to find a place where I could put my writing so I could hold myself accountable to some of the intentions I had set for myself. I have a small group of friends and family who follow me here. I do not monetize — I did that years ago when I was crocheting scarves and I started doing craft fairs. I met amazing people, I had a blast, I did not make anything resembled a profit, and it took the fun out of crocheting. When I started paper crafting, I started doing greeting cards and immediately looked for a place to donate them. Lesson learned.
I can't really expend much effort, I am perpetually tired nowadays.
But, one: I love your title, I know you know what you did and I literally was here for it. And you didn't fail to deliver even much more than I expected.
In your whole narration about the brief desire to monetive your specialty coffee pleasure, I discovered something. In our effort to monetive and do what we love in the chase for money, we end not doing what we love. Like, for you, a great deal of joy comes from the process of making your specialty coffee but if you turn it into a business, a great deal of what you do won't be the process or enjoying the process of making your specialty coffee.
Do you get me? Like if I love sugar and get into the sugar manufacturing business and let's say the CEO. A great deal of what I would be doing will involve a lot of paper work and the politiking and the intrigue of professionally whoring (sorry) myself to clients and investors rather than actually loving the sugar.
It is a lot of curious. And maybe more concerns chosing a career tailored to yourself than this article, but I find it interesting and got it from something you said.
Thank you again for the enlightening piece. (I am gasping and sweating right now, that was alot)
I don't get how people monetize their writings and still call it a hobby( there is an exception.. I mean there are people who write full time those people are excepted)...
But for some of us who are developing writers putting your work under a pay wall can make us tired.
You try to please the algorithm and then you wonder if what you built from scratch was worth it....
Yes! I began as a fine art photographer, but eventually became a commercial photographer. It has been a great job, but sadly, I have not created any fine art portraits in months. Thank you for reminding me to create just for the sake of creating.
I stepped away from art as a full time career after a decade because I had to face the fact that I like nice things and being a successful artist selling a handful of $5k paintings a year was still living in poverty. I put art on the back burner to get behind something that fulfilled the matrix of what I’m good at, get well paid for, is needed in the world and that I enjoy doing. With the pressure off art I’ve finally started to feel the tingle of creativity again, this time in its purest form, like you said, and in the style that’s the most fun for me. Who’da thunk it? ☺️😉
I love this post! It is precisely what I’ve been feeling lately with all the noise of monetising every aspect of one’s life! The 9-5 steady income as the first pillar is not only wise, it gives room to test the new ideas. To allow for the seeds to grow into seedlings and later trees. To give back breathing space!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!! And enjoy that beautiful freshly ground coffee!!!
Very much so I find Philpee always hits the spot,,he reaches fully into how many feel but are afraid to say.
Because your job carries the burden of paying the mortgage and buying the groceries, your creativity is fully free. 👏🏾
There is a reason why I've not turned on the monetisation features and I am happy with that. Don't want to turn writing into a job. I write because I enjoy it (most of the time anyway lol).
I appreciate what you say and how you say it. Thanks
Idk. Monetizing your passion seems awesome to me.
Especially if you can monetize the byproducts, not the core. For ex. Instead of opening a coffee shop, you write about your love for coffee.
It seems awesome in theory. Have you tried monetizing your passion and making a living from it?
I have and I had success with it. I think it’s everything!
But of course just like everything in life, it comes with ups and downs.
I see it this way too.
I do work as a cook, 5 evenings out of 7, every week. And as you said, the kitchen is my patron.
Plus, I get to make real food with my hands, to feed real people -as if IRL
I too have written a small declaration on my substack, about the same thing you're talking here, and hung it up, front-page, under the title 'Why I Don’t Offer Paid Subscriptions'.
And to be honest, by putting this little manifesto out there, I freed myself.
Glad you're voicing this as well!
🙏
Philipp, at one point I thought i was reading an article I've written. Especially the zoom call idea death and the coffee shop ownership. 😄 cheers. Beautiful one.
I "monetized" two previous hobbies which resulted in most of my joy getting sucked out of them. I won't repeat this mistake with my writing hobby.
It is so refreshing having read something that you can tell is coming from a place of passion and artistry rather than trying to sell something. Well done.
Sometimes, you just need to be left alone with the things you enjoy.
But, there’s a switch even in me, to always think about somehow making money of everything I do.
Maybe it’s not mean to be like that.
Nothing is more beautiful than the truth. It skips the noise and goes straight to the heart.
Wonderful and compassionate analysis of the drive that many writers and other artists have to say what they have to say while they are still on the planet. Many of us just want to express our experiences and share our hopes and our unique dreams with others. And as you say, here come the vultures, insisting that we turn those dreams into coin. I forget who it was that said this: “we have art not to die of the truth.” Thank you so much for the permission to make art.
I restacked this with a Note. I also want you to know that what you are saying here matters. I came to Substack to find a place where I could put my writing so I could hold myself accountable to some of the intentions I had set for myself. I have a small group of friends and family who follow me here. I do not monetize — I did that years ago when I was crocheting scarves and I started doing craft fairs. I met amazing people, I had a blast, I did not make anything resembled a profit, and it took the fun out of crocheting. When I started paper crafting, I started doing greeting cards and immediately looked for a place to donate them. Lesson learned.
In the spirit of no low-effort, here this:
I can't really expend much effort, I am perpetually tired nowadays.
But, one: I love your title, I know you know what you did and I literally was here for it. And you didn't fail to deliver even much more than I expected.
In your whole narration about the brief desire to monetive your specialty coffee pleasure, I discovered something. In our effort to monetive and do what we love in the chase for money, we end not doing what we love. Like, for you, a great deal of joy comes from the process of making your specialty coffee but if you turn it into a business, a great deal of what you do won't be the process or enjoying the process of making your specialty coffee.
Do you get me? Like if I love sugar and get into the sugar manufacturing business and let's say the CEO. A great deal of what I would be doing will involve a lot of paper work and the politiking and the intrigue of professionally whoring (sorry) myself to clients and investors rather than actually loving the sugar.
It is a lot of curious. And maybe more concerns chosing a career tailored to yourself than this article, but I find it interesting and got it from something you said.
Thank you again for the enlightening piece. (I am gasping and sweating right now, that was alot)
Philip creates eye opening peaces on susbstack.
He tells you the right thing at all times.
I don't get how people monetize their writings and still call it a hobby( there is an exception.. I mean there are people who write full time those people are excepted)...
But for some of us who are developing writers putting your work under a pay wall can make us tired.
You try to please the algorithm and then you wonder if what you built from scratch was worth it....
Yes! I began as a fine art photographer, but eventually became a commercial photographer. It has been a great job, but sadly, I have not created any fine art portraits in months. Thank you for reminding me to create just for the sake of creating.
I stepped away from art as a full time career after a decade because I had to face the fact that I like nice things and being a successful artist selling a handful of $5k paintings a year was still living in poverty. I put art on the back burner to get behind something that fulfilled the matrix of what I’m good at, get well paid for, is needed in the world and that I enjoy doing. With the pressure off art I’ve finally started to feel the tingle of creativity again, this time in its purest form, like you said, and in the style that’s the most fun for me. Who’da thunk it? ☺️😉