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!!!
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.
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 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....
I'm still doing the day job before I get my spiritual counselling and consulting services up and running.
I am a carer at a 70-bed care home, seeking to offer something to many who have been placed there—some because the children want the house so they can sell it,
others because their families could no longer care for them as their dementia became too much to manage.
During the hot days you sweat all day, not allowed to wear shorts or sandals, and must remain in full uniform.
I serve them as I hope to serve those I one day counsel: 100% focused on them, fully present, and truly with them, no matter the weather or how I am feeling.
Further, I have been a guitarist for over 20 years, with what many have told me is one of the best ears they have encountered. I was never able to learn theory—it is a language that has forever eluded me.
My wife and others have often said,
"You should do that for a living. You could offer lessons or play on people's recordings."
I am also a wonderful cook.
The problem with both is that they are like your coffee. Just as you will never grind beans for your own coffee empire, I shall not be cooking for a living.
The guitar, however... maybe—maybe—that is possible, as I have a very different approach. But the first project remains the goal at the moment.
Many thanks, as ever, Philpee, for another wonderful, truthful, factual, and reality-check read.
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.
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!
🙏
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).
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....
You do do what you preach.
I will check out that.
Marvellous piece by the way, it is incredible.
Indeed, my friend.
I'm still doing the day job before I get my spiritual counselling and consulting services up and running.
I am a carer at a 70-bed care home, seeking to offer something to many who have been placed there—some because the children want the house so they can sell it,
others because their families could no longer care for them as their dementia became too much to manage.
During the hot days you sweat all day, not allowed to wear shorts or sandals, and must remain in full uniform.
I serve them as I hope to serve those I one day counsel: 100% focused on them, fully present, and truly with them, no matter the weather or how I am feeling.
Further, I have been a guitarist for over 20 years, with what many have told me is one of the best ears they have encountered. I was never able to learn theory—it is a language that has forever eluded me.
My wife and others have often said,
"You should do that for a living. You could offer lessons or play on people's recordings."
I am also a wonderful cook.
The problem with both is that they are like your coffee. Just as you will never grind beans for your own coffee empire, I shall not be cooking for a living.
The guitar, however... maybe—maybe—that is possible, as I have a very different approach. But the first project remains the goal at the moment.
Many thanks, as ever, Philpee, for another wonderful, truthful, factual, and reality-check read.