Being Paid to Create

There can be a real tension between knowing your talent and finding a way to make a living from it. 

Let me clarify upfront that I absolutely believe artists should be paid for their craft. We don’t expect pilots to fly us for free, mechanics to fix our car at no cost, or dentists to do freebie teeth cleanings. 

For the artist, I think there are two categories that have some cross-over, but aren’t the same. The first category includes full-time jobs we do for a living and work-for-hire projects we do for extra income. For these, we are being paid for our professional skills. The second category involves the pursuit of dreams and ideas we sense God inviting us to explore with him. For these, the pressure to make our art profitable could actually cloud our motive or add pressure to justify it financially. 

The answer isn’t to demand these passion projects earn their place by being profitable…especially early on. It’s helpful in these cases to find another revenue stream so your art can simply be a stream of enjoyment. Because the reality is there’s no guarantee of income from these God-sparked initiatives. Those who love to paint may need to build decks to pay the bills. And those who savor deck building may need to paint for income. 

I’m not encouraging you to think less of your art…but rather to think more of it. Pursue it no matter what. Yes, we all have to make a living. But at our deepest level, we don't create because we're paid to do so, but because we're born to do so.

This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).

Want More?
Order your copy of The Story of With today