If there is one thing I have learned about jobs and careers over the past year, it's that every art form has it's business and every artist struggles to make a space for creativity within that business. The bottom line of a yoga studio, massage therapy clinic, advertising agency, television studio, bed and breakfast, and anything else not run by the government is how many people have we made contact with today and how much money did we bring in?
Yoga teachers just want to help people find inner peace. Chefs just want to cook interesting food. Writers just want to tell a story. Graphic designers just want to create catchy images. All these people simply want to do what they're passionate about. However, because everything is run by money, each creative endeavor has its business (deadlines, budgets, red tape, quotas, and demanding customers). Therefore, I have reached the following conclusions:
1) Success = learning the business of your field.
2) Business must come first and fulfilling your creative expression has to come second.
3) You have to be Michelangelo and chip your creativity into the business "rock" little by little. It's not easy or fun, but you will eventually get a Statue of David.
4) In finding a career, it comes down to the question, "Which business do you want to learn?" and possibly, "Which business will let you best utilize your talents (after you learn the business, of course)?"
I am working on number 4 at the moment. While suspects have been identified, the jury is still out.
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