If you’ve spoken with any number of creative people for any length of time, you’ll hear some refrain of, “I love doing this and wish it were my job,” or, “I’m working towards making a living at this,” or, “If only I could make enough money to live on doing this.” It’s a terrific dream…we’re all told that we should find the things we’re passionate about and try to make them into a profession. The old adage, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” has to come from somewhere, after all.

However, quite often the same people who bemoan the fact that they’re not making art for a living will frequently stop making any art at all, and when pressed, will say that they don’t have the energy, or aren’t inspired, or aren’t in the right mindset to get creative work done. There doesn’t seem to be any cognitive dissonance in stating that you want to make art into your livelihood and at the same time stop making art when it becomes less fun and more work.

I think a lot of creative folks mistake the fact that most of our art is made without a schedule, without pressure, and the ability to start and stop whenever we want as excellent working conditions. Obviously, work would be a lot easier to deal with if we only had to do it while inspired, or when we felt at our best, or when time and energy were at their peaks. This is quite frequently not the case.

Work is not something we often have the luxury of choosing to do when we want to. Our livelihoods depend on us putting ourselves in the mindset of getting the job done, despite whatever outside circumstances hinder us on a daily basis.

So am I saying that artists should continue making their art, even if it’s uninspired, a slog, or it’s not fun? Yes! Great art comes not just because it’s done in optimal conditions, by people who are happy, with maximum enthusiasm and unlimited time and resources. Often, we create brilliant, innovative solutions to problems at work simply because we don’t have a choice but to continue working at it. Why can’t the same be said of our art? If we want art to be our profession, then shouldn’t at least some of the time we spend on it feel like a job?

Get to work.