![]() But even those who are commercially successful in creative fields often lament the disconnect between what it is like to do their jobs and how society views their life and work. This seems to ring especially true in creative fields, where these days selling art is less likely to be considered “selling out” than self-actualization. If we’re good at it and we love it, we should definitely sell it. And every time we feel beholden to capitalize on the rare places where our skills and our joy intersect, we underline the idea that financial gain is the ultimate pursuit. Of following our dreams until the end, and then pushing ourselves more. This framework has carried through to adulthood, but now, instead of conjuring a Richard Scarry-esque image of happily occupying my time doing things I love, it reinforces the idea that my attention belongs more rightfully on profit than on pleasure. When I was a kid, I often heard the phrase, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Like many millennials - who are now of course accused of wanting too much in terms of job satisfaction and security - I was encouraged to view any of my interests or talents as a possible career. “You can do something you love, just because you love it.” ( When did I become Ask Polly?) And suddenly the sentence that both of us needed to hear came out of my mouth: “You don’t have to monetize your joy.” “Everyone keeps telling me I should, but I just wouldn’t know where to start.” I recognized the look of a woman suddenly overwhelmed by people’s expectations of her. Do you have an Etsy shop or…?” And suddenly, it was like all the light went out of the room. And something about the way she touched the hem made me ask if she made it, and if she was beaming before, now she was radiant: “Yes!” she replied. “Thanks, it has pockets!” she replied, because of course it did. Rendered in a warm, dusky orange and a just-revealing-enough neckline, it hugged every curve of the cousin of the groom as we chatted. Ast year, at a friend’s wedding, I sat across from the perfect dress. ![]()
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