At Artform we are entrepreneurs at heart. I worked tuning ski's in Big Bear one year so I could snowboard for free, and our co-founder delivered pizzas in High School. Aside from that we've pretty much done our own thing for our entire lives, give or take a few odd ventures here and there.
By far a common theme people like Gary Vaynerchuck and other motivational influencers are asked about is work life balance. It took me a long time to realize that in life you get one go around, and if you are even asking the question about work life balance, that's a problem.
The average American works 40-50 hours per week, and sleeps about 50 hours per week. If you add in driving time and errands, basically we only 'live' about 1/3 of the time. So if you're lucky enough to live until you're 90, you get to 'live' for 30 years.
The bottom line is, there is no work life balance, there's just life.
Basquiat (Fallen Angel)
Start with the Art
The common objection is that you have to make money, and so you have to work. Yes, and Yes. But that doesn't mean you have to hate what you are doing. What art form do you enjoy providing to the world? Teaching, writing, designing, selling, cooking, crafting, building are all forms of art depending on your point of view.
So instead of starting with what makes sense, start with the art. Move toward your art and provide value to other people. People will always be willing to pay you for providing them value. In contrast, many people slog through their obligations providing no value and wonder why they aren't getting paid more.
In skateboarding for example, certain guys make more that others regardless of their skateboarding ability. The reason is that they provide value to their sponsors. They are outspoken advocates of the brand, they rep and they rep hard. Those are the guys that make money. It doesn't matter how good someone rides a skateboard if they don't talk about your brand, promote your brand, and ultimately generate sales for your brand.
This goes for any industry. But if you dread going to work everyday and hate what you do, you will never be able to provide maximum value and make maximum cash. Take the time to seek out what you want to do first, then figure out a way to provide value to others doing the thing that you love.
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