I wrestle with this idea. More so then ever in this year I’m coming into my forties though I’ve struggled with it all my life.

In my first 25 years the questions were two.

Who am I?

&

What am I good at?

In my 40th year and it’s down to one question.

How can I leverage my craft to gain freedom?

I wasted a lot of time on wondering who I was instead of acknowledging I already knew that by the time I was sixteen. So what was the hang up?

I was obsessed with my passions and not focused on finding and perfecting a craft.

Passion

A thing that feels good doing it that may or not yield the equal exchange of value for the time spent in the activity.

And Craft

I speak of craft in the meaning of a trade that your obsessed with perfecting that has a benefit of a exchange of resources or money or something of value.

Art is a subjective value. Craft has a defining or definitive value a needed valuable service or produced goods.

Some times passion or art can lead to an exchange of value. What is the leading factor for passion to be turned into high value exchange?

The fuck I know.

Maybe blind luck? You never know for sure because again passion or art is subjective value or if you can brain wash people into being addicted to a certain art or medium then you can have instant value because of the dopinmine effect.

Examples:

Social media

Music

The list goes on.

I’m NOT interested in being a poor artist that is obsessed with the art and potential for equal exchange for value. I have a craft that has earned me money on a consistent range for me to Allocate time to the mastering of it and growth in the value it gives others and can gain from it.

Fiction writing ain’t it. So why do it? For the fans of course. For people that say they like my shit or find a value in it and mainly for my own entertainment and for someone to steal elements for their own creations.

I am a realist. I’m not the best writer/blogger. It is what it is. I have a voice and a interest in entertaining others and myself. That’s the artist side me.

The craftsman or tradesman side of me is all about getting proof that what I’m doing holds value enough for people to pay for it. I got to pay bills and I got to position myself for now and my future self.

Conclusion: I would rather be great at my craft and entertaining enough for a like for my art.

Warm Regards 

Guardiandogg