RE: How Important is it to Find "Meaning" in Your Work?
I've been a stay at home mom for most of my adult life... and that doesn't pay well, financially, obviously. I am struggling to figure out what to do now that the kids are grown. As you say, creativity doesn't pay well. After spending 26 years at home my job prospects are low paying jobs that wouldn't cover much of anything, but I don't really have a lot of choices. Of course it also means that I don't have to make much at all with my creativity for it to make up for a 'regular' job that I could get. Therein lies the rub. My husband would prefer that I stay home and do what I love, even if it doesn't make much money... but I'm currently in a quandry over it. I would LOVE to make money doing something creative that I love and that I'm good at, I'm just not sure if I will find the right avenue before I am compelled to go get a 'normal' job to feel like I'm contributing financially.
Therein, indeed, lies the rub. I have been "formally" self-employed since the late 1990's and have had to re-invent what I do many times because it seems like the moment some "thing" actually becomes financially viable to do at home the world decides that it needs to go "mass market," at which point you end up no longer being able to make a living at it. Currently on my 7th rotation of going through that in 20 years.
Doing something creative for a living of any consequence is hard. I've been "doing eBay" for almost 20 years, and that has been the most consistent. WHAT you can actually make and sell of course varies.
That is so true. I've done small things here and there, but I know that I'm at least good at doing without and living on a very small income, even when we had 5 kids at home... so we're lucky in that I don't HAVE TO go work in order to make it, but it would be nice to have extra.
My mom has been a self employed artist for decades and paints on motorcycles. She makes good money, but is getting tired of all the travel. She just wants to stay home. Sadly, she was really REALLY bad at getting herself into debt, and not saving anything, so she has no choice now.
I'm trying to make good choices and find my "thing"... I have given myself a bit of a deadline to get to a point of making something $$$ wise consistently or I'll go get a job.