Written by Karen D. Swim
William “Paul” Young is a writer and now thanks to viral word of marketing, and a little help from a friend he is a published best selling author. Young’s story is told in the February edition of Writer’s Digest and is aptly titled Cinderella Story. How many aspiring artists dream of doing what they love and being wildly successful at it?
Young calls himself an “accidental writer.” He views writing as an expression and never pursued it as profession. He gave his work to friends and family as gits. One gift, The Shack, launched his accidental publishing career, selling 3.8 million copies. He did not toil for years, query publishers and agents, and suffer rejection. No, Young simply wrote because he loved it and one of his books just happened to take off.
The “accidental writer” may or may not pen another novel. He is not under contract and doesn’t feel the pressure to produce another blockbuster. He will always write because he loves it.
Young’s story reads like a dream come true, and on the surface seems to lend credence to the modern day mantra of pursuing passion as profession. Entire industries have sprung up teaching people how to pursue and profit from their passion. But is that always the best course?
For many, when passion becomes a job complete with deadlines, loss of creative control and administrative duties it quickly turns from dream to nightmare.
“I am so over puppies running through fields of daisies,” he proclaimed as his lip turned slightly upward. I examined his face closely unable to pinpoint his age. There was a hardened wisdom that seemed out of sync with his generational references. An accomplished photographer who was “living the dream” was long over the youthful love affair of “art as job.”
Mike the photographer has a new dream of creating a business that frees him from art as job. Young was blessed with the gift of money for art but not beholden to it as “job.”
Can we merge passion and profit and maintain the balance?
Resources:
The Shack
Alina Popescu says
Karen, passion and profit are difficult to balance. But not impossible. Yet we all have a problem with balance: work and personal time, health and lack of time, loving what we’re doing and making enough money for a desired lifestyle. I think we need to teach our self to remember why we’re doing what we are. We started out because we loved it and we still do, no matter how tired and exhausted we might feel at times. Nothing is perfect and trouble free forever, but some things are most of the time. Now that’s the theory 🙂 Practicing it turns out a lot more difficult!
As I also write quite a lot in my line of work, whenever I feel my creativity is drained out and I need a break, I just try writing something else. If I need to write a post and find no inspiration, I choose to read other blogs and write comments. If I have to write a press release and have a big blank in my head, I write a blog post, or a short story or a page in a novel. When everything fails, I just do something completely different and take a long break from writing altogether. Usually that’s when inspiration strikes again 🙂
Alina Popescu´s last blog post..WoBM Anniversary Contest – Final Countdown
Karen Swim says
@ Andrew, very thoughtful and insightful comments. I agree that many marry passion and profit but I also believe many may at some point experience burn out. I think of the musician who truly is passionate about music but perhaps wants to stretch and try different genres. Their fan base (which is like an employer) may not accept that and they may require a period of time away from the profit to reignite their creative passion.
As a writer, I can honestly say I love my job but I too have had to step away and stretch myself in other ways to rediscover my love of writing.
Karen Swim says
Isn’t Young’s story cool! What I truly love though is his attitude. He got the success but is not chasing it. To be in a position where you can indulge your passion for self without the pressure of making money from it, yet still find success, bliss! 🙂
Karen Swim says
@Joely,it is my hope for everyone to find work they enjoy doing. I don’t believe society discourages that in any way. The only limitations are those which we impose upon ourselves. The deeper question I suppose is how will you feel about your passion if it becomes a job?
Andrew says
Karen,
Not only do I have absolutely no doubt that it is possible, I also think that it represents a very good idea, both from a viewpoint of passion and from a viewpoint of profit.
In terms of whether or not it is possible, there are so many examples of it people from all walks of life making it happen that this question is beyond doubt in my mind.
It may not make you a multi-millionaire, but many of the passions which people have can at least be turned into activities which provide a sufficient income in order to adequately meets one’s financial responsibilities.
Is it a good idea? Absolutely. For those who are engaged in a full time occupation, the activities involved in such an occupation consume the majority of our waking hours. And I can’t see the logic in spending the majority of our waking hours on activities which we are not passionate about.
Nevertheless, I do not suspect that there are many success stories which happened in a similar accidental manner to that of Mr. Young. Indeed, Rather, I suspect that the process of engaging one’s passion as a professional activity would normally require a degree of careful and deliberate planning.
Success by accident, I would imagine, would be the exception rather than the rule.
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Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome says
Wow, good for him! Sounds like a story that a lot of people find meaning in…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Deciding to live: Joely Black interview
Joely Black says
I hope it’s possible. I’ve been writing books since I was nine, just for the sheer joy of doing it. Even if I never was published, I couldn’t stop writing – in fact when I began again five years ago with Amnar, I refused to contemplate publication.
I think it is possible to balance the two and have met people who do. In fact, I wonder that we live in a society where we actually question whether it is possible, rather than demanding why not everybody does combine joy and work.
Joely Black´s last blog post..Another of those “Oh shit, it was that all along?” moments