create stuff just because
are you tired of feeling like you need to attach monetary value to all your art? of tik tok influencers telling you to "monetize your hobbies"? don't worry, you're not alone. first, you should ask yourself why you create art at all.
so... why do you create art?
any historians and history buffs reading this will know that humans are creative animals. always have been, whether it's been paintings, sculptures, architecture, literature, music, photography, engineering, and so on. for the 300,000 years we've lived on this planet, we've been creating things. for education, for survival, for work, for fun.
sure, that aforementioned tik tok influencer is technically "creating" things, too. but they have the wrong idea. anyone telling you to monetize your hobbies has never known the joy of creating something just for the love of the game.
take me, for instance. i'm a freelance animator who makes music videos to put food on the table. it is fun, granted... but not a day goes by where i don't wonder if creating animations became less fun for me when i started doing it for work. on the other hand, i create music just for fun; if anyone buys my albums on bandcamp or CDs, i just consider that a nice bonus, not anything worthy of a "side hustle". so, i don't feel as much pressure to record music. i make it, simply because i want to.
i implore you, any artists reading this, to not adapt a grind and hustle mindset. it will ruin you. it may kill your passion to create anything ever again. take some time out of your day... and create stuff just because. don't treat it as a "side hustle". it can be a hobby. a real hobby that you don't need to monetize.
humans have been creating stuff just because for thousands of years. why stop now?