I kind of believe at this point that humans did evolve to quantify energy into a currency system.  We only do it in almost every culture on earth, so there’s a big enough cross-section to argue that it’s hard-wired.  The thing though is, I don’t think we’re all hardwired the same way, obviously.

And when I think of occupations, the first one that comes to mind for me of course is still writer.  And, a thing I HATED about the English major is about how many old dead famous writers came from money.  It made me skeptical, and wonder if artists need wealth in order to get into the zone where they’re comfortable creating.  I think I’d like to rewire that now.

Artists need patrons, and they need muses, and they need inspiration.  They do  need to have their bills met, but, speaking of bills – actually let’s focus on Steve’s.  Steve Jobs did a LOT of get rich quicker actions – well after he already got insanely rich.  In fact, he screwed friends over (Wazniak, however you spell his name.)  His behaviors indicate a cutthroat mentality where he’s competing to aggrandize his standing via wealth. I’m not sure creatives have that sort of how many times can I create compounding profits off my profit.  I think they get bored, and want to live more.  (This isn’t to venerate one type btw, both are people.)

But I no longer think you need to be rich to be a creative.  My favorite wealthy author is Alduous Huxley (Brave New World) and I think it’s because he was an honest critic of society, and kind of a genius.  Not because he was paid for and, eh, that’s just what I’m gonna do.  I think about Suzanne Collins, Philip K Dicks, Stephen King, Neil Gaimann, Charlagne Harris, J.K Rowlings, and, while they all became very rich off their enterprise, what their actual focus was, I’m sure, was the story.  And here’s what I love:

Authors with bootstrap roots create the most sympathetic characters.  And it’s obvious why. (Maybe this’s why Harvard really has John Lithgow and Matt Daman [who required a Ben Affleck backup] among its most succesful entertainment writers. True writers wanna live and write.  Not horde cathet.)
Anyway, at this point and after what I’ve read for funsies, I think living rich makes less relatable characters for non-glitz genres. More than half of stephen kings protagonist are small-town guys just trying to survive their situations and make the best they can.  Harry Potter wasn’t a rich brat.  Katness Everdeen is a survivalist because she had to learn to be, and that’s what makes her so interesting.  The bottom line to me is, it’s not their wealth or who their daddy was directly that made me have to read so many rich dead authors (I kind of figured it was.)   It’s the fact that those were the guys who made it enough to get published, and they they were sponsored enough to live.  Poor people were still getting dominated by the 8 hour workday after the British Industrial revolution and finding it a RELIEF – meaning, of course they’re not thinking it’s great to go home and use that rarer skill of being literate to craft art for the 10,000 hours it takes to master your method.  So let’s consider that it’s life’s education, which does require wealth, is what’s necessary to work as a creative.  I even had a huge debate (debate, not argument) where I had that other stance years ago where I said you need wealth to have the leisure time to think the creative thoughts.  But I take it back.  I was wrong.  You don’t need to be wealthy as much as focused and comfortable enough.  I think writer types are more hard-wired to look at another type of social currency besides money (that’s why the earnings are the way their are), and want to improve what their sense of narcassism (the healthy kind) tells them they need to work on.

Anyway, fuck excuses.  If you wanna do something creative, and know why, do it, and work hard. But also maybe expect to grow poor while you do it.  I am NOT an authority, don’t think I’m super noble or wanna be lionized for it, but this jes is the attempt I’m honestly taking, and really, I expect to go from one of the highest earning periods of my life, to one of the lowest.  I know to many that makes it questionable, and that’s how they feel.  I still feel that putting in everything is what’ll let me move forward best, and that I should mentally separate the ego from all non-IP assets for a continued while more.