The key to pursuing art, hobbies, and crafts in your busy life.

Marcy Pedersen
Sep 9, 2018 · 6 min read

It’s about separation.

Words that describe our days include laundry, dinner, errands, kids, spouses, partners, relationships, work, co-workers, office politics, dishes, trash, dog, cat, puke, poop, store, tension, fight, love, hate, dread, doom, darkness, and happiness. There is a gamut of things we do and experience each day. Most of which is required to survive. Some of it isn’t. Some of it is things that we add on for no reason. We aren’t sure why we do them. We just do. It all becomes a large ball that keeps rolling for years on end. Sometimes we get tired and start to wonder if we are even living the life we want, but then something jilts us and we get back on the rolling ball. Some of us are lucky enough to have a life crisis that shakes us out of our zombie-like state. To survive we need something. Something that we have been missing.

That something is always there. It was hidden for a long time. It was a flute in the back of a closet, a paintbrush tucked away in a cabinet, or a microphone lost in that bag. It’s something that we had, but that we lost when work and responsibility came into our life. We yearn for it. We think about taking lessons again, doodling in our notebook, singing in a local production, getting the paintbrush back out, or buying some sculpting clay. Something in us begins to wonder what life might be like if we picked up that hobby we had. If we pursued our art or started that craft again.

We look around and see a million excuses for why we can’t. There aren’t enough time, money, or resources. We don’t have a studio, garage area, or place to concentrate. We should be taking care of things not pursuing our art. Someone told us along the way that our art was cute. We were a pretty good drawer, painter, singer, dancer, writer, or you fill in the blank. That was a cute hobby, but we must work to pay the bills. Often our job is not related to our artistic talent and since life is all about getting paid we concentrate on what gives us a paycheck. Looking down at our interests because they don’t get us ahead in the corporate world. They don’t help us get all that stuff done at home so why pursue them. They are just a cute hobby. We shouldn’t spend time on things that are cute. We should pour ourselves into things that pay.

If we want to pursue our artistic talent we must first separate ourselves from the belief that the only things that are important are things that we get paid to do. Maybe we would like to sell our art or get paid to use our talent, and that is great, but when starting off we must see this as something we “have” to do. Something that is inherent in who we are. Something that must be accomplished so that we can have joy and peace in our lives. We must see this thing as more important than the work that we get paid to do. This work has meaning and purpose because it stems from who we are. It is infinitely more valuable than what we do in the cubicle each week.

We must realize that being a success at anything takes dedication and hard work, but being a success is not dependent upon how much we earn. We must be as dedicated to our art as we are our job. We must be passionate about it and become a master of it. We must see this as a life challenge. To pursue that which is in us despite what others think and to dedicate our lives to mastering our art despite whether our art earns a penny. We are investing in ourselves and our lives. The people in our lives will be better for it. Our relationships will mature and grow with us. We will have joy and a renewed passion for life. Our 9–5 will be easier to gulp down because we have something at home to look forward to.

In a month I will graduate with my MBA. My student loans will kick in and at a very inopportune time. Our house remodel is almost complete, but we are plagued with continuous problems. Our goal of getting out of debt seems impossible. I need my main job to pay more and a second income to pay off debt and this morning I am writing. It doesn’t make sense to spend time doing something that can’t help us get out of debt, or help me climb the corporate ladder. Spending time on my hobby makes no sense on top of my full-time job, college classes, and responsibilities at home. Yet my soul yearns for something more. It yearns for meaning and hope. It yearns to be who it really wants and needs to be. So I write. I write realizing that this is something I need to do to be me. That is infinitely more valuable than the paycheck that I earn. What good would it be to pay off debt and climb the career ladder if I sell my soul out for a paycheck?

What someone should have told us along the way is that it is important to make money so that we can survive, but it is as important to fill our lives with the things that make us who we are. Someone should have told us that they were empty and lost. That they had lost all joy for life. That somewhere along the way they started lying. Hiding the truth that their 9–5 paid the bills, but it didn’t do much else. They should have told us that they retired a mess. Exhausted, numb, and dry. They should have told us to get busy doing what we love while we still had the energy and time. They should have told us that living is not equated to cubicle work. It’s not found on the production line. It’s found within who we are. When we turn our back on what is in us we die. They should be our biggest advocate for pursuing art versus our biggest critic.

The key to pursuing art, hobbies, and crafts is separating ourselves from the belief that the only worthwhile things to do in life are those we get paid for. We must believe that in order to be the person we need to be that we must do this “thing”. It is this thing that gives our life meaning and purpose. We must do this to show the next generation how life should be lived. You know mom had a lot going on in her life. She has to finish her degree, get a better paying job, she worked a second job for a while to pay off debt, but she was a writer. Mom was a writer. That is what was important about her. Mom lived out who she was and for that, we are thankful because she taught us to pursue that thing which makes us who we are. When you can see your art as something that is inherent to you and vital to your life you will make the time to pursue your “thing”. You will no longer equate the worth of a thing to how much you get paid, but to the value it holds in being who you are.

Marcy Pedersen


Originally published at aprolificanthology.com on September 9, 2018.

Prolific Anthology

Helping you live a creative & artistic life.

Marcy Pedersen

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Life-long learner, driven to achieve goals, lover of ideas & obsessed about helping others acheive great things.

Prolific Anthology

Helping you live a creative & artistic life.

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