Success is not served on a silver platter

When you find what you love and make it your living, there is no such thing as "business is business". Too much is invested. Your heart is spewing out of every project, your passion is driving every hour of the day, your soul is splattered on the stage, or the canvas, or whatever your medium might be. If you teach, and you love teaching, your students are certainly not walking paychecks, or stepping stones to get ahead. When you do what you love and make it your living, there-within lies the risk. When projects fail, when you don't get appreciated, when your efforts hit a wall, when you don't make that audition, or your performance falls dead on delivery, there is virtually no way to write it off as just a job. It hits you at the core. And what I am learning, as all artists are forced to do, is not to let those moments derail you. It's the art of toughening up without becoming cold. It's adapting and evolving without losing your identity. It's finding the other door, when the one you had your eye on slams shut in front of you.

Passion and drive are not enough to become successful in this business. It takes a lot of work. Miserable work. Tedious work. And it means putting yourself out there, fearlessly, no matter how many obstacles get thrown in your path. And this is my lesson today, as I attempt to grow and find new ways to make a living. You can't just sit back and expect work to flow in or to be appreciated for what you do. And when conflict arises, you can't let your boss deal with it, because you are your own boss. For all those who look to "live the dream," make sure you arm yourself with lots of sugar, because you will have to contend with lots of lemon storms before you get your lemonade.