Some great points here, James. First off, I can confirm from experience that working with you will lead to a damn good edit!
I think some of this comes down to goals and expectations. If you're setting out to be the next Robert Kirkman or Jim Lee, that's a lofty goal that will take a ton of time, hard work, and experience to achieve and you have to be ready to put in that effort to get there, which means sacrifice. If you just want to tell stories, that can be balanced with other items in life.
My son, who's 15, sometimes falls prey to these false narratives he finds on YouTube. Hell, I do too. It's so easy to passively consume other people's stories and make faulty assumptions.
The numbers you share in the article are eye-opening. Staggering even. One thing I do have is a wife with a health plan through her work. So perhaps I should've added my own anecdote to my list of "successful people" who couldn't do it alone. Multiple income streams does seem to be the answer for many creative folks, but after awhile, the challenge there is juggling.
Sliding scales affects us all. I hear you when it comes to corporate jobs. Ups will always be something I loathe as you described that blanket of.pain similar to my life back then, but....
Well there are always going to be differences between.one situation and another. At least now I can look.myself in the mirror without loathing what I see.
I found after many questions and days gone it's rarely where I am but what's going on inaide me. They feed off each other.
Your right always be carefull with those comparisons and work on what your building for you.
What's going on inside is huge. I've focused on my perceptions and thoughts for awhile now, and I realize that what makes me want to break down and cry one day, actually looks wonderful the next...assuming I look at it differently. I'm happy to be where I am, in large part because I longer feel that self-loathing you mention. But still, disappointment and stress still creep in.
My departure from corporate was different, but same wake-up call re: working for yourself. You describe it perfectly. I remember my first midnight dash to buy printer ink. Thinking about my now gone 50-person marketing team. I might have been weeping. I learned to love it but oh, the things I have learned to do without.
It's funny how far I've come and how much I've learned. But while I could skate by for months in Corporate America, now, the more I learn, the more I see where I still need to grow and improve. I suppose I could take a breath and skate by at my current level, but that doesn't feel right since I'm not "there" yet. LOL
I was talking to a friend in similar circumstances. It’s strange to look back and see how easy it is to skate in corporate America. Money aside, I wouldn’t want to give this up.
Many of my friends hide in their jobs, working out or hitting the grocery store on the clock. Hell, I did that pretty frequently myself.
I wouldn't give up what I'm doing now either. When I feel that urge to maybe look for "a real job," it's usually an indication I'm out of balance. That's when I take some time off to look closer at what I'm doing and plan out improvements to my routines. That usually gets me motivated again.
Thanks for sharing this, James. I know there's a hesitance to go negative, given that there's a lot of that available everywhere on the internet, but I think posts like are a great reminder of the reality of it all.
Personally, I've had a handful of successful Kickstarters under my belt, and I'm very grateful for them, but none of this happens if I don't have a corporate job propping me up and covering the losses.
In some imaginary world, I'd love to do this full-time, but the only reason I can take the leaps I have is because of the safety net that'll catch me when I miss the next trapeze (and I do, often.)
I always commend the bravery of folks like yourself that go without a net, even if it leads to the occasional regret and stress blankets.
Stress blankets. I wonder if there's a market for those. That could be my new side hussle. LOL
But yeah, I think I traded one hardship for another. I had plenty of money, but sort of despised myself. Now, I love what I do, but am constantly chasing. I think I made the right choose, but some days, I'm not so sure. LOL
Some powerful truths in here, James. Thanks for sharing. Keep fighting the good fight!
Some great points here, James. First off, I can confirm from experience that working with you will lead to a damn good edit!
I think some of this comes down to goals and expectations. If you're setting out to be the next Robert Kirkman or Jim Lee, that's a lofty goal that will take a ton of time, hard work, and experience to achieve and you have to be ready to put in that effort to get there, which means sacrifice. If you just want to tell stories, that can be balanced with other items in life.
Thanks, James. You're absolutely right. Your goal, in many ways, dictates what you put into it.
Thanks for sharing, James. We need to be open and transparent about this stuff, otherwise we fall prey to false narratives and definitions of success.
My son, who's 15, sometimes falls prey to these false narratives he finds on YouTube. Hell, I do too. It's so easy to passively consume other people's stories and make faulty assumptions.
Thanks for sharing, especially all those anecdotes at the bottom. This is why I can’t just quit my day job. I wrote about my own decision making on this with an analytical approach. https://open.substack.com/pub/zenosarrow/p/why-im-not-going-for-it?r=3b5sup&utm_medium=ios
Though, I want to figure out a part-time day job situation to trade some money for more time to do everything else.
The numbers you share in the article are eye-opening. Staggering even. One thing I do have is a wife with a health plan through her work. So perhaps I should've added my own anecdote to my list of "successful people" who couldn't do it alone. Multiple income streams does seem to be the answer for many creative folks, but after awhile, the challenge there is juggling.
Health insurance is a big help! But gratitude, not guilt, is in order, haha.
Sliding scales affects us all. I hear you when it comes to corporate jobs. Ups will always be something I loathe as you described that blanket of.pain similar to my life back then, but....
Well there are always going to be differences between.one situation and another. At least now I can look.myself in the mirror without loathing what I see.
I found after many questions and days gone it's rarely where I am but what's going on inaide me. They feed off each other.
Your right always be carefull with those comparisons and work on what your building for you.
What's going on inside is huge. I've focused on my perceptions and thoughts for awhile now, and I realize that what makes me want to break down and cry one day, actually looks wonderful the next...assuming I look at it differently. I'm happy to be where I am, in large part because I longer feel that self-loathing you mention. But still, disappointment and stress still creep in.
Thanks for sharing, James!
My departure from corporate was different, but same wake-up call re: working for yourself. You describe it perfectly. I remember my first midnight dash to buy printer ink. Thinking about my now gone 50-person marketing team. I might have been weeping. I learned to love it but oh, the things I have learned to do without.
It's funny how far I've come and how much I've learned. But while I could skate by for months in Corporate America, now, the more I learn, the more I see where I still need to grow and improve. I suppose I could take a breath and skate by at my current level, but that doesn't feel right since I'm not "there" yet. LOL
I was talking to a friend in similar circumstances. It’s strange to look back and see how easy it is to skate in corporate America. Money aside, I wouldn’t want to give this up.
Many of my friends hide in their jobs, working out or hitting the grocery store on the clock. Hell, I did that pretty frequently myself.
I wouldn't give up what I'm doing now either. When I feel that urge to maybe look for "a real job," it's usually an indication I'm out of balance. That's when I take some time off to look closer at what I'm doing and plan out improvements to my routines. That usually gets me motivated again.
Thanks for sharing this, James. I know there's a hesitance to go negative, given that there's a lot of that available everywhere on the internet, but I think posts like are a great reminder of the reality of it all.
Personally, I've had a handful of successful Kickstarters under my belt, and I'm very grateful for them, but none of this happens if I don't have a corporate job propping me up and covering the losses.
In some imaginary world, I'd love to do this full-time, but the only reason I can take the leaps I have is because of the safety net that'll catch me when I miss the next trapeze (and I do, often.)
I always commend the bravery of folks like yourself that go without a net, even if it leads to the occasional regret and stress blankets.
Stress blankets. I wonder if there's a market for those. That could be my new side hussle. LOL
But yeah, I think I traded one hardship for another. I had plenty of money, but sort of despised myself. Now, I love what I do, but am constantly chasing. I think I made the right choose, but some days, I'm not so sure. LOL