Can I Make a Living From My Passion?

What does it mean?

What does making a living from your passion mean? To put it simply, it means spending most of the waking hours of your day doing something that you love – and making enough income to live off it without needing a second job. Doesn’t that sound marvelous?

You could be passionate about your career either as an employee, a consultant or a business owner. It does not really matter: your own definition for it is as good as mine in that regard – even though most of the truly passionate professionals I’ve met seem to bloom the most after following the path to greater independence.

What qualities does it take?

Turning your passion into a financially rewarding activity is not for everyone: you may be in love with the idea of doing it, though not cut out for it in reality. Living off your passion requires several key qualities that not all of us have in our inner selves. And this is okay: people are different, and the routes to success and personal improvement are as numerous as they are unexpected.

• First you need to be honest with yourself: do you actually have a passion for something in life? And by passion, I really mean hunger for a craft, not just a simple hobby. This is quite important, because as it turns out, not everyone has a passion. Besides, whether you enjoy DJ-ing, painting, playing the guitar or writing software, do you have some kind of talent for it? Could you devote all your creative juices to it? Could you grow from it? Passion implies being already extremely knowledgeable in a craft, or at least ready to become an expert at it in a short time.
• Second, a minimum amount of entrepreneurial streak is required. Following your passion oftentimes means taking the destiny of your career in your own hands, and the uncertainty that ensues can be frightening. You need not fear the unknown – at least not to the point where it paralyzes your ability to act, or blinds your aptitude to reflect on your progress.
• Third, you must be practical about your passion. The goal is to make money off your talent, not waste your time starving. Can you monetize your passion in the real world? If so, how can you promote your work? See, you could be the most talented painter since Salvador Dali; but if you get too caught up in your craft and forget to promote your art, reach galleries or attract sponsors, you’ll still need another job to make ends meet. I know a few artists in my entourage, in Europe and America. Their skills vary, but between those who network and those who neglect doing it, I’ll let you guess which ones are most successful.
• Four, you need a balanced mix of dedication and clairvoyance. You must be dedicated enough to stick to your ideas through the ups and downs, even when things become shaky along the way; the biggest mistake you could make is give up. Clairvoyance helps you avoid the second biggest mistake: pushing things so far that you end up losing yourself. Let your calling drive you, not consume you.

Why this topic?

Many a middle class person ends up being sucked into a 9-to-5 career that does not fit their personality or secret aspirations, for many different reasons: lack of motivation, fear of trying something new or of losing a certain level of comfort acquired through their primary source of income. We all know friends and relatives that complain about how unfulfilling their careers are and yearn for a drastic change.

This is why I questioned several people close to me who challenged fear and overcame obstacles in their quest to turn a passion into income. My younger brother Pierre-Alexandre and my old friend Stephane stood out as the two people most transformed by the experience.

Nevertheless, such interviews would not be all that valuable unless an honest and realistic assessment of their new professional situation was examined. Did the change live up to the expectations Stephane and Pierre-Alexandre initially had about their respective passions, or does the resulting outcome betray the initial anticipation? What about any sacrifices made, were they worth it? Finally, does their passion provide financial comfort and cater to their creative needs? All these (and more) are crucial questions we tried to answer.

Indeed, turning your passion into dollars is not always the easiest or quickest path to success. Sometimes dreaming is cool – until reality kicks in.

Could you do it?

So what does it take to make a living from your passion? Will you be better off pursuing this dream, or should you stick to your day job? Is it worth throwing everything away to try and make it happen? Do you have what it takes? These are the many questions that we’ll discuss through the experiences of Pierre-Alexandre and Stephane. You will realize that the answer is neither black nor white, but rather in between… So if you were to do it, where do you think you would stand? Read on.

[ intro | part 1: Pierre-Alexandre | part 2: Stephane ]