Taking Jobs You Love Vs. Jobs That Pay
“To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.”
— Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
A friend and I were recently discussing artistic integrity. I had taken a job that paid well even though it didn’t feed me creatively at all. I wasn’t struggling with the decision — I had come to the conclusion that as long as a well-paying job is relatively easy and doesn’t take too much time away from passion projects, I’ll take on as many as I need to. His response was somewhat in agreement, though it made me think (as this person’s responses are apt to do). He said this:
Artistic integrity is a luxury granted to people who have the option of having it.
I had been thinking of artistic integrity in terms of just integrity, but that’s not true. Not needing to compromise your morality to do your work, I believe, is a right. Artistic integrity is a privilege.
Now, for the sake of expanding the discussion, let’s get away from thinking in terms of art and artists and think more generally in terms of creative freedom. After all, when discussing “artistic integrity,” isn’t that what we’re really talking about?
