If you haven’t seen this short video (~ 10 min) of Elizabeth Gilbert describing the differences between a hobby, job, career, and vocation, you’re in for a treat.
In essence…
A hobby is something you do for fun. You don’t have to monetize or be good at it.
A job is something you do for money. You don’t have to like it.
A career is a job you like. It’s not a necessity. If you don’t like it, get out.
And a vocation is something you can’t not do. It pretty much chooses you.
What’s crucial is that you are in control of how you relate to each of these terms and how they apply to your life. (Except for your vocation – and not everyone has a vocation, which is ok.)
Maybe your creativity finds an outlet in building your business or your team.
Maybe you have a job (or even a career) that you find thoroughly satisfying, and it’s your side projects that allow you to be creative.
I struggled for years, thinking I had to find work that involved music (with no compromise on what kind of music I made or how much). This also had to be stable, speak to my analytical side, involve writing, and put me in charge of my schedule.
Now I’ve made peace with separate parts of me existing in separate realms.
To give the last words to Elizabeth Gilbert: “If you have a hobby or if you have a vocation, you can live a creative life at the same time as living in the material world.”
Finding room for creativity,
James
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