One of the things I’ve wrestled with over the past few years is how to be both a creative and a capitalist.
Some of you might not see a conflict there, but for a long time, I had this story in my head: you could only be one or the other. And if you tried to be both, you’d probably suck at each. This is the problem with labeling yourself.
For years, I’ve done “creative” work—designing workshops, engagements, tools, and experiences for teams. But honestly? It never felt like real creative work to me. Not in the “fine art” sense.
That changed about five years ago when I left my company, Stoked, and sat down to write my first novel. Suddenly, I was doing something that felt purely creative—with zero revenue potential attached. I was writing fiction just to see if I could get good at it. And I’ve never really expected to earn a living from it.
But here’s where it gets tricky: I had this other story in my head—the one that said if I earned money from my creativity, it somehow tainted the work. Like I’d be “less than” in the eyes of my literary heroes.
And yet, here’s the truth I’ve had to admit to myself:
👉 I actually like figuring out how to make money.
👉 I love the process of dreaming something up, building it, and trying to sell it.
👉 I’m 51 years old and still thinking about how to build a better lemonade stand.
It’s not about getting rich. It’s about creating something I believe in—and, yes, seeing if it sells. Even if it only makes $5.
So here’s my big realization: I love writing fiction. I want to do it for the rest of my life. But I also love creating businesses, products, and services—and selling them.
It doesn’t have to be either/or.
For a long time, I clung to these stories—like the one about Larry Brown (one of my favorite authors), who worked as a firefighter all day and hammered out fiction all night until he could write full time. And sure, that worked for Larry.
But I’m not Larry. And it’s not 1988.
The world is different now. Many of us have work we enjoy—and we also want to do creative things on the side. I don’t want to walk away from the coaching, teaching, and business-building I do. And I also don’t want to give up writing novels.
I’ve realized I can wear both hats. I can be a serious writer and still get excited about building a Squarespace site or messing around in Google Analytics.
The story that “real artists don’t care about profit” is just that—a story. And it’s one that’s kept me stuck for too long.
So if you’re like me—if you feel pulled in seemingly opposite directions—maybe you don’t have to choose.
You can build things AND write things. You can make money AND make art.
It’s your life. Not anyone else’s.
Drop the story. Drop the label. Go do what you want.
(Postscript)
Earlier this week, I released my very first ebook.
It’s called Unstuck and it’s a guide to finding work that doesn’t suck. If you’re ready to move on from the job you’re in, but aren’t sure where to go next, this is for you.
It’s on sale for the rest of this week for $7 and you can find it here!