things i've learned 1 / will we 'make it'?

i've been realizing slowly & gradually over the course of this long winter a few things about trying to be an artist & getting paid to be that. i think there is this lie floating around out there that tells us if we work hard enough now, build a strong foundation to stand on, that we will reap the rewards later. that if we log the hours in now, we can sit back later and watch as it all rolls in.i've realized that if i want to truly be an artist -- a photographer, a writer, whatever it maybe be -- it means i have to be continually doing it. continually putting it out there. continually finding a way to be creating, no matter what.it is not about resting on any laurels of past work or accomplishments because those fade in an instant.to be a working photographer means to be working. and if paid work isn't coming your way, it means to be creating work out of your own ideas & passions. i've found art & business two of the most difficult things to marry. but ultimately to be a creator, someone making things, means having something you want to say & letting that work that you create say it, to one person or to many. it's about creating opportunities for yourself, continually challenging yourself and learning, and showing the world what you chose to make when there's no price tag attached to the final product. it's not easy.. it's really hard. i've had times when i thought i'd 'made it' or had 'broken through'.there's a beautiful scene in one of the episodes of 'long way round', the motorcycle series that follows two actors who ride around the world on their bikes. it's towards the end of the series, maybe they're in North America by this point and can start to see the finish line. in the scene you see ewan mcgregor reading over some large bundles of papers which turn out to be scripts. it's a very real scene in which he expresses his worries about being absent from the film scene while taking this trip. at the time he was coming off filming in the star wars movies, so it seems ridiculous to us. it seems like he's surely got it made. i love that scene. it's so real.do it today, then do it again tomorrow, and then do it again the next day.i'm thinking it's a lie that one day it will all come easy. that one day you will 'make it'. if you want to be creating things, love the hard work because i don't think it's going to stop. create things you believe in because the creating is the reward. that's what i'm going to be trying for anyway, stumbling as i go :)------------things i've learned is a new series i thought i'd put together in the spirit of writing honestly about some of the joys & challenges that come with pursuing this crazy journey of living in the artistic/creative space. mostly these posts are internal monologues of what i'm saying first to myself, lessons that i myself am trying to learn :) read more posts like this here.