I LOVE WRITING: Why I'm Quitting Hustle Culture

Photo by Olena Bohovyk on Unsplash

TRUTH: Hustling KILLS creativity.

I AM a writer.

Writing is my creative outlet.

But...I sometimes struggle to sit down to write because instead of allowing it to be about the enjoyable process that toying with words is for me, I let in the noise of "hustle culture" which demands that every creative thing a person does must be monetized and turned into a viable side-hustle.

(Because otherwise, what's the point of creativity? I mean really...*insert eye roll.*)

Therefore, in an attempt to allow myself the mental space I need to be creative, I've quit hustle culture.

I've discovered an uncomfortable (but obvious) truth: hustling kills creativity. Creativity and monetization don't live in the same place.

I literally cannot stand to read / watch / listen to one most article / video / podcast that tells me how to get more likes / subscribers / followers.

I'm not interested in PANDERING.

I'm interested in CREATING.

I will do my art, and it will be whatever it will be.

Because the point - in my eyes - is the satisfaction of working on a project. Of putting time and effort towards something, and then having a beautiful creation to show for it on the other side.

(Or maybe the creation ends up being ugly, but still there is a thing which I made and that is GLORIOUS, so I will love it because I made it.)

I don't get that kind of satisfaction from my job, because my work is a never-ending hamster wheel of problems to be dealt with; I'm never "done." Meaning I need to create that sense of completion for myself elsewhere; so I write.

My writing cannot handle the pressure of having expectations put on it.

I cannot handle that pressure.

My writing needs to come from a place of wanting to do it because it's fun for me.

Fun is a good enough reason. Photo by Leo Rivas on Unsplash

And it REALLY is FUN - I love toying with words, organizing thoughts, and figuring out how to distill complex ideas into mentally-palatable bite-sized chunks. I LOVE IT. It's hard mental work, but I appreciate the intellectual challenge; I need it.

“Through the mere act of creating something—anything—you might inadvertently produce work that is magnificent, eternal, or important... You might not, on the other hand. 

But if your calling is to make things, then you still have to make things in order to live out your highest creative potential—and also in order to remain sane. Possessing a creative mind, after all, is something like having a border collie for a pet: It needs to work, or else it will cause you an outrageous amount of trouble. 

Give your mind a job to do, or else it will find a job to do, and you might not like the job it invents... it does seem to be the case that if I am not actively creating something, then I am probably actively destroying something (myself, a relationship, or my own peace of mind).”

- Elizabeth Gilbert: Big Magic

When I've crafted a thought into a beautifully cohesive flowing piece, I feel the way I imagine a sculptor does when he chips away all that is unnecessary from a block of marble to reveal the beauty inside.

I need to write because - like a border collie - my brain needs the workout. And because I need a project or something to anchor me within the noise of my creative brain. It gives me great satisfaction to think about solving a problem and organizing something, anything; whether it's practical logistics or thoughts.

So...I've stepped away from hustle culture; I've flipped it the bird and given it the old heave-ho.

I create because I am a creator and I need to create.

If people want to like, follow, or share, fine. 

If they don't, also fine.

I do what I do because it's WHO I AM and that has nothing to do with hustling.

Image Credit: Elizabeth Gilbert via Facebook

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If you want to know more about letting go of hustling so that you can explore your creativity, read Elizabeth Gilbert's book BIG MAGIC.

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You might be asking yourself "How does this topic relate to recovery from binge-eating?" What I found is that - for me - finding new ways of thinking about life and its challenges helped me to stop stress-eating, and has been a very big part of my ability to stop binge-eating.

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For more on changing your mindset and imagining good things click ⭐ here ⭐ to get my guide on Visualizations — yours FREE with subscription to my site.

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