Make money doing the work you believe in
Next month will be the twenty-year anniversary of the publication of my first book. Somehow I have sustained a career all this time, not just by publishing books, but by publishing all kinds of things, articles, essays, these dang substack posts. Not to mention so many speaking and teaching engagements over the years, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. There was that one year I had a TV pilot deal and had the greatest fucking health insurance. (Never to be seen again in this lifetime I suspect.) I have no idea what the future brings for me in the next twenty but I do know the some of the keys to longevity in a creative career: having the willingness to be flexible and pivot when necessary, pushing yourself to be endlessly curious, and (maybe most important) focusing on developing your own voice, because in the end that’s what people want to hear—original voices.
Shout out to Instant Love, my debut. And to baby me (in Brooklyn).
Photo by the talented Lisa Whiteman!
