You Won't Make any Money

Last week while waiting for my daughter’s preschool orientation to begin another mother sat down next to me and soon after a conversation ensued.  It started out kind of boring with her seizing the moment to brag about her eldest son.  How he also had went through this particular YMCA’s preschool  program and was now reading on a much higher grade level than his classmates.  Some more chatter along these lines when, just as I am deciding whether to suppress an impending yawn or boldly let it out highlighting my boredom, she steered the conversation away from her little genius, briefly on to herself and then to me.  She wanted to know what I do.  I gave her my spiel about being a stay-at-home mom and writer.  After which this stranger said to me, “You won’t make any money.”  I was shocked and amused that this woman who does not even know me, has not read one sentence I have written could so matter-of-factly make such an assessment.  Needless to write but the conversation came to an abrupt end as I wanted to put some distance between me and that negativity.  Yet maybe she is right.  Perhaps I won’t make any money threading words together.  Whatever.  

What that woman and others like her fail to understand is that an artist (first-rate writing is an art form) practices their craft not only because they want to but also because they have to.  If Mariah Carey was not  Mariah Carey  she would still sing and write songs.  Instead of belting out high notes in front of huge audiences she would probably do so while getting ready to go to that regular, bill paying job.  Today I am just Tanya Yvonne maybe in some tomorrow I will be Tanya Yvonne, but whatever.  Because no matter what I will still write.  So to all my fellow artists the writer, singer, songwriters, painters, photographers, chefs and so on keep focusing on doing what you do well:-)