most importantly: labor is not renewable. once you spend labor, you cannot get it back. energy, when given in alignment, can be generative. energy invested in the right places can create more energy.

is this dollar amount an nourishing, net-positive exchange to compensate for the energy I'm spending on this person/project?

my business exists to help me share my creative gifts -- in service to my values and ethos -- in the most energetically efficient way possible. when my business is in alignment with my energy, it is a generative, self-renewing ecosystem. it is an ecosystem which allows me to rest.

in this situation, how do you decide where to spend your time and energy? if you are prioritizing labor-of-hours-for-money, than it'd be hard to silence the voice that clearly distinguishes between "paid work" and "unpaid work" (as if all creative work lives so easily in this binary dichotomy of capitalist-defined worthiness.)

rather than thinking about business as the exchange of value for money , instead, I’m thinking about business as:

a set of systems and processes

to help me honor my creative energy,

shared with purpose in the world.

OFFERING: directing energy into paid containers

when it comes to directing your energy into paid containers - as offerings, services, or products - consider how to make each output of creative energy more efficient.

here are a few questions to consider:

• efficiency: how can this energy feel more efficient and effortless (ie, by riding natural

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harnessing creative energy is what makes you an artist — while dedication to serving a higher purpose is what makes you an entrepreneur.

the practice of business, thus, is about taking raw creative energy — and cultivating the systems and skills to harness its power — that is, to be creative/prolific/expressive/aligned, AND to be in service for a higher set of values or ethos. I write about this integration of art and service here.

when I focus on designing the business systems that, first and foremost, cherish my creative energy -- rather than attempting to offer enough “value for money” — I'm able to focus on building an ecosystem that prioritizes my energetic wellbeing, above all else.

a business that nourishes me — is a business that will allow me to be more giving and... See more