
January 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine
In the latest issue of Sunset magazine there was an article about domestic artists – these interesting, ambitious folks around the country who are making their own soda and hard cider, roasting their own coffee beans and making their own sausage.
The part I found fascinating, though, is that every single one of them has a completely unrelated day job: publicist, software project manager, banker, etc. They all have jobs that take up the majority of their time and that pay their bills. Then, they do these crafty hobbies in their spare time for fun.
It sounds so obvious and simple now that I’m writing about it, but at the time I read the article, the idea blew me away! I spend so much time longing for a way to do what I love all the time. I fantasize about quitting my own day job and devoting myself fully to my crafts.

Photo by Gabriela Hasbun - sourced from Sunset article
When I began flipping through the Sunset article, I was sure each of those artisans had the romantic, idyllic life I dream of. Before reading the fine print, I was positive they each had a story of their own “a ha moments” when they turned from their corporate worlds to pursue their creative dreams. Instead, I found that they make time for what they love and juggle the demands of their other work too.
I read somewhere, once, that your calling doesn’t have to be your job. I was skeptical, but now I’m starting to understand the sentiment. Don’t misunderstand, I am not chained to a desk somewhere, whiling away the prime of my life in some tightly wound, conservative, money-hungry atmosphere. My day job is a delight.
I work for a small, locally-owned craft brewery and get to spend my days managing our online communities through Twitter and Facebook, YouTube and Foursquare. I get to engage with people who love us, love our beer and love our brand. I get paid to chat, to listen, to engage and to spread good news.
Best of all, the brewery I work for has a strong commitment to keeping business local, so they see it as equally important that I spend my time strengthening this great little community we all call home. I get to talk online about our local economy, about local food and about how we can support WA agriculture…all of which I believe in on a personal level.
So I have nothing to complain about. My daydreams of quitting are not rooted in dissatisfaction. They are just idle longings for a life that I thought I had to live for my craft to be legitimate. I am lucky to have a day job that is unbelievably flexible and a boss who encourages my freelance work. It’s time I start focusing on what I DO have and leaving behind my outdated notions of what living a life with purpose means. I don’t have to create art in every moment of every day to be an artist. It can be my part time passion and that’s still ok!