“Nobody tells you the pitfalls… when your turn your passion into your livelihood”: Yvette Young on the realities of making music for a living
Do what you love and you won’t have to work a day in your life, or so the saying goes. For any artist, making a living off your passion might sound like a dream — or the dream, but the struggles behind it are as real as they come and can hit you harder than you think.
In a candid post, Covet frontwoman Yvette Young discusses the realities of turning a beloved hobby into a career in the 21st century and how it’s perfectly okay even if artists don’t “monetise their passion”.
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As Young explains, the pressures of meeting deadlines, maintaining creativity under stress, and the need for financial stability can often overshadow the initial joy that drew you to the craft.
“Nobody tells you [the] pitfalls of what happens when you turn your passion into your livelihood,” she says, noting the psychological toll the music business often takes on one’s psyche.
She argues that artists now operate in a system where their “entire self worth” is rooted in their ability to “consistently create” — a problem exacerbated by an industry that “hungers for authenticity” but has “no means nor desire to sustain it”.
“It’s a dangerous slippery slope because the process of creation is also unpredictable and volatile,” Young says. “A moment of inspiration is ephemeral and fleeting (that’s what makes it special!) and to have your self worth and financial state tied to the ability to consistently do that is like holding onto bubbles to stay afloat at sea.”
“Furthermore, to have it be on display for external validation and scrutiny, controlled by an algorithm designed to perpetuate addiction and make money off you feeling distracted and small – It’s no wonder some people may feel inadequate and a bit insecure in this climate.”
Her advice? “Get out. Detach yourself from all of this noise,” for starters.
“You’re not a failure if you haven’t found a way to monetise your passion. Maybe you’re not supposed to… It’s ok to not be the loudest person in the room in a sea of attention-seeking. It’s ok to not be a cold hard capitalist in every thing you do.”
More importantly, Young argues that it’s okay for hobbies to remain as just that — hobbies: “If you love it enough you’ll make time for it and you may find that you will enjoy it more.”
She continues: “Not everyone has to take the same path and comparison will be the death of you. The key to survival is knowing yourself. Taking the time to really build character and a strong moral/ internal compass. Really understand what about art making makes you feel harmony within and also be tuned into the parts of art making that feel dissonant. Ultimately, whatever gets you excited to jump out of bed every day and create, do that!”
“Even if it means working a job for the time being, because at the end of the day, it is survival and so is art making. You are no less of a person for doing that.”
That said, the guitarist assures fans that she still very much adores what she does. “I haven’t been more in love with making music and the direction I’m going at this point in life,” Young says. “I hope this can reassure you you’re doing just fine.”
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