Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, but if you manage to make something you love into work, you’ll never love it the same way again.
People act like there’s one way to go. Practical or creative, safe or risky, but there isn’t. There’s only the way you should go right now, and no one can tell you what that is.
Sometimes you love something, but not enough to make it your whole life, which is what happens when you decide to “do what you love.” You’re never off. Because you are your work. Even after you’ve quit, you’re never really anything else entirely. I had a small side operation where I sold accessories and clothes during college. It’s not like I don’t craft anything anymore. But it’s not the same as it was. Once you’ve become a professional at something, you never go back to loving it in the same innocent way. Frequently, you end up appreciating it more, but never really loving it the same.
If you’re considering a move to a creative career, think of this first: Do you love your hobby because you have a driving need to do it and you can’t seem to stop doing it, or do you love your hobby because it’s an escape from the frequently dull and unrewarding consequences of daily life? Because once your passion becomes daily life, you’ll find that all that drudgery is still there.