Kurt Vonnegut

"The practice of art isn't to make a living.  It's to make your soul grow."

— Kurt Vonnegut

American Novelist

1922 - 2007

Many of us dream of making a living from our art.  We want to spend a hundred percent of our time on our art.  Actually very few artists, musicians and writers make a living from their work.  Most have to take on jobs to support their creative habit or starve.  If the reason we write or paint is to make money, then we should give it up and go find a job in business.  Making art is not about money.  Making art is about personal growth and development — about the journey of the soul.  Money, if it comes, is the gravy.

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite novelists.  His Cat's Cradle is in my all time list of favorite novels.  I first read him in college and last in 2009 when I read Armagedd0n in Retrospect.

Here is a visual tribute to Kurt Vonnegut.

Oscar Wilde

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot be taken from you.  In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you."

— Oscar Wilde

Irish Writer/Novelist/Playwright

1854 - 1900

Most of us will never be financially wealthy and many of us will live paycheck to paycheck, but money does not and will not make us happy.  Happiness is an inside job.  Your riches can be found in becoming who you are meant to be.  As creative leaders, we sometimes think our wealth is in our creations:  novels, poems, paintings, sculptures, music and films, but in truth, our real wealth is in our souls.  The art is simply an expression of who we are.  So what are the riches within your soul?  What makes you special and unique?  Life is a gift.  What are you doing to appreciate what you have been given?  Celebrate your riches.