But I do get “paid” in at least two senses of the term.
For the daily effort of tapping out this column I derive serious pride as well as abundant spiritual compensation….it makes my day and then some. And I do receive annual monetary payment in the form of round-trip passages to southern France and northern Italy plus a decent place to crash at the Cannes and Venice film festivals plus modest meals and whatnot, courtesy of HE supporters.
That’s not nothing. I actually feel pretty great about this set-up. The generous loyalists, I mean.
If what you’re doing with your life, professionally and/or creatively, feels insufficient or unsatisfying without the boost of lush payment, that’s not exactly a “bad” thing. Then again it suggests that you’re not in a terrific place, job-wise.
I realize that most people do what they do for the money they earn and that’s fine, but the best jobs are “payment” in and of themselves. If you make great money from these gigs or devotions, terrific. If you make mezzo-mezzo or even shitty money from them, that’s still moderately okay or at least tolerable because — hello? — you still have a great job. And that’s a relatively rare thing.
