I organised a meet-up / event recently as an experiment. (I’ve been trying out ways to stimulate creativity in non-professional settings — through writing prompts, boardgames etc.)

The ice breaking activity at the latest event was to “write your life story in three sentences”. I wrote: 

“My ambition when I was young was to be a starving artist. It’s turned out to be harder than expected. I like money too much.”

And it’s true. I don’t know how to be a starving artist. 

But while I love making money and even more than that, having my money work for me, I think what’s equally important is how that money is made. 

“A capitalist with principles,” a friend teased when we spoke about this.

Yes, I’ve recently come to accept the capitalistic side of me. 

But it’s not so much about the money per se. I see money as validation — that the work or products that I’m putting out into the world are providing value. 

And on the flip side, being a business owner has made me a better consumer as well. I’ve learned it’s important to be kind. To be grateful. To be gracious. 

We are all part of an ecosystem.