How I'm compensated for my writing

Someone recently asked me if I am planning on "monetizing my writing."

I took the question for a compliment. If someone enjoys the time they spend reading my thoughts then maybe someone might be willing to pay me to write. I guess that is the dream - find a way to make a living by writing. Be your own boss and all that.

But one thing I learned from my time as an actor - the quickest way to stop loving something is to get paid to do it.

I am getting paid occasionally for essays that I write to be published by other sites. But for the most part my words are not something that I can put a price on.

That isn't to say that I am getting nothing out of this arrangement. Writing to people has offered me a tremendous amount of value in return. I thought it would be good to share how I am compensated for writing these essays.

Educational compensation

Every essay I write is an incredibly valuable education.

There are few ways that are better to make sure that you understand a concept than attempting to write it down. Writing an explanation of the ideas you are exploring or whatever you are learning is the most efficient way that I know to figure out what you know and where there are gaps in your understanding of a concept.

Our education system expects students to become competent in subject matters mostly via tests. The problem is that I don't know what a teacher is going to want me to understand so I have to study and hope I can guess what a teacher thinks is important. Most tests are really a test to understand the teacher. In contrast, as I write about a subject, I figure out what is important to me. My measure of success is if my writing turns out to be important to someone else.

This has allowed me to develop a fairly sophisticated understanding of a variety of subjects as they engage my interest. I have read a dozen Shakespeare novels (I hope to still finish this quest someday) and wrote about them in my quest to read all of his plays. I've delved into psychology, education, art and history. I am polishing an essay on Artificial Intelligence, which has required me to do significant research on the topic. I am not an expert but I have learned significantly more about it than I would have if I had simply passively tried to learn about it.

The best way to learn about things is to try and make something. You won't become a great chef just by watching cooking videos you have to actually make food. Writing is one of the most valuable ways to actually make something but it isn't the only way. Any project that results in something existing that didn't exist before you created it is the system by which we concretize our learning.

So these essays, and the process of polishing and refining the ideas to the point that they are worth your time to read, is how I forward my continual education.

Psychological Compensation

There are lots of experts out there sharing the wealth of knowledge that they have acquired over the course of their lives. I am grateful for their ability to distill decades of learning into succinct works that I can absorb.

But a lot of things I write about are just me trying to make sense of the world. This writing is a kind of therapy session without the bills. Most of the drafts I have written will never get published. That's ok - it is helpful for me to express my thoughts somewhere. I have a clearer understanding of what is happening in my brain and I can alleviate some of the stresses of life by writing about them.

Writing is a lot cheaper than a therapist that is for sure!

Posterity Compensation

Someday, hopefully very far into the future, my children will be without their father. I like the idea that the time that I have spent figuring things out might be of value after I am gone, at least for the people who are most important in my life. Maybe this is just a pleasant thought but by writing I am leaving behind a collection of my thoughts on issues that they can turn to. Ryan most likely won't be able to ask my opinion about what to do when he is around my age but maybe reading my writing can help him imagine my advice.

Skill Compensation

Writing and drawing are two of the skills that can continue to improve throughout my entire life. There are few physical limitations to impede my continuing with those two pursuits. Most other skills have some kind of bottleneck that keeps people from improving them. So long as I am able to move my fingers and my mind is nimble I will be able to continue to engage in the act of writing and drawing. This means I hopefully have three or four decades to continue to engage in this activity. The joy of continuing to engage in something and hopefully continuing to see progress in my ability is something that will continue to be a gift worth cultivating.

Community Compensation

I have met a tremendous number of interesting people online from my writing. My online friendships have expanded my knowledge of the world and enriched me immeasurably. I have had the privilege to participate in education research with a doctoral candidate, helped a high school senior who had questions for his senior thesis and wrote a book review for an American Israeli living in Germany.

There is no way that I would have connected with these people if they hadn't found me through my writing and my life is richer for these connections.

Self Awareness compensation

The ancient Greek injunction, ‘Know Thyself,’ inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

I can't exactly prove this but I find that I am able to articulate my thoughts a lot more clearly the more time I spend writing. Being able to convey ideas more clearly pays off in my teaching and in my daily life in ways that I can't even begin to accurately measure.

I also notice a lot more. I find that I pay attention more as I walk through the streets. I look for things that stand out. I listen to conversations to hear interesting accents and how people describe things. I attempt to describe what I see around me. In other words I am paying more attention because I want to express myself more vividly and clearly. The desire to express myself forces me to live a "higher resolution" life.

Ultimately I think these compensations are long lasting and can be achieved by anyone who wants to take the time to engage in a creative activity.

It has been a big mistake that we have collectively come to the conclusion that creativity is only worthwhile if you are financially compensated. We don't need to play at Carnegie hall to get joy from playing and instrument and we don't need to be a Pulitzer Prize winner to experience the joy of writing for a small group of people who are willing to take some time out of their busy lives to read what has occupied your mind.

As far as I am concerned I am being richly rewarded for the time I am spending.

I am still working hard at my gymnastics strength training and learning how to do a pistol squat. Read about my physical development with Transform Fitness.

By the time this is published I will be busy filming "Tabula Rasa" Check out my most recent updates. I am so excited and can't wait to share more details with you. Filming began Sunday August 11th so you'll see a lot of updates in the days and weeks to come. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to see the regular updates!