“I call myself a teacher because they want me to call myself a teacher, but actually, what I'm doing is I'm studying.” – Chick Corea, Born Jun. 12, 1941.
Back in Renaissance times, artists and musicians used to strive to get patronage. That's when some rich dude basically pays you to do nothing but pursue your craft, in exchange for exclusive ownership your work.
For the wealthy Italian mercantile class, it was just a way to show off their opulent wealth. But it subsidized the revolutionary creative and innovative period that changed the course of western civilization.
The internet basically allows you to democratize patronage and distribute over large numbers of people. You can do this figuratively by simply building an audience for your work and selling them sufficient stuff to support you. Or you can even do it literally now, with sites like Patreon.
But most people struggle to do it.
They agonize over getting the right idea. Or building the right brand. Perpetually plotting. They live by the illusion that if one plans sufficiently, you can create a career consisting of nothing but perfectly placed steps.
But that's bullshit. You're going to trip. You're going to fall in the mud. You're going to fuck up and break stuff and it's going to hurt.
But that shouldn't be avoided. It should be pursued with haste.
Because making mistakes, and dealing with them – solving the problems that thwart and vex you – that's how you create NEW and VALUABLE information for your followers.
That is how you add to the body of knowledge – a unique solution and exclusive point of view on whatever your chosen niche or genre is.
Then, become a teacher of whatever it is you're learning. Turn the results of your study into lessons for others as fast as you can. Publish them. Share them.
As your audience grows, you continue to improve. You make a living teaching what it is you're learning.
You've acquired your own patronage setup. Your audience pays you to study, so long as you teach them what you're learning. And you're worth the money because you keep getting better and better since improving is your full time job.