Why I'm Not An Artist

Here I am, 27 years old, Living in New York where I always wanted to live. They say the grass is greener but when I got here I really found myself & I can honestly say I'm happier here. Sure there are times when I wish I was traveling through East Asia with a backpack but ultimately this is the best place for me to be.

I love people, I love making friends & I love sharing good memories with good people. However, I do need to build something in this world, not only in my social life, but also in the world of business. So as much as I'd love to just quit my job & run off to South America I know that being here in New York & keeping my day job will net me the best reward.

I play the guitar, the bongo, the harmonica, I sing, I write poetry, & I paint. Trust me if I quit my job today I would have plenty of creative, constructive & productive things to do. So why don't I quit? Why don't I leave the retail Brooklyn storefront in the rear-view mirror &follow my dreams?

Here's why... There are many reasons but I will start with the one that is most deeply ingrained in who I am and then move on from there. Growing up, I lived in Philadelphia, with my father a rabbi, and my mother a pre-school teacher, we wern't rich, not to mention that I was one of nine! Our parents had to say no sometimes in the toy store but overall they were able to make it work.

They gave us everything we needed & we lived a quality life of unity with infused morals of honesty & good work ethic. My father is a concert level pianist, A cartoon artist & amazing writer. He used his creativity to enhance his performance as a Hebrew Teacher; his day job. He didn't do it full time instead he stuck to a full time job.

When I was about four years old I remember having a late night conversation with my brother about life & I remember him telling me that he was going to be rich. It was almost as if a light turned on in my head, seeing now that it is possible to be rich. Ultimately, I think that moment defined who I am today & who I will be for the rest of my life.

After that night my imagination went wild, I started thinking of ways to make money & carrying them out. throughout my childhood I was always hustling, buying & selling to make that piggy bank grow. I began to prioritize & say to my self "what's more important?" going bike-riding with friends or going to the dollar store to get products that I could sell the next day at school for double the amount.

Today I prioritize the same way. What's more important? Going on a road trip with friends or working for a full week? I have been asked almost a hundred times over the years if I wanted to go to a festival, but have never gone. I don't regret it either. Although I'm not perfectly independent or financially free I do know that if I stay on track to becoming so, I will get there.

So why not quit my day job & become a full time artist, make a full living doing what I love? Why do I see the grass greener on my side, working as a manager in a retail store? What is it about what I do that drives me to do it? Why don't I follow my passions as others have? I must first explore the question of what exactly my passion is.

I may love the piano, I may enjoy playing guitar, I may think painting is fun or even that writing is fulfilling. But what really drives me? What will get me to wake up in the morning? Is it my day-job or running to the art stop to buy supplies for my next paint session in the park? The answer is that its much more complex than a simple choose between hobbies.

To explore this Idea I want to take you deeper inside my mind (my dyslexic mind by the way). Lets go back to the idea of being rich. Forget about all of the opportunities for philanthropy & all of the amazing good I can do with an accumulated fortune, I want to explore what it can do on a basic level; right hear in front of me.

My vision is to have an empire of high-rises all over the world, A family of distinguished people who can be a force of good and a positive influence on the world. I want my children to grow up knowing that they could be as big as they want, I want to be able to back up what I say & bankroll my children to make it to these places.

I'm not saying that because of my humble beginnings its impossible to do great things, what I am saying is that building a platform on which my children can grow is a far greater opportunity & will payoff in tenfold. So as much as I love going out to paint or spending time doing creative work I know that focusing on my financial goals will further extend the reach of my abilities.

It's all about success, I always said I want to change this world. I can't say I've figured out exactly what that means yet but I can tell  you that building an empire is a gruesome endeavor that required a lot of sacrifice until now & it has proved it self to be rewarding. Where I am today to where I was a year ago or five years ago is a world of a difference.

People may try to persuade me to thinking that being in business is being a 'Sell Out' but deep down I know that my fight for success is my true passion & that it out-ways any other prerogative in my life.