Hey everyone, welcome to another Monday Break(Through).
So, the other day, I was out having lunch with my husband, and a song started playing in the background. You know how sometimes you’re just eating, talking, not really paying attention, and then—boom—a lyric just hits? This one went:
“Are you in it for love, are you in it for money?”
Cliché, right? Now, the song itself? Irrelevant. But those two lines? That’s where my brain went down a rabbit hole.
Because isn’t that the question? For creatives, for designers, for artists, for anyone putting something out into the world—why are we doing this? Is it because we love it? Or is it because we’re chasing the paycheck?
And look, I know. This is the kind of thing people put on motivational posters or slap on a tote bag. As I said it’s a cliché. But you know what else? It’s true.
Because if you’re in it just for the money, and there’s no love, no passion, no obsession for what you do—at some point, it falls apart. You burn out. You hit a wall. And yeah, sure, you might be able to power through for a while. But the work? It shows. You can see when something was made out of obligation versus when it was made out of love.
And I don’t mean love in a romantic, soft, dreamy way. I mean love in the messy, obsessive, I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-this way. Love in the way where you wake up already thinking about the thing you want to make. Love in the way where even when it’s frustrating, even when it’s hard, even when things aren’t working, you still show up.
Because you want to. Because you just need to.
Now, I’m not saying money doesn’t matter. Of course, it does. We all need to pay rent. We all need to survive. But when money is the only driving force, when it’s the main goal rather than the byproduct of doing something great—then the work starts feeling empty.
And listen, I’m not here to preach. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. Times when we took on work just to pay the bills. Times when we questioned whether this whole thing is even worth it. And honestly? Those moments are normal.
And in the end here’s what I do believe: if it’s all love, the money will come. Maybe not immediately, maybe not in the way you expected, but it will. Because people see when something is made with passion, with care, with soul.
But if it’s all money, no love—no soul—then yeah, that’s probably when it’s time to realign.
That’s it. That’s the thought for today. Are you in it for love? Or are you in it for money?
I hope you have an amazing week, and I’ll see you next Monday.