How we doing? We all had Mexican food. We're all going to toot our brains out. Anybody else have beans?
Hey, it's Marie Forleo and you are watching MarieTV, the place to be if you want to create a business in life you love. And I assume you do, because this is Q&A Tuesday. In this Q&A Tuesday, I am tackling two Q's with one A. That's right, two for Tuesday.
First question, [Sophia 00:00:34] and she writes, "Hi Marie. I've watched every one of your videos and you've inspired me to follow a passion I long abandoned, illustration. You often talk about the importance of having a mission and doing work that matters, but what if the thing you love to do doesn't directly change the world or solve a problem? I can't say that illustration and telling stories adds value to the world. Is there a way to contribute no matter what kind of work you do?"
Now check this out. Carolina writes, "Hi Marie, I'm a documentary and environmental photographer, but I'm having a hard time coming from a place of service when I try to sell and market to my clients. My concern is my business model is all about me. I'm stuck in a rut and I have a really difficult time seeing how my products will really help anyone, besides me following my dreams. Please give me a Mama Maria reality check."
Sophia and Carolina, awesome questions. I can't tell you how many times I hear this, especially when it comes to artists. Here's the thing that I want you to know. You make a difference. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do for a living, all forms of expression are valuable. There's no such thing as better value or more value. Doctors aren't better than doll makers, journalists aren't better than jewelry designers, and astronauts are not better than artists. Entertainment, art, anything that provides pure pleasure is a hundred percent of value.
Just imagine our world without paintings or art or books or movies or comedies or plays or operas. We'd have no freaking culture and we'd be bored out of our brains. Art connects us to our humanity and to each other. It compels us to think and to feel and to love. Think about how much nicer our home is when you've got great art on the walls, or think about how a great illustration or a photo helps bring a story to life. Or think about times when you've needed a good laugh or you've been moved by a great piece of art or by a beautiful song. What if those things didn't exist? What if Picasso or Prince said, "You know what? This art doesn't really provide value. I should be a homeopathic health coach instead."
When you're learning about business, especially online business, you see so many examples of marketing solutions that it's easy to dismiss the value of art that's not problem solution-oriented. But just because you don't market something that clears up acne or makes a dog stop humping legs doesn't mean you market something any less important. And if you still question what value art has, here's a tweetable from Mr. Picasso himself. "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." So there you go, art does solve a problem. It cleans off the dust. Art's like Swifter for your soul.
Now before we wrap up, there's one more thing. Making money doing something you love, if you're not hurting anyone or cheating anyone, is by definition a service to the world. You are helping the economy and you're adding to the financial flow. Plus get this, you're also making a difference to people around you. Because when you do what you love and you're passionate and you're happy, that is added value.
Okay, Sophia and Carolina, that was my A to your double Q. Thank you so much for asking it. Now, I want to hear from you. Do you ever doubt the value of what you do? If so, I want to challenge you to tell me at least three specific ways that your work makes a positive impact on others. Don't forget to tell me about it in the comments below. As always, the best discussions happen after the episode over at marieforleo.com so go there and leave a comment now.
Did you like this video? If so, subscribe and share it with your friends. And if you want even more great resources to create a business and life that you love plus some personal insights from me that I only talk about an email, get your buns over to marieforleo.com and sign up for email updates. Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams because the world needs that special gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I'll catch you next time on MarieTV.
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