Ask HN: How do you balance creativity, love for the craft, and money?

The dream of a single-person unicorn is much easier to achieve while you’re still employed. The ‘love of craft’ can be enjoyed, whilst you’re having fun, learning and ideating on all kinds of projects, until you hit the mark, tbh. If you’re doing ‘what you love’ as a side hustle while doing a job you don’t particularly like that covers your bills, you’re in a much better position than risking it all on a whim.

Even if you are in tech and do get laid-off, you’re much more likely to find something quickly in another space than if there’s a 2-year gap in your resumé. And you can always ‘trade-down’ to a more menial job if you’re desperate, whilst you build your dream.

What you don’t see are the 9 startups that outright fail after struggling for a few years where everyone there is making pennies. It’s kind of tautological that you only see the few successes. No one brags about their dumb idea that made no money and had no customers after a year.

If you are worried about layoffs, what do you think is going to happen when your startup statistically fails? What are you going to do about income while trying to get the company off the ground?

>> single person unicorn

I've mused about this hypothetical as well. I think, it would only happen if someone has a really good idea, is really skilled in many areas and also (and this is the key) is dead set on it being a single person unicorn.

Why? Well, once money starts coming in there will always be areas where adding another human (or a hundred) can help. In other words there might not be much distance between a single person unicorn and a zero person one (in which the AI comes up with idea and does everything else too).

There is a difference between wanting to make money and wanting to have money.

If you understand the difference, it is often painfully obvious that most of us are in the last boat.

If you want something, you would typically be doing it already. Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch, but you might be more interested in asking questions than in giving answers. In that case, just try to enjoy life as long as it is smiling to you.

>creativity, love for the craft, and money

All respectable accomplishments, but some of the most accomplished may not be the most balanced :\

Money would be the one that could be taken away from you most easily, or even completely lost inadvertently through no fault of your own.

your love for the craft and creativity

Caring about other people is probably better for creating products. And commitment to create products is certainly better.

Creating products he good thing about creating copy cat products. Craft is often an excuse to not create. Good luck.