I’ve been thinking further about resonance and the myth of doing what you love. Even if I found my tribe – people who actually get me – and even if I could be useful to them with my skills and interests, it wouldn’t magically remove the realities of work.

Work is work. Even in a setting you enjoy, even with people you resonate with, you’re still doing something for money – not necessarily because you genuinely want to do that particular thing in that exact moment.

Take painting as an example. You love painting. You attract other painters. Someone commissions a piece. Suddenly, you’re painting not because inspiration struck, but because someone is paying you. You might produce beautiful work, but it’s no longer purely joy-driven – it’s a job. Deadlines, expectations, and obligations enter, and joy subtly shifts into responsibility.

The same applies to any skill or passion. Even if the people you connect with are like-minded, even if the work aligns with your strengths, once there’s external expectation – whether payment, attention, or reliance – the intrinsic freedom of creation changes.

This is why separating the lanes – income versus resonance – remains crucial. Even when you find your people, even when your work resonates, there will always be a friction point. Awareness of this tension doesn’t make connection or monetisation impossible; it simply allows you to approach both realistically, without romanticising the experience.

Resonance is rare. Connection is fleeting. Joy in creation is fragile once obligation enters. And knowing this lets you operate with clarity – to create freely where you can, and to work where necessary, without expecting the two to perfectly align.