Human beings are meant to do more than just work. One of the biggest challenges of grown-up life is somehow balancing a full-time job and adult responsibilities with one’s passion projects, hobbies, and interests. Oh, and you’ve got to find the time to take care of your health and maintain your relationships, too. It can be incredibly overwhelming and exhausting.
So it’s no wonder that some creatives want to skip the entire 9 to 5 grind altogether and go for a more flexible schedule. Musician, writer, and all-round creative Zoe Wynns recently went viral on the internet and in the media after she asked people to stream her music so she wouldn’t have to work a traditional day job. Her video sparked a fiery debate on the internet. Scroll down for the full story.
Bored Panda reached out to Wynns and she was kind enough to tell us about the internet's reactions to her video, as well as just how much effort she puts into her creative pursuits every day. "Firstly, I will apologize to anyone who saw my video and was offended by my words—I absolutely could have phrased the video better, and I did not mean to be dismissive or disrespectful of anyone who works a 9-5!" she said.
"I will be the first to admit the blessing I have to even be able to make that video—a phone, a car, parents who love me and support my dreams. I've been given an opportunity I'm so grateful for, one I'm aware not everybody gets, to get an education in what I love and pursue my chosen career. But I did not give people the relevant context for how I'm working hard every day to do everything I can to build this career." You'll find our full interview with the musician as you read on.
Zoe Wynns is a musician, writer, and all-around creative who has recently gone viral for an Instagram video she posted
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"I cannot do a 9 to 5. I know this is going to sound spoiled"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"I know this is going to sound like some artsy creative who, you know, just doesn't want to put in the hard work and hours, but I physically do not think I can do it"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"I start to cry if I have more than like three non-creative tasks to do in a day and imagining doing eight hours a day of something that I don't really love for the rest of my life"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"So, there's no other option. This has to work"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"This is gonna sound even more artsy and arrogant, but I heard this quote in a show once, and it said: 'People like us can't live normal lives. If we try, it kills us'"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"Honestly, I am throwing myself into that category, because I think I will simply die"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
"So, if you want to listen to my music, and help me, you know, one step in the process of me not literally dying, please stream it. I love you guys"
Image credits: zoewynnsmusic
The musician was very open about the situation with her video. "People interpreted my video as me being lazy, spoiled, and not willing to put in the hours. Many commenters were upset about the idea that I was 'begging' people to listen to my music without putting any of the hard work in on my end. But I was a twelve-year-old that went around my neighborhood selling homemade soaps, a fifteen-year-old who hosted a slime convention with 600+ tickets sold nationally and who appeared on the news twice for it, a seventeen-year-old who started a business writing custom songs to help pay for college," Wynns opened up to Bored Panda.
"It's not the 8 hours of a 9-5 that bother me: most weeks I work 80+ hours on my music and other pursuits. The point of my video was that I want to have a creative career, one that is focused on my passion for music and writing, and that the standard '9-5' would not allow me that flexibility and time to work on what I love," she explained.
Wynns admitted that it's been tough dealing with the negative responses to her video. "I unfortunately struggle with my mental health at the best of times, and to have your character attacked by thousands is pretty painful. I've gotten death threats, I've been called slurs, I've been sexually harassed—it's been pretty difficult."
However, there have been some positives. "I'll get the direct message or comment after every few hate comments saying, 'I love your music, I'm so glad this post led me to you!' I'm trying to lean on my faith in God's plan and that all this happened for a reason."
You can watch Wynns' video in full right over here
Bored Panda asked the musician for her thoughts on balancing a full-time job with creative pursuits. She told us that it's possible to rely fully on creative pursuits for income, however, it's much harder to make a living this way than with a traditional job.
"I'm personally working on building up my small business writing custom songs right now, and combining this with my degrees I'm currently getting, to think of a future career path that would allow me creativity and flexibility while still making money. I'm also juggling backup plans that involve working somewhere that's relevant to my degree, but perhaps not as creative, while I work on building up my music career on the side," she said.
"I know many people have to work hard at jobs they don't like to support their family, and I have massive respect for that. The American workforce has been working the 40-hour week for so long, but it's only recently that people are looking at the system and realizing it's really soul-sucking and often not fulfilling. Our generation are some of the first people to take a good step back and say, 'Hey. This shouldn't have to be the path everyone takes!' and doing everything we can to break out and build our own non-traditional lives. We work just as hard, just differently."
Wynns also opened up about her passion for music. "Right now, I'm pursuing something really different in music: I had the realization earlier this year that no music artist out there has combined metal screams with alternative and orchestral pop music. As a metalhead but also a singer-songwriter, I thought this was a great idea for increasing the intensity and emotion of otherwise basic singer-songwriter pieces, and I've released two singles so far using this idea: 'BOTTOMLESS' and 'Billboard Signs!' Even before this viral madness, 'BOTTOMLESS' got over 10k streams, which was a super big milestone for a tiny artist such as myself."
Music isn't her only passion, however. Like some of us, she felt a calling to write, too. "I have been writing practically since I could hold a pencil, and composing songs on the piano from the age of ten. I released my first single in 2020 called 'the outside' that I self-produced in my bedroom and have been working hard on music ever since," she shared with Bored Panda.
"I'm also an aspiring film composer, screenwriter, director, and novelist. I have a lot of creative interests and I've been so blessed to get to pursue them in college and see where I'll go with my future career!"
The creative later shared another clip where she discussed the internet's mixed reaction to her previous video
The young creative’s Instagram video started a very fierce discussion about work, passion projects, entitlement, and financial stability. There were quite a few people who supported Wynns. And it’s clear these aren’t just empty words.
The musician recently shared an Instagram story where she was overjoyed about getting 500 followers on Spotify. So she’s making strides in her music career.
However, many other internet users were far less enthusiastic about her approach. Some social media commenters urged the creative to be more practical and continue her hobbies with a full-time job in tow.
Others pointed out that doing something creative as a proper career can be just as (if not more) exhausting than a regular 9 to 5. The music and entertainment industry can be brutal.
Turning a passion project into a career is different from dabbling in something as a hobby because it’s enjoyable.
There’s creative burnout to consider, as well as marketing, editing (and editing, and editing) your work to make it relatable to one’s audience, and monetizing one’s efforts.
While luck is most definitely a factor in making a splash with one’s music, art, and writing, it’s mostly about hard (and smart!) work over a very long period of time. Consistency and growth are what matter.
And it seems like Wynns knows this quite well, too: in a follow-up video where she covered the response she got online, she mentioned just how busy she is with her studies and various projects. You can read up on everything that she's done on her website.
Some other internet commenters were far less diplomatic and vented about younger generations supposedly not having a good work ethic. Some folks even went as far as to make fun of Wynns’ music.
Though it’s important to be practical, tearing someone down because they have the courage to try and achieve their dreams isn’t the way to go. The simple fact is that many people would willingly give up their 9 to 5 if they could pursue their creative projects and also have financial stability.
As Inc. reports, one in three Americans have a side hustle. Clearly, people care about their hobbies and envision a future where they won’t have to run in the daily rat race. However, that won’t happen all by itself.
It requires that you proactively carve out periods of time in your day when you can fully dedicate yourself to your side project, whether that’s dance, business, blogging, or learning to play drums better than your entire neighborhood.
Deep work, without any distractions, is far more productive than multi-tasking. You don’t have to block out three or more hours each day because, for most people, that’s unrealistic.
Instead, try to find what time you can, whether that’s just two minutes or half an hour. Doing that daily is going to add up incredibly quickly. But you won’t get where you want to without a clear vision. You have to have at least some sort of plan going forward.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The Harvard Business Review suggests having a clear understanding of what exactly you’re trying to achieve. Having a well-defined goal to move toward is better than doing whatever and seeing what sticks.
Try to come up with some sort of timeline as well. But remember to be realistic with your self-imposed deadlines. After all, you’re probably working a job, maybe even studying and being a parent, too. So you have to be prepared to adjust your course as you go forward. Even if you do have a plan, the creative process is, well, creative, so you have to be ready for some chaos and unpredictability.
As we've covered on Bored Panda before, some of the most common indicators of burnout are anxiety, disrupted sleep, a loss of interest in work, and difficulty in focusing. On top of that, you've got frustration and irritability ot contend with, as well as difficulty setting boundaries.
Burnout is something that affects you whether you've got a 'normal' 9 to 5 or pursuing your creative passions. A big part of dealing with it is about having a healthier work-life balance. That means taking care of your physical and mental health, getting enough high-quality rest, eating well, moving lots, and drawing a clear(er) line between your projects and your leisure time.
It's important to remember in those tough moments that you're more than just your job or project. It really helps to take some time off and do something entirely different, whether that's getting back to a hobby you've ignored for ages or trying a completely new activity.
Some internet users were far from supportive of the musician. Here's what they said
Others, however, were happy to see someone pursuing their passions with so much courage
