Similar to expectations around meaningful work, far too many people limit their imagination of work worth doing to things that either come with a paycheck, require qualifications, or have a socially accepted story of impact. If I limited myself in the same way I would have lost all energy to continue. For me, I was finding that the act of creation was the reward itself. The philosopher Erich Fromm has argued that “creative union,” or when “man unites himself with the world in the process of creation,” is a way to experience love.
