The Cliché Of "It's Not About The Money"

Almost every time I mention playing the piano being a big interest of mine. A release, a hiding place, a friend, a hobby. An alternative. I almost always seem to get the "It's really hard to go anywhere with that", "Starving artist this and that", "How do you plan on making money and a future with piano while your peers are studying all sorts of Engineering, programming, and doctoring branches?".

And to those same people, I can't seem to get them to understand that, I, just really like playing piano. I connect with the keys in a way I don't with any human. I control the vibrations to get rid of the noise I hear, and turn it into a sound I like. Why does it have to be about money? Even if making money through playing piano was incredibly easy; if my passion was playing it, then I would still just do that. Making money through it would be more so of a convenience than it would a reason to live.

Playing music in general, and piano in particular, is something very special to me. In a society where material seems to matter much more than it should, I'll say this: I simply don't really mind that my hobbies, interests, and the things I like to do for myself and others won't pay my bills and buy me nice things. That's not why I do what I do.