The challenge of balancing business vs hobby (when you work in a hobby industry) is very real.
My passion for aviation extends to radio controlled aircraft, and specifically, aerobatic slope gliders flown off of cliffs, hills and mountains. A good friend of mine is a manufacturer and knowing him has given me a view "behind the curtain" of what it can be like to turn your passion into your business. He's been very successful, and loves the challenge of building his business, but it does change the nature of his engagement with the hobby. It's no longer just going out to "go fly," but rather to test, refine, or perhaps provide tech support to a customer "in the field." Not bad, but very different than the carefree reality I get to experience when I go out to the slopes to fly. He does seem to really enjoy it, though - for those with the right spirit, an entrepreneurial career is the realization of many ambitions and dreams, and it probably doesn't feel "like work" in the same way that it might for the stereotypical "cubicle dweller."
But there's that - making your hobby your business - and then there's Andrea's engagement in supporting
WoG essentially across the entire internet, for years. I'm sure none of us knows how much time he devotes to us - the big "us", anyone playing or even interested in the game - but it must be significant. He's seemingly everywhere, all the time, always with some helpful intercession or another, answering questions, providing context, telling the story of the game. I don't believe I've ever seen him get involved in a flame war - a temptation I'm sure many of us have fallen prey to if we've spent any significant time online. He's a treasure and testament to what a truly passionate person is capable of realizing in the world. I'm inspired and awed by the commitment.
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