I’m not going to pay for your adventures.

When I was 13, I started a band with my friends. We would practice almost every day and eventually held shows in my yard, community centers, coffeehouses, garages, at school and anywhere else we could as our friends always came to see us play. A few years later, we decided to take the band to the next level and record with the best local producer, Casey Bates, at his studio. At that time, his rates were unbelievably fair, but not to a few high school students. Our parents always supported our music any way they could, but they couldn’t do it financially. Thank GOD Kickstarter wasn’t around back then. 

I can hear it now: “What? Why? Kickstarter is AWESOME!”

Why am I glad it wasn’t around? It’s simple. At 16, I wanted something so bad, I spent almost every day after school and band practice, and EVERY weekend working at a restaurant, and saving saving saving every dollar I could, till eventually I had my share of the money we needed to record. And record, we did.
We crafted three songs, probably still the thing in my life I’m the most proud of, artistically. Not only were they great songs, but they were the direct result of our own effort, we didn’t owe anyone anything, and so when the show offers, tour offers, features on music sites, and eventually, record label offers came, we had earned them. 

The summer after my freshman year of college brought a similar predicament- a mission trip to Costa Rica. I’m not sure what you may have experienced with mission trips - but they’re often funded by bake sales, car washes, begging, and guilt tripping. The trip started in late June, so from the day I got home in Seattle to the day I left, I worked two jobs. Landscaping from 6AM-2PM, and hosting tables at a restaurant all the way on the other side of Seattle from 4PM-11PM. I paid over 80% of the trip through this 6 weeks of exhaustion. Why am I talking about this? Simply to show that these were things that I wanted. 

When you want something, and it’s for personal gain, it is your adventure, and your responsibility. I keep seeing these posts/events on facebook, full websites, blogs, tweets about often times even really close personal friends wanting to do these vacationsdisguisedasphilanthropy/personalgrowth and I am the last person to stop someone from going on one. I’m also the last person that’s going to hand you even a dollar that I worked for, so you can go play. 

This ‘Kickstarter’ ‘mission trip’ entitled mindset we are all encouraging doesn’t teach responsibility, it doesn’t teach any remote sense of a work ethic, and it definitely doesn’t allow the opportunity to fully earn and appreciate the experiences we have as a result of it. If you want to be a missionary, be one. If you want to travel overseas, call it what it is- a vacation. Grow up, get a job and work for a few months. If I can do it, so can you. 

Disclaimer: If you are offended by this- sorry, not sorry. I give to causes that are deserving and truly are needs. If you would like a few opportunities to fund, please let me know and I’d be happy to point you in the right direction.