The key to work that you love is finding work that gets you into a flow state - into the zone. I was reading Luke Muelhauser's blog a couple of months back, after he'd quit his job as the head of MIRI, a friendly AI research institute. It seemed like a bizarre career move until he went over his rationale - his job, although rewarding, didn't get him into a flow state, whereas other types of work did.
This is why I love writing so much. Its the kind of work that makes me lose track of time, the kind of work where the contents of my consciousness can seamlessly pour out of my fingertips and onto the screen. When I write scenes, I'm not just writing them. I'm living them, I'm feeling them in my head. The joy of creation is a real thing, and I realized recently, after a brief period of self doubt, that I've never going to stop doing this. It's not work for me, it's just pure, unadulterated joy. Sure, there are moments of writer's block, problems in the narrative that take time to be solved. But when I really get into the zone, there's nothing I've done that can really match that. And I'm grateful for finding this.
people I admire
Bret Easton Ellis