My friend Jacquetta has challenged me to write more. And then she writes more because I write more because she writes more. So you have to click on her blog in addition to reading mine to keep us in check. That is your responsibility should you choose to accept it. What does that sentence do? Does it give you hives or are you excited by the idea of responsibility? I think your answer could say something about how you feel about working for a living.
Me? I love somebody asking me to do something like that. I get excited! I’m responsible! My friend Jessica says I’m never without a job. And she’s write. For over twelve years I’ve managed to hold down a regular job and write. Some say my writing may suffer because of that but that’s so not true. Suzanne Lori Parks wrote several plays while working at the telephone company. Harry Crumb worked at the post office his entire graphic novel career. Tons of people balance work and joy…uh, wait. Did I just type that? Is work not joy? Am I working because I’m terrified of being poor and eating out of garbage cans while typing out my masterpiece on a word processor from 1995? For shizzle. Especially when I don’t have to. When I first started working, I wanted to work in glamorous entertainment. You know the whole idea that you slave around some place and then somebody finds out you’re a artistic genius and you get a deal/contract/make over/whatever. Um…that doesn’t happen. Unless you’re watching a really bad Pop Music Movie or a kiddie flick. But it doesn’t. I learned that. I also learned that those entertainment place don’t want you to be an artist for two reasons 1) that means you’ll leave if you get discovered and they get nervous about somebody leaving 2) in rare events, they actually care that you might start to hate “the business” and you don’t ever become the artist you could have been (I was told that at ICM). You don’t want to work at those places for these reasons: 1) they don’t pay enough 2) they don’t respect you enough 3) they don’t pay you enough 4) you work long hours 5) you’ll become a miserable asshole who will rely on your petty small “perks” (read company t shirts, a ticket to an event or two, seeing a celebrity come out of your company’s bathroom) as the rewards for your life. Don’t do it!
The important thing about working is to find the environment that you thrive in. Don’t go on the superficial stuff. Who cares if the lobby looks like an MTV show? Who cares if everyone dresses like a Abercrombie ad and blasts Wu Tang? What you should care about is if they treat you like the person you are and can be. I used to go to one of my jobs with a pit in my stomach. ALL OF THE TIME. My boss was awful and if I disappeared off the face of the earth, he would’ve never noticed. He would’ve wondered why somebody didn’t answer the phone and how come we (me and the 1st assistant) can’t find his helicopter even though we are in another country.
Lastly, please don’t buy into the starving artist bit. If your ancestors could pick cotton, farm, or whatever they did in addition to creating some of the great folk art we have around today, you can go to work and answer a phone, file, teach some kids, save a dog, run a company, whatever you can do that brings you joy in addition to what already brings you joy, you should do. It’s not cute to borrow money from your parents while you rock on in your apartment,looking for a record deal. You are not being focused. You are just selling yourself short. If human beings continue to pretend that they are not multi-talented, our world will end up full of lazy idiots. There was a time when most of us knew how to build a house, chop wood, churn butter, sew, live off land. Well, we don’t have to really do that anymore. So what have we done with all that energy we needed to just physically survive? Playstation, US Weekly, Grillz, surgery enhancement, “trying to maintain”, watching videos, etc.
You really only get one life. And if you think you know everything you want in your life, imagine what you don’t know. Crazy right? You could die not knowing that you could’ve made a helluva ESL teacher while you were busy watching American Idol, waiting for your agent to call so you could walk past the . Push yourself to your limits! By the way, don’t ask me what I’m doing with my energy…I got an email to write at the job.
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hmmmm… did you refer to pigpen here? might as well have if it wasn’t meant for him
Comment by Anonymous — April 3, 2006 @ 4:37 pm
I heard that. What is up with ICM? They throw out the strangest comments. I was once told that I should not be afraid to be intelligent in my act. Ok- people in the front row of the club had to bust out dictionaries once I started my act. Who else does medieval shtick… I got your intelligence, right here.
What is the next topic?
Comment by Webstar — April 4, 2006 @ 12:05 am
hey! i *do* know how to churn butter!!
(now can i sit on my ass and play playstation?)
;o)
Comment by honeychild / the mixtress — April 4, 2006 @ 12:24 pm
Mixtress,
That butter comment was for you! You’re a smartie…
Anonymous,
It wasn’t Pigpen…I was GOING to say something about Former Boss Pigpen who did nothing but kick up dirt to pretend like he worked buuttt…anonymous said it first. Hee…
Webstar,
ICM is a cult BUT if they want to sign me, I won’t rush towards “no” meaning I can be courted.
Comment by scruffdiva — April 4, 2006 @ 12:29 pm
yup. or move to the forest. there’s always room in the forest.
Get $mart Mu$ic Here
Comment by Nyaze the Fiance — April 4, 2006 @ 4:15 pm