Alexis Orgera—
I’m curious about your job and how you negotiate job vs. creativity–or if there’s a difference. Take my survey? I’ll post results/anonymous responses and conclusions when I get enough responses. A Job Worth Doing
unemployment and creativity go hand in hand
disagree
disagree
creativity has nothing to do with whether you are employed. it has to do only with how many microscopic unicorns live in the forest of your moustache.
I deliver flowers for a living, and i tend to write when I make stops at stores, just like on whatever scraps of paper i can find, and if I didn’t have those microscopic unicorns in my moustache–I don’t know what. I don’t think it would be pretty. No, I think having a job makes a better writer, really. I believe the best writers are the ones who live like the rest of us.
‘microscopic unicorns’
double-disagree: i’m either at work or commuting 11 hours a day and my idiot job stresses me out so much I can’t think about writing. The best work I’ve done was the one time when I had two months with nothing to do but sit on the beach and write.
double-disagree: i’m either at work or commuting 11 hours a day and my idiot job stresses me out so much I can’t think about writing. The best work I’ve done was the one time when I had two months with nothing to do but sit on the beach and write.
Speaking more as a visual artist, but I’ve been thinking more and more lately that I almost don’t want to ever make a living at creative work. For one, when it’s just you in the studio on your off hours, there’s no pressure, and, for me at least, that’s the magic bullet for making things worth making. Having a day job keeps me on my feet, interacting with the outside world, and helps mitigate my guilt for ignoring my parents’ phone calls. I’ve attempted to “go full time” freelancing a half dozen times, and it’s made me realize that having more time absolutely does not make me get more done – like I read somewhere, something like, “work expands to fill the space you provide for it,” which is to say, I probably get the same amount done if I have four hours after work one night, or all week open. Sad but true. Also, as much as it sucks (and it sure does) I’d much rather have a crappy menial job (like cooking) that’s miles from what I want to do, than something that’s *almost* brain-based, but not quite (like graphic design), because the latter is just soul crushing. I feel the same way about merchandising and (vomit) “networking” – I hate to feel like I’m constantly trying to sell the most precious parts of myself, and if I ever turned into one of those assholes that sells buttons on etsy, while perpetually cross-posting to their facebook and twitter feeds, I would effing shoot myself. Yeah: fuck a day job, but it keeps the best parts open. I don’t even know what my “dream job” would be? I’d just drink coffee and walk around, vacantly looking into shop windows like a retiree. Can I get paid for that?
i hope you filled out the survey.
YOU GUYS ARE SO FUCKING BOUGIE
creativity and writing are different things. the former is a state of mind, the latter is a tangible production of something. being employed has squat to do with your innate creativity. your job isn’t making you uncreative, its just getting in the way of your doing something with it. which is bullshit of course if you are commenting here btw.
using the word bougie is so fucking bougie.
“I don’t even know what my “dream job” would be?”
I wish more people would acknowledge this futility in trying to predict what you want to do/be for a living without the experience of actually doing it for at least like three years. my career advice to any person looking for it is to pick a profession at random, then move around from one place to another until you find people you respect enough to work with.
I’d rather pronounce “bourgie” badly than say boo-zhee.
I’d rather not refer inaccurately to American affluence-entitlement in any pronunciation.
yeah, but i was way lazier about it for some reason (sorry).
Man, I got like a 20-minute lunch break.
I went crazy long-winded on the survey. Apologies.
no, that’s great! thanks.
I filled it out. Got crazy sentimental towards the end, I’m afraid.
Filled it out. If you will use the answers one day for your novel or so, here’s an addendum to my answers: my parrots name was Goosha.