Working Experiments
June 2nd, 2006 . by mattI am probably going to get some flak for this post.
I realized the other day that I really don’t like working. That is, Working, with a capital “W”. Working to live. Rather than living to work. There is a difference, you know. I have never took for granted how lucky I was to be in a rock and roll band full time, for almost a decade. Sure, I might have moaned and groaned about how difficult a job that was, but I could always see that it was a gift.
On the other hand, it’s also a gift to be able to pay bills on time, which I am enjoying, immensely. For the first time in my life. It’s a real treat. And currently the only way to do so is to work a little bit–not too much, but some– at a “day job”, which I’m also pretty lucky to have found a knack for. I can work with computers. So I do. Trying to turn a hobby into a living.
Here’s the thing. I work very hard at every thing I do. Some would say, too much. That’s fine. So I’m more on the “workaholic” side of the fence. I’m sure I’ll learn to either live with that or get some professional help. But the part that I have not come to terms with yet is… I don’t like Working. I’d rather have the hobby.
I spent more hours on the initial launch of the Cabaret than I did doing any other job I can remember. And yes, it wore me out. But at the end of each long Cabaret rehearsal, the exhaustion felt right. On the contrary, the same time spent in front of a computer, either doing repairs, or even the more creative option of some sort of graphic or web design… feels almost ‘dirty’ in comparison.
I’m not knocking spending time in front of computers. I really like them, and like the ‘instant gratification’ you can get when you fix broken things. But I miss the single-mindedness that comes from working on your craft, for a living. Even if it’s a multi-faceted craft. Just working towards something, all the time. As I’ve said, I’ve always seen computers as a hobby, not my craft. I’m sure that many of you can weigh in on this. And will.
I have been reading Steve Pavlina’s blog. He’s a little kooky, I think, but is inspiring in the sense that he’s a dude that quit all day jobs in order to sort of research… himself. He’s making money at it, too, attempting all kinds of human experiments, and then writing about them. It’s not that he’s an entertaining, or even good, writer. He doesn’t try to be. He’s very matter-of-fact about what he’s doing, and gets it done. And the result is a collection of interesting stuff from a true ‘web entrepeneur’.
I think that my current life is an experiment, of sorts. I was wondering if I could in fact work a day job for the rest of my life. In some ways I could… there are some nice benefits. But the verdict is still out. It doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t really feel like me. I’m thinking that it might soon be time for me to figure out a way to survive by working closer to my dreams. It worked pretty well the first time. Or at least to find a more even balance between being somewhere and Having to be somewhere.
Along those lines, I’ve taken some baby steps towards an idea I had last year. I thought it’d be neat if I could start a website for people in bands that were making recordings and needed a “guest musician”. For example, if you were making an album for yourself and didn’t know any accordion/harmonica/mandolin players, you could just go to the website and pick from a selection of multi-instrumentalists. You would send an mp3 of your tracks, the musician would plug this into ProTools or the like, put down a few takes of the instrument you wanted, send the raw .wav files back to you… and bang! You’ve got a guest artist. This isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that seems to be working. The “band” Postal Service made an entire album on this concept of emailing sound files back and forth. The technology works for you, so why not?
I’ve actually played on a couple of albums this way, so far. It’s great fun for me, and another way I can stay closer to my art and get paid doing so. I don’t know if I’ll have the time to actually build the website anytime soon, but let this post be an open offer to any of you readers currently in the studio! Let me know if I may be of assistance.
I’m fighting a cold, so I’ll sleep now. Thanks for reading. I look forward to reading what you think of my “working experiments”.
Yes, you are lucky that you are only stuck to Working at the moment. Some of us stiffs have been doing it for ages!
While I understand you feeling “dirty” about your day job, it allows you to at least work with something that you consider a hobby. The dirty feeling is called “sacrifice,” and that will allow you to pay bills on time. I have never been paid for any of my hobbies until last year where I managed to get a paying gig singing in another chorus that I would readily volunteer for anyway. I didn’t feel dirty about it. It was a nice feeling knowing that I really enjoyed the “work” and was able to buy an iPod with the earnings I got.
Now I must cut this short to get to my dirty ol’ day job. Ciao!
On hobby vs. craft, my friends and I want to ditch the day jobs altogether to pursue the hobbies to see if they can indeed become our crafts. But alas, we’ve never been allowed that freedom, being chained to desks and all for the past 8 years. xoxo
Look at it from this angle: You’re getting paid to do your hobby ;-P
(If only there were a verb meaning “Do your hobby,” because that just looks wrong. HOBBYING.)
Hey, as an artist I feel for ya. I work a day job to make ends meet- Montessori school, but I wish I could just be doing galleries all the time.
“Warm bodies, I sense, are not machines that can only make money”
getting paid to do my hobby is my worst nightmare. i think that if my hobby turned into my ‘day job’ i would begin to hate it, simply because i had to do it to eat. my hobby is my release, away from work. i can’t imagine my release becoming work.
or maybe that’s just me trying to justify my crappy day job.
Happy Birthday, Matt!!
Working to live sucks, and it’s unfortunate that this is what so many of us have to do. With all your talents and creativity though, I’m sure you’ll find a good compromise and start living to work again soon =)
I’d love to be able to turn a hobby into a living than do what I do now: make a living doing something that isn’t even remotely close to what I went to college for *or* my hobbies. When you’re doing that, you’re constantly left with that “I was meant for more” feeling.
I think your Guest Musician idea is great, especially since you play some less common instruments. Do you still give lessons too? You seemed to enjoy that when you had the time to educate others.
Lastly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I’ sure you’ll be celebrating in style.
experiment huh? well musc needs people for an add research study. they’re looking for people between like 18-40 who have add and smoke pot. compensation will be provided. no time like the present to start your unconventional money making.
My situation is not that I hate my job, but I don’t love it either. It’s something I can do, and do well, like you with computers, and it affords me a lifestyle of travel, music, and art. The thing to keep in mind is that over the course of your lifetime you will change jobs/careers several times. We aren’t the generation of company loyalty until our retiring day.
~sigh~ Yeah. I work for the weekends. At least you’re trying to find something that will make you happy. I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. (And I’m 27!) I got the whole college degree and the so-called “career” thing, but I DON’T LIKE WHAT I DO. Maybe one day I will find a job that pays the bills and I enjoy it!