Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Careers

I have been doing a lot of pensive thinking lately. Some thoughts have to do with things I am doing, books I am reading, movies I am seeing, but most have to do with where I am currently in life and where I see myself going. Maybe I am at a crossroads. I keep meaning to blog about all these things, but when it comes to sitting down and writing something, I am not in the mood. Maybe my thoughts are half formed still. There was a brilliant exercise I had to do in a writing/public speaking/art class I took in my undergrad art school. The homework was to write a page a day in a notebook...sort of like a journal. What we were to write were thoughts or opinions or anything as long as they were analytical. My two best ones were on why the world was so moved by Princess Diana's death (yes, this does date my schooling) and why cemeteries are so valued by the living. Perhaps I will try and repeat that exercise in this blog. It forces a further thought process in my half finished thoughts. That said, I have been looking for a part time job lately to pay for my studio and my transit. A day a week would be ideal. But it seems that most jobs here in London are over applied for and not a single company bother to get back to you if you have not been shortlisted. This leaves you wondering if the job has been filled or whether you are still waiting to hear. I had my fingers crossed for the library job. I have been thinking seriously about other careers too. Why? How could I when I have invested in this one so far? Well, this one can get discouraging not only with working long and hard with few monetary rewards, but the world of art is not always a savoury place. Part of the problem is when I do those on-line tests to discover what your best career fit is, it is always in the arts. Maybe I just need more structure. Maybe I need a bit of a change for a while. I did in fact get short-listed for a part time job last week and started this week. Of course what was advertised is entirely different, both in location, in commitment, and in hours. There has been no training, the schedule is sketchy and I am expected to be flexible, make it my life priority, commute for an hour (each way), and earn minimum wage, while being sometimes abused by the public. I dread going, but admit it has had a one positive effect. It has made me determined to do something else. I am refocusing with an extreme intensity on my art work and studio time and am seriously considering other careers, not as a replacement, but as a compliment. I need something that is a bit structured and makes a bit more money.

3 comments:

Laura and Ryan said...

What job are you doing? Is it the library job?

I really think that those quizzes speak the truth. After all, I took one and it told me I should join the military. Yes. The military.

I can understand the feeling of wanting something a little more organized in your life. Being at home with kids is as unorganized as making a living with art, I'm guessing, and it's one reason that I love doing administration and bookkeeping. It demands organization and I can get a lot of satisfaction out of keeping tidy files and knowing exactly where every penny goes out and comes in. :)

Friar Tuck said...

Great questions. I trust your ability to discern and be truthful with yourself.

michal (W.I.T.W.I.M.) said...

I quit my one week old job today as a secretary of at a doctor's office. It turned out they wanted to split a 12 hour shift up into little bits and spread it over the week with no real continuity from week to week. That and the fact that it took me 2 hours to commute each time was my limit.

I was hoping for the library job, but alas, never heard back from them!