So this whole writing fulltime thing is simple awesome and I am the happiest person alive at the moment. I even smiled at a dog the other day. It wasn't even a particularly cute dog. But happiness is not going to last forever and I am going to have to look for a new job. The thing is, I can't go back to being a legal secretary. I just can't. Not because it's awful, even though it is, but it's awful to me because it's not my job. There are people out there than love being a legal secretary. I've never met them but I'm choosing to believe that there isn't a whole profession out there plotting ways to kill their bosses. Told you, I'm one happy camper at the moment.
So, here is the deal. I'm putting my employment future out there into the cyber universe. Tell me what kind of job a playwright should have. To help you along, this is what I want in a job:
- Not going to leave me exhausted at the end of the day.
- Doesn't involve lawyers (sorry, it's me, not you).
- Use all these writing skills that I have painstakingly acquired over all these years.
- Is going to pay me a decent wage.
- Involves the things I love: books, plays, paper, words, people.
This is what I bring to the table: I am fun. And funny. I can make you laugh quicker than you can say 'God, is it Monday again?' One of the lawyers I worked with went to an Enrique Iglesias concert and I called her Enrique for 3 months. Never failed to make her laugh. Okay, that could have been crying and there was some mention of bullying in the workplace but trust me, fun is my middle name. Fun is what I do while I am working. I work like a vampire in need of their next victim. I suck the blood out of my work. Fine. Gross, but if you need it done, it gets done.
I have lawyers who love me. Lawyers! They have no soul, but they still love me. That's how hard I work, while keeping the fun. Laugh? You'll cry.
So, help me. Help me figure out a job that is going to give me money, but more importantly, give me some sense of … what is the word … oh yeah, fulfilment.
What is your day job? Does it help your art? Is there such a thing? All suggestions, thoughts, musings welcome.
3 comments:
After spending a decade in non-profit development (fundraising - specifically grant writing) and feeling sucked dry (not in a good way) at the end of each day, I made a career change this summer.
Now I'm a copywriter for a small advertising/marketing agency. I LOVE IT. I get to be creative. I have multiple projects, so things stay interesting. I work with art directors and graphic designers who are creative and artistic (and perhaps a little odd). It's been a great move for me, and the pay is pretty decent too.
I no longer feel like I have to drown my sorrows in wine (whine) when I get home from work. So that's something.
Good luck with your search.
After trying a lot of things, I've settled on (and LOVE) being a freelance scientific editor. To pay my bills, I have to work ten hours a week at $50/hr. The rest of the time I have free. As for getting started, it's difficult to say--I don't know what the landscape is like in Australia. But I will tell you that my biggest clients are people in academia, scientific industry, and the nonprofit public health sector.
Good luck!
Thanks Monica and Crystal. Things to ponder ...
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