I agree, they should pay you to have fun. And they do, if you know how to find your fun and make it work for you. The hard part is realizing that sometimes the fun lives where you least expect it to. If all else fails, make your own fun. I have the most fun job on the planet. I look forward to going to work every day, I love my colleagues, and my paycheck is still a surprise after 4 years. This isn't to say it doesn't have its crappy times. It does. There are periods where I dread going in. Or where I have to stay until 10 pm (like, pretty much, all of last year). But even then, man it's a blast. I don't make shit for pay, but it's so much fun I can live with it.
Also, too often people assume that they only way they can have a dream be part of their lives is to have it be their job. Screw that. You want something a part of your life, make it a part of your life. You can still be an artist without being paid to make art. I dance professionally, sure, but it's totally a side thing for me and it can be because my company is so small that it isn't a full-time job for anybody in the company. But still, the level of work and the production quality are to a professional standard.
Linnea, I would advise you to just start drawing again. Forget if it even looks good or if you even feel inspired. Just draw one thing a day, every day, for a year. Artistic skills need to be cultivated on a regular basis. Don't let that part of you die. Let it be what it is, for you and only you.
I don't have much patience for people who say, "I could have followed my dream, but I didn't (and now I'm sad about it)." So often we hear about famous artists or actors or dancers who "followed their dreams" by going to acting school or whatever, but it only seems like a pat, perfect path in retrospect because they've made it. Then people get it in their heads that (a) the only people who really are "actors," say, are people who get paid to act; and (b) that their way of getting there is the way one follows that dream. I say that's bogus. If you want something to be part of your life, make it a part of your life. Who cares if you ever get paid a dime for it or if you ever go to school for it. Yeah, we're not all cut out to be the next Cate Blanchett or Jackson Pollack or whoever. But that doesn't mean we aren't artists. I would *die* if I couldn't dance. So I make it a point to include it in my life. Is it my profession? Not when compared to other "real" professional dancers (i.e. people who get their dental coverage and social security withheld by a dance company). But when you consider that I put 20+ hours per week into my practice, and I approach it with the mind of a professional, then yes. I have decided that it's worth it to make it a part of my life.
This is a nerve for me. I apologize if my expression of this idea comes across as insensitive.
My advice for anyone embarking on "Real Life" (TM)...whatever the hell that is...
1. Money is nothing more than congealed energy. It is a means to attain life experience and to fulfill basic biological needs.
2. We are here to acquire experience, not "stuff." No one goes to their deathbed saying, "Gee am I ever glad I had that plasma TV" (unless of course television is a vital experiential value for you)
3. Nothing is ever worth being miserable to your core.
4. That said, you can do just about anything for a limited amount of time.
5. Just don't let yourself get used to it, or before you know it, you'll have done it forever and will be saddled with regrets over the road not taken.
6. Don't be afraid to change. There is nothing wrong with not having a plan, and in fact it can be quite exciting.
7. Be excellent to eachother, and party on, dudes.
And finally, some
words to reflect on when life seems confusing.
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Topic: So What Is Life Like? (Read 10615 times)