Thunder on the Mountain
August 26, 2008 | permalink

A lot of the people that I work with, and nearly all of my crew, are in this business because the hours are flexible, and it pays well, and the work can be fun; but really they want to be doing something else. By which I mean really they are doing something else, they just haven't figured out how to make a living at it. But once they do, they are soooo out of here.

I've been thinking about this lately, reflecting on the magnificent variety of people that working in this business has allowed me to meet and interact with. I have had the pleasure of working with a shockingly large number of brilliant and creative people over the years. Of course there have been lighting and scenic designers; that's a no-brainer, given the nature of the work. But there have also been several painters, a sculptor, writers and playwrights, two glass-blowers, several photographers, a lawyer, a doctor, a couple of scientists, a dancer or two, musicians, magicians, a card shark, a librarian, a computer programmer, a few filmmakers, a trapeze artist, cooks and bakers, and a genuine bearded lady. And those are people that I know (or knew) personally, most of whom I counted as a friend.

Some of them have moved on, of course; the nature of their calling not being compatible or leaving them with the time or desire to load in shows; some are still with me, still not quite ready for whatever reason to take the plunge. And some of them are mostly gone, but come back every once in while to play. But no matter where they are, I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work along side them.

Posted in Musings & Working
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Walking in the Fields of Mars...
August 21, 2008 | permalink

... is like what Fashion Week feels like, more and more each season. It feels more and more foreign and unnatural every time.

Forgive me if I am repeating myself, but the older I get... the more grown up I get, I guess, the more responsible I want to be about the resources I use and the waste I produce and the impact I have on the world around me. It's actually causing me a fair bit of angst, I realized. Because I love my job, Gentle Readers. Using my brain to solve technical and logistical problems under pressure, doing physical work, leading a team, passing on my knowledge to others... I don't want to have a job where I don't get to do all those things.

And yet, as much as I love doing what I do, the people I do it for I mostly find reprehensible, if not downright despicable; and the sheer waste and frivolity of it all... I have a harder and harder time justifying the mindset. Not that I am ready to walk away; because I do enjoy the work on a deep level; just not some of the people I work with. But I used to think I could do this forever, and now I know I can't.

Posted in Fashion Week & Working
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