Today I had a tough day at work and during the commute. I ended up skipping lunch, and on my way home, the rain hit for quite a while. (I ride my bike home) and that halted a lot of errands, and I had to stop multiple times. And perhaps the morning didn’t lend much help with an unreal project taking a bit to fix and I left to work with that unfinished.
safe to say, it has been a difficult day. i had an emotional reaction outside (well, under a bike tunnel) to the whole day and my overall life circumstances. I stood out by the rain waiting for it to stop (it didnt) and had a moment of like “I dont get this, how has my life resulted here?”
because as an artist, with so much going on both in my heart and on my computer and now my social media, I feel my life should reflect something more. But I have found myself today (and of course subconsciously the entire time) in a place where— given the societal state that the US inhabits, and my own choices in life that perhaps was both in my control and not— I have clearly still found myself here… stuck at this 9-5 as we all have likely found ourselves before…
but today I have hit a high bar for the tolerance I carry for not living a life closer to something i can be proud of… the only barrier I see is this 9-5… taking my time and energy so much thus far that today i feel so jaded from this current life a raddical change is needed. I am just terrified to do so in this economy tbh… So should I just quit?
If you are talking about a job, it seems you should. Someone who shouldn’t doesn’t think this.
On the other hand, are you going to base this on a random comment online written by a stranger? You probably shouldn’t do that… And maybe having a plan B is a good idea. Generally doing stupid things doesn’t pay off. So maybe look for another job first or just have a good plan and wait at least a week or two to give yourself some time to think it through so it’s not stupid and not to make a rash emotional decision that may affect your life in a big way negatively.
I can see how it would feel this way. The thing about barriers, is they often obscure the next barrier. I have a sneaking suspicion that if you were to quit your 9-5, you would swiftly find some other barriers to getting closer to the life you want to live.
Be patient, but not complacent. Keep your ears up for opportunities, and don’t quit until you have another viable option.
The core issue is almost always Challenge VS Skill in a workplace.
Jot it down, hunt for it or DIY.
We are heading towards renaissance again. Struggle will be a part of art life again.
If you are an artist, expect less from life. You will be at peace.
Well said. It’s really easy to, when you have a stable job, fantasize about the life you could have without it. However, life without a 9-5 means:
No health insurance
No guaranteed income
No 401k or pension savings
Can’t rent- every landlord expects a stable income
Can’t lease a car- see above
That’s in the best of times, when you can get another job as needed. Right now, quitting your job would be suicidal. The job market is a complete disaster. If you walk away from a stable job, it may be years before you find another job, and that’s not exaggerating. I was just talking to a recent college graduate who, after a year of applying to multiple skilled jobs a day, gave up and started applying to local retail jobs, and none of that has panned out either.
If you want to quit your job, you better have a backup plan, because you’re probably going to be unemployed for a long, long, time
P.S. I looked at your LinkedIn and you definitely shouldn’t quit your 9-5- some quick Googling and napkin math tells me you have up to $120,000 in student loan debt. You probably got scholarships and such, so that’s probably a high estimate, but that’s not the kind of debt that lends itself to “I’ll figure it out” kind of lifestyle
I wanted to add- it sounds like what you’re truly looking for is purpose or meaning. If you don’t have that outside of work, then life can feel very hollow and empty when work stops being satisyfing. Some people find a deeper meaning through a cause, service to others, spirituality, religion, meditation, exercise, family, friends, passion projects, volunteering, protesting, community organizing, expanding knowledge in an area of interest, learning to play a musical instrument, or any combination of the above. Work is a common, but not great, choice, as you’ve found out
Get a hobby … grow that hobby. What do you like doing? Doesn’t really matter all that much what hobby you grow. Put your own personality on it. Can there be a product (even if that product already exists) within that hobby you can sell?
Get on social … tell your story!! How you built a life outside of 9-5.
I appreciate all the replies!! Well said by many of you, and the advice has been considered. The good thing is I focus a lot on many blender and unreal projects and it is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of life. on top of that things have slightly improved! And now that the weekend is here, it will be spent with considerable action and and time with with friends playing DND (still learning all the lingo… Half Elf Bard btw…)
I will also share more of my progress with my ongoing projects and Backrooms streams. Thanks again for the advice!
I am doing just that! streaming my blender/Unreal backrooms throughout the week and its going well! helping me grow and getting that project out and done!
F’kn right it will help you grow!! Take time and take try.
I know this guy, ex-pro football. He got plump/fat. So he goes on these daily walks and throws them up on social. Stride by stride.
A simple walk that now gets thousands of hits daily. Not so much because he is ex-pro football, but rather plus because he goes on these walks trying to burn off that fat … a personal story combined with a relatable personal journey!!
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a product to attach on his personal journey … such as creatine or protein, or shoes, etc … I tried.
Personal journey is what sells to the product. Makes it relatable to countless of those/us online just scrolling for inspiration.
Your personal journey seems to be about putting 9-5 over there as an anchor … then creating stuff with Blender/Unreal outside of the 9-5. You do this and then you can do that.
