7 Types of Day Jobs
There are many types of day jobs out there, and knowing about yourself as an artist will inform how you choose a job that’s right for you. Whether you’re looking for balance or trying to save your energy for your creative process, different types of jobs can support the many artistic attitudes.
Before you pick the best day job for you, it’s important to define the best way to accomplish your work.
Putting your creative needs first ensures you’re choosing the right way to make that side money. With a variety of options out there — from dog walker to teacher to bartender to hedge fund manager — you might be surprised at what exactly is the best way to fund your dreams.
Here are seven types of day jobs that can support your work:
1. The No-Brainer:
This job requires no extra effort. When you wrap up your work for the day, you walk away from it and it’s finished. This kind of job is especially beneficial for the creative who doesn’t want to give brainpower away. Turning off your problem-solving mind at work leaves you with mental space to stay creative. You have very clear boundaries to your creative process.
2. The Connection-Maker:
This is a day job where you work within your creative industry in order to make connections and learn from others in your field. This could be an internship or assistant position. While finding a day job in this realm may not pay much, the return on your investment could be huge. Many times, your network can serve as the springboard to getting your work off the ground. Creatives with a desire to be deeply rooted in a community may enjoy this type of job the most.
3. The Hiatus-Funder:
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, worked in an ad agency for two years just so he could spend a year writing in a cabin in the woods. His diligent work at his day job allowed him the freedom to work on his writing without other constraints. This is ideal for an artist who needs uninterrupted time and space to develop his or her work. You put your nose to the grindstone so that eventually you can quit it entirely.
4. The Balance-Builder:
A day job that builds balance into your life is flexible enough for you to make money while you simultaneously work on your craft. You might find these kinds of jobs are freelance careers, substitute teaching or other jobs that don’t necessarily require a long shift every day of the week. In this way, a creative can devote some days to working the day job and other days to making their art. This gives a kind of ebb and flow to your attention and are great for creatives who can alternate between mindsets fairly easily.
5. The Shadow Career:
Pressfield, also in his book The War of Art, talks about shadow careers. The shadow career is so similar to the craft you actually want to pursue that you find yourself settling for a second-rate version of what you do. Beware of this. For Pressfield, his shadow career was driving trucks. He convinced himself for years that the journeys he took on the road were just as good as the journeys he felt compelled to write about. The shadow career has an element of your great work in it, but it’s still not quite it. Make sure your day job does not swallow your dreams, but instead helps you move toward them.
6. The Interim Money-Maker:
This is a temporary day job that acts as a holding place until you figure out what kind of day job is the best fit for you. It could just be a lucrative gig that you need for a few months to build up your funds and find something that strikes a better balance. This is great if you need a moment to regroup and reinvent the direction of your career.
7. The Dream Funder:
This is the kind of job that gives you enough time and money to do what you really want to do. This is perhaps the most elusive of day jobs, but it doesn’t mean it’s not out there. The Dream Funder may be a serendipitous freelance gig for an employer with money to spare or a niche on Task Rabbit that proves lucrative or a job you actually love, but has a culture devoted to balance and having a life outside of the company. When you are clear on your creative goals, these jobs tend to reveal themselves more and more.
Day jobs are a practical part of how you create your work.
