“What Do You Do For A Living?”
Mouth dry, sweaty palms. I don’t like it when people ask me this question. Truth is I’ve never liked it. But I don’t like it more now that I’ve quit my job because there is no longer an easy answer. It feels stiff and formal. Like a corporate substitute for a Friday night icebreaker.
I do a lot of different things to make a living for myself. I build websites and help out small businesses with their social media and take photos for them. I shoot video footage and edit it if need be. And if you need someone backstage to make sure things run smoothly, I’m your gal.
If you ask me where I work I’ll answer everywhere. I have client meetings in coffee shops and hotel lobbies. And even though I swore I’d never do it, there are days that I work from bed and stay in my jammies all day. Because it’s too dang cold to walk outside and my nose might fall off if I tried. So I’d rather not take the chance.
Since there’s no office to leave at the end of the day my hours are weird and I have a hard time knowing when to take a break. An “everywhere” office allows me to travel just about anywhere though. I’m packing a bag to hop on a ship to the Caribbean as I write this.
ONE OF THE PERKS OF QUITTING THAT OFFICE JOB.
So those are the things I do to make a living, to get rid of those pesky student loans. But they aren’t the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning. So, what if instead of always asking each other what we did for a living we asked what it is that we “live” to do? Of course I live for God, and for my family (and food, I love you food). But I also believe that God has given everyone a gift…this unshakeable desire to create. And it’s up to you to do everything in your power to see it come to life.
I write. And I don’t get paid to write yet, but that’s never stopped me since that’s not my end goal. I write because it would kill me if I didn’t write. I’m working on a novel and trying desperately to finish these scripts that have been half written for months now. I have this blog of mine and through it I’ve met so many amazing people that have expanded my network of writing connections in just a few months.
Writing is all I think about. And when I’m not thinking about it my brain seems to keep a backlog of my weird ideas anyway. A built in auto backup. Sometimes the fictional characters I’ve created in my head think for me and I have to reel them in. This is reality and not a post-apocalyptic thriller Patience, so don’t go speeding like a mad woman down the highway,
YOU’RE NOT RUNNING FROM THE BAD GUY YOU’RE JUST PICKING UP SOME MILK.
My dreams often cloud my reality, and sleep is where most of my ideas visit me. This is where my head is always at. Where my mind is always floating. And if it seems like I’m hibernating lately it’s because I am, a book just doesn’t magically appear on it’s own ( I just hope I don’t emerge looking like a cave woman).
And some folks might think I’m wasting my time with my head in the clouds. But there’s this rush inside that I can’t control when I think of the worlds and fascinating ideas that could be created with just a few words on some paper. That’s gotta be a sign right?
