How can I make a living from doing something reasonably interesting?

Leo

Well-known member
My job's great I have a right laugh only work for about 20 hours a week and basically do fuck all

i'd imagine the pop-up retail poetry business can get a bit slow during inclement weather, tho.
 

john eden

male pale and stale
I think the 30s are quite tough, to be honest.

I spent a lot of my 30s being a parent and going out and engaging in community politics and dicking about online and in print. In retrospect this was probably much better than spending too much time thinking about my career. In my 40s things have ramped up career wise so I've had less time for all that stuff.

I don't know if my experience is typical though - or translateable, because my 30s were in the noughties.

What I will say though, being all paternalistic/patronising, is that people in their 20s and 30s seem way too hard on themselves. They all seem way more sussed than I was and yet there seems to be this huge generational pull towards beating yourself up - at least amongst people I see on social media.
 
Funny thread. Odd that a lot of the kind of aspirations of people of our ilk (I know they're a few years old now) seem to be isolationist, dark room pursuits- I wish I was a writer/computer musician/creative bloke in a box.

I think theres a lot more satisfaction to be had in being out and about, blue collar work, get the sun on your back, drive around & find some good caffs etc etc

If you're that frustrated in your run of things Corpsey why not change paths completely.

The creative pursuits are overrated imo
 
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luka

Well-known member
The big problem with blue collar work is the cumulative damage to the body. I only spent about 6 or so years doing heavy stuff and that was in my teens and early 20s. I wouldn't want to be doing it now pushing 40. Even light work like bar and barista takes its toll. It's the repetitive motions and the long hours on the feet.
 

luka

Well-known member
Social work gets you outdoors though. Could try that. You'll burn out in a few years but good for the karmic bank balance
 

luka

Well-known member
Then again sounds to me like you need to drop out. Disregard what mummy and daddy might say and just give up on the idea of a career. Take anything that comes along for booze and drug mone and rent and drift.
 
Doesn't necessarily have to be labouring though. Get a trade, become a spark/plumber/plasterer, drive a mini sprinter.

If corpsey- sorry to use you as the litmus for everything here- is trapped in a moment of ennui and these desk jobs are killing him off, change up the pattern is all I'm saying.

Make the most of the summer and get outdoors for a month you will feel better for it
 

luka

Well-known member
Doesn't necessarily have to be labouring though. Get a trade, become a spark/plumber/plasterer, drive a mini sprinter.

If corpsey- sorry to use you as the litmus for everything here- is trapped in a moment of ennui and these desk jobs are killing him off, change up the pattern is all I'm saying.

Make the most of the summer and get outdoors for a month you will feel better for it

Definitely agree he should escape office work and not stop running
 

luka

Well-known member
In this life it's important to decide a)how normal you want to be and b)how normal you're capable of being/how normal you actually are.
Self deceit causes a lot of unhappiness
 

firefinga

Well-known member
As sad as it is, Job/work is often just an excuse to leave home, to be away from family and such. More and more people seem to get divorced AFTER retirement these days in other words when people are wrecking each other's nerves 24-7. Shows that "Happy Family Life" is often another case of wishful thinking and/or propaganda.
 

trilliam

Well-known member
The creative pursuits are overrated imo

definitely, in my late teens/earlier twenties ('08-'14) i toyed with the idea of being able to make a living in a creative field, a optimistic but still reasonable and very achievable goal in "that time", but all you've gotta do is look at all of these print-media mediums getting shut down (from thump to espn) to see to see that time is gone.

In this life it's important to decide a)how normal you want to be and b)how normal you're capable of being/how normal you actually are.
Self deceit causes a lot of unhappiness

this is good for the mind but happiness don't pay the bills, regardless of any emotional hangups this £££ is a necessity, anything else is a luxury

so with that in mind i'd say in (grown up) life you must

a) be realistic about how much money you need to live a comfortable life (hint: its in the low/mid twenties)
b) build from there

i do "blue collar work" and have done for a long time , i get enjoyment from work the same way anyone who's used to the ratrace does, relationships, bants and most importantly being able to put a roof over my head, afford simple luxuries and where possible save for better luxuries. that's all i want from Work and i'm quite happy to continue doing it while pursuing interests elsewhere

mon - fri living (depending on hours) can pretty much kill off any aspirations outside making it to the weekend but im lucky enough to have a 50/50 60/40 balance of work-play because of how i've manoeuvred in this dunya

if i didnt do what i currently do i'd be tempted to drive a bus for a year or two
 
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luka

Well-known member
It's difficult to know what's realism and what's defeatism.
Some people give up dreams too early, others hang on far too long.
 

trilliam

Well-known member
It's difficult to know what's realism and what's defeatism.
Some people give up dreams too early, others hang on far too long.


Defo

My point was that financial limitations (actual or imagined) can stop a person from fulfilling their quote unquote dreams

And if people were to be more realistic about the amount of money they need to be comfortable, live, create etc then they'd be less stressed

Maybe more stressed though. Who knows.
 
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