- The Cake
“The job is not your work; What you do with your heart and soul is the work.” Seth Godin
I work as a flight attendant for a regional carrier. At this stage in life it’s not a career nor do I see it as just a job. I do not make much money, I spend half my month in hotels, and spend long hours with passengers, from every walk in life, in a long metal tube, a tubicle.
My work history was in the high technology field. The last few years of that working career had more focus on the time clock than the tasks at hand. I was just doing my job, a cog in the system. Early on my career I enjoyed going to work. On those mornings I was bringing something to offer rather than taking home a paycheck. On those days I wanted to make something happen, make the day different. And, on those days I usually came home feeling good because I had accomplished something or learned something new. I came to work to give of myself and darned if I didn’t receive something in return. So some mornings I showed up at my job and some mornings I came to work.
At the present time, I do not show up at the airport because it’s a job but because I want to come to work. The day it feels like a job to me, I need to find another place of employment. I believe that holds true with my photography. I do not want to get caught up in the struggle to make money with it as it may just become a job. My hope is to pursue it because I want to work at it, offering what vision and craft I can to this media. Hopefully I have something to offer. We all have the opportunity to use our photography to make a difference. If I can make money at it then that’s icing on the cake.
14 Comments
Paul
A great post, Monte and well said. Showing up just to collect the paycheck is no good, for, if you are paying attention, the amount of money no longer matters if the satisfaction is not there. Glad to hear that you are enjoying your job.
Monte Stevens
I’m also glad you enjoy the work you do. I wonder sometimes of having a good hobby/passion makes going to our “real job” easier. 🙂 I also find myself refering to my photography as work, after all I am a photographer.
Earl
Monte, in my heart I totally agree with you and appreciate how well you’ve expressed this.
However, I’ve gained another perspective over the years. With a son which seems to be awaiting his life’s calling, whatever that may ever turn out to be, I’ve come to wish he’d just get a “job” and stick with it a while.
There are times when we all “must” work a “job” because we have to take care of our needs. That doesn’t mean we can’t be looking or working towards something we enjoy more…but working is the key word. There is also a love of how one does their work…not what one does. 😉
Have a good weekend.
Monte Stevens
I agree, as my son has not chosen a 20 year career. As the quote suggests we can choose to take a job and make it our work.
Don
Very well said, I enjoyed my 26 years in law enforcement and missed it when I retired but I did what I wanted and I am happy.
Monte Stevens
There are of engineering i miss but the stress I do not. I’m always gald to know there are individuals who have enjoyed their careers.
Ken
Having had jobs I liked and didn’t like, I can say it’s better to like your work than not. But, having had both, I don’t see anything wrong with working just for the paycheck. It gives us an opportunity to be productive and pursue other interests, like photography. And when jobs are hard to come by, we may have to bite the bullet.
Monte Stevens
Yes, some are good at what they do and can breeze through the hard days on the job. I just wonder how many people are shorting themselves, and maybe others, when working only for the paycheck. I’ve had to endure longer days than normal because others were not happy in their work.
Ove
So, you been in high tech, I have been too, but I left it five years ago to seek happiness on my own. This was certainly a feel-good post I liked to read. It is a challenge in life, to know what we want to do and not necessarily what we need to do. It takes a lifetime to come to that conclusion, for some.
Monte Stevens
I like that, Ove, “seek happiness on my own.” At this age I would enjoy being able to do more of what I want to do rather than what someone else wanted me to do.
Anita Jesse
I have been fortunate to have only one job that I disliked intensely. Every Friday, I promised myself I wouldn’t go back. Yet, by Sunday I had always determined that it was a means to an end and I stuck it out for over a year. Looking back on it, I think staying with it was an excellent choice. It helped get me where I wanted to go.
As for making photography into a full time job, I suspect that I would get too “serious” about it and suffocate any creative desire. I would be quite happy making more money at it, but not if I needed that money to survive. Too much pressure.
Monte Stevens
Yes, sticking it out can help us get to some place in life. I just wonder if I had altered my course, which really was a choice, if I could be an in even better place in life. I agree, one of the reasons I wanted out of the engineering field was the pressure.
Mark
Great post Monte, although I have to say that cake is a bit of a distraction to the good writing. 🙂 It looks incredibly tasty. I kept being drawn to it while reading your post, I suppose I need some breakfast. 🙂
I suppose I am in the situation like Ken mentioned – getting a paycheck that enables me to do what I like to do. An ends to serve a means I suppose. I think it is great you absolutely love what you do. While I don’t regret going in every day, I do not really get a lot of enjoyment from my day job.
I have certainly dabbled to a great extent in making photography a job. I have to say it does become like work when you have already worked a long full day and then need to come home and produce print orders. While I certainly enjoy seeing many images come to life in print form, at times it really saps your energy and commitment.
I have certainly pondered for a long time whether I should just pursue one over the other. I haven’t been able to make that decision. Each choice comes with a lot of sacrifices.
Monte Stevens
I have a lot of respect for photographers like you who work at a 40 hour a week job and also 20-30 hours on their passion. Working like that will take its toll on us. One of the aspects of my work as a flight attendant is the time off I have. It provides me a unique opportunity. I can average from 10-14 days a month off and some of those can be 4-5 days long. In fact, I just finished a 4-day trip and how have the next 7 days off. Two of those days will be moving stuff out of storage and into the new apartment. Hopefully the rest of it will be exploring the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which I now live next to. 🙂
Good luck on making your decision. From my vantage point you are a gifted photographer and would be successful. If your business skills and knowledge are equivalent to your photography skills then you have a good formula.