Thursday, November 24, 2011

Why Is "Artist" Synonymous With "Waiter"?

The joke goes:
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm an actor."
"Oh!  What restaurant do you work at?"

Before one becomes the world famous artist that one is destined to be, a steady paycheck must be earned so that the pursuit of the dream can continue.  Many choose to work at a restaurant or bar because of the somewhat flexible schedule and the evening hours, but is this really the best choice?  Are there more "non-traditional" jobs that also have the desired flexibility with less stress, higher pay and tasks of actual interest?  I believe there are.


"So what if there are better jobs out there?  I don't have any experience.  They won't even pick me for an interview!"  If you're using the old technique of sending resumes and waiting for a call, then yes, that statement is true.  But times have changed.  The job seeking techniques that your parents preach about no longer apply to the modern world.

The restaurants and the crappy jobs want you to think that there are no other options.  Their industry has a high turnover rate and they need a large pool of people to pull from.  Educate yourself on what else is out there and how to get it and find your dream [day] job while you're working towards your dream [artist] job.

I read an excellent e-book that I wanted to share with everyone.  Its target audience is recent college graduates with no experience, but the key points discussed in the book can apply to everyone.

I've embedded the e-book below, or you can visit this link.

Recession-Proof Graduate

View more presentations from Charlie Hoehn

If you don't like reading (And why would you?  You're reading this blog, aren't you?) you can watch this video lecture by the author of the e-book.  It's not as detailed as the e-book, but you'll get the idea.


There's a new way to work and there's a new way to get that work, so use it to your advantage!  Find a job that actually supports your pursuit of the arts, not one that punishes you for clocking in 2 minutes late.

Subscribe to this blog on Kindle!