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Undertown, vol. 1 Hellboy Animated: The Judgment Bell Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding Kim Possible: Badical Battles Kim Possible: Attack of the Killer Bebes Kim Possible: Killigan's Island Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Death of Buffy Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ugly Little Monsters Buffy the Vampire Slayer: False Memories Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Creatures of Habit Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Out of the Woodwork Five Shots and a Funeral By the Balls: A Bowling Alley Murder Mystery
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Friday, July 01, 2005Is It Work?
First I'm asked by a new waiter at the coffee shop, "Doesn't all that coffee keep you up all night?"
I opted out of the easy response -- "That's why I'm drinking it." But still I settled with, "I'm going to be up all night anyway." Things turned philosophical. "Is it work or is it fun?" he asked, pointing at my laptop. I cringed at the though of another easy response -- "It's both!" But again, I opted for the more informative, "It's work." Questions filled my head. Some kind of guilt started to well up, and I began thinking of justifications to my answer. Should I tell him that I was getting paid for what I was working on? Should I mention that I'm a professional writer, that I've written other things that have been published, things that have won awards? What was he really asking? Then I realized that his question wasn't really "Is it work?" it was "Do you HAVE to do that, or do you WANT to do that?" I believe in the work ethic. But I do not believe in work justification. If tomorrow night's waiter asks me the same thing, I will reply in the same way; although, I'll know I'm lying. It's not work. It's not fun. I am making something. And somehow the act of creation doesn't seem to fall into either one of those categories. // posted at
2:42 AM //
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1 Comments:
My van in front of the Studio is the Arizona equivalent of the proverbial jacket on the back of the chair: people see it and assume someone's at work.
And they're right.
I have an established routine when I'm here: standard 9 to 5ish workday (with the guys who work with me), then home to play with the kids and wife, eat dinner together, read to them, put them to bed, then, I come back here (at around 9:30-10) until 2:30. Every night.
The community has decided I have the work ethic of Noah (gotta finish the boat before it rains), and more often than not, express concern and sympathy that I have to work so 'hard'.
Sometimes, it's necessity (finishing that book for S&S!), but mostly (here's my seguay into your post) it's not. It's just what I do.
And, often, there is a feeling that my use of time needs justification. But it doesn't. Mostly, there's no distinction between personal leisure time and work - because outside of family activities, they're one and the same. And considerige both of my kids draw, I can see even those lines fuzzing in the future.
But then, how many other jobs have even the possibility of the question "do you WANT to do that, or do you HAVE to do that?"
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