did you...

[Dave S]

On Sunday 03 January 2010, Andrew Tarpinian wrote:
> Should it be treated as a job?

I don't think ANYTHING should be treated as a job - unless you want to stop 
enjoying it!

But then I'm a huge believer in the "work as play" philosophy, in that I think 
separation between "work" and "life" is one of the main reasons so many people 
are unhappy with their lives.

I don't particularly want to debate this with anyone who thinks otherwise - I 
think we've been there on the 'bar before, and my position hasn't particularly 
changed, though if anything it has strengthened.  I'm sure there are plenty of 
you out there enjoying your jobs - and that's fine by me!  :-)

But interestingly, it was a book I read when on my way to parenthood which 
helped me further firm up my belief about this.  I've found a page here which 
seems to have many of the main bits:

http://www.whywork.org/rethinking/leisure/continuum.html

The main point is: "...the apparent absence of a word for 'work' in the 
Yequana vocabulary."

I think (and from my own experience too) that once you start separating your 
life into these imaginary concepts of "work" and "leisure", it's only a matter 
of time before dissatisfaction and unhappiness ensue.

I would never treat music as "a job", even if it was what I did as my main 
source of income.  I'm trying to remodel my life (and my mode of thinking) as 
far as it's possible, so that there will be no distinction between my "work" 
and my "life".

I haven't been tremendously busy with websites in the last year, but one thing 
I did in Summer 2006 was to conciously decide to stop taking on website work 
that I wouldn't enjoy.  I have been a lot poorer since then, but so much 
happier too.  I only make websites that I enjoy making - honestly!!  Play 
(essentially "creativity", I suppose) is a huge part of this.

In the eventual low-ecological-impact life I am building, there will just be 
"things I do" - and I'm aiming to always have an element of play (enjoyment 
for the sake of it) in there, and to find opportunities to create that where 
it isn't forthcoming.  The word "ludic" sums it up perfectly.

This is the approach I take with music too, so viewing it as "a job" or "work" 
would be the last thing I'd do if I wanted to get somewhere with it!

(Of course, if I was writing Puritan anthems for the likes of Tony Blair, then 
it's work-work-work all the way!  Ugh!)

Cheers,

~Dave

PS. Right, that's enough long emails from me for today!