DAY-JOBBERS

Certainly the broadest group in the employment spectrum, we have all, at some point, been day-jobbers. What exactly qualifies as a day job anyway? Is it simply what you do for money before you can make a living doing what you love? Does a day job have to suck… be mundane or generally uninspiring? Must the job literally be conducted between hours of 9 to 5?  Can self-employed people be considered day-jobbers or is a petty, micromanaging boss a prerequisite? Think Lumbergh from Office Space… “Ummmm yeeeeaaaaahhh… Hey Peter… I’m gonna go ahead and need you to come in on Saturday… that would be greeaaaaaahhhht.”

“Don’t quit your day job.”

Although most day jobs don’t conger up images of deep career satisfaction, the term inherently implies that you are considering some other ambition or hobby. This is a good thing. People only say, “Don’t quit your day job” when you’re attempting to do something else… like become a famous magician or the next American Idol, right? An aspiring writer might be a copywriter by day, working in a more commercial industry to pay the bills while trying to get established doing what he or she truly enjoys. Day-jobbers are actually closer to career fulfillment because they keep their dreams afloat by actively engaging their interests and hobbies, even if they don't get paid just yet. 

Remember Alex (Jennifer Beals) in Flashdance? She was a welder… trying to get into ballet school… “She’s a maaaaaaaniac, maaaaaniac on the floor… ”  I always thought it would have been more interesting if she were a burned-out dancer, tired of the glamour and pressure of ballet that wanted to be a world-class welder. Let that marinate! Seriously though, Alex was the quintessential day-jobber. She welded because she wanted to dance, not on a pole, but in a professional company. In reality, I'm sure she continued welding to pay for school, but at least she knew what she wanted and went for it. Many of us don't. We just have jobs. A day job thus distinguishes itself from a job because it is defined by that "other thing" you're DOING (or trying to do). 

One man’s trash…
Sometimes… something one person considers worthless, has great value to someone else. This is true in careers as well. Maybe the thought of welding is absolutely repulsive to you… and ballet…? You’re cramping up just thinking about it. Now insurance sales on the other hand… there’s a field worth exploring. No toxic fumes or soar muscles, just you… in an office… on the phone… at conventions… driving company cars… making magic.

Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) actually makes being an insurance agent sound cool in Cedar Rapids. Evidently, when he was young, some devoted insurance agent made an enormous positive impact on his life inspiring him to do the same. He enjoys his job, almost to a fault, and maintains an integrity that confuses those around him. 


Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), from Groundhog Day, has an equal flair for the insurance business. Needle nose Ned… Ned the Head… remember? By the end of the film, he sells Frank (Bill Murray) every policy possible, with unmatched persistence and enthusiasm. This seemingly mundane job is actually “living the dream” for Tim and Ned. One man’s trash… right?

The important point here is... wait for it.................... how YOU relate to your WORK… how you FEEL about what you DO. If you love tending bar, then you transcend the label of “day-job.” You’re not a bartender, trying to be "whatever." You’re a badass, bottle spinning, Tom Cruise-looking barkeep… and you should push it to the limit... Cocktails & Dreams baby.


I suppose it would be easier if you wanted to be something society deemed noble or that received an obscenely disproportionate amount of income, but when your passion doesn’t align with any of the conventionally acceptable professional pursuits, well... that’s just how the cards were dealt. 


Luckily, you are free to pursue any interest you choose, no matter how silly or insignificant the rest of the world sees it and there's no better time in history then now. The late Isaac Asimov spoke passionately about this back in a 1988 interview with Bill Moyers. 

Once we have computer outlets in every home, each of them hooked up to enormous libraries where anyone can ask any question and be given answers, be given reference materials, be something you’re interested in knowing, from an early age, however silly it might seem to someone else… that’s what YOU are interested in, and you ask, and you can find out, and you can do it in your own home, at your own speed, in your own direction, in your own time… Then, everyone will enjoy learning. Nowadays, what people call learning is forced on you, and everyone is forced to learn the same thing on the same day at the same speed in class, and everyone is different. 

So... learn what you want to learn about and be what you want to be. Wear your day job badge with honor, knowing that you have a leg-up on everyone that hates there job and has no idea what else they might do. If you love a job that doesn't get much praise or respect, then more power to you. Isn't that more genuine and rewarding that doing something you can't stand just to be accepted? 


If you do something totally unrelated to your passion to make that passion possible, don't despair. Keep working those hobbies and interests. Be persistent and suddenly... the whole scenario will get flipped on its head.  


Go dance... or weld... or sell insurance. Just make sure you give a shit.

New Woodblock Artwork...

Lime Design has created new original illustrations (ink + graphite) on woodblock remnants from our recent furniture works. 


The original tryptic, drawn on unfinished maple plywood, serves as the template to produce high-resolution reproductions ideal for framing, mounting or wall hanging. The prints can also be mounted on 3/4" natural bamboo plywood for added depth.


The drawings were designed specifically on square blocks so they could be rotated, mirrored, repeated, or interchanged to create ever-changing compositions that suit one's aesthetic and spatial preferences. 


Some prefer the original tryptic orientation...

Others like a more symmetric format...

Some are minimalists...

Others want more visual intricacy or different tone...

This particular approach allows users to become directly involved in the actual composition making. You can choose how many prints and what orientation fits your taste... as long as you're comfortable with tasteful female nudity.


These prints will soon be available for sale at our Etsy store (shop). We invite you to stop by.

New Prototype Dining Set... by LIME Design

Lime Design has completed an additional prototype dining set as part of the new 2012 modern-industrial collection for a local Portland resident. 

Mild Steel and Bamboo were juxtaposed in this project for both structural and aesthetic reasons. The objective was to transform a conventional interior space by creating an elegant, uniquely modern dining set that was functional, durable and beautiful.

The steel profiles taper to just 1-1/4" in the middle and at the leaf ends holding the bamboo with a series of countersunk bolts. Each chair has 5 individually pivoting back rests that adapt to the size and shape of each user while generating a constantly changing facade.

New Furniture Works... by LIME Design

LIME Design (limedesignco.com), the creative extension of JAMLAB, has just completed the first stage of our seasonal furniture collection, a Natural Bamboo and Brazilian Cherry dining table treated with a water-based, clear finish.

The challenge was to deliver a product that could break down into a shippable kit and be easily assembled in the client's home in Kentucky while commanding a clear presence within their expansive interior space.


Lime Design collaborated with seasoned furniture maker Jordan Geis (formerly from Reform) on this project. Currently under construction is another custom dining table and set of chairs made with natural bamboo and mild, polished steel - scheduled for completion by Christmas this year. 

JAMLAB is here to help

JAMLAB has recently taken its next leap into the world of independent business so we invite you to explore our new website (jamlaboratory.com) when you have a moment, which breaks down how JAMLAB works, who we help, what we think and directly links to this BLOG. I welcome any feedback or comments you might have as well, so do not hesitate to join the conversation.

If you prefer Facebook, please go to our page directly

(facebook.com/jamlaboratory) and click the LIKE button to show support. 

If twitter is more your style, visit @jamlab365 and follow us there. You'll soon be able to link directly to Facebook and Twitter straight from our website, so keep an eye out for that.

If that's not your cup of tea, just stay involved by following the JAMLAB blog. Simply submit your email address under the FOLLOW JAMLAB BY EMAIL tab.

Lastly and most importantly, let us know if you or someone you know is ready to start JAMLAB-ing and please stay tuned for new developments. 

NEW SITES & NEW PROJECTS

First off, I would like everybody to know that the next chapter in the career series, entitled "KNOWERS," will be out very soon. It explores the rare, enviable group of individuals that somehow discover their professional purpose early in life... and pursue with reckless abandon.

Secondly, please note that JAMLAB has a new web address (http://www.jamlaboratory.com) so I invite you to use this new domain to follow us now. (The old address still works as well).


You may also have heard that JAMLAB has inspired a new venture - Lime Design Collective (limedesignco.com). Please visit us when you have a free moment and review some of our design and furniture work. We're currently developing a scalable, prototype table and other custom pieces for 2 separate clients.


Lastly, Lime Design has decided to recycle some of the byproducts produced from our various projects into a collection of artwork. The first series has just been completed and will soon be available for purchase on our online store. Some pieces from the collection are featured below.

"UNDECLARED"

You may recall (or might be awaiting) “undeclared” as a temporary major in college. As a floundering 19 year-old kid, I claimed this title as long as possible. I wanted to declare a major with certainty and commitment, but since “they” didn’t demand a choice until junior year… I waited. Besides, drinking beer and making late night runs to 7-11 for stale nachos smothered in pump-action, artificial cheese was high priority... much more important than choosing the subject I would focus on during my undergraduate years and ultimately in a career.

In the movie Greenburg, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) and his friend Ivan (Rhys Ifans) reminisce about their prior rock band days. Evidently, Greenburg’s abrasive personality and idealism killed a record deal for the band back in the day and the unresolved conflict remains palpable. Ivan reminds Greenburg of that depressing quote, “Youth is wasted on the young,” to which he replies, “I’d go further. I’d go… life is wasted on… people.” Harshly spoken, but a common attitude coming from a person so disengaged from his true purpose. 

When Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh) asks if he's still involved in music,  the morose and quintessentially “undeclared” Greenberg, approaching 40, asserts “I'm really trying to do nothing, for awhile.” He's a cynical reminder of the universal struggle to find meaning in our work and the angst caused by doing something disingenuous. His bitterness eventually boils over, contaminating every interaction and personal relationship in his life, but hold on... I won't spoil the hopeful conclusion.

TOO MANY CHOICES…

In a recent animated video by theRSA.org (RSA Animate-Choice), Professor Renata Salecl explores the paralyzing anxiety surrounding limitless choice, which, in her opinion, emerges for several reasons. 1) We are compelled to choose what other people are choosing because of our need to be regarded by others. 2) We try to make an ideal choice, whether it’s a relationship or picking a phone carrier, often resulting in disappointment. 3) Choice always involves a loss; so when you choose one direction in life, you loose the possibility of another. 


Salecl is clearly not suggesting that the option of individual choice be eliminated even if it would make selecting a toothpaste that much easier. She simply wants to illuminate the sociological complexity of making decisions in a modern capitalist society, especially in regards to our professional lives. Too often we hear people say that they don't like what they do or don't really know what they're "good" at. You're considered lucky if you discover something you don't hate. Some actually find decent jobs with benefits or a small pension, but the fear of starting over or loosing what they already have smothers any pursuit of alternate career possibilities, particularly those along the more unconventional path. Thus, many of us end up on the "Greenberg Spectrum," trapped, overwhelmed and underutilized.


In addition, our culture has pushed the idea of self-made success, celebrity worship, and the  "American Dream" to the absolute extreme, so much that any lack of professional prosperity is typically attributed to personal failure or not trying hard enough. Feelings of self-doubt seep in telling us we don't have enough talent, enough education, enough resources, enough... whatever. Rather than inspiring social change or inciting an appropriate critique on society, the condemnation turns inward on ourselves.  

WORK LONGER... GET MORE 


With capitalism requiring continuous growth, there is a tendency for people to work more and constantly keep consuming. Remember that anti-drug commercial from the 90’s with the guy walking in circles repeating, “I do coke, so I can work longer, so I can earn more, so I can do more coke, so I can work longer…“ over and over? This situation, minus the coke, describes many individuals current employment scenario. Our work force is exhausted. A recent statistic stated the average vacation time taken by U.S. workers as 9 days per year. That’s just nuts.

FEAR & CONSUMPTION


During an interview in Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling for Columbine, Marilyn Manson commented on why people targeted him as a likely influence for the mass murders committed at Columbine high school in 1999. He, like Professor Salecl, highlights mainstream media's emphasis on acceptance of others and manipulation of fear as probable explanations. “You’re being pumped full of fear… If you have bad breath, they’re not going to talk to you. If you got pimples, the girl’s not going to fuck you… it’s a campaign of fear and consumption and that’s what I think that it’s all based on… Keep everyone afraid and they’ll consume.”

So… how does all this play out in our professional pursuits? Like Greenberg, many of us remain “undeclared” indefinitely, pacified with the status quo… totally stressed out... blaming ourselves because we haven’t worked hard enough or amassed the proper combination of possessions. Resistance to making creative career changes thus makes perfect sense, right? But... it just shouldn't be this way. 

“Undeclared” is certainly understandable for a few years in college, but when it becomes a permanent state of mind, it's time for a JAMLAB reawakening. Yes, the cultural milieu might favor greed and self-aggrandizement while continuing to distract us with the pressure to “have” more, but… don’t fall for it! Acknowledge it, but don't settle for it. In fact, here's what I want you to do. Write “FEAR” and “SELF-DOUBT” on a piece of paper in big bold letters. Then... burn it, shred it, bury it, strangle it, drown it… just get rid of it. Like this:

Otherwise... "it" will consume you. Another decade will pass, and you’ll be 40, then 50, and suddenly, you’ll be chatting with Greenberg about how you’re still "trying to do nothing right now." Please don’t let that happen. The road less traveled can be a lonely place, especially if it keeps leading nowhere, so remember, it’s never too late to switch majors, as long as you “DECLARE” what it is you’re doing.