I've had a lot of jobs, each one of them had some awesome perks, but some AWFUL downsides. By the way, this is going to be long because I need* the morale boost;
1.- Assistant for an Artist: She had just arrived to the country and desperately needed an assistant because she had a big show in a few months, so she called a know local artist and asked for references. Somehow, the phone numbers got mixed up and she called the wrong person, I.
I was a jobless art student at the time, so i was going to work for any amount of money I got offered, the problem was that instead of being offered a amount of money, she asked ME how much assistants got paid in my country. For a second i tought about lying (but don't ask me why I didn't) so i told her the average amount.
I had to work 15 hours a week, that meant 5 hours splitted in 3 mornings i choosed to go. She bought coffee and muffins for breakfast, every single day i worked with her.
At the end of the first week, she handed me an envelope, and I told her that it was normal in my country to get paid at the end of the month, she said it was no problem to pay me that week. (for a second there i tought i was getting fired)
I did not count the money in front of her (manners, or desperately wanting to run and buy a pack of smokes, or something), when i arrived home, i noticed that she had paid me the monthly amount i told her, i was like wtf, but i tought "language barrier, she will pay me at the beginning of each month".
Oh boy, i was wrong.
Next week passed through, and she handed me another envelope. Suffice to say that she loved working with me, and i never bothered to correct her error. But one day, she left the country.
Of course I had saved zero money, and i got used to making loads of it. I ate name-expensive-restorant-food something like 3 times a week, i spent entire afternoons at cafes with my friends, i asked women out on really expensive dates. Somehow i managed to spend all that money and buy zero permanent/semi-permanent stuff besides the vaio laptop i'm posting this with right now (maybe, just maybe, i bought some clothes, i don't remember).
The getting used to have 0 money again, was AWFUL (in fact today, 6 years later, it still bothers me how stupid i was when i was 18 :-p)
2.- Assistant for an Artist Again: He was radness Incarnate, the paid was decent. His older brother has some serious cultural relevance locally, in fact it is one of my favorite writters, everyone loves him, and for that he was always going to be under his shadow. But the thing that no one knows is that the characters in the books are him, the real thing.
He said he didn't care.
We did some really cool things, like, we did a series of paintings that got used on a film about a fictional artist, his brother, and his brother's wife, and the director sent some people to record us painting... it was disturbing to see me as a woman on the movie tho.
He was a TA at art school, we had a lot of fun with several artsy girls at a time.
He did some shows, i got to boss some people around, he sold paintings, we dressed, acted, partied like rockstars.
We went to openings, after parties, met a truckload of local celebrities/tv stars/politicians and got the chance to tell them they were morons/parasites/worthless/ignorant/sheeps/that they should read Guy Debord/Damien Hirst is so passe/save your soul/heard punk a cappella?/Mae Ueda is awesome/follow me/lets have some shots of jack daniels/do some coke/"don't worry, i'll pay" they said/blackout and they loved it, and i'm not sure what i tought.
Rinse and repeat about 3 times a week for about a year.
Somehow I managed to stay afloat, he spiraled down, last time he paid me, he let me took any CDs i wanted from his collection, i took Pink Floyd's "Animals", and walked away. I'm no one's secondary character.
See? even at the end i stayed in character (in fact today, 5 years later, it still bothers me how stupid i was when i was 19 :-p)
3.- I as an Artist:
I did it in between of everything, i had my Atelier at the fanciest spot in the city, several big canvases, a lot of paint, brushes, a big drawing board, some posh leather couches, a lounge were i could meet with my friends, kitchen, a few beds.
I invited a lot of women over the years, about 80% of them fell for it, if not, they did afterwards.
I hosted some of the best after parties there, in fact, the best one, and the last one, got me evicted.
oh yeah, some times, i painted.
Anyway, painting is too slow, and too much work, so i decided to do video art and détournements using digital tools (see? some fancy ass words to say that I photoshoped shit, and walked around with a video camera).
Bought my laptop.
Did some shows, got some media atention, sold just one fucking piece, and it was the one on the cover of the newspaper article, people is too shallow, and my Art has so much depth, they'll see later, I'm misunderstood, fuck it, i'm in this for the money, fuck art.
(in fact today, 2 years later, it still bothers me how stupid i was when i was 22 :-p)
4.- Gonna eat something. (by the way, this is really working, i'm feeling better), by the way, how does one get "permission" to post spoilers? and why you are not told about it, BEFORE you put spoilers in everything? heh, anyway, i wont go on, because without spoilers i feel this is offensively long.
*Why i need the morale boost:
I broke up with my girlfriend, the first one in years that i really care about, today at 5 am, i had to walk home (around 2 hours) and we are in the middle of the winter, and even tho i was completely drunk, i still felt cold. At some point i think that i fell, because my left hand is injured and bloodied and i can't type properly, or hold a coffee mug. Now I've got a terrible hangover (note to self: half a bottle of kentucky bourbon is not healthy), and i think i catched a cold. FUCKING RAD
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Topic: Let's say positive things about our jobs! (Read 32149 times)