Crumbling

Apologies to ATS grammar nazis, my snitty phone still sucks.

After reading the threads about the woman in the UK who lilled herself after being rejected from 200 aplication§, and how having a career is a fantasy now, I began to ponder about my future.

I have been unemployed for over a year now, and my meager job history won't catch snuff to a prospective employer.

Sure, I could put on my time logged at the local tv station as a cinematographer, but what use would it do for an eventual manufacturing, retail or fast food job thaf are the norm kob placemsnts in this day?

I won't lie to you, but ever since I was a young Toastling, I have always dreamed of working in the entertainment industry -if not in front of the camera, I'd be glad to take work behind the scenes.

I am working hard toward this dream, even though I know the darksides, pitfalls and unglamour that comes with it.

But now, dear friends, with reading of those aforementioned threds, and the imminent implosion of the film industry, I am close to abandoning my goals amd resign myself to common occupations for my gender (nurse, caregiver, nursing assstant) basically dealing with humans

I really want to present my ideas and writings into the system, but I feel they are either mediocre or not good enough for potential fans. This also presents a problem because I love comedy, but due to my AS, I can't qute convey feelings well and have a nit of troible in front of an audience.

It doesn't help that my family disdains me from such a profession, always telling me to get a normal job...so much so that I do projects in complete secrecy.


ow dont call me entitled, whiny, or lazy..
I've been told I' m one of the best camera operators in the studio, and my editing skills are excellent, but it's mainly a volunteer position. And I love it, despite not geting paid for my work.

So what am I to do now when the demand for good, fresh ideas dries up and Hollywood falls?

Just toss all my film, writing and art materials in a dumpster and be something I hate?

reply to post by TheToastmanCometh


A good piece of advice for you. My mother told me this and it has always been true.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

It is what you make it.

If you think you are beaten you are. If you think you can win you will.

You are not alone.. I am a photographer and up until a few years ago i was doing great. It has been a steady decline in business and this week i put in seval applications for waitressing..havent heard back from any of them.. It seems like around here if you have to be a doctor, lawyer, nurse or accountant to make good money...none of those jobs really appeal to me though..not to mention the years of school/debt to do them... Artist are sh-t out of luck right now..being reduced to waitstaff....if that.

reply to post by TheToastmanCometh


Embrace the new media, unlike Hollywood.

Go viral and you tube, film your ideas, put them in a format that is conductive to internet viewing.

Screw everyone else, if you have merit as a filmmaker fans will find you.

I write amateurish, and was surprised to all hell when one of my short stories got 10k in views on the site I had it on.

You never know what could of been until you try, don't give up.

Originally posted by ShadellacZumbrum
reply to post by TheToastmanCometh

 

A good piece of advice for you. My mother told me this and it has always been true.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

It is what you make it.

If you think you are beaten you are. If you think you can win you will.

That's just not true. The simple math is that a large percentage of this country HAS to work at Wal-Mart for it to exist. A large percentage of people have to work at places like McDonalds for their to be one on every corner. A large percentage has to wipe butts at the old people home, or else they'll lie in their poo. So in a world where everyone does what they love, very, very few people would be working at these places. That means there would be no big macs, and people lying in their poo. Cops would do the safety warnings they love, but opt out of the putting themselves in harms way, as that's not what they love. The world runs because people are forced, at the threat of starvation and homelessness, to do what they hate.

My hopefully helpful thoughts.

You can be anything you want in today's world. Sometimes being who you want/are is a challenge.

If you haven't noticed, plenty of the rich today are involved in business that wrecks the planet, risks safety (ex: food supply) where money can be saved/made, they inappropriately influence our politics, etc. Judging yourself by your income is likely going to lead to highly inaccurate results.

Many people pursuing their dreams today do it at a cost that doesn't always pay off in dollars. Many of these people choose to avoid certain kinds of jobs (ex: to rot in a cubicle all day for a reason that's worth less than their well-being and happiness). Many of them do not regret the choice; they are who they are and chose not to compromise too much of themselves.

You can be whoever you choose. It's unfortunate that our economy is so screwed up right now. Is it your fault? Should you sacrifice your identity because of it?

I'm not suggesting you shouldn't get a part-time job or whatever to pay the bills for a while -- that's not going to kill your dreams, right?

And if you find financial success while pursuing your dreams, more power to you!

p.s. -- parents telling their kids to get a real job is a horrible thing. It makes the son/daughter feel that their parents see no value in their profession choice/situation; kids desire that their parents are proud of them/etc. There is no such thing as a fake job if you can do it to make a living, no matter how modest.

Parents often do a lot of inappropriate projecting on their kids. I have a degree and found work in a massive/profitable industry for some years, and even then they pushed the "get a real job" garbage. It can hurt, but you have to learn to truly not care or be offended (vs. pretending not to). Saying such things is a shortcoming of their's, but letting it affect you emotionally or logically beyond your own choices is a shortcoming of the child's (an understandable one when they are young adults).

"You are what you love, not what loves you."

The economy might not love you at this moment. Maybe tomorrow!

Originally posted by tridentblue

Originally posted by ShadellacZumbrum
reply to post by TheToastmanCometh

 

A good piece of advice for you. My mother told me this and it has always been true.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

It is what you make it.

If you think you are beaten you are. If you think you can win you will.

That's just not true. The simple math is that a large percentage of this country HAS to work at Wal-Mart for it to exist. A large percentage of people have to work at places like McDonalds for their to be one on every corner. A large percentage has to wipe butts at the old people home, or else they'll lie in their poo. So in a world where everyone does what they love, very, very few people would be working at these places. That means there would be no big macs, and people lying in their poo. Cops would do the safety warnings they love, but opt out of the putting themselves in harms way, as that's not what they love. The world runs because people are forced, at the threat of starvation and homelessness, to do what they hate.

Maybe we don't need Wal-Mart. Maybe it does more harm than good?

Maybe some people take pride in improving the lives of those who need help (see: nurses, caregivers).

You're rather bitter in this line of thought. What dreams of yours had to die in this practical world we've made for ourselves?

reply to post by TheToastmanCometh


OP, if all the industry in Hollywood disappeared tomorrow, not a soul would die. If all the medical care professionals disappeared, the deaths would number in the millions very quickly. What kind of workers hold up society? So what shame is there is working medical care if that's what the market signals is needed?

Human beings reflect behaviours we see in others. We see entertainers, we want to be like them. Get the applause. When I was younger I wanted to be a musician, same thing. But necessity drives the world. When you need an ambulance + EMT's, its all that matters, so the necessity is there. What many people don't understand is that the entertainment industry is also driven by necessity, and just as cold and calculating as any industry. Networks of people, payoffs to integrate content, content designed by psychologists for product placements, political material, garbage material designed algorithmically, to be a surefire hit. And the product is illusion. The winners are masters at illusion, and project themselves positively in terms of altruism and fashion and happiness. This makes us want to be like them, but the truth is there is no them. You can't be what you see because its an illusion, illusion is what they do. I believe its a world very similar to politics.

I realized all of this way, way too late in life. My best advice is embrace hard realities now, look cynically at the world, look in terms of addressing necessities. If you want to be in entertainment, odds are you lean liberal. Okay, think of all the cool, artistic people like you basically starving and dis-empowerment, because so many want a piece of an industry that hires so few. Now think of the Koch brothers, who became billionaire toilet paper barons, now they are effecting policy globally. Why? Because toilet paper is necessity. Toilet paper is no one's dream. Its all about what people need.

Originally posted by tridentblue
reply to post by TheToastmanCometh

 

I realized all of this way, way too late in life. My best advice is embrace hard realities now, look cynically at the world, look in terms of addressing necessities. If you want to be in entertainment, odds are you lean liberal. Okay, think of all the cool, artistic people like you basically starving and dis-empowerment, because so many want a piece of an industry that hires so few. Now think of the Koch brothers, who became billionaire toilet paper barons, now they are effecting policy globally. Why? Because toilet paper is necessity. Toilet paper is no one's dream. Its all about what people need.

Good post.

Such a mix of practical wisdom (good) and... hopelessness (prob. not so good).

reply to post by tridentblue


It is Most certainly True.

You missed the second line. . . "It Is What you Make it".

People do what they Hate because Desperation Breeds Courage.

People who have the ability to do what they love and profit from it have made it what it is.

The Majority of people that work at fast food or cleaning poo do it because they either lack the skills to do anything else or they are using it to make ends meet. So basically, it is what they made it.

No one ever said anything about getting rich and famous by doing what you love. It could be something as simple as an extra income. The point is that if you do something you love you Will make money at it.

Originally posted by AkumaStreak

Originally posted by tridentblue

Originally posted by ShadellacZumbrum
reply to post by TheToastmanCometh

 

A good piece of advice for you. My mother told me this and it has always been true.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

It is what you make it.

If you think you are beaten you are. If you think you can win you will.

That's just not true. The simple math is that a large percentage of this country HAS to work at Wal-Mart for it to exist. A large percentage of people have to work at places like McDonalds for their to be one on every corner. A large percentage has to wipe butts at the old people home, or else they'll lie in their poo. So in a world where everyone does what they love, very, very few people would be working at these places. That means there would be no big macs, and people lying in their poo. Cops would do the safety warnings they love, but opt out of the putting themselves in harms way, as that's not what they love. The world runs because people are forced, at the threat of starvation and homelessness, to do what they hate.

Maybe we don't need Wal-Mart. Maybe it does more harm than good?

Maybe some people take pride in improving the lives of those who need help (see: nurses, caregivers).

You're rather bitter in this line of thought. What dreams of yours had to die in this practical world we've made for ourselves?

edit on 8/8/2013 by AkumaStreak because: (no reason given)

Plenty. But my redemption, is that I have scrambled to call myself, and work to be, a scientist. An individual more concerned with reality as it is than reality as I wish it was. And I wouldn't trade this outcome for the world: Behind every scientist who doesn't fear the outcome of his experiments, is a soul which has faith in things as they are. A person who believes there's nothing to fear in looking strait on at hard truths, whether its industrial realities or evolution, or the next thing. We belong to this universe, and there's no harm in trying to understand it as it is. That's what I want to share with the OP. He/She doesn't need to be propped up with fantasies that "following the dreams" will produce great wealth, an idea shattered by common sense. Rather, I hope he/she will understand that reality as it is has all that magic, all that power, but its embraced by very very few, and its a huge honor to be one of the future shaping few who does embrace it.

PEAce!

reply to post by TheToastmanCometh


Learn a trade (plumber, construction, electrician, etc.) as an apprentice, and you'll be set. No way to outsource those guys, as they have to be HERE physically. I've got an MBA and if I had it to do all over again, I would have instead saved the college money and learned such a trade. As it is, I'm doing these jobs for myself at home anyhow....as I can't afford to pay the pros to do so.