The Cult of Job

Hello, darlings, how are you? Looking fabulous, as always. After a very trying year, I've finally found and taken a full-time job. It's brutal out there, darlings. No shock, there, right? This one's a bit different in that it's 5 days a week. Up to now, most of the jobs I've had to support myself have been less than that--mostly 4 days a week. I've found the four-day job to be the ideal balance. That's four days for paid employment, two days for art, one day for rest. You might wonder, "does one day really make a difference?". Absolutely! If you don't believe me, then read this book.

What is the new job? Why, let me tell you: a web developer at a digital agency. While that sounds like utter capitalistic sellout time, I assure you it's not. This agency is not your typical Madison Ave affair, and certainly not Mad Men material. This agency works exclusively for Democratic campaigns and progressive causes.

As you can imagine, these last few weeks have me thinking a lot about the notion of "job". And it just so happens to coincide with some recent reading: Understanding Capitalism by Richard D. Wolff. He provides some interesting perspective on just how deeply we have jobs on the brain as a society.

illustration: book cover w/ link, paired with easel shot of beguiled 7; caption: at work on the first in the Song for the Beguiled series. Still thinking big despite the newly constricted schedule

Wolff argues that the employer/employee relationship is the linchpin of capitalism, its defining characteristic. He explores further the anti-democratic nature of nearly all workplaces and how it's barely questioned anywhere. Consider your outrage at the thought of not being able to vote for who is president. But what about being able to vote for who your boss is? Or run for the office of "boss" at your job? The former is taken for granted, the latter almost incomprehensible. That's how effectively we've been indoctrinated into the cult of Job.

We organize everything around jobs, think of everything as a job. In my own experience, I see this thinking applied to to things that really shouldn't be thought of jobs at all: like parenting and relationships. And what about art?

Yes, the cult of job even influences how we think about the making of art and the role of "artist". On the one hand, we're taught that artists are special, magical, rebellious, self-destructive and tragically hot outsiders. We're also taught, and assumed to believe in, the ultimate goal is to be a "full-time" artist, i.e. art as job! Or art as business, and you can be your own boss--and employee. The whole capitalist package! As you can imagine, the tension of this paradox is off the charts. How each artist navigates this torturous terrain is entirely individual--and changes over time. I would never be so arrogant as to claim my way--or any way--is somehow right or better.

And I, in my questionable sanity, hear yet another voice in this cacophony--the art itself. I think it has other ideas. I may not be fully in charge here, darlings. It does and goes where it wants. And it wants desperately to be freed from the constraints of economics and burdens of commerce. Other, stable income (not to mention access to health care) provide the foundation for the creativity to flourish. Yes, there are constraints, discipline is required. And patience, lots of patience.

Prolonged periods of joblessness, like the one I just experienced, have not been a boon to creativity. The stress just about did me in and the art, while still happening, was in many ways more of a struggle. I was too worried, too distracted, too judgmental of its ability to sell. This last month back to full-time work have been an adjustment, but the feel of both the work and the working are coming back into balance. Time alone is not the answer for me, it's more complicated. Stability plays a huge role, too. For now, dayjobbing it is.

I'll leave you with a closing thought. We could as a society come to see the value of providing for everyone's survival without question. Imagine a world of universal health care and universal basic income, assured survival for everybody. In fact, there's word for this beautiful world: socialism.

Cover photo by Luis Villasmil via Unsplash.