The joy (and value) of labor
If you count the multiple times I worked as an intern along with the semesters I worked at the college newspaper, I’ve been a journalist and a writer for over 20 years. I typically enjoy the process of researching and writing, even if I don’t always like the subject matter. Part of what made me choose this particular profession was that writing product reviews and interviewing people didn’t always seem like work. In fact, sometimes, it’s pretty fun.
Except, you know, it is work. There have been times in my career when it’s been downright difficult. Thinking of the right stories to pitch is hard work. Tracking down sources is hard work. Finding the time to write is hard work. Putting words together into coherent sentences is hard work, especially when there are multiple deadlines.
And that’s just work as a journalist writing about tech and bits and bytes. I can’t even imagine the kind of insane work that political journalists do, or those who are in the trenches in a war zone.
Charlie Warzel, a writer for The Atlantic, said this on Threads: “a lot of the most granular reporting is also a dirty job… bearing witness to awful shit, knocking on doors of people who’ve just lost family tragically, people lying to you, and so much boring waiting and dead ends. It’s one reason why it’s a job and people get paid to do it so you don’t have to do it yourself.” It’s not coal mining or poop shoveling, but it’s still work. It’s still labor.
One of the things I do for fun is improv. I’m currently in two improv teams (more on that in a later section). I go to practice pretty much every week and I perform almost every week as well. This is a thing I do to destress myself, to have fun, to laugh and play around with folks. Yet, I find it very difficult. Thinking on the fly is hard. Being funny is hard. Putting myself in front of people when I have zero thoughts in my head is hard. And this is a thing that I enjoy doing. But it’s still hard.
When SAG-AFTRA went on strike, there was a contingent of people online who didn’t seem to think much of it. “Acting is easy,” they said. “Get a real job,” they said. I don’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of the profession, but from what I understand, many actors go to auditions hundreds of times a year, which earn them zero dollars. They might get callbacks, which also earn them zero dollars. And then maybe they get a part! Which might get them enough pay for rent and food for a few months, but they don’t make enough in residuals for anything beyond that. So it’s back to the audition grind, back to the day job waiting tables. Sure, it’s not the toughest job in the world. But acting is still a job. It’s still work. It’s still labor.
Just because you enjoy doing something, doesn’t mean you find it easy. I enjoy doing improv, playing piano, writing stories. That does not mean I find these things easy. Part of the joy that comes with a lot of these things, at least for me, is overcoming the hardships, getting past the difficult bit, practicing often enough that what was once difficult becomes second nature. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be rewarding.
On a similar note, if you enjoy doing something and you want to be paid for it, you should also be able to do that. Whether it be writing or acting or singing or creating art. And if you’re in the position to do so, you sure as hell should also ask for better benefits, better healthcare and a better future. Just because you enjoy doing something, doesn’t mean you should do it for free.
See me Live!
I'm now in not one but two house improv teams at Endgames Improv (2965 Mission Street) in San Francisco! The first is for a short-form improv game show called Feed the God of Comedy, while the other is a long-form show called The Director's Cut where we act out an entire movie. The next Feed the God of Comedy show that I'll be on is on November 10th at 7 p.m. while I'm not sure when I'll be appearing in the other one. Stay tuned!
End notes
No what we're watching/reading/etc this week as I'm a little tired. I'm also thinking that I might expand that to its own issue so that I can churn out these things twice a week instead of once a week. I'll keep you posted on that.
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