Time is money, the old saying goes.
It’s not entirely true. We can buy other people’s time with money, and others can buy our time, too. But while we can always find the means to earn more money, we can never earn more of our own time. Our lifelines are a finite resource.
Still, in our developed societies, we have learned how to trade this resource for a monetary amount that someone else deems it to be worth. And we think the length of our freedom is attached to the supply of our bank account.
Another saying goes: a man works diligently for eight hours a day, so that some day he may get to be a manager and work ten hours a day.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. If the work you do with your life is work that you love and that adds value to other people, then this trade of time is worthwhile. But far too many people hate what they do, or worse, are completely indifferent to it. Many people are disconnected from a sense of purpose in what they do. It’s no surprise that we are so wasteful in our “modern” life. When people do work that holds no value, they waste the money they earn from this work on things of no use as well. So goes the inertia of our hamster wheel lifestyles.
I worked for three years at my last company, which was not the original plan. I never intended to stay in an office job, and planned to save and quit after one year so I could focus on my studio practice. But I underestimated how stereotypically American I am and how much I get sucked into my work. There were a lot of problems in the office. First, I ignored them. Then, I got pissed about them. Then, I got competitive and driven to change them. Then, lots of people got pissed at me. Then, other people were really happy with me, and I started to earn some rewards and create a career for myself.
That’s a pretty inadequate summary, but I guess you could say that in spite of the stress, grievances, and frustration of office politics vs the need for business growth (never has bureaucracy been “value-add”) I learned a lot and, in retrospect, I’m really glad I stayed. I’m also really glad I left.
Whether you quit your job without an immediate opportunity/guarantee to follow it, jump out of an airplane, move to an unfamiliar city, change career paths, I hope you do something, anything, to risk losing the comfort of what you have and know, even the progress you’ve made and are scared to lose, because you’ll find on the other side that all those fears of loss don’t actually come to fruition. I could go on, but will leave it for another post.
The laws of inertia apply no matter where you are or what you are doing. As much as I got caught in the office rat race, I was enraptured by my most recent project at Proyecto’Ace, and now in the changeability and spontaneity of travel. But as full as my time has been in Argentina, I have not felt overwhelmed. I feel lifted by a new momentum, have absolutely treasured having the time to focus solely on my artwork in a studio space with many buenas ondas (good vibes), and now this immersion in the rich soul of the earth.
As far as I’ve been concerned on this trip, I am not on vacation. I am building a new way of being, and opening my time to improve myself and my talents for whatever opportunity comes my way. I love being active, which is different from being busy. There is dynamic work that evolves you and the world around you, and there is work that fidgets, dances, and runs, in place. We should all opt for the former as much as possible.
Admittedly, at one point, I began to feel overexerted by my project. Commuting between Milwaukee and Madison for much of last year meant I haven’t had this kind of time to dedicate to new wood carvings, and in a way I binged a lot on a thing I enjoy to the point of getting indigestion. But, true to intent, I finished all 21 plates in time to print for our exhibition, or rather, for Adriana Moracci and Barita Vincenti at Proyecto’Ace to mix and test ink colors, set up the registration at press, and start the edition as I carved the last of the blocks. Thank you thank you thank you. I’m amazed by the team at Proyecto’Ace more than words can express.
I’ll write one more post after this one to share the final book, and there, I will share the full story of this little pigeon and some thoughts moving forward.
Ciao y cuídate. Envío mi amor desde hermosa Argentina.
