Dear members,

Stuck in a rut? Jump into something new!

Doing the same work every day can be a real drag. Some of the best jobs I’ve had gave me the opportunity to work in different areas of the company. As artists we should work in different areas of our minds, and our lives.

If you look at the last few weeks in your life, have you been doing the same thing over and over? It’s comfortable isn’t it? No need to really commit to anything, no decisions to be made, sure is easy. What if you tried to figure out what you did for a whole day? Would you come back with a list of 2 hours worth of activities? If someone asks you what you did this weekend do you reply with “nothing”. That’s not good muffin. Or, how about this, you plan on going out with some people and the day of the get-together you say, “I don’t feel like it”. Why? People like to sit back and let things happen. Sure we’ll complain about it, but we won’t make the effort to change it. And it won’t change unless you make it change.

What if you’re already busy with a whole pile of work for clients? Should you focus solely on that work? Of course not, it won’t always be there for you. Always look for something else, you may need it in the future. The same goes for staff artists, always look through the classifieds and online job listings, or you might miss out on “Job Charming”.

Here’s your chance to mix it up a bit in your life. If you’re a member of this Guild Chapter, go to a meeting, or help out at an event. You’ll meet some interesting people. (very interesting) Plus you’ll be helping yourself in the long run. If you have kids, help out at one of their sporting events (great place to network too). Check out a Chamber mixer this summer (more networking). Help out at a local charity (networking with people who may have money). See a common theme here? Sitting at home isn’t going to get you any work, or contacts. Talking about what you want doesn’t get it done either. Go out and do something, anything. For myself, I try to schedule things for myself way in advance, very seldom will I be able to say I’m available for something with one or two weeks notice. I keep a full schedule. At first it was crazy, but, people will come to understand you’re not available at a moment’s notice.

The point I’m trying to make is this, what’s a few hours out of your life when you’re just watching some rerun on TV anyway? Hey, I like to sit around with a fine brewed beverage as much as the next person, don’t get me wrong. Even while you’re doing that, you should be making notes of what you’ll be doing when that time is over. Don’t get comfortable, save that for retirement. So, hopefully you’re reading this while eating your lunch and not wasting a minute of time.

Go fill up your day and your mind.

Mark Jewell can be reached at president@albany.gag.org