Alive
I AM ALIVE!
Also, I’m still in LA.
Miracles happen.
So I didn’t have work for over three months, except for maybe a day or two a month if I was lucky. The reason I stopped writing was because my life became more about finding food and finding work than having the spare time to tell stories about working in the Film Industry.
But I survived. My friend says I always tend to survive like some sort of Los Angeles cockroach. I don’t like being compared to an insect but I can’t really argue. This time it was mostly due to luck and my ability to talk myself out of many situations. I don’t think I’ll get the same chance again.
That’s why I’m happy to have work now. It’s not exactly permanent, but in this field not much is. I have worked solidly since early March so I have money again…which means I can buy food again…which means I can stop stressing about rent…which means I can get back to writing! See?! This benefits you most!
Wait stop, don’t run! I have somethings to tell you about surviving without a job and not giving up or going crazy due to boredom and stress.
1) Always stay busy. In my case that meant apply to as many jobs as possible (including a game store in the LA Ghetto and many, many Starbucks) and writing a lot. Meanwhile I came up with new ideas for scripts and stories. Some of these led to researching topics, which led to lots of reading, which led to me becoming interested in certain subjects I wouldn’t be interested in otherwise. For example, I entertained the idea of writing a story about a guy who joins the Peace Corp. Since I have no experience with the Peace Corp I ended up researching them, which led me to reading Corp members blogs, which led to more understand and some blogs that still entertain me even though the script is on hold for the moment because I have ten ideas going on at the same time. I’m weird like that.
2) Need to save money? 99 Cent store has what you need. Of course, this means braving the 99 Cent store and the people in it. I have no problem with anyone normally, but when I am accosted by a crazy person, annoyed by five screaming children and followed by someone for awhile for no real reason except I look like a target ripe for the picking it makes me pretty much hate the 99 Cent story and the people in it. That being said it’s how I survived a month of my life so it was worth it.
3) No job is too small if it pays as long as it’s legal and doesn’t involve sex. Janitorial work is preferable to starvation.
4) If you keep ramming your head against a brick wall there will be a lot of pain and blood but eventually you might get somewhere. I applied to an incredible amount of jobs and got rejected by almost all of them (even the Game store in the Ghetto) but eventually I got an assistant editing job that went over a month…that turned into a gig with a reality company…that turned into the gig I’m working now. I have a bit of money saved now, and at this point I can officially say I’m surviving May IN THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY!! Considering in February I didn’t know how I was paying rent the day before rent was due this is a massive improvement.
Then again, who knows, mid-June I might be completely fuckered again.
I’m happy to say right now it doesn’t look likely.
So in the next week expect regular posting to resume, telling more stories about how the Film Industry is insane and sucks and might kill you and how I work in it anyway and somehow enjoy it’s pitfalls unless it makes me starve.
And if you’re still reading, Thank God for you.
