Live a Little, Get Around

The opportunity came up at work to art direct an edgy, energetic, and intentionally vague promo piece, contracting the actual work out to a separate studio. Talking about it, me and my buddy got really inspired and excited, and volunteered to do the whole thing over the weekend and off the clock.

So that's what we did. And we had a fantastic time doing so, putting in about 20 hours each over the weekend. By the end of it we were exhausted, but ultimately stoked for what we had come up with.

I remember spending all my weekends in the studio at school and thinking, "Once I graduate I'm never going to do this to myself ever again. I'm tired and miserable and just want to go sleep/watch a movie/play vidya games/etc." On my way home Sunday night, though, I found myself appreciating how much fun I had creating with my friend. A notion crept up on me like a thief that, rather than removing possessions, leaves behind realizations. I just spent the weekend doing what I loved.

Over and over I've told myself that a select few people in the world ever get to work at what they love. Lo and behold, for one weekend at least, that was me. What a wild idea: I do love what I do, and I get to be paid for it. Granted, this feeling comes and goes given the project, but still. Even if it's just the odd something, I'm pretty lucky. That's a cool thing to have as part of your life once in a while.

Then, lo and behold, after showing the project to the boss and making some revisions... The client's getting cold feet on the direction they had agreed on and the project may be trimmed down substantially to make it more widely digestible. I feel like we're putting a cool project into an induced coma.

But that's the business, and that's life. I'm freakin' exhausted from missing out on a weekend and several evenings (fun fact: at some point last night I was in a hallucinatory state where my blankets were the layers of my project, and I spent a considerable amount of time rotating and changing the order they were in). But I'm still a bit buzzed at how much I enjoyed myself over those two intense days. I'm even jazzed at the mere idea that I can have such a good time at my profession.
-Cril

Live a little be a gypsy, get around
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around
Live a little be a gypsy, get around
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around

Hand across the water
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water
Heads across the sky

Paul & Linda McCartney - Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey