I mentioned a while back that the reason why this blog has been a bit less active is that I finally got a day job. I’m only working part time, but it’s taken me some time to build my schedule around my new responsibilities.
For the longest time I really prided myself on being a full-time dancer, even though I rarely actually put a full-time amount of work into dance. More importantly, I was not making any money, while still paying for classes, workshops, costuming, travel, music, makeup and all the other expenses of being a dancer. While I could afford those things, I often felt guilty about spending so much cash without bringing any in for most of the year. Plus I wanted to start saving up to move out of AZ. So I got a day job.
I used to think that getting a normal job would be admitting defeat, giving up on all my creative endeavors. I also thought that I didn’t really have any marketable skills so I’d end up in some sort of dead-end retail job (not that there’s anything wrong with working retail, but it exhausts this introvert!). But the reality ended up being completely different. I found that my social media and blogging skills were marketable, and that I had friends willing to either hire me themselves or refer me to friends who were hiring. And I found… work is fulfilling?
I mean, I’m not going to lie. I do not love my jobs as much as I love dancing. There are tasks that I don’t particularly enjoy, and it’s hard to get motivated on a Monday morning, or Friday after Open Stage or any other time that I’m tired and would rather sleep in and then read all day.
But there are things I really love about having a job. I love having work stories to share with my adult friends. I love it when I get a kudos from one of my bosses (I work for a couple different people right now). And to be perfectly honest, I definitely love getting a paycheck and going to Sephora for a treat! I love knowing that I’m getting valuable experience, so that if I should need to work full-time some day, I’ll have a good resume.
Of course, it has impacted my dance life a bit. While the extra money has allowed me to do things like have an hour of studio time every week (wonderful!) it also has me cutting back on my dance-related travel. As a freelancer, I don’t earn paid vacation, so when I don’t work, I don’t get paid, and I might have to spend the following week doing a lot of catch-up. I also find myself less willing to do dance weekends away unless I am really excited by the teacher, because my weekends are a lot more valuable to me now. My job also means I can’t do my dance practice in the AM anymore, since my primary employer is in NY, so even if I wake up early, I feel like I should get online and get to work.
Over all, I’m really glad I made the decision to seek out employment. It’s taken a lot of pressure off of me as a dancer. Rather than feeling like I have to reach a point where I can dance in a way that would make people want to pay me, I can focus instead on just growing as an artist, and if inspiration takes me in a marketable direction, great, but if not, you can find me sitting here at my computer, writing blog posts and press releases and LinkedIn status updates.