Vox Media’s AJ Gutierrez puts into perspective just how mad the creative trade really is. The fact that creativity can be a job is insane. Don’t get me wrong.
I’m happy that it is, but it’s totally nuts. Imagine going back in time and meeting your great-great-great grandfather after he gets home from a long day of helping construct the Manhattan Bridge. Without regard for the rules of time travel, you introduce yourself as his ancestor from the future and go on to unload about your life, the future of your family, and some sound stock market advice.
After the initial shock and questions about your wardrobe, he’s thrilled to see you and welcomes you into his crowded one-bedroom apartment in Tribeca. He tells you about his journey to America and how he’s given up everything to work one hundred-hour weeks of hard labor, creating a monumental piece of infrastructure that will allow the future generations of his family to succeed. He finally asks what you do for a living, and you say.
.. “I wrote a script about tap-dancing penguins to sell toothpaste.
” His response is concise, obvious, and full of wisdom. “Penguins don’t have teeth.” He’s right, but it doesn’t matter.
What matters is we get to use our deranged brains to come up with utter and beautiful nonsense for a living. It’s a gift often lost amid the quest for titles, awards, health insurance, and stability. Advertisement The difference between our ancestors and today is that there wasn’t as much.
