Ah, yes, I have started my very first retail job. Yahoo. Welcome to real life.
Well, actually it's not that bad, I'm just not very good at it. I am working in a shoe store in the mall, and at least the job is high energy, and I get constant human interaction. This has alleviated my post-grad depression! I am very happy to report that!
After accepting that one of my managers and I have an extreme personality difference, things at work have been not bad. I do feel rather bad that I have to keep being re-trained, when a co-worker who started after me is already on top of his game. But it's all good, after all, he's a total sneakerhead, so this job comes naturally to him. Me? I can't tell you anything about footwear.
You walk in for a good running shoe? Look at the Nike's.
You need something to take the strain off your instep? Look at the Nike's.
You want something arthitis-friendly for your grandmother? Look at the Nike's.
I despise Nike's.
But I sell a lot of 'em. Over these past few weeks, I have learned more about the products I am selling. After all, customers are expecting me to be an "expert" when it comes to sneakers. I got introduced to a pair of Brook's shoes, and I must say, they are comfortable and make good shoes for exercise. So now I can ramble on about Brook's Asics, and the seemingly endless array of Nike's we carry in the store. So many Nike's! Too many. Some poor Bangladeshi boy worked for hours in horrible working conditions for pennies so that people in the States could buy them (on sale) for $140.99. I could cry.
But instead, I ring my customers up with a fancy-pants iStore that hates me. It is an Apple product, and it senses that I am the only 20-something in this country that has no iPhone experience. Therefore, it proceeds to malfunction nearly every time I use it. Then, my general manager will touch it, and it will spring to life. And then, I feel dumb, and the customer gets antsy. And this explains why I am working 2 days this week. Yahoo.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
"Outsider Art"
My sister and I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art this past rainy Friday afternoon, and the exhibit did not disappoint. This one was entitled 'Outsider Art', with an "outsider" basically being someone who has no formal art training. Artists included ex-prison inmates, clinically insane people, and farm workers. I saw a tower made of chicken bones! That was pretty intense, in a good way. It's amazing to see the art that people who never received formal education in art can create. And it's very inspiring.
Lately, I've been thinking about my own art. Am I "good" enough? Then I reminded myself, there is no "good" or "bad" art. A person can like or dislike a piece, but that doesn't make it good or bad. There are so many different styles, media, and approaches. I once saw a friend's work that I absolutely loved, and when I heard his process, I was thinking, "but that's not how you do it!", when I told myself, "hell, there are thousands of ways to create art!" That's the beauty of it!
On a therapeutic walk outside with my sister one night, I told her about my doubts as an aspiring artist. "I'm not going to paint you a pretty flower, or a realistic portrait, or a nice landscape", I said. Well, there's nothing wrong with that! "Maybe you would like installations", she suggested. And maybe she's right; it's worth a shot. I have grown to take interest in installations, in fact, another friend emailed me a website that featured an installation , an ironic look at death and violence. Okay, maybe I don't need to go that morbid, but installations could be fun.
I've also taken a liking to comics art, thanks to my best friend, a self-proclaimed comics nerd. That sketchy, almost un-finished, spontaneous-looking art that grabs your gaze appeals to me. Plus, there are so many different styles of comics art. And it's a very convenient way to tell a narrative (something I love to do with my art).
So, I guess along with the soul-searching I'm already doing, I will do some art-soul-searching as well. Artistic creativity has always been a part of me; I can't imagine myself without it. Lately, I've been going through that post-grad depression, and my art has been suffering. But, it can be a form of therapy, something to get my anger, fear, frustration, and hopes out into the open. Without scaring my mother. She often gets frightened by some of the words that come out of my mouth ;-)
I live in a good place for artistic inspiration, especially if we're talking satire. Think Dada art (love it). Sometimes, I feel as if I am trapped in a black hole, a foreign country where I don't speak the native language. It is possible to feel like a stranger in your "home". Don't fight it, embrace it. Use it productively, creatively, SLAM IT WITH ART!
Lately, I've been thinking about my own art. Am I "good" enough? Then I reminded myself, there is no "good" or "bad" art. A person can like or dislike a piece, but that doesn't make it good or bad. There are so many different styles, media, and approaches. I once saw a friend's work that I absolutely loved, and when I heard his process, I was thinking, "but that's not how you do it!", when I told myself, "hell, there are thousands of ways to create art!" That's the beauty of it!
On a therapeutic walk outside with my sister one night, I told her about my doubts as an aspiring artist. "I'm not going to paint you a pretty flower, or a realistic portrait, or a nice landscape", I said. Well, there's nothing wrong with that! "Maybe you would like installations", she suggested. And maybe she's right; it's worth a shot. I have grown to take interest in installations, in fact, another friend emailed me a website that featured an installation , an ironic look at death and violence. Okay, maybe I don't need to go that morbid, but installations could be fun.
I've also taken a liking to comics art, thanks to my best friend, a self-proclaimed comics nerd. That sketchy, almost un-finished, spontaneous-looking art that grabs your gaze appeals to me. Plus, there are so many different styles of comics art. And it's a very convenient way to tell a narrative (something I love to do with my art).
So, I guess along with the soul-searching I'm already doing, I will do some art-soul-searching as well. Artistic creativity has always been a part of me; I can't imagine myself without it. Lately, I've been going through that post-grad depression, and my art has been suffering. But, it can be a form of therapy, something to get my anger, fear, frustration, and hopes out into the open. Without scaring my mother. She often gets frightened by some of the words that come out of my mouth ;-)
I live in a good place for artistic inspiration, especially if we're talking satire. Think Dada art (love it). Sometimes, I feel as if I am trapped in a black hole, a foreign country where I don't speak the native language. It is possible to feel like a stranger in your "home". Don't fight it, embrace it. Use it productively, creatively, SLAM IT WITH ART!
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