Soft Work. Period.

Soft Work. That's the conclusion so far that I've come up with this week. I did not write on Simon & Sally. Not a single word. Instead I tried to find work, or rather the concept of work and how I see myself in it. It started, as you know from my previous blog entry, with me refusing to give in to the rules of society concerning work. I do not want to be enslaved by the labor-money mechanism as I have for the previous 15 years. I don't believe in its (im)moral underpinnings and many others agree that its time has now past. They should give way to a more enlightened way of skillful work. I read (and suggest reading) the following:

• ChangeThis:  A site of friendly manifesto's set to made you think about the status quo of the world today. As they say: 'We are against demagoguery, dishonesty, shortsightedness, superstition, fundamentalism, unequal rights and violent argument. We are optimists and we believe that an informed, motivated electorate is likely to do the right thing, given the facts and given a chance.'
• Seth Godin: An intelligent author and 'social analyst' (as I'd like to think of him), who has some fresh views on marketing, change and work.
• Gaping Void: a site by Hugh McCleod, an artist who is 'interested in how art affects what some people call “The Real World”- the work place, the world of work, the world of business.'

There are more people out there who think along the connecting lines of creativity, work, society and change, and the best way to find them is surf along the links above - it's how I did it. You will be surprised what interesting ideas these men and women have. 

Anyway, the reason I bring this up, is because these sites have stoked ideas in me that were always burning on a low fire, never fully realized in their potential to change the direction I need for my life. Until now. Simon & Sally, I realize is a symptom of a larger problem I need to address. I can no longer with good conscious be satisfied with a job that conforms to any particular one industry (IT, writing, art, fill in the blanks). I can't do contracts anymore. Or hour counting. Or weighing pay versus effort. It doesn't even matter that I am no longer in a 9-to-5 job, but have chosen the road of consultancy or freelancing. I need more authenticity. I need happiness in what I do.

These are the new 'rules' by which I want to play (yes play, not work) in this social reality:

1. I want to express my creativity. First and foremost, because my Muses demand it, but also because I feel creativity is in every one of us and without it we are merely cogs in a machine waiting to be replaced by an actual machine, which is faster and cheaper (and better looking) anyway. Luckily our society has like never before since the Industrial Revolution been ready to embrace creativity. It has to. There is no more way for it to survive without it.
2. I want to collaborate instead of becoming institutionalized. I have already done so to limited extent by becoming a freelancer, but the threat is continuously there to once again become a cog in a company machine by offering up all my freedoms in a desperate attempt to get a project. I need to be strong in my convictions and say 'NO', when I want to. Clay Shirky, a technology guru with a striking resemblance to Tom Hanks (I bet he's sick of hearing that) propagates that this is where we are right now anyway, or at least heading to: a collaborative effort of information and skill sets rather than a rigid exclusive set of institutions. Go ahead and look him up on TED.com.
3. I want to find the balance between effortless effort and free discipline. Now, these two concepts sound very paradoxical and therein actually lies the challenge for me. Effortless effort relates to employing an activity that comes natural and allows me to create/change in order to benefit others around me. When this effort becomes 'work' in the least motivated manner, too much stress and strain occurs for me to actually enjoy it. But when it's in line with what I want and enjoy it becomes effortless. On the other hand I realize I need to sometimes push myself to adopt new skills, methods and routines in order to get where I want to go. Who doesn't right? This is discipline. We all need to put in the work to reap the benefits. I would however like to be free of outside pressure in deciding how to do this and over what time period. If I can strike the right balance between what I do now (effort) and how to proceed to future effort (discipline). I am there.

Above is what I call Soft Work. Hard work after all has the negative associations of workaholism and resistance, both of which are massively counterproductive, not to mention deeply unpleasant for everyone involved. According to Hugh McLeod to further your dreams you should never give up your day job, but I disagree. I think this is just another excuse to give in to your fears and remain a cog. You can't have both your dreams and your safety net. In today's changing social working environment ideas that jump out are the ones that succeed. It's no longer a matter of luck, it's the norm now. No mediocre person or idea is going to attract business. If I can create an amalgam of what I enjoy and what will constitute my 'job' I can live my dream and earn from it. All I need is to be creative to find the right formula.

Simon & Sally is a set of ideas about society, told through the eyes of teenagers, packaged in a heavy dose of mythology and fantasy. Those ideas I could easily examine within a collaborative conceptual work-related movement, which I could spearhead myself and then spread to others through a website. Not unlike PlentyofFish.com I could then connect and share this passion with others, all the while giving sponsorship to companies, who like to be associated with such a concept. The concept could be anything: Better Environment, Social Volunteering, Fighting Disease, Building Houses/Wells, etc. People love to do good and companies love to be perceived as such. This too is Soft Work: investing disciplined effort into a social cause wearing your heart on your working shirt sleeve. Why not? 

And if I actually do decide to move forward with Simon & Sally in it's purest literary form? Well, I might just e-publish it through one of the many online publishers. I mean: e-books are on the rise. Or otherwise maybe change the format and the game myself in which their adventures (and message) are offered to the world.