AT SF Moma yesterday, on the Fourth Floor, listening to museum curator Gary Garrels tell us about the art in the Focus on Artists exhibition. He mentions that at some point, he returned to SF MOMA (from where, I don’t know, and the back story is not of consequence to where my thinking went — but inexcusable not to google the scoop).
Anyway, he had returned to SF Moma, and why he returned, he says, was because of “the collection,” meaning the art collection. And he talks with passion about some of the artists, like Clyfford Still.
And he says, to explain his return and his passion, that “The collection becomes an extension of who you are.”
And, he says, “It’s like your children.”
And this gets me thinking about my “You Are Not Your Job” blog.
And yes, I know there there is a difference between a job and a passion.
And I know that when your job is your passion, then you are your job, and you want to be your job.
So, there are the people who stay in “jobs” they don’t especially like, or have become accustomed to tolerating,
- because they’re afraid to move,
- or tell themselves stories about why they can’t move,
- or don’t even think of moving from despite, or because of, all of the above, if you really got down to it,
- and yes, I think that there are people who don’t have choice, as in people from low socio-economic backgrounds, without an education, and who haven’t been brought up with choice as part of the conversation,
- and there are many people who stick in untenable or at least lackluster situations because they lack self-confidence. And so on and so forth.
But when what you do reflects your values and is your life’s work, then it’s not “a job.” And yet, if you work for someone else, you are still vulnerable to being downsized, or fired, right?
So there is the “you are your job,” as in your job gives you your identity and you don’t develop a life outside of it. And you go to work each day and the people at the company are, perhaps, your family; and your work is the center of your life because it’s what you put your focus on, and so on and so forth, and I don’t mean to be glib here.
And then there is “you are your job,” because it aligns with your values and it reflects what’s important to you, and what you want to study, and what you want to share, and the difference you want to be and make, and so forth.
And either way, my question is — if you are an employee, don’t you still need to address your own life, and not just live through what you do? I would say, yes.
You get fired, for whatever reason and downsizing is a good one, or you need to retire because you reach that age, and even if you can still read about your passion and be vicariously involved, or peripherally involved, you lose the power of position and the associates and control and life direction that comes with it.
So indeed, it is where one wants to be and what one wants to be doing in a job, but — there is still the whole person and the whole life.
I don’t know Gary Garrels or anything about him. He just happened to spark the stream that resulted in these thoughts. Part of an ongoing conversation.
