Deranged fools

Today I bring you a piece of Hugh McLeod’s blog, which he wrote on 19/2/09. This guy makes a living drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. Really really. He also does a bit of marketing for a winery in South Africa called Stormhoek. Really really. And then he works for Microsoft jazzing up their corporate life. At the moment he likes hanging out in a small place called Alpine, in Texas.

Whaddayaknow: distinction of the working human
“A. Most people work for the money. Most people wouldn’t do their jobs for free.
B. Most people hate their jobs.

But I’m not thinking about “Most People” right now. I’m thinking about the small percentage of the population who want to love their work; who want to find meaning in their work... and are willing to work like hell to find out how.
Those crazy, deranged fools…

How do they manage to exist? How dare they exist!
Are you one of them? Just curious...

A CrazyDerangedFool [CDF for short] is, like me, somebody who has the temerity to aspire to work in a way that produces both joy, meaning and contribution for both them and others, while also paying the bills. It's about creativity, it's about finding meaning, but it's also about living in the real world. That's the reality I want to live in, and from the vast quantities of e-mails and comments I get from y'all, that seems to be your game plan, as well.

I really liked what Ms Constantine said in the comments of the aforementioned post: “I'm working about 30 hours a week on top of my "day job" so that one day I'll be able to do the work I love. I'm currently doing the extra hours for free, so I'm kind of one of them. Gotta pay the bills though.”
Ms Constantine, that too has been my life for the last twenty years. I too am a CDF. This IS INDEED the crazy, deranged, foolish world of my own making that I chose to live in. And this IS INDEED the crazy, deranged, foolish world I will die in. I've already crossed the Rubicon. Alea iacta est. There is no going back. Ever.”

Read more on Hugh’s work: www.gapingvoid.com

Great stuff. Love his cartoon work. They’re bafflingly good.

So how are you viewing your work? Love it? Hate it? Not thinking about it but that just stepping on that treadmill every day? And in case you were wondering; I’m a CDF too. I work 44 hours average a week on my day job, 10-12 hours on Quality living, 6 hours a week on my blog, and about 14 hours on the farm per week. That’s 74 hours. No wonder I feel a bit gaga while I was training for the triathlon as well which was at least 8 hours a week. I calculated that I have exactly 20 hours a week to do ‘other stuff’ like make dinner and what have you, housekeep, whatever and I spend 10 hours per week in the car traveling. That leaves me with 8 hours of personal recreational time PER week. At least I still have that. I know there are some people who work ALL the time. Now THAT would do you in well and truly…

I’m happy to say I like working on my oddball ideas outside of work. I have concocted this simple and wicked idea for lifestyle blockers to help them in winter. I thought it up last year, even made the logo and everything, now have to do the homework to get the thing made. It will be good to get it up and running as it will help Nico once he does get on the farm fulltime. The things we do…. My fabric designs will be printed this year but have been pushed further in the year due to the ‘current economical climate’. It will not stop me from continuing to be creative. I reckon it’s the time to search for those niche areas and pounce on them like no tomorrow. The world is not waiting for ‘another business’, they are however looking for wanting their problems solved. They want to be heard. Find peoples issues and solve them. That my dear friends, is the future.