A Quarter Past

Before there was time, there were stars, dust, particles, collisions. We lived, we died, we returned to dust and stars. Time is a construct of modern humanity. Time makes us feel safe - as if we have control. 

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Waining, waxing, eclipsing through the infinite, unaware of time.

Everything is measured in time: time to work, time to relax, time to marry, have children, and other societally ingrained notions; running out of time, time left before we die. We construct time to give meaning and purpose to our existence. To set goals. To uphold rules and maintain "civilized society."

 Our ancestors did not find a need for such methods of measurement and the constructs of the second, the minute, the hour. They arose with the sun, walked the earth, slept. 

Time is linear. But linear is a lie - a bedtime story we tell ourselves to help calm the nerves. Everything is exponential. The human mind does not grasp the idea of the exponential. Why would it? We are thousands of years worth of a conditioned linear mentality. Everything is at once. Birth. Death. Collision. Erratic bursts of sorrow, joy, pain. Past, present, future all in an endless expanse. All concurring at the exact same moment; never ceasing, never stopping. 

We speak of how "times have changed" or how "times are changing." From the human perspective this would seem accurate. Time is not changing. Time has never changed. Time is nonexistent. Nothing has changed, or will change because it is all simultaneous fluidity. Infinity is not a concept humanity readily grasps. We are infinite. All things are infinite - exponentially going on and on - no ending, no beginning. 

Yet we burden ourselves with this construct of time. Would we be freer without this false sense of comforting security? Or would the world burn as some might predict if "time" was abandoned? 

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Out of destruction there is life - without death, the phoenix cannot rise from the ashes.

Maybe the world needs to burn. Fire arouses ideas of passion, creation, destruction, progress, urgency. There is a power in destruction. It breeds life. The old replaced with the infinite blank canvas of potential. Maybe "burning" would be the best thing yet to happen to humanity. To embrace fluidity, collision, the exponential infinity that is being. To embrace it would simultaneously end fear, stress, worry, anxiety. 

In essence, the utopian freedom that humanity has  idealized, written about, chased after for so long would be realized. 

Time is a construct of the human mind. Exponential infinite is true reality. 

I'm late for work again. 

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The clock marches on, and we follow; forever tethered to it.

"New Parts"

How unusual, how peculiar it is for one to engage another face to face.

What an archaic notion!

Contact.  Breath.  Sight.  Sound.  Touch.

Ah touch!  The absurdity!

Those that fall into the antiquated notion of this "human connection" will all but be left behind in the past - decaying into the obsolete.

Connectivity at one's fingertips is the now!

What kind of naive fool would trade it?

The now - lustful, delicious, instant gratification.

Connection to anyone, anywhere - all from the comfort of one's home.

The boudoir now is a shopping centre, restaurant, movie theatre - anything to delight the user’s fancy.

Amongst the safe space of home, one has all they could ever desire at the click of a mouse, the touch on a screen.

Friends instantly. Movies. Endless shopping. Even sex!  

Ahhh sex.  

Now you can even have sex all from home.  

Satisfy any fetish, desire, yearning at the click of a button.  

Porn upon porn upon porn galore!

A smorgasbord of choices to tantalize every sense for the comfort of the home.

Why would any sane person venture further?

The need for actual interaction is gone.  

Safe inside one’s bubble, yet plugged in!

Interconnected 24/7.

Hardwired finger tips to touch pads, keyboards, mouses.

Rewired brains. 

Red. Blue. Green.

Micro-chipped and hot of the factory floor - millions everyday!

We produce so efficiently that there is surplus enough for all!

Even the starter products start working quickly enough.

Granted, they remain in the beta-testing phase for some time.

They tend to be full functioning at about 20 years.

And don't worry; if they break or die we have enough surplus for a speedy replacement.

Production at its fastest.

No assembly required.

From the day they are manufactured they begin their programming.

As we move forward advancements are sure to ensue.

Surely in just a few years their efficentcy will have doubled, tripled even.

20 years functioning will be achieved by 10.  Then 5.  And so on.

The screen is now our face.

The soft perfect hum of devices will soon be our only sounds.

LED lighted eyes and downloadable hearts.

We will (and why would we not?!) become wired selves.

Such a silly notion, human interaction.

So What Now...?

I think something I've seen myself and a lot of other post-SCAD grads struggle with is the lull that comes after the high of finishing their senior thesis and graduation.  There is this elation of finishing, and with that the hopes of a job, security, and the excitement around the idea of being paid to do what you love.  It's an exciting time.  But it is one that fades quickly.  Suddenly there is the actual process of applying to jobs, seeing the harsh reality that there are a great deal fewer entry-level jobs than one might have presupposed, or dared to hope for, there are loans to be paid, rent owed, and a slew of other obligations that come with adulthood.  And suddenly, reality comes down with a thunderous crash, and the idealistic views of post-grad life and the "perfect job" quickly fade.  For some, weeks pass, then months, perhaps even longer, and the dream of the amazing creative career you sacrificed so much in preparation for is nowhere to be found.  Things are more complicated than expected, and the excitement and high expectations begin to feel like a memory somewhere in the distant past.  The reality is not easy - far from it.  It is frustrating.  It is disheartening.  It is one of uncertainty and disillusion.  And for many, that reality can dwindle previous confidence in one's art into a shaky, volatile, and fragile shell.  

  The way SCAD's quarter system is structured, set's up a very intense work pace that is meant to help prepare students for rigorous and competitive industries.  Which is great... in theory.  It does help equip students for tight deadlines, hard work, long hours, and pushing the limits so that they might creatively stand out.  However, I feel that the quarter system in itself is quite flawed.  It is a system comprised of ten weeks; ten short weeks that set a framework for a frenetic work pace (one that only intensifies as the years pass), and then a substantial lull/lapse of completely unstructured time in-between before the chaos of the next quarter resumes.  

In the long run, this sets students up for an almost manic-depressive work cycle that is not a realistic representation of the real world's work pace.  Being an artist or designer is choosing to be in one of the most competitive industries in the world.  I suppose, one could compare it to the equivalent of trying to become a famous actor, or a sports star in terms of the competitive nature of the field and overall chances for any notable success.  It is a world based mainly in subjectivity.  One has to fight to stand out; and there are few objective measures to gauge talent.  Unlike a traditional profession, such as that of a doctor or a lawyer where there are set standards of how things should be done to gauge a professional's skills, there is no standard to define creative talent.  One person may love your work, while another may think it is complete garbage.  

Her desire to climb further upward was strong.  But she no longer knew where she was climbing.

I have found myself, along with other recent graduates struggling to find work due to the lack of entry-level jobs; and this is a cross-disciplinary issue across the board.  The lack of jobs for recent post-grad creative's is significantly large, with reputable entry-level job openings being few and far between.  Countless job boards tend to only show bigger companies, however, regardless of company size, there is a huge gap in types of jobs for hire.  There are either senior level positions that usually require somewhere between a 5-10 year minimum industry experience, unpaid internships, and little else.

I have found myself personally extremely frustrated with the sizable lack of entry-level job opportunities, and I know I'm not alone.  I have found myself and other SCAD grads still struggling to find career jobs months post graduation.  As a result, many become disheartened, dispirited, and disillusioned during the post-graduation/pre-career period.  Because of SCAD's quarter system mentality, I believe many find themselves stuck in a rut - with lack of structure, concrete direction, and forward momentum. 

I can personally say that I thrive with structure, and having an almost frenetic/constant work pace.  As the old adage goes I suppose, "Idle hands are the devil's playground."  Though cliché, the saying does seem to hold some truth - at least that is something I have found to be true for myself.  Without structure and consistent work demands, I think many creative's feel adrift - stuck - unable to attain a job that would allow them to do what they love - not quite sure what the next move should be.  Personally, it feels like I'm on some never-ending break; like the winter holiday that I once had off between school quarters.  Except this time there isn't a rigorous work load/college to come back to.  This time I feel like I am in some bad episode of The Twilight Zone, waiting for a job with no indication as to when that will materialize - stuck in some horrendous interim. 

So to me, this then begs the question of, "So what now?"  How does one fill the time between graduation and finding a career job that is both productive yet fulfilling?  I have yet to find an adequate answer myself...  

The waiting seemed like an endless existence - he felt akin to the people described in purgatory, probably some idea that was an embedded remnant from a long ago Catholic upbringing.  An undermined wait, with an undetermined end.