For my situation, the who point of doing what I'm
doing (the Atari Game Production course) is because I
think it's a fun idea. It doesn't mean I expect it to
be easy. But that's what you have communities and
resources for. If there are problems or obstacles to
overcome, there's always someone to talk to.
--- Glenn Saunders <mos6507@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I don't know if this has any direct bearing on
> Chris' situation, but I
> think it's worth saying anyway...
>
>
> I am a strong believer in the importance of hobbies
> to the human condition.
>
> For me, it's very therapeutic to provide myself a
> little haven where I can
> crawl into and be creative and have 100% control
> over what I'm doing while
> I'm there.
>
> If it weren't 2600 programming it might be music
> recording or another video
> documentary or a computer animation project. It
> would be SOMETHING.
>
> That was why I did the first Starpath CD. My daily
> life at the time SUCKED
> and it was something I could focus in on and nudge
> forward and ultimately
> be proud of completing.
>
> Most people's careers involve compromises of some
> type. When I was a kid I
> dreamt of being like Peter Jackson, being the Lord
> of the Rings
> auteur. That dream fizzled when I realized I didn't
> have the mettle to do
> the Hollywood shuffle. So what do you do with your
> sense of disappointment
> when you find yourself locked into a steady career
> that is not exactly your
> dreamjob?
>
> A lot of people just allow themselves to get
> depressed about it. My
> approach is to maintain that tiny little space, even
> if it's just a few
> hours a week in the middle of the night, where I can
> focus on my
> hobbies. If you are single and childless and have
> any interests at all you
> have no valid excuse not pursuing them, I'll tell
> you that! Time is a
> terrible thing to waste, as the Pink Floyd song
> goes...
>
> You know those stories about eccentric guys who
> spend decades building
> castles in their backyards stone by stone and things
> like that? I'm like
> that. People like that can be the butt of a lot of
> jokes while they are
> working on these things, but the bottom line is that
> they are transcending
> the limitations of their lives.
>
> This is the kind of thing we used to do all the time
> when we were kids. We
> had to transcend being a kid. We built treehouses,
> did slot car racing,
> joined a garage band, whatever. But slowly the
> creative impulse gets
> beaten out of you where you are expected as an adult
> to do your dayjob,
> then go home crack open a beer and veg out watching
> Cops or something.
>
> That's very stifling. When you have a hobby project
> you can see yourself
> passing milestones, ever so slowly, even when you
> are basically just
> counting days on the calendar at your dayjob. It
> really helps give your
> life more meaning. And beyond your kids (if you do
> have kids) it helps you
> build a monument of your works that can outlive you.
>
>
>
>
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