The Price of Freedom

cubicle.jpg
Originally uploaded by macslost.

Outside of the threat of pain and death (physical or emotional), you probably see the most panic from people when their money is messed with. Specifically, a muck-up at work and the threat of losing that safety net that provides you with that (bi)weekly paycheck that allows you to live outside those cubicle walls. Those without that net tend to scramble to find a new one to get caught up in.

I haven't had that feeling in quite some time. I have worked for the same PR agency for almost 8 years. 8 years. That's basically right-out-of-college. (though not really, since I was a drop out and spent a few years in radio and the concert industry instead). That all changed as of October 18th (I know, I know, October was a PSYCHOTIC month. It's the only word that fits.)

Quick recap: Got back from Australia, first day back at work my client says "um, we're moving agencies. wanna come with?" "uh, uh, ooookay." Cue frenzied panic. Work at another agency? Drive to Melrose instead of Burbank 8 minutes away? Lose 3 weeks of vacation and a kick-ass 'Director' job title? And breaking up with a company after 8 years of ups & downs, though basically a great place for me? And I have to decide RIGHT NOW?

Long story short, met with the new agency, no room for new hire but would pay me part-time as a "senior consultant" and leave me to get other jobs on the side. Cool! Got another gig pretty quick, too, just have to keep it up. Anyway, there was an uncomfortable moment of "the break up" where I say "It's not you, it's me, I need to be with myself for a while. I feel like the walls are closing in on me." But that went really well and my company even had a few thoughts on some jobs they could hire me for in the future, so that was cool.

So I'm free. Free to do whatever I want. I work from home. I bought a new laptop and printer, all-wireless network, so I can do whatever I need from anywhere in the house. Got a new work e-mail (mcleanpr@mac.com, clever, huh?). Switched all of my press over, created work invoices. Now I just need business cards and I think I can make some cool movie-scene ones off Flickr, so I might try that.

So what's all that gonna cost me? Fear. Maybe a little cash. I gotta keep finding clients to keep getting paid. I gotta pay BIG taxes. Benefits? I'm married, so I can just hop on Dinah's plan. Title? "Senior Consultant" and THAT applies to all companies I work with, so that's cool. Vacation? There's a problem for later. I don't have any travel plans for a while, so that will be a bridge when I come to it. Luckily, this IS the future, so crackberries are prevalent and since my entire job is done from e-mail, I can do it from anywhere in the world. That and my thumb drive is all I need.

In the meantime, I can do my job while watching bad action movies and taking a quick break to wipe out a level of bad guys in Black on the XBox. So I can't complain. Life's good. (it'll be better once Mercury gets out of retrograde, though, this past week was BRUTAL. ugh)

So! If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.

(by 'problem', it's specifically film-PR related, preferably of the online variety. 'them' is me. A-Team, well, yeah, that's me. Bum, bubum BUM, bum-Bum, bum, ba-da-DA-da-DA-daaaaaa...and yes, I do have a box of M-16s in the back of my van, er, Malibu.)