According to Greek legend, Icarus, the son of master craftsman Daedalus, tries to escape the island of Crete by using wings that his father has fastened out of wax and feathers.  The story doesn’t end so well for the Greek youth, but for Toronto-based screen-printing boutique Kid Icarus, handmade creations are the only way to get off the ground.

The husband and wife team of Michael Viglione and Bianca Bickmore, crafts original designs for band posters, fine art posters, greeting cards, wrapping paper, invitations, and much, much more.  I was lucky enough to visit them in their Kensington Market studio to find out what goes into creating and maintaining their screen printing specialty shop.

However, before we get into why Mike and Bianca do what they do, it’s important to first understand what screen printing is.

Very basically, an artist imprints a stenciled design on a piece of porous mesh that is stretched on a wooden or aluminum frame.  With the stencil blocking areas the artist doesn’t want printed, the screen is placed on top of the material (paper, fabric, etc) receiving the design.  Ink is placed at the top of the screen, and using a squeegee, the artist drags it across the screen.  The paint travels through the mesh exposed by the stencil and is transferred to the material underneath.  Voila!

www.kidicarus.ca

Fresh ink on the screen. The first "pull" on the the gray layer.

Now, on to Michael and Bianca:

I Am:

Mike: Master Printer, Store Owner

Bianca: Graphic Designer, Project Manager, Store Owner.

Together we are creators of Kid Icarus, a store in Toronto, Ontario that specializes in screen-printed goods, and husband and wife.

Michael at work

I have been working towards this since:

Mike: In 1994 I was enrolled in the Ontario College of Art and Design when I realized I wasn’t really into the drawing and design aspect of the program.   What I did discover, however, was how much I loved the screen printing process and the value in the handmade prints. In 2004 I began printing full time and Kid Icarus opened in 2007.

Bianca inspecting a fresh print

Bianca: In high school, my parents pushed me to excel in the math and science programs, even though my marks were significantly stronger in my visual art classes.  After high school my folks wanted me to apply to University instead of college, but I applied anyway, and took design.  It upset them at first, but when they see how happy I am now, it was worth it.

After college I worked in corporate design for five years.  I knew I wasn’t going to be doing it forever, but that job gave me the discipline and skills to apply them to what I am doing now.  When the company announced that it was moving to a new location, I knew right then that this was my chance to follow my dreams and leave the corporate world.  My boss actually told me to do something I was passionate about, because she knew I needed to move on.

My responsibilities include:

Bianca: I correspond with the clients and work with them directly on their project.  I deal with the files and help them with anything that needs to be changed.  I am also the in-house graphic designer and store keeper.

(From top to bottom) 1. Colour matching the digital file on computer screen. 2. Mixing the blue ink to get it just right. 3. Aligning the film outputs to make sure everything will register.

Mike: I take over from Bianca after the pre-production work has been done, and work on the technical aspects of printing. I separate the colours involved in each design (as each colour needs to be on a screen of its own), and do the colour mixing to create the shade the client wants.  I prep the screens, and physically do all the printing by hand.

What I love about it:

Bianca: I love that every day is different!  People come in to the shop and see how much work and value there is in a piece, and easily fall in love with the store.  I enjoy developing new ideas into projects, but what I value and love the most, is that almost all of the products in our store are local, that’s really important to us.

Mike: I love teaching people what kind of work goes into a print.  The shop is open-concept, so I’m often printing and explaining what I’m doing to people at the same time.  I also love being able to be selective with the work we do.  We have gotten to the point where we are fortunate to choose what we work on, and I really enjoy the challenge and the excitement of seeing something amazing come in.

Something else I really love is when I see clients come back, or when they have spread the word about us to someone else. They’re happy with the work we’ve done, and that is an amazing feeling.

What I hate about it:

Bianca: Accounting and inventory.

Mike: Sometimes things don’t go right, and we have to cancel our evening plans and work until the job’s done.  But in the end, we’re not letting anything leave the shop that we don’t believe is a quality product.

Some examples of Kid Icarus' work

In our job there is no such thing as ‘same day service.’  Multi-colour prints are expensive due to the number of screens and time involved, which some customers don’t realize.  Also, photography doesn’t always translate well onto the screen, but we’ll show samples to our clients to see if it’s the style they are looking for.

Is there a special moment that stands out in your career?

Mike: A year after we opened the shop, there was such a buzz around the city about us!  I remember a couple girls who walked into the shop and were looking around, and before they left I overheard them say: “I thought this place was [going to be] a lot bigger.”  It was funny; our reputation was obviously working for us.

Bianca: I remember the day I stood inside this shop, before it had opened, and decided to quit my corporate design job. Working full time with Mike (my fiance and husband to be) was a crazy idea, but I knew that this was the beginning of something I would be proud to be involved with.

Advice to those interested in a career like ours:

Mike: Whatever you’re doing, if you’re passionate about it, you’ll find a way to make money off of it.  Not to become rich, but to live.  People pick up on your passion and feed off of it.

Bianca: Don’t listen to your parents or anyone else; listen to yourself.  Talk to people; business owners, go to the places you’re inspired by and learn from them.  Don’t be close-minded; leave your computer at home, and do the footwork.

Favorite Quote:

“Small businesses make neighborhoods.”

- An anonymous friend of Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus Storefront

www.kidicarus.ca

]]> http://oneweekjob.com/2011/02/17/what-it%e2%80%99s-like%e2%80%a6to-be-a-screen-printer/feed/ 1 http://oneweekjob.com/2010/12/13/show-us-your-stache-contest-winners/ http://oneweekjob.com/2010/12/13/show-us-your-stache-contest-winners/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:39:41 +0000 Amanda Lowe http://www.oneweekjob.com/?p=4070 One Week Job is proud to announce the winners of the Movember ‘Show Us Your ‘Stache’ Contest – put on by Doc Op.

A HUGE congratulations to Andie Saunders and Terry Easlick, for their amazing Mo’s!

Terry Easlick and his snazzy 'stache

Andie Saunders proves that the mo can be rocked by the ladies as well!

Doc Op describes themselves as: “a global community of activists, NGOs, documentary film makers and enthusiasts built with the intention of turning global ideas and films into local action.”

The winners of the Movember contest won their very own copy of the One Week Job Documentary, and should receive their prize in the mail very soon.

Thanks for everyone who participated – we look forward to a fresh crop of Mo’s next Movember!

In spite of her demanding schedule, Amy (very graciously) sat down with me for a couple hours, and shared her journey.  This celebrated photographer speaks about the realities of an often glorified industry, and how photography is the art that makes her feel ‘connected to the world.’

Amy Toensing

I Am: a Freelance Photo Journalist, as well as a National Geographic Contributing Photographer.

Freelance Photo Journalist, Amy Toensing. Photo by Matt Moyer

I have been working towards this since: 1994.

Originally, I received a degree in Human Ecology, where my main focus was Anthropology and Sociology.  Towards the end of my degree, I took a photography class and attended a storytelling program called Salt, in Maine.  I shot a story on ‘migrant broccoli pickers’ that actually won an award for College Photographer of the Year for documentary work.  I was 24 years old.

After graduation, I worked as a waitress and shot part-time for the local newspaper.  Then, because of the broccoli pickers story I did, I was picked for the Eddie Adams Workshop. This is a prestigious 4-day intense photography experience, where top photographers from around the U.S, mentor 100 up-and-coming photographers.  We teamed up with professionals from the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and National Geographic.  My team leader was Nancy Lee, the Director of Photography for the New York Times. For those four days, we lived and breathed photography.

During one of our frantic shooting assignments, our car battery died on the way to the shoot!  Luckily, we were parked on a hill and I knew how to push-start.  It didn’t take long, and we were on our way again; after that, my NYT editor definitely remembered me!

After the workshop, Nancy Lee gave me a few assignments and also asked me to do some work in their Washington DC bureau while I was there visiting my family. Once there, they asked me to stay for a month and help out managing the office.  It was tough, as I had been offered a full time shooting job at my local paper, but in the end I decided to move to Washington.  I covered the White House and Capitol Hill for 4 years before heading back to school, this time on scholarship to receive my master’s degree at Ohio University.  It was here that I had a photography internship at National Geographic.

Morning fog lifts off the meadow behind the Josiah Starling house, a witness to island dawns since 1784. Photo by Amy Toensing

While interning at Nat Geo, I was encouraged by Susan Smith, the Deputy Director of Photography to submit a story idea for a shoot.  I was one of the lucky interns who actually got the green light, and not only did they let me shoot it, they published it!

I have been full-on freelance since 1999, and am now on my 13^th story for National Geographic.  I have also shot for publications such as Time Magazine, Newsweek, the Boston Globe and the New York Times, and do some commercial work.

My responsibilities include:

As a freelancer, I run a business.  This includes accounting, organizing, and marketing myself in order to get more jobs.  Once I have a job, I research the story, map it, and organize the logistics of the shoot; transportation, accommodation, budget and most importantly – I decide where and how to tell my story.  After the shoot, comes all the post-production: ingesting, editing, model releases, and archiving.  I keep 3 copies of each file as backup.

What I love about it:

Photography is the thing that drives me; it’s the art that makes me feel connected to the world.  The act of taking pictures makes me feel centered and good.  Also, something that I love about National Geographic is that hire photographers based on their own personal style; they hire you to be you.

What I hate about it:

I hate the stress that comes with the job.  It’s a battle to keep both the business side and the art side of photography balanced.  As a freelancer, you’re always thinking about where and when your next job is going to come.  Plus, if you’re not in the shooting ‘zone,’ it’s hard to force creativity.  But it’s essential that I find ways to establish a creative environment for myself on every assignment.

Simon Booth checks his land for growth during Australia's Murray-Darling Basin drought. By Amy Toensing

Common misconceptions about my work:

I have one of the most misunderstood jobs in the world!  People think that photography is amazing, glorious, and romantic, and that all I do is travel around the world and take pretty pictures – but there’s nothing easy about it!  Photography is not a job – it’s a lifestyle and a huge commitment.  It’s hard work, extremely competitive and not very well paid.  But it’s amazing, fulfilling, and incredibly rewarding.

Is there a special moment that stands out in your career?

There is honestly a special moment on every assignment, and that’s why I’m a photographer.  I get to be in people’s home and share some of their most special moments. I get to witness humanity from the front row. It’s such a wonderfully rewarding career.

Advice to those interested in a career like mine:

It’s a tough time for the freelance photography industry, but I would never steer someone away because of that. If you have a connection with photography, follow your heart.  However, I would tell people to be realistic; it’s going to be hard work, and you have to realize that photography is more of a lifestyle than a job.

Lessons to Learn

These days with digital photography, anyone can pick up a camera and shoot, but in order to be a successful photojournalist you still have to be skilled at telling a story with your images. That’s entirely different than simply taking good pictures. You also have to be good at thinking on your feet, working with people, traveling in difficult places and most important, you need to have a unique way of seeing the world which shows in your images.

To see more of Amy Toensing’s images, visit www.amytoensing.com

Ever since, the term ‘mentor’ has generally come to define someone with more experience, imparting their wisdom and values on someone with less experience.  This relationship can be personal, spiritual, and educational.

Henri Ferguson – Yoga Instructor, and one of Sean Aiken's mentors during the One-Week Job Project

Perhaps you’re a baby boomer who has considered taking on a mentee, but can’t decide if it’s worth your time and energy.  Look no further!  Here are 8 (great) Reasons to Become a Mentor.

1. Being a mentor bridges the generation gap.

Generally speaking, most mentor/mentoree relationships happen between someone in an older generation, coaching someone in a younger generation.  If you’re mentoring someone younger than you, realize that it can be a productive experience for both sides, as each generation can come to understand the other’s motivations, career goals, and attitudes.  Soon, it won’t feel like there’s any gap at all.

2. Being a mentor can help you redefine your own career path and goals.

By looking at your job through a mentee’s eyes, you gain outside perspective that could help you answer some tough questions about your career.

3. It’s a wise business strategy to mentor others.

By becoming a mentor, you can keep on top of new trends, issues, and emerging technologies through your mentee. The partnership can also keep your mind sharp, since a good mentee will challenge you with great questions and creativity.

4. You build long lasting relationships in your industry.

If you and your mentee continue working in the same industry, you gain a valuable ally and sounding board for years to come.  Eventually you may even find yourself at different companies, but your professional relationship can last to benefit you both.

5. By acting as a mentor, you set the tone of your industry to those just entering it.

What better way is there to ensure continued success or instigate change in the workforce? Help others grow into the types of employees you would like to see.

6. Pay it forward.

Remember how confused and stressed out YOU were when you started working?  By acting as a mentor, you can help make the transition easier on someone else.  Having a mentor is also associated with improved job satisfaction, positive career plans, quicker promotions, and a greater probability that the mentee will eventually become a mentor themselves.  Don’t be afraid to share your failures as well as your success; some of the best lessons come from the worst mistakes.

7. Think about the impact you can make on someone else’s life!

Chances are, as their first point of contact within an industry, your mentee will look up to you and your experience.  Whether you realize it or not, mentors have a huge influence on a mentee’s career (and life) outlook.  Mentors have the opportunity to build up someone’s skill set and confidence – and that’s a relationship not easily forgotten.  Not to mention, the idea of enlightening another person’s life will always add additional happiness to yours.

8. You have the chance to share your passion with others.

By coaching someone just entering the work force, you’re in the position to get them just as excited about the job as you are!  Share your tips for making entertaining power point presentations, effective web sites, or even the best spot for lunchtime appetizers.  You love your job – why not encourage someone else to feel the same?

In Conclusion

Ultimately, the success of your mentee is up to them; as a mentor you can only provide so much guidance, but the effect you can have on that person’s life is priceless. We have something to learn from everyone, and we also have something to teach everyone.

Treat your position with respect, and there’s no doubting that both the mentor and the mentee will benefit from the relationship for years to come.

Share your stories of being a mentor in the comments!

It’s a simple question, it’s a question worth asking, and it’s a question Gen Why wants YOU to answer.

The Gen Why Media Project is a movement towards hope.  Their mission is to bring the Generation Y population (ie: the tech-savvy generation born after Generation X that currently includes teenagers to those in their thirties) together, and work to make the world a better place.  The Project is working on a ‘crowd-sourced story of future’ – and wants you to add your two-cents.

Visit the Gen Why website: genwhymediaproject.com and start asking, and answering, some questions of your own.

Also, be sure to check out Gen Why’s newest video that accompanied the Gen Why TEDx Vancouver talk in November 2010.  The poem is written by Jonathan Reed, and the video features our own Sean Aiken!

Ernie Kasper was, by all accounts, a healthy, happy, and energetic young man.  He had a loving wife, an animated daughter, and a precious, newborn son. However, shortly after the birth of his second child, Ernie suffered what doctors thought impossible; he had a stroke.

Ernie lost the ability to speak and his walking became awkward and disjointed.  Doctors refused to believe that someone so young and fit could endure such a diagnosis, but there was no denying the trauma that Ernie’s body was going through.

Even though his days were filled with hurt and confusion as to why this had happened to him, Ernie realized that the best way to deal with his condition was to not let it stop him from living.  

Day by day, through intense physical and mental anguish, he taught himself to walk. And not only has Ernie learned to limp, skip, and walk again since his stroke –  but he has actually ran. 37 km in fact, and he’s not stopping there.

Ernie’s attitude is incredible. Everyday he consciously chooses to set an example for other stroke victims, by refusing to believe that something wrong with his body can stop his spirit.  As he puts it, ‘When life hands you lemons – make apple juice.  That will always make people wonder!’

Check out Ernie’s thoughts after seeing One Week Job.

Watch Ernie’s Journey

It’s 2010.  Some parts of the world still don’t have access to clean water.  And we’re buying brand-name socks.

When Sean Aiken set out to work 52 jobs in 52 weeks, instead of accepting wages, he asked his employers to donate money to the ONE/Make Poverty History campaign.  In the end,  $20,140.60 was raised to help eliminate poverty. What if we decided to do Christmas a little bit differently this year?  What if we put down our wrench sets, our video games, and our celebrity-endorsed perfumes in exchange for something a little more meaningful?

UEnd: Poverty is a charitable organization that encourages people to ‘Gift Different’ this holiday season. When users purchase a gift card online, they can either donate to a project in someone else’s name, or let the recipient choose the project.  With each purchase, an email is sent to the recipient with a personal message from the giver, and (if it applies) instructions on how to choose a project.

Projects are categorized by cause, country, and partnering organization – with 100% of donations going directly to the organization in charge of that project (UEnd’s website states that it has larger sponsors to specifically take care of their operating costs).

There are various causes to donate to, including projects in Education, Gender Equality, Community Development, and Infrastructure – and over a dozen countries in need of support, such as Guatemala, Liberia, and Bangladesh.

Specific projects include: installing a satellite phone in Chipursan, Pakistan to connect the secluded rural community to the outside world, funding schools in Sierra Leone to pay for health programs and teacher training, and providing a potable water system for the Miskito indigenous community of Pamkawas, Nicaragua.

Each project also features a running tally that displays the total budget goal, along with the current funds raised.  This way, anyone can see where a particular cause stands.

Rejoice!  This year we can get rid of our sweaty wool sweaters, and spend our time and money giving to a cause we really believe in – and helping to make a difference in world poverty at the same time.

Gift Different.

Visit www.uend.org/dt/

Andrew Tylosky, Founder of Motion Media

I met Andrew Tylosky in 2003, at the start of our college careers.  We were both enrolled in the television production program at The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), and right from the beginning everyone in our class knew he was going to make it big.  Andrew understood the technical world of broadcasting like the rest of us knew how to cross the street – it was second nature.  During lectures he soon became known for his in-depth and technically complex queries, where he would interrupt our professors with one of his infamous ‘unrelated questions.’

Now, five years after graduation and only 25 years old, Tylosky is the Founder and Media Director of Motion Media, a one-stop media-shop based in Fort St. John, British Columbia.  With a team of eight employees and major Canadian broadcasters knocking down his door, the company has grown from simple video production to include web design, corporate video production, printing services, and documentary work.

‘I never planned to start a business,’ says Tylosky, ‘I’ve been doing media ‘stuff’ since I was 12 years old.  I took every opportunity along the road. As circumstance worked out, the opportunity fell in front of me and I had to take it or leave it. I took it.’

Tylosky is a hard worker who expects the same from his employees, but doesn’t get offended when something doesn’t work out, ‘It’s always been hard work. There have been times when I get discouraged, but I always find opportunity in those discouraging moments.  I say, “Okay, that’s a lesson on how not to do it next time.” Or, “If I was in control of the situation, I would do it this way.”’

The nature of the media industry is one of constant change, and in order to work in an environment such as this, you need to be open and flexible.  And although the energy and creativity necessary for careers in the media can no doubt be found in Generation Y (18-30 year olds), Andrew points out a flaw in some his peers, ‘I think…people of [my] generation have very high expectations of their employers to say, “This is what you do, and how you do it.”  We’re often quick to say, “ah, that’s below me.”’  Viewpoints such as this, however, won’t get you anywhere fast, especially at Motion Media.  ‘I never want to hear: “That’s not my job,” because it is your job.  Whatever it takes for us as a team to get the work done.  If that means that you’re the guy who has to get up at 5am to get the project done, it’s your job.’

A particular obstacle to the growth of the company is the size and location of its home base.  The city of Fort St. John, located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, has a population of 19,000, and winter temperatures that commonly dip below -30 C  (-22 F).  Not to mention, the nearest major city (Edmonton, Alberta) is over 800 km (approx. 500 miles) away.  According to Tylosky, these factors make it a lot harder to attract employees, ‘What I hate most about it is looking at all the opportunities we have as a company, and not having the people to do the things we want to do.’

But at the end of the day, there’s nowhere Tylosky would rather be, ‘It’s different every day, I have great people to work with, we get great results, and there are always new achievements.  There are no two days at Motion Media that are the same, and I get a real high off of being able to be flexible – if we want to do the work to make the client happy, we’ve got to figure out a way to make it happen.’

Visit Motion Media’s website: www.motionmedia.ca

Andrew Tylosky, shooting in Northern British Columbia

10 Questions with Andrew Tylosky

I am: The Founder and Media Director of Motion Media in Fort St. John, British Columbia

I have been working towards this position: Since I was 12 years old. I took every opportunity along the road.  In grade 11, I ended up hosting the afternoon drive show on the local radio station because they didn’t have anybody else to do it.  And I got that job because I was the ‘cool kid,’ the ‘keener’ who hung around the studio and recorded stuff after-hours just for fun, and did an okay job of it.

My Responsibilities Include: Managing the company, making sure projects stay on track, and knowing that when an existing project is done we have new work coming in the door.  Making sure there’s money in the bank account to cover payroll, and making sure the garbage is taken out!

How I got into this job: I don’t limit myself.  I’ve always said I would do something with technology or media, but I’ve never been like, “I’m going to be an Executive Producer of a hit T.V. show,” and nothing else.  I’ve never had that attitude.  I’ve always said I’ll take whatever is thrown my way, and I’ll figure out if I’m good at it or if I’m bad at it.  If I’m good at it, I’m going to figure out a way to do as much of it as I can.

When I head to work in the morning: I usually wake up every morning, about 5am, with a panic attack!  (laughs)  But it’s always a panic attack of opportunity.  As in, “I’ve got to get this done, before I can do that!” So it’s a good panic attack.

What I Love: It’s different everyday!  Great people, great results, new achievements, and flexibility!

What I Hate: My biggest problem with the job is finding people that want to do the work. What I hate most is [when I look] at all the opportunities we have out there as a company, and not having the people to do the things we want to do.

The most common misconception about my work is: I don’t get to do a lot of creative things anymore [due to] my position.  I would love to hand my job of running the company off to somebody that has a business education, but I’m working towards that.  I think by the time I’m 30, I’ll be in that position.

Why YOU should think about a job like this: As somebody getting into the media industry, whether you want to work in media or own media, you need to take advantage of opportunities.  Whether it’s volunteering somewhere, or [working] in an entry-level position sweeping the floors or making coffee – if those opportunities lay in front of you, you need to take them.  If you don’t, you’re going to miss out.

Favorite Quote: There’s one thing I never want to hear: “That’s not my job.”  Bring me solutions, not problems.

Want to see more career profiles like this? Send us suggestions for “What It’s Like To Be…” ?

Email amanda@oneweekjob.com and tell her why YOU should be profiled!

Have you ever found yourself wrapped up in the fetal position, sucking your thumb, while a loved one desperately tries to pull on your suit jacket so you don’t miss your carpool? 

Have you become so bored with work that you’ve started keeping sandwich crusts under your keyboard, just to see how many ants you can attract?  Have you started thinking about work as simply…work?

Everyone needs a little career inspiration from time to time. 

Whether it’s to reframe your workplace goals, or to give serious thought as to why you’re working a specific job in the first place.  It’s nice to know that others have been there before, questioning, suffering, and wondering just as much as the rest of us sandwich-hoarding, ant-counting, schmucks.

So take a moment to read the “words about work” of those who have gone before, with grace and hilarity.  Perhaps then we can take a step back, pull our thumbs out of our mouths, put on our suit jackets, and get into that carpool with pride.

- Amanda Lowe, One Week Job Blogger

1.  To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.
 – Sister Mary Lauretta

2.  Trust not what inspires other members of society to choose a career. Trust what inspires you. – The Lazy Person’s Guide to Success

3.  You are what you do. If you do boring, stupid, monotonous work, chances 
are you’ll end up boring, stupid, and monotonous.
 – Bob Black

4.  I believe you are your work. Don’t trade the stuff of your life, time, for nothing more than dollars. That’s a rotten bargain. – Rita Mae Brown

5.  Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood . . . Make big plans; aim high in hope and work. – Daniel Burnham, American architect (1846 – 1912)

6.  You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. 
- Mark Twain

7.  A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night. – Marilyn Monroe

8. I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate. – George Burns

9.  I’m sick of people sittin’ in chairs stating their problems. Then we roll the videotape… then we have our experts on the topic… I’m in the ‘What’s next?’ phase of my career.  - Oprah Winfrey

10.  Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true. – Brian Tracy, American Author

11. If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than from our strength. – Francois de la Rochefoucauld, French Author

12.  The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else…The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career! – Earl Nightingale, Motivational Speaker

13.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.
 – George Bernard Shaw

14.  If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all. 
- Michelangelo

15.  Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. 
- Buddha

16.  If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. 
- Katherine Hepburn

17.  My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general, if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.
 – Pablo Picasso

18.  Passion will move men beyond themselves, beyond their shortcomings, beyond their failures. – Joseph Campbell, American Mythologist, Writer, and Lecturer

19.  Any human being is really good at certain things. The problem is that the things you’re good at come naturally. And since most people are pretty modest instead of an arrogant S.O.B. like me, what comes naturally, you don’t see as a special skill. It’s just you. It’s what you’ve always done. 
- Stephen Jay Gould, Evolutionary Scientist

20.  If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. – Michael Evans

21.  There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos. – Jim Hightower, Radio Commentator and Author

22.  He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying. – Nietzsche

23.  Many of us have created lives that give very little support for experimentation. We believe that answers already exist out there, independent of us. What if we invested more time and attention to our own experimentation? We could focus our efforts on discovering solutions that work uniquely for us. 
- Margaret Wheatley, Author and Management Consultant who studies organizational behavior

24.  Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
 – Abraham Lincoln

25.  We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.
- Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian born American Anthropologist and Author

26.  Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire.
 – Bobby Unser, Retired Car Racer

27.  People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.
 – Brian Tracy, Author

28.  A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B.
 – Fats Domino

29.  What if “the hokey pokey” is REALLY what it’s all about?
 – Curtis Spencer

30.  There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.  - Federico Fellini, Italian Film Director (1920-1993)

31.  Would I ever leave this company? Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most. – Dwight Schrute, from the television show ‘The Office’

32.  I am not young enough to know everything. - Oscar Wilde

33.  In fifty years, he never worked a day. To him, nine to five was odds on a horse. – Archie Bunker, from the television show ‘All in the Family’

34.  When you’re following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves. – Shakti Gawain, Pioneering Author & Teacher in the field of Personal Growth

35.  I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. – Jerome K. Jerome, English writer and humorist

36.  Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

37.  Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot. – D.H. Lawrence, English Novelist (1885-1930)

38.  Passion is the quickest to develop, and the quickest to fade.  Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still. – Robert Sternberg, American Psychologist and Psychometrician

39.  Passion kept one fully in the present, so that time became a series of mutually exclusive ‘nows.’ – Sue Halpern, Author

40.  They  may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. – Carl W. Buechner, Author

41.  We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it. – Che Guavara

42.  Rest in reason; move in passion – Khalil Gibran, Lebanese American artist, poet and writer

43.  Throughout my career, if I have done anything, I have paid attention to every note and every word I sing…If I cannot project this to a listener, I fail.  - Frank Sinatra

44.  If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins. – Benjamin Franklin

45.  I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day. – James Joyce, Irish Novelist

46.  If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time. – Joseph Campbell, American Mythologist, Writer, and Lecturer

47.  I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it. – Lou Holtz, American football coach and author

48.  If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-development. – Brian Tracy

49.  One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar. 
- Helen Keller

50.  The belief that you can have a meaningful career is the first step to finding one.  - Sean Aiken, Author and Creator of the One Week Job Project

Did we miss any great quotes on passion and work? Share in the comments!

Amanda’s Summary of Realizations

1. At the end of it all, I came to realize my love of small business.  With the exception of the Science Centre, every job I chose to shadow was either a personal or family venture.  I can legitimately see myself as my own boss – creating and being responsible for my own day-to-day.

2. I want to do something creative.  Whether it’s video production, photography, or latte art – I need to create.  I am passionate about this, no contest.

3. I want a job that means something.  I want to make a positive impact on others through my job. This could simply be bringing someone a perfectly poured cup of coffee, taking their wedding photos, or planning a favorite event.

4. I want to work as part of a TEAM.

5. It’s OK to not know!  Try different jobs.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Just be sure to enjoy whatever it is you’re doing, otherwise you’re wasting your time.

6. I like writing.  Hopefully you enjoyed some of what I had to say!

Caffee and Computer. Two very close friends…

So…what now?

This is the million dollar question!  Everyone’s been asking me what the plan is now that I’m finished the program, as I’m sure they did like crazy when Sean Aiken finished his 52 weeks!  To be honest – I’m excited.  There are opportunities out there, and I know that I’m in charge of navigating them.

But then again, it’s kind of scary out here.  I’ve narrowed things down a bit in my head, but I’m still technically jobless!  As much as I can preach the ‘love your job’ mantra, humans have created the world to be a consumer haven – and I still have to play by those rules.  I still need money, and I still need to find a job to earn that money.  Some friends have asked if I’ve become even MORE confused now that I’ve done this program!  I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m confused – but perhaps more picky.

Since getting back to Toronto, I’ve been studiously scanning job search websites and have sent my resume out to a few video production companies.  As I mentioned previously, I shot a couple weddings this summer and have become more confident in my photography skills.  As fall approaches I’m trying to market myself more vigorously to get some gigs doing portraits for local businesses and families.  In the meantime I’ll probably get a part-time job in a local coffee shop to pay some bills and keep from going broke – but I’m quite happy to do so.  Besides, it’ll be good experience for when I start my own cafe…

It would be pretty perfect to combine a few of the jobs as well: How about a Yoga Studio with a Coffee Shop that doubles as an Art Gallery?  We’ll hold events inside the gallery space, and keep a freezer full of fresh meat in the back to use as hors d’oeuvres (sound morbid to anyone else?!).  There’ll even be a helicopter landing-pad on the roof to shuttle patrons to the Studio/Shop to come lecture on the benefits of science…  Sound good?  Alright.

In the End.

I understand that this program wasn’t a quick fix, but more of a long-term investment in myself.  I refuse to rush into something just because I think I should, and neither should anyone else.  I’m going to take this time to both rethink some long-term goals, and to try some new things.  I’m grateful for the time I had to explore with One Week Job, but am nowhere near finished.  I’ll be creating, exploring, and learning for a long, long time…

Here’s to this adventure, and many more to come!

Thank you so much for being a part of it with me.

Love Love Love

Amanda