A lonely desk. Ink Drawing.
I had some time to doodle a bit in my sketch book when I got home from work last night.
Work’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. I am working under 3 deadlines for 3 different projects, I’m running at about 12 hour days. There isn’t room for much else in my mind other than work.
The Sea of Lonely
When I have deadlines like this, which isn’t often, my head goes to a certain space. Many things run on autopilot, and I just devote my brain energy to churning out the work. I know there is a lot to do, so it is a slow burn of mental energy.
Anyhow, these are last night’s doodles. When I have time, I draw for an hour or so after I get home from work. Work –> home –> draw –> sleep.
This sequence becomes an isolated process, and that was the inspiration for the drawing on the right. When I am in the office at 8pm, after everyone has left, I am in a sea of stuff, but none of it is relevant, except what is in front of me at the time. It’s a sea of loneliness, and I float through it as I work.
Focus is lonely.
Living Deadline
Night of the Living Deadline, Ink Drawing
As I mentioned, I am working under a few deadlines. Most of my mental energy goes towards meeting these deadlines, except for the few bits I keep in reserve for drawing and typing out these posts.
After a bit of time, I feel like my mind has been sapped, my awareness is down, and I am just lumbering through life, working to meet this deadline.
I started this drawing, not intending any zombie reference, just attempting to capture the worn out look of someone burning on both ends to meet the deadline. It ended up looking fairly zombie-like, and the “living deadline” title presented itself. I was feeling a bit like a zombie when I drew this, it was late and I was tired. I was home from my 4th 12-hour day in a row. The lines are crooked, it’s kind of jacked up. It was drawn by a zombie.
A deadline zombie.
The zombie outbreak is real, and it has been going on for decades. It is the turning of white collar workers into mindless zombies, hell-bent on one task, finishing the project to meet the deadline.
We are all zombies now.
I like this idea, I might flesh this one out.
Ha! Flesh. As in zombie flesh. Get it?
Never mind.
Tags: deadline, Dispatches, Ink, Sketch Book, zombie
Prints? I wants one.
You’re quite correct about the plight of exempt employees. Starting from the mid-70s, white collar has been expected to work increasingly longer hours without commensurate compensation.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog post ..3 Ways Daily Blog Posting Benefits You (and your readers) =-.
I ordered a dozen small woodblocks a few days ago, they should arrive today. There’s a decent chance I’ll whip out a “white collar zombie” block tonight.
I think you are on the right track in dealing with the stress and deadlines you are facing at work. Drawing gets ya on the right side of the brain and provides a timeless relief from the tedium of the technical, factual and com pulsed analytical left side of the brain in which you relentlessly have function at work. You may want to keep a separate sketch book (small) to journal your Deadline and Lonely Worker type stuff. It doesn’t have to be great art (can even be cartoonie), but can be very therapeutic; and when viewed in retrospect can give you a valuable insight into your past mind-states, and what you have been going through, and how you have dealt with it successfully. Remind me to show you my private psychedelic journal next time you’re home.
We must be on the same wavelength in some way, I got a new sketch book a week or so ago for this exact purpose. I draw in it each night when I get home from work, if for nothing else than to process away the fact that I spent 12 hours at work…
.-= Deacon´s last blog post ..Dispatch: The Living Deadline and The Sea Of Lonely =-.
I want one too. I’m not just copying Dave, I swear. When I saw them, I thought, oh yes, must have. Your drawings telling a pretty big story. Well.
I didn’t know you had that picture. You must have called my mom…. I want one too…
.-= Justin Matthews´s last blog post ..An Icthyologist or a Sportsman? =-.
Hey,
Found myself wondering how you were this week and decided to stop by. I think the art you are making about being at work is great. Not only that (as evidenced by your comments) it speaks to other people who are where you are – isn’t that what arts all about?
Who knows, you may come out of this finding some of your most moving or communicative pieces were born during this time!
Keep on keeping on, it’ll all come out in the wash.
Yours,
Megan
.-= Megan Potter´s last blog post ..Daring Mondays: Inexorable Life =-.
Those are pretty sweet, Zombie-Deacon. I’ve been right there with you on feeling zombied-out this month. I haven’t put in quite as many hours as you, but I’ve had quite a few 10-12 hours days lately and it’s pulled me away from stuff I want to be doing with my time. suck.
Anyway, I think there’s a really good idea in here somewhere. The Living Deadline. A lot of bloggers and real people can relate to that (yeah, I just made a distinction between the two, but I don’t really know what it means).
Rock the spice mines, Deacon.
.-= Carlos Velez´s last blog post ..The Conscious Man, Intro: Nice Guys and Jerks Both Finish Last =-.
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