It's Self Care Week: Josh on Work/Life Balance

I’ve been asked to write about work/life balance by two women so busy that they make me, a dude with two jobs, look like I sleep all day. But strap in, guys, we’re getting personal.

For me, work life balance is perhaps less about time management and more about isolation.

Let me backup for a second. There are all kinds of paths people take to work in the film industry. Some of it depends on what sort of work you do. For example, if you work G&E or camera (grip and electric and camera are the departments that work for the cinematographer) you’re living the mercenary life. You bounce from production to production, you show up in the morning, do your work, go home. Lots of jobs in the industry follow that sort of day-player life. And even those that are a little more long-term are still following the gig-to-gig model.

For me, at least, I’m not really at a point in my life where I can live that way. I need some measure of stability. In 2008 I went from golden-boy college student to being forced to settle for vacuuming puke, cereal, and glitter of rental cars. Then I got a “real job.” Then I got laid off. Some people I know in the film industry, and some out of it, have criticized my choices re: how I’ve decided to make a living as it’s not my passion. Those kinds of experiences burrow deep into my mind, and it’s not something I can quickly forget.

And, to be honest, I’m trying to build a life with my significant other. I’m trying to save money for my own projects. I got bills to pay; standard bills and student loans, you know the drill. The prospect of bouncing from gig to gig and getting unemployment in between isn’t really for me.

My day job for the past ten years, albeit with different companies, is in licensing and researching photos and text for academic publications. I’m good at it, but obviously it’s not exactly my passion. I’ve honestly only come across one or two people in this line of work who are passionate about it, and they’re… weird.

When I was in New York, I worked out of an office in Manhattan. Since 2012, I’ve worked from home. In the winter of 2013 between semesters of grad school, there was one week when I called my mom and my voice was strange. I realized that I hadn’t spoken aloud the whole week.

That’s the kind of isolation working from home can lead you to. When you’re already a homebody and/or a loner by nature, or when you live in a city like LA where the prospect of meeting someone on the other side of the hills makes you want to vomit, it can get really bad.

I’ll be perfectly honest; there have been prolonged periods in the last few years where precious time has been burned in the work hole, or taken up by bouts of depression (not completely unrelated to the work) and self-doubt.

So, for me, work-life balance isn’t about not working too much, per se. Needs must when the bill devil drives. To me, working on Oakdale and Alone Together is a necessary component to a work/life balance. They fall into the ‘life’ category. The creative flame is constantly buffeted by the cold winds of responsibilities. Getting involved in meaningful projects fans that flame. It sparks passion and joy. It inspires me to do more, to see and hang out with friends that I care about more often. These films are a reminder that it’s important to find things that matter to spend time and energy on, even if it can’t be every day.