No 9 to 5 For Me
By: Ccep
dews_ccep@yahoo.com
We are living in a biased, lemming-like society that encourages uniqueness while primarily only accepting uniformity. From an early age, we are told the course our lives must take: grade school, high school, college, prestigious career, marriage, children, and inevitably death. Somewhere between our senior year of high school and our junior year of college - for those of us who go - we decide what we want to do with our lives. Yet, the constant drilling of the 9 to 5 mentality keeps most of us from pursuing our dreams and completely fulfilling our purposes.
I’m a multi-tasking, sporadic thinking artist. If I had enough confidence and faith in myself and my art, I would write part-time and perform the rest of the time. Right now I’m not in a mental position to rely on my art for financial stability, so you can only imagine the respect I have for true artists on the grind.
“…the constant drilling of the 9 to 5 mentality keeps most of us from pursuing our dreams and completely fulfilling our purposes.”
These artists have walked away from teaching positions at prestigious institutions to careers in business and finance, all in the pursuit of a dream. These 24-hour workers run cars into the ground by traveling cross country, rack up frequent flyer miles by the dozens, release book and CD after book and CD, wear pencils down and ruin clothes with paint splatters; all to the enjoyment and admiration of fans and clients. They make money because they’re the best at what they do, and they’re the best at what they do because they’re committed to it 110%.
For example, take Newark
native Taalam Acey, a man who’s been dedicated to poetry ful
l-time
since 1999. Bearing witness to his performance is like standing at the edge of
the seashore and watching the biggest wave in history barrel your way. Unable to
stop the wave the only choice is to stare silently in awe, praying not to be
drowned by immaculate similes and metaphors. Taalam is well known and respected
across the globe as one of the hardest working men on the spoken word scene. His
words are simply captivating but it’s his professionalism on stage as well as
his humbleness offstage that drew me in as a fan. His dedication to his craft
keeps him productive and in high demand from his current home in Maryland and
across the globe.
Chenita Dickerson and Ronnie Candelario are the owners of Art In Focus, an extension of their company 1 & Anoi, LLC. Through Art In Focus, the married couple creates commissioned art that spans the gap of pencil on page to mural on wall. The former owner of a salon, Chenita is a hair and make-up artist whose talent for painting nails spilled over into painting works of art. Though she primarily specializes in canvas art using acrylic paint, she’s quite good with making purses and hats by using crocheted yarn and other fabric materials. She also draws with pencil and pen and writes poetry. Ronnie primarily has expertise in portraits, murals and logo design. Not only does he draw, paint and airbrush clothing, he also dances pop-lock.
As far as the music scene, I first noticed Jackiem Joyner when I heard his rendition of Floetry’s “Say Yes” online. After listening to “In Love Again” and “Stay With Me Tonight,” I was officially hooked. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Jackiem’s passion for music began in the church where he sang in the choir and played the drums. Over the years his musical range has expanded to include his key instrument, the saxophone, as well as the keyboard and flute. After performing as the opening act for such musical talents as India.Arie and headlining a 2004 tour along with three other musicians, he dedicated a year of his life to writing music. The product of that year was his debut album with ARTizen Music Group titled Babysoul, which he produced. Jackiem’s soulful sound has taken him as far away as Tokyo. If you are fortunate enough to hear his music you’ll know why.
“These, ladies and gentlemen, are my heroes.”
Most of us hate or strongly dislike our jobs or career choices with no passion to make a change. Some are content waking up to the same monotonous 9 to 5 cycle. Yet, these artists, who seem to make up the minority of the population, step out on the faith that waits outside the box. These, ladies and gentlemen, are my heroes.