Jack's Guide (the Renaissance Person's Guide to Survival in a Shaky Economy)

Wayfinding- a metaphor

At the risk of being accused of stretching for a simile, I'd like to relate some insights that occurred to me about lessons I've learned in the process of practicing my profession. (They have nothing to do with acheiving aesthetic alliteration. Really.)  But seriously, folks......

When people ask me what I do for a living, I no longer feel compelled to give the question a lot of thought.  I realize, these days, that what they truly want to know, usually, is how I pay the bills.   I no longer judge folks for their failure to distinguish between "making a living" and "living".  And I won't disrespect the intelligence of any of you cherished readers by going to great lengths to explain that distinction.  Suffice to say that I do not equate quality of life with the size of one's paycheck.  Understand, please, that I'd openly embrace the opportunity to experience life in the upper tax brackets, if only to be able to say, "Nah, I tried it the other way, but I much prefer sweating the mortgage each month."

When asked the above referenced question, I usually answer that I am an architectural consultant, although a more precise explanation would be to reply that I am a wayfinding consultant.  But that reply usually is met with a slack jaw and a look of no comprehension at all, as is the response that I am an environmental graphics designer or architectural signage consultant.   So please allow me to explain.  My education and background are in architecture, and I found my way after a few years into a very specialized niche of that field.  I work on projects where a built/man-made environment presents problems to users in navigating said surroundings.  Examples of project types include airports (and other transportation hubs), medical facilities, trade and convention centers, and college campuses.  I study the traffic flow and analyze architectural conditions and human factors, designing and programming signs and visual cues, directories, color-coding, iconography, and so on- whatever it take to help visitors to find their way to their destination.  Get it? Find their way... wayfinding...?  OK, I said I'd not insult your intellect- sorry...

Anyway, given the downturn in the economy and the dearth of new construction, I've found myself with lots of time on my hands to consider things like the meaning of everything and "what's that pink stuff that accumulates at the bottom edge of the shower curtain?"  Consequently, a metaphor has occurred to me- a lesson to be applied from my professional expertise, as follows:

The first step in successfully navigating an unfamiliar environment is to acquire an understanding of where one currently is within that environment.  Without that knowledge, it is much more difficult to proceed to a desired destination.  Trust me (I'm a professional) it is otherwise necessary to provide much more visual information to a visitor when they don't understand the point from which they are starting.  Likewise, if I lose sight of where I am in my life/existence, I'll never find my way to where I want to be.  It is for this reason that I find it helpful (without taking myself too seriously) to take stock, occasionally, of where I am.     By that same token, I'm not gonna get there if I don't use the cues and tools provided to me to help me find my way- usually provided to me by those who have been there before and know the way.  As much as I like to believe I can do it all myself, I can make life a lot easier by sometimes following the signs in plain sight.

I quite like this quote (told me by ones who went before); "A wise man learns from his mistakes.  A brilliant man manages to learn from the mistakes of others."

What this is all about- I think.......

This blog's not by or about a guy named Jack- my name is Steve (Ellison, if you're asking), and I have decided to go by the display name of Stevie B, a long-time moniker of mine, which was hung on me by a bald-headed chicken-plucking guitarist I used to play music with.  (If you're out there, Mike, you know who you are).  The label was intended to be shorthand for Stevie Bottoms, assigned to me by virtue of my responsibility in the band of holding down the bottom register- (read as playing the bass guitar).   More about that later.

I decided to start this blog after having experienced eight months of self-unemployment- (not literally, but damn close to it), and on realizing that the more I spread myself around, the better are my chances of connecting with viable and productive (i.e., paying) work.  Making no pretenses to the contrary, I do not claim to be anything remotely like blog-savvy;  I'm not sure I've ever perused one- but having read Blogging For Dummies, I nevertheless am embarking on this strange new endeavor.  So if I seem totally ignorant of how to proceed, it is likely because I am.

Having made that disclaimer, let me digress briefly regarding the general direction of this effort.  The name Jack was chosen in honor of the legendary one (he of all trades and master of none), the original Renaissance Man.  I was once described as one of these by a to-be supervisor in an architectural firm with which I was endeavoring to become employed, and I thought that was pretty cool.  (I came to find out later that most architects not only feel themselves to be Jacks of all (or at least, multitudes of) trades, but masters of many, as well, so the description bestowed upon me by the interviewer was intended merely to indicate that I might be suitably ego-absorbed for the job.) - Okay, I think I have now digressed from my digression, so back now to the title......

Over the years, I have come to pride myself on having firmly embedded my fingers in a host of pies-  it's been entertaining, if not optimally financially rewarding.  As I find myself commiserating with lots of folks who are wondering how to make ends meet in such a challenging economic environment, I feel that one key to survival, perhaps the most critical one for someone harboring more than a few areas of potentially productive activity, is to endeavor to put ALL those diverse talents to work.  The second critical key, I believe, is to remain flexible, and open to new ideas, however alien they may be.

And so, when you come back, you can expect to find (eventually, that is- this may take some time) a potpourri of resources, ideas, suggestions, commentary, experience, strength and hope regarding (for the most part) various creative ways of making a living.  I am hopeful that some sympathetic few of you will take pity on me as a newbie to this venue and give me some guidance thereto.  In return, I promise to do my best to turn this into a dialog that will benefit as many of us know-it-all, do-it-alls, as possible.

Stevie B