What's your dream job?
“A dream job is a job that combines your talents and passions in a way that is meaningful to YOU.” (The Definition of a Dream Job, Pete Leibman)
I find myself stuck at this question. All I knew was that I wanted to write. That was it. I didn't think of anything else but that. So when I was asked this, I was at a complete loss for a totally detailed answer.
So, Dream Job, eh?
I have been working since 2006. Yes, as soon as I turned 18, I started working. Not because my parents asked me to, or anything, I just wanted to work and have my own money to spend. So I did. And I never looked back.I had a BPO job for 4 years before finally snapping out of it: I wanted to write for a living. So I quit, and took on a couple of writing gigs here and there.
But I guess that doesn't exactly "combine my talents and passions in a way that is meaningful to ME." So let's review:
- My passion is to write. Crafting words from letters, phrases from words, sentences from phrases, and paragraphs from sentences. About what? About things that matter to me most at whatever point of my life I currently am at.
- My talent is writing. I can't say I'm as good as all the authors and writers I expose myself to, but I am good at writing about, again, the things that matter to me most.
- Combining my talent and passion: hmm.. I guess.. Write a book!
Yes. Okay. YESSSS. Why did I not think about that as my answer? (Weird!) I have always wanted to write a book. I wanted to see other people seeing themselves in my characters, thinking with them, feeling with them. I wanted to see my name in print. I wanted to smell the pages of MY book. I wanted to read it and underline words I want to emphasize when I *ehem, dreaming here* get asked to TALK ABOUT MY BOOK.
So, there it is, my dream job: to WRITE A BOOK. And because I am still in the process of dreaming, let's start dreaming about a few other things that go with the "Writing A Book" Job:
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| (from Ava S. via Pinterest) Writing at a desk with a really large window and gorgeous lamp. |
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| (from The Paris Apartment via Cynthia Tatum on Pinterest) Writing while sipping coffee at a street cafe in Paris (or Makati/Marikina/Baguio, hehe). |
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| (from Sex and the City The Movie) Reading an excerpt on my book launch. |
They say to DREAM BIG, right? And if you're asking, "So, you want to write a book. About what, exactly?" I think I have the perfect answer to that.
My Wanderrgirl* Blogging Partner GN, wrote about being an interior designer to a photographer/filmmaker:
I was an emotionally, fantastically laden teenager with the hopes of becoming an interior designer. But it later changed when I saw Stepmom with Julia Roberts as a photographer. Then I told myself I wanted to be a photographer/filmmaker.and ending up with:
I had an inkling of what I wanted to become, but in slam books I'd always write "I want to be somebody".
And it got me thinking (yes, my thoughts have ADHD, if you notice :P) about being a SOMEBODY. And then I figured, I will be a SOMEBODY who wrote about the LGBT community. Being part of that community, I know that writing a book about the triumphs and plights of a Filipino Lesbian will help give the world an insight into what goes on in our minds - how we are NOT SO DIFFERENT, and advocate for our basic human rights. I just want the world to recognize us, and not scoff or judge or HATE.
And I want to be able to contribute to the LGBT literature of our country. I have always found myself leaving a bookstore frustrated when I come looking for Filipino-written Lesbian books. So I guess I should write not just one book, eh? (ang yabang eh, no?!)
I remember writing an email to one of the Filipina authors who wrote about a book about women loving women (Women Loving, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz) and here was the advice she gave me that I wanted to share to all other writers out there:
[if you can't read the image, here's the text: I hope you will write that novel of yours regardless of what you think about your writing skills. What's important is to get the stuff out there. If the big publishing houses won't take your manuscript, you can publish it yourself! But write! (And I will heed my own advice, I promise.) - lez cheers, Jhoanna]
You won't believe how giddy I got when I received her reply. But that was meh, 2 years ago(!!!), and I guess I still find myself making so many excuses for actually writing things down! But now, I will. I WILL WRITE A BOOK THIS 2013. LEZDOTHIS!
Oh, and one more thing about knowing what your Dream Job is -
Everytime I hear other people asking my (5-year-old) daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up, I keep reciting in my head this Julia Child quote:
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| The Lemon Wharf |
I hope to be able to tell her about this quote when the time comes. :)
So how about it? What's YOUR dream job?
