Zen and the Art of Making a Living (UBC #16)

Ultimate Blog Challenge
A to Z Blog Challenge: Tale Spinning

If you haven’t gotten it yet, this next round of titles has it’s own themes: Books that have either changed my life or made an impact on me. Yesterday it was Imagination First, a book that has it’s roots in the philosophy of the Lincoln Center Institute. I’ve had training with them and agree with the way they approach  art interpretation and creating new works of art.

Today, I’m looking back at a book that has as much, if not more, resonance with me as when I started The Brothers Grinn (an interactive improvisational storytelling theater troupe) in 1994. I found this book then to open my eyes when I left a “career” I had for fifteen years (and hated, oh, about fifteen years of it) and take a HUGE risk to go work on my passions.

In thinking of this book, I looked online and lo and behold, there’s a new (2009) revision of…

Zen and the Art of Making a Living

…which I just ordered, so I’ll, hopefully, find out if the revision (1) matches my memories of the book I had bought then and (2) will propel to this next section of my life.

According to someone’s response, the book does not seem to cover the whole internet/blogging/information overdrive system we are in. If so, that is a shame, but I still know I’m going to get my money’s worth out of it. There are easy to read suggestions, questions, work pages, contemplations, and more..all on how to survive in this day and age of  no jobs, or rethinking how you fit in a new job market. Again, the whole “thinking outside of the box” cliche.

Which I think needs a total rethink and label change. If so many are now trying to think outside the box, then when does that become the “norm”? Does TOTB still fit? Does it become it’s own new box?

Are we, as a society, coming to find ourselves in Box #Two?

I just know I want to make a living, and the art of it, as done in a very Zen way will make it happen, then I’m where I need to be.

Don’t box me in.

[ps: if anyone was wondering, as stated above, my titles for this UBC have had a theme, per seven days:

1. What Kind of _____ Am I? (song from Stop the World, I Want to get Off)
2. Movie Titles (some just fit, all are movies I’ve seen and liked)
3. Book Titles (again, books that have moved me in one way or the other)
4. Not sure what the next seven will bring just yet. Album titles? Shakespeare play titles? We’ll see

Any suggestions?]