28 feels qualitatively different from 27 – that was still part of my mid 20s whereas now there’s no denying that I’m in my late 20s. I’m at the beginning of the final dash towards 30, so no time to lose. The next two years look to be full on, and I’m hoping to spend a large chunk of them overseas. It’s the necessary next step in my development.
Since finishing the music course I went and got a summer job with the parks & landscaping team at Sicon – a bit of a change from 10am class starts to 7.30am work starts each day, but I’m happy to have been there on time every day so far. Punctuality’s never been my strongest point (I trace that back to growing up right next door to Woodleigh School in New Plymouth, where I had 30 seconds travel time in the mornings).
The landscaping work gives me plenty of exercise – I’m getting biceps and a tan finally – and I see it as a stepping stone towards conservation work. I got turned down for a job at the DOC visitor centre but they came back and offered me casual work. I’ve also got a private gardening job, so have more than enough paid employment for once in my life.
As well as that I’ve made some artistic progress in getting my first grants - $800 to put on a gig at Nelson’s youth venue the Hub (bringing over mr sterile Assembly from Wellington to headline), and $1000 towards a show for the Fringe Festival at the Film Archive in Wellington on February 16th & 17th.
And there’s an Aussie improv/noise band who’ve asked me to book them a gig in Nelson on Jan 27 – worth doing as I’d like them to reciprocate with one for me in the Blue Mountains next year. But there is no avant garde music scene as such here so finding a venue and getting more than two or three people in the audience will be a challenge.
The Fringe show is my biggest near future challenge though – now that I’ve finally been entrusted with a quality venue ($8 to $12 ticket prices) and some funding I have to do a good job. I have to take on a leadership role, get the right collaborators and keep them committed, write a storyline, make what amounts to a feature-length movie with live soundtrack, promote the show etc.
And after that there are gigs to be organising in Auckland and Australia, and beyond that in Europe.
No time for angst & dithering – there just aren’t enough hours in the day…
POSTSCRIPT: After writing that things went a bit pear shaped - the extra Sicon work I was hoping for in the new year fell through. So back to Student Job Search for January...