Too much of our lives are spent doing things that we have to do and not enough time is spent on the things that make our lives meaningful, fulfilling & enjoyable. We spend too much time cleaning the house, stressing out about paying the bills, and for many people, working at a sucky ass job. We really should spend more time with our kids, go to that art museum we’ve been talking about visiting, drink a bottle of wine with old friends, take a walk in the woods alone with nothing but a sketch pad to keep us company or just be more in the moment, happy and seize the day.
Jeffrey Yamaguchi, the author of the books 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity and Working for the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land and the creater of 52Projects.com and WorkingfortheMan.com, understands seizing the day and wants to help others do the same. Through his blogs and books, he encourages people to think outside their cubicles, see the humor in working for the man and to add more meaning to their lives through creativity.
We should all be adding a little creativity to our lives. You might have to work for the man to pay your bills, but that’s no excuse to turn on the boob tube as soon as you get home from work. Instead, spend your time creating a manga with your boss and coworkers as the main characters or design and screenprint your own tee shirts from all those doodles you create during meetings. Or leave work at work, and use your creativity to document your last vacation, join a group of gorilla knitters, take pictures of your cats every day and make lol cats out of them to send to friends or make collages out of all the paper, magazines and junk mail you accumulate over the week.
To give you an incentive to make your life more creative both on company time and your own time, Jeffrey Yamaguchi has offered a copy of his latest book, Working for the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land, for a giveaway here on Indie Fixx.
To win a copy, leave a comment on this post with a creative project you have completed, a project you have in the works, a humorous or horror story from work or anything else you want to share that you to do to combat cube stress and to just lead more meaningful and enjoyable life. Jeffrey will choose one winner from the commenters to win a copy of his book. Projects can be anything and aren’t limited to just crafting projects. You can write a brief description or post a link to your blog or flickr account to share your project. Just share your creativity!
We’re giving you until December 4th at 11:59 EST to comment!
I will be writing six novels in six months. Call me nutty, (my name is really anna, though). Oh, and yes – I will be doing this while at work. I recently requested that my carpet be changed in my office, got some nice photos up and just made the place generally liveable while I do my thing. 🙂
Art box at desk filled with stickers, markers, glue, scissors and sparkles. I take art breaks after I feel I’ve accomplished the more important work stuff. The last time I had it out was to make a thank you card for someone who gave me garden produce, and then my boss comes up behind me….I yelled at her for only coming by when I’m taking an art break….and she giggled. I luckily work in preschool special education where art breaks are good!!
Hello! I like to keep myself sane in my cube at work by doodling on scrap paper. We waste a lot of paper in my office, so people bring me their scraps and I make them pretty! I also have a horror story to share for all of you…one year I dressed up as Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Halloween. I made my costume out of hula hoops, pillows and a lot of duct tape and blue fabric. I wore it to work and couldn’t even sit down in my chair, it was so big! Everyone in my building heard about it and was coming by my cubicle to see, but unfortunatly, my boss wasn’t in the best of moods and made me cry that day(i’m a wuss) So everyone who came to my cube to see my costume instead saw this pathetic little blueberry with blue makeup running down her face. That was a few years ago and things are much better now. But I still have people at work remind me of that!
I belly dance for exercise—and fun!—which requires me to play finger cymbals. They’re kind of loud, and I live in an apartment complex, so I crocheted myself some zill (finger cymbal) mufflers. They work like tiny little snoods that fit over the cymbals to make them quieter. That way I can practice without disturbing my neighbors. . .ding-a-ding, ding-a-ding!
A friend and I started writing stories.
Here was my first crappy story on our first crappy attempt at a website.
http://www.dannybchronicles.com/stories/datamonkey/thisisjusttosay.html
I am working on tons of fabric dolls for Christmas presents and trying to figure out how I can get out of going to work on Monday.
I don’t work in a cubicle, but close – it’s one room in a basement home office. Occasionally I am the only one in the office – when that happens I do personal paperwork, pay bills, surf etc. I once enlarged a photo of my daughters face until her eye took up an entire 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper – I forget how many times I had to enlarge it – but it I love the way it looks!
Currently I’m working on my “Year of Outfits” photo project, see here at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekxnerd/sets/72157601845540976/
I decided to take a picture of what I was wearing every single day, and at the end of a year to purge, re-purpose, give-away the things that I haven’t worn. I’m a pack-rat, so I need a dramatic purpose to do all of this!
What wonderful inspiration! I am working on making a handmade book of haiku using haiku that I have written. Take a peak?
http://wildvines.blogspot.com/2007/11/17-syllables-and-swift-sweet-leap.html
thank you, thank you!
jodi barone
Karrah, if you ever do it, you gotta take send me pictures!
i don’t know if this project will ever be completely finished, but its been a whole lot of fun planning it anyways- in one of the parking lots i cut through on my bike ride to school, there’s a smallish bulldozer thats always sitting there, and i really want to knit or crochet or sew a huge bulldozer cozy for it. i’ve been sneaking around getting measurements of the bulldozer for a while and i’m starting to work up this ridiculous pattern for it… if i ever have the time and craft-related resources to pull this project off, it would probably be one of my greatest accomplishments. But just having a completed pattern for a bulldozer cozy would make me pretty happy too!
Hubbie and I lived overseas for 8 months. We took all of our photos, found the best ones and created a digital photo/scrapbook. It is gorgeous. I’m working on my baby’s book now!
My husband and I are DIYer’s on our house. We have built it ourselves from the ground up. Me, who knew NOTHING about plumbing, carpentry, HANGING DRYWALL!!! am now an expert…And buff too!! As much work as it is, we love it, and would much rather be building that slaving away at work!
I don’t work in a cube, but in a pretty slow retail store. But, um, my store is cube shaped?
I’m not a crafty person at all. I tried to learn to knit but I ended up wanting to shank someone with the needles, so instead I make bento, or Japanese boxed lunches. 🙂 It’s a fun excuse to cook, and a nice little bright spot when I open my box at work and see a cute and healthy meal ready to be eaten!
I’m a new to the whole blog scene and it’s made me share a lot more then I ever thought I would. I’m also working on taking my photography hobby to the next level.. every day I think of ways not to ‘work for the man’ and I’m getting closer! 🙂
Shari, those mini mittens sound really cute. Definitely, share a pic if you end up taking one.
I like that poster, Scott. 😉
I’m trying to make many of my presents this year and most will be knitted. I’m in the middle of 4 projects actually. I’m knitting socks (for me), I’m making 2 scarves as gifts and I’ve been knitting these super adorable mini mittens to put earrings in as gifts. So cute. I need to take pics.
My best stress relief in cube land is a copy of a poster I found in a local repair garage. It goes like this:
I do three kinds of work here: good, fast, and cheap.
You can have any two of the three.
If you want it good and fast, it won’t be cheap.
If you want it fast and cheap, it won’t be good.
If you want it good and cheap, it won’t be fast.
I can’t tell you how many managers have asked if they can get all three out of me.
Well, the day we got our travel call from Korea- that we could go and bring our son home- my boss walked to my cube to introduce me to the VP who has the same name that my son has- and I was so excited I yelled- JOSEPH IS COMING HOME!! and I was so embarrased as the VP looked at me quizically- why the heck is she talkig about me?
i’m in the process of making tutus for my friends daughters and a cape for her son. i need a refresher sewing course!
I made the first set of these trees for myself, but I just finished another set that I gave away on my blog. They came out so cute, and they were so much fun to make! Here’s a link (you have to scroll down a little in the post to see the pics):
http://hollyscharmedlife.blogspot.com/2007/11/whats-this.html
I like to paint thumbtacks in bright colours and patterns and stick them on random bulletin boards at the university.
ps – Not to wish people away from your blog but oh bugger I hope she doesn’t read this!
I wanted to make things for my friends this Christmas -which is not entirely a new idea for me – but I thought I should try a few new things, rather than resorting to old tricks. Sooo…
I decided to make a pillow for a particular friend who had lost her dog this year. My dog is 13 so I know I will face her situation soon and it sucks. So I acquired a picture of the dog from her sister, transformed it into a black and white image a la che Geuvera and will be screen printing this image on to a nice big throw pillow for her. Her sister said my friend will cry when I give her this, but I am hoping she’ll like it as much as I woudl like to have one. (yeah, I know, dog people.)
Now if I just don’t screw it up …I’ve never screen printed before!
I’m in the middle of kniting a “dragon” scarf…here’s hoping I get it finished before christmas!
I think too many people go in stores and buy Christmas gifts,etc..I took the pledge to buy home made and ,I’m also making some of my gifts.It is relaxing for me,gives me time to breathe.the biggest thing about it is that it lets my mind be creative,it seems too much time is filled with ‘organized’ thinking.Last but not least~I avoid the stress of the stores this time of the year.
What an interesting concept! What a super book to read and learn from! I like to read, make cards and play bunco to alleviate much of my stress. Thanks,Cindi
I am knitting my daughter a sweater and helping her make bracelets for gifts.
Oh, I’ve been wanting to do one too! Make sure to share some pic when you are done.
My next project is an advent calendar and I don’t have to much time to finish it, but it will happen. I start tonight!! Wish me luck, it’s my first one ever.