Beyond Ranting

I was in a briefing today about a product from a company which isexactly the same as another product from the same company (same shape, same ingredients, etc) except it's cheaper and the packaging's a different colour. Listening to how 'great' the insights and ideas were and how 'important' the job was I began to question in my head exactly how much this job makes a difference to my life in general.

Things are at a supremely low point right now as far as work is concerned. The conspiracy theorists have surmised that our office is not of the right 'Feng Shui'. In fact, they believe the structure, the colours, even the floor number are acting against us. In the last building we were on the 28th floor, a number they believed brought us wealth and fortune. Strange symbols were placed on the ceiling. Now we're on the 14th floor - 'die every day', apparently. The symbols are gone.

This line of thought seems to be more and more appealing as an explanation of current events since we moved here, but whilst it may be a reason, it does not fix things. My care and love and attention to my work is at a point right now where I'm actually planning on leaving little booby traps in my work. In-jokes that may backfire on the client one day, hopefully when I'm long gone.

I have French names to come up with. I'm tempted to put the words 'Arse', 'Fellatio' and 'Pig Fucker' in the names in French and tell the client the words actually mean 'Peaches', 'Talent' and 'Rural Activities'.

And now, as I discovered in the meeting, the inspirational speeches aren't working anymore. I'm just doing this for the money at this point and it won't be long before someone realizes I'm putting zero effort into everything I do between the hours of 9 to 5.

Sorry. I meant 11 to 5.

All I know is it wasn't like this when I first joined. I don't care slaving and working my ass off if someone benefits from it, but I really don't see anyone benefiting from a damn thing I do. Especially yesterday when I spent 3 1/2 hours in the backseat of a Kancil and another 3 1/2 hours in my own car going through endless traffic jams. NOTHING was accomplished. Absolute fuck-all.

And when I know I could be spending that time doing something a lot more productive it pisses me off to no end.

My chips are currently on my 'extra-vocational' activities. By December I'll know for certain whether I'll be a corporate whore for the rest of my life who dabbles in the 'arts' (I hate that term) on the side or whether I'll be spendin my days doing stuff that I actually believe in. By December the Y2k album will be out. The movie will be done. These two releases will determine my 2006.

Till then, give me your fucking briefs and your inane deadlines and uninspiring speeches on the importance of marketing these products to the nines. I'll write your headlines, type your copy and come up with your inane concepts based on Un-Unique Selling Propositions.

And before anyone starts, I know there are a lot of people in this industry going through a much bigger hell than me and people in other industries going through worse and people who are jobless and thus not in any industry in particular going through even worse and victims in third world countries and other such malarky...

...but it's my blog. I'll rant if I'm not happy about the length of my pubes if it so pleases me.

Epilogue: Later, after this post was written, before I posted it I went to check on one of the TVC's we've sent for submission in the Kancils. We've recut it and used music I composed. Slight tang of pride, there.