Get A Real Job
THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO
BRETT STANILAND
Challenging Society’s approach to The Definition of work
What’s our frame of reference when we think “real job” and what happens when the reference is reconstructed?
10 MINS READ TIME
At 26 years old, I never imagined I would have to rethink the job that was given to me. I was scouted to be a model a few years ago and a sudden love for the fashion industry followed. Soon after, another happy coincidence – social media. I found an escape from my PhD studies in the fashion world; adoring design, interpretation and creativity whether it be the high-end, fashion week shows, or the now high quality editorials available on Instagram. I have been lucky enough to diversify across the industry in different aspects. The job comes with great perks, of course travel is one, but meeting like-minded people is a particular favourite. Gone are the days of “it’s cool not to be nice”. Now, people are generally very friendly and approachable. Thus, a large part of the industry is face to face interactions, not only for a posh coffee, but because it’s the best way for a brand to know exactly who they’re working with and how well we represent them. Not to mention the shoots with large production teams working in the engine room of many campaigns. A large effort of the last few decades has focused on shifting our lives online and with some scrutiny. Society’s drive to be better “connected”, has led to the invention of industries, jobs and a new outlet of creativity. At times, influencers and creators alike have bragged about the freedom of “living online”. Working from anywhere and how blessed we are to have a choice about when and where we are productive.
It took radio broadcast 38 years to amass 50 million users, 13 years for television, and Facebook, just 9 months to achieve 100 million. Thus, some of the “boomer generation” have found it hard to adapt to the millennial and gen-z (x, y … whatever alphabet we are now in), approach to work and hence, the ever familiar phrase “when are you going to get a real job?” was born. When I first started modelling, family and friends would ask if I was working on this day or that day, and my answer was always uncertain. They of course never saw the long hard days, only the nice highlights that make it online, which is accompanied with the presumption that is, “is that all you do?”. The perks you love get turned into negatives; “you’re never in one place”, exactly, I’m never in one place! But that’s just the way it is, there’s always that risk that one day is your last day of work and there’s no guarantee that your bills will be paid. I think it’s this which was difficult to comprehend. The lack of routine, not getting up each day, putting on a suit, heading to the office, and picking up a cheque at the end of the month. But rather more uncertain work days and pay days, not knowing where you’ll be next week, alongside the overall gamble in yourself. Potentially even more alien to them is the concept of being paid to upload an image on Instagram, and the monetisation of making TikTok videos, unbeknown to them is the depth behind all of the work. And then one day, the routine that guided their everyday came to an unexpected halt.
Europe’s busiest shopping street became a ghost town as the greyness came, people left and the Eye stopped turning. At first, it felt somewhat surreal, as if an immortal sense of being British possessed the nation. We’ll be fine? The leaders started addressing the nation each evening and we eventually started to understand. My beloved fashion world started closing its doors, not just to their real estate, but other areas too. Productions were halted, campaigns and other marketing postponed or cancelled and brands now have to redesign their approach to connecting with consumers. So how can the creatives like me, produce meaningful, creative and authentic content if we can’t go outside or be in groups of people? The global situation has at least meant that all industries are now tackling this same issue of finding novel ways in which we can still function. People of all industries flocked to their homes and laptops to work online with no experience of doing so before, virtually alongside workers whom have known no other way.
Photo: Kirk Truman
Photo: Kirk Truman
On the other side of this, there are our furloughed friends and family members, who are now consuming more media content than has ever been acceptable - Instagram, Tik Tok, Television. People are relying on content creators of all sorts for home workouts, cooking classes and ways to stay focused at home while staying entertained throughout. This past week, I’ve read more than I ever have, done plenty of yoga and even said hello to the other person I share a living space with. On social media, I’ve used stories to demystify runway collections and highlight the wearable and experimental approaches, reaching people who wouldn’t usually see these collections. I’ve consumed with intent more than ever too, people such as Caroline Issa, Marina Testino and Richard Biedul who are ever present voices on the conscious consumerism and sustainability front. I’ve searched for new podcasts which used to fill a commute, to now fill an evening; GQ Style (Corporate Lunch) and Business of Fashion (hosted by Imran Amed), both provide a deeper dive into the fashion industry; dissecting trends and interviewing designers to give a perfectly unpolished insight. Influencers flocked to Instagram-Live for more engaging content; personal favourites were Sarah Mikaela showing us how to edit photos in real-time, and Jonathan Pryce answering all our questions as if we were sitting in the living room with him.
A real job to me isn’t the routine. It’s also not doing what is expected of you. It’s having an impact. A whole industry can be influenced from the comfort of your own home. A real job can be anything that makes a difference. Even if it’s a difference to your own perspective. Real work is meaningful work. All that you see might only be a picture, but behind that image are hours of research and location scouting, castings and call backs, years of studying and self-learning, getting the right light, the right look and hours of editing before that one image is ready. The work isn’t done there, that image is spread across the world, impressing thousands if not millions of people.
The appreciation of this as real work is often lost, only because you can’t see what went into it, and yet it influenced you without you even realising. From my perspective, it’s an exciting and interesting time for creatives. It’s an opportunity for us to show the true value of creative talent, as well as develop new ideas on how we utilise the limited resources available. It’s also time to expand, develop our skills and be open to something new. In some ways, it could be the exact opportunity we’ve all been waiting for. It feels like the right time to challenge society’s approach to work. Not just in the fashion world but across industries. Confront the 9-5 and reassess its applicability to everyone. We might also hope that we take a look at ourselves and the way we treat others —perhaps consider why it took a global pandemic for us to stop and change. It may be that the superficial, meaningless small talk becomes genuine interest and care. And just maybe, there’ll be a newfound appreciation for us who never had a “real” job in the first place.