Mom hasn’t called, but there’s a life after advertising

On September 8th @MrBeastYT tweeted, How did we all get so addicted to this app? I bet 90% of you reading this couldn’t quit using Twitter for a month if you tried. A big fan of challenges, I impulsively alerted my 900+ followers that I’d be going on a 30-day Twitter break, for no reason other than needing to accomplish something apart from getting my work inbox down to zero.

On my cleanse — by chance, or the condition of having more time with my thoughts — I realized I don’t like my job, industry, or adjacent industries. I’m quite blessed to work where I do, one of the most decorated creative agencies in the world. And still I stay up as late as possible on Sundays to prolong Monday morning just a little bit longer.

I try imagining myself working at another agency and think, If you’re not happy ~here~, you won’t be happy ~there~.

I shouldn’t feel this dissatisfied; not with dozens of people — both industry veterans and ingenues — inquiring how I ended up where I am, wanting to be where I am. I say this humbly. It’s the agency, not the me.

So, I think of working in tech instead. In non-profit. At the MoMA. L’Oreal. Netflix. VOGUE — and found all these would-be careers, many of which I barely qualify for, quite boring. Certainly not worth getting out of bed on Monday morning.

What is worth it?

When limits are nothing more than soft suggestions, what are you thinking up?

I enjoy writing. I enjoy curated playlists and browsing Anthropologie sheets. I enjoy commentary on Shawn Mendes’ nipples being featured prominently through a ribbed white tank in his latest music video, Wonder. There are people whose job it is to make their thoughts available for public consumption, which we do on Twitter for free.

On slide 4 of the deck I started last night I’ve written, Perspective is a product. One that can be refined, marketed, and monetized. So that is my no-limits career:

Internet person with a lot of opinions.

MrBeastYT’s bio read I want to make the world a better place before I die. I would very much like to do the same.