your "day job" is your prison
The new prison industrial complex
Most people working a 9 to 5 would describe their job as “decent.”
Not terrible, but far from perfect. Better than nothing, right?
And who doesn’t want a “decent” job (especially in this economy)?
But, I can’t help but recoil at the word “decent.” It’s deceptive.
Large employers know the deal between them and their employees is unfair.
They want you to agree to them:
Micro-managing your every move for “efficiency”
Paying you measly wages in exchange for hard labor
Facilitating the slow degradation of your mind
Stripping you of your physical and mental health and leaving you with the pieces when you retire or when they lay you off
Exploitation and subjugation lie in the fine print of every contract, application, and handshake from any large employer.
They’ll try to sweeten the deal but offering":
Benefits, with hundreds of stipulations
Company parties, a breeding ground for interpersonal drama and competition
Raises, which are few and far between
An HR Department, usually glorified bullies
It’s like free drinks in a Casino.
Only meant to distract from the fact that the house always wins.
These amenities simply adorn the cage they want to put you in. One too small for anyone to prosper in.
Too tired to play with your kids.
Too broke to buy the things you need.
Too drained to think critically and creatively.
But hey, it’s “decent.”
The new prison industrial complex is the 9 to 5.
Making businesses billions while ruining families, destroying communities, and erasing people’s innate creativity.
The biggest victims of this are Black, POC, and queer creatives.
We’re primed from childhood to cling to this idea of a regular job.
We’re told this is the safest way to freedom and that we should be happy with a couple of vacations throughout the year, a bonus once every blue moon, and “security.”
Yet, we live in an era where you need 3 years of experience for an entry-level job.
An era where loyal employees are laid off in an email.
An era where people are replaced by machines.
We’re told to put security over fulfillment.
Ignore the glaring signs that your employer doesn’t care about you for security.
Because what other option do you have?
Entrepreneurship? A pipe-dream.
Be happy with your little job and suck it up, we’re told.
“Feed them poison on a sugar cube long enough, and they’ll call it a dessert.”
But, if you’re reading this, you’ve already tasted the poison, and are looking for a way out.
You’re not satisfied with the bare minimum a regular job gives you.
You want freedom.
You want community.
You want to provide value.
If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
The first step on the journey of escaping the rat race and finding freedom in a creative business is acknowledging your dissatisfaction with the status quo.
The next step is designing a lifestyle that feeds your creativity aka the heart of your future business.
Stay tuned for the framework I used to shift my mind from that of a wage slave to a creative entrepreneur.
Till next time xx 🖤