33 Comments

"How many of us have had this experience, of being offered a work opportunity and suddenly realizing—oh shit, this is not what I want to do with my life?"

Yup. That's my story. More than once. Thanks for this one Mason! A great and encouraging read.

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Thanks, Brian. Yeah, I think we've all had that experience — unfortunately!

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Oh my goodness, this is perfect.

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Thank you! Glad to bring a little Melly into your Monday.

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This was so random and so fun! And so relatable on so many levels! Thanks for sharing!

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Thanks, Bridgitte!

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I love the name Kunstinstituut Melly! How fantastic!

Thanks for this story

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I was wondering if Melly was real and then delighted by the reveal at the end. Of course she is!

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What a fun piece. Thanks, Mason.

I, too, was once offered an opportunity that made me realize I was taking my life in a direction I didn’t actually want. It’s always nice to read about others who have followed the call of their own self-knowledge and had good outcomes.

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Thanks, Holly! The same thing has happened to me — it was super disconcerting at the time, but now I'm thankful for that jolt of clarity / perspective.

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Me too!

I do think the person doing the offering was a bit taken aback by the about-face.

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I love that the citizens of Rotterdam demanded that the monument to hating work be put back up. I’m not sure about art as a theory of self–interesting but isn’t it a theory of conversation according to what Lum is saying earlier in the quote? I guess I’m wondering about the way art works in community as opposed to the reasons why we humans make it. But do we make it to theorize about ourselves or the world? Thought provoking article! Thank you!

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Oh, good point about art being "a theory of conversation" — I think that's a fair interpretation of his quote. Actually, I read another interview with Lum where he referred to art as "as a means to come to an understanding of one’s relationship to the world." So, yeah, I think it's about self-definition and *also* about testing that theory of the self in dialogue with the world. Glad you enjoyed!

(Here's that other interview if you're interested: https://cultmtl.com/2019/05/ken-lum-artist-interview/)

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Thank you, I’ll check it out!

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Just a quick note: it sounds like he received poor mentoring as a budding scientist: “Science is very rigid, very strict…” Not to at all judge his vocational choices, but science practiced well, is anything but rigid. In fact, it is pretty responsive and flexible. An artist can function pretty well in a lab environment.

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I often get behind in my Substack reads. When that happens, everything gets archived except for Subtle Maneuvers. And this is why. The soul of an artist is always enlarged. To bridge career and art is a mission impossible. I have definitely been in those shoes and felt that confusion even when it’s great money 💰.

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Belatedly — thank you for this note, it means a lot 🙏 And I think "bridge" is the right word in this context, because art and money are really two different realms. You can connect them with a bridge, for sure — it's when you try to apply the rules/standards of one to the other that things get messed up (or that's my hunch).

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Omg YES! Every city should definitely have a monument for those who hate their jobs! I love how people got attached to that poster and made sure it stayed (collective pressure really does work!). And I’m going to mull on that quote for some time “Art is a theory of the Self.”

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Yes, I love how, even with all the conflict in this world, everyone can come together and agree on one thing: Melly Shum HATES Her Job!

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So cool. The rest of the story behind a people's icon.

Everyone identifies with one or more elements of this piece, vocational crisis, retail, lab nerd, having do do something else to survive while you do art.

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Yes — I think we're all Melly Shum to some degree!

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Delightful post from every angle!

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Thanks, Debra!

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Great story. We need more streets named after art icons!

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What a great story! And you've reminded me I wanted to read Lum's book 🤓. Thanks Mason.

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Thanks, B.A., so glad you enjoyed! I didn't read Lum's entire book, but I really enjoyed the preface (which, psst, you can read it here: https://muse.jhu.edu/book/72168)

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Ah, thanks!

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A fantastic story — thank you for this paean to hating one's job, perfectly timed on a dreary Monday morning.

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Thank you! Glad this one hit the spot

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I love this so much! What a delight! Also art as a theory of self. AMAZING.

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Thanks, Jill!

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i loved reading this!

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Thanks, Wesley!

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