By Eric on 2006-05-18

Part 6!

6. Hold it! Have balance. After reading my last two entries which would surely drive most people crazy, now I suggest to do something completely opposite. Be into what you do, but don’t forget what’s outside. A lot of publishing and DIY-anything is about sacrifice. People don’t tell you that part, but it’s true. You’re going to miss parties, shows, and your favorite TV show, and that’s part of the territory, but learning how to balance work and the non work is one of the toughest things to learn. Admittedly, I haven’t quite figured it all out yet.

This is me picking off some snacks at Saelee Oh’s opening in NYC. Not an exciting photo, but look at the Red Vines font!

You know that feeling, when you go out of town for a week, and you come back and it feels like you missed out on a lot of stuff? Maybe it happens less with internet and cell phones, but that weird feeling can happen when you’re trapped inside working on your project. Although the hard work is usually fun, it’s a good idea to pull your noggin out of your work, use the flim flams and join in on other things in the world.

Another issue with being an editor is that even though the hard work you put in is valuable, not being part of the world will eventually make you useless to your own publication. Ideally, a long term editor or publisher or store owner should improve with time and not end up being a fossil.

In GR world, we’re sort of fortunate, since the publication has always been based on whatever we’re into. That means, we don’t need to be up on the latest Asian American “rock star” who’s the invisible bassist of a top 40 band, the cute actress who’s in a film for a blink of a moment, or identity finding comedy / theater group. I think we can do the hermit issue if we wanted, and I’d put my money down that it would turn out interesting.