This is Molly. She came to Couchsurf last week. I’ve not had anybody stay in ageees, and I probably won’t be having too many for a while given the amount of stuff that I’ve got on, but I like to keep my eye on the ‘emergency’ couchsurfing group to lend a hand to people that are stuck for somewhere to stay last minute.
Being off work is pretty strange. Undeniably I’ve been able to sit and concentrate on doing my dissertation, and I’m plowing ahead. Being able to actually let your brain sit in the one frame of mind and concentrate on something without having to drastically shift gear every few days to go work in a club, or in an office is unbelievably helpful. Living more than one life in the time you have to live a single one means you can never quite give 100% to anything that requires a bit of focus.
Saying that, I continue to be amazed by the sheer volume of ‘photographers’ that are doing work for £20 a night in nightclubs. I hate to bang on about it, but it really does astound me. Is the lure of the lifestyle really that strong that people are prepared to work for pennies? Maybe I’m just jaded after doing this for so long, but I don’t see how anybody can class themselves as a ‘professional’ (and boy are they proud of that fact), whilst charging the equivalent of two cinema tickets.
I could repeat all the stuff about having to pay for insurance, and the time spent post-processing, and the experience, and the fact that it’s not sustainable after more than a year or so at that cost, but in all honesty, I’m not sure how long I can compete with people who charge about a third less than I do. It could well mean I end up having to hang up my camera.
We’ll see.