Projects
Perry’s Barber Shop
Perry’s Barber Shop is the first installment in my project on work and the work/life divide. This project springs from my longstanding curiosity about a feature of life I believe virtually all working adults ponder, if not often, then at least once in a while. Most people I know think of their jobs as a means to an end. If you ask they’ll tell you their “real lives” happen outside the hours they spend at paid work. These people turn parts of themselves off, they become numb, for big chunks of the workday. I think most of us would agree that there is something grim and unfortunate about life lived in this way. Other people I know live lives that are completely and happily intertwined with their work. Most of us would agree, I think, that these “actualized” types are the lucky ones. I myself have been on both sides of the alienation/actualization divide at one time or another in my working life, and I can’t stop wondering about the facets of my life and the features of my work that make the difference. Of course, I have some ideas on the subject, as do lots of other people. I hope this project provides a bit of a jumping off point for thinking about the complex variables that add up to work that’s meaningfully and a life that satisfies.