It's Man Week
It's Man Week and Gavin Heaton has roped me into getting involved.
Apparently I'm surposed to write something about my feelings as a man.
But this blog is about the world of advertising. So I'll see if I can come up with something that combines both.
I left school early and took the advice of my parents - get yourself a trade and you'll be set for life.
Thing was, after a few years getting my hands dirty fixing things I realised that being a tradie wasn't for me.
So in my late 20's I set out to become a copywriter.
I was so excited when I got offered my first job in an ad agency.
As you can imagine I rang my parents to tell them.
Boy were they excited....Not!
"What d'you wanna do that for?" said my dad.
"You've got a good job, company car. Why would you want to give that up?"
"What about your super?"
I was gutted.
I was so proud. Yet they made me feel anything but.
They just could not understand how I felt, living my life as a square peg wedged into a round hole.
They knew only of their world. A world where you left school, got a trade, got married, had kids and eventually retired.
I didn't want to settle for that world. I wanted to venture out and discover a new one.
A world where you had fun at work.
A world where your opinons counted for something.
A world that was not a glamorous as it seemed on the TV, but was way more glamorous than the shithole where I worked.
Sadly I still don't think my parents understand my decision. Which makes me a little sad to be honest.
But I can guarantee you that when my kids Ruby and Max grow up and go out to work I'll support them no matter what they choose to do.
For more on Man Week click here.
posted by Stan Lee at 9:29 pm
11 Comments:
Its interesting how sons have these parental expectations placed upon them. Of all my female friends, none have been ushered into a careers by their folks. I wonder how that relates to the feminist revolution and the 20th century inclusion of women into the workplace?
I wanted to study film, but my folks thought I'd be better off capitalizing on my aptitude for science, so I studied biochemistry. It wasn't until I was well into post-grad that I realized how ill-suited I was to the life of a researcher, so I bailed. Worked with medical instruments for 6 years until I finally had the balls to do what I want and have loved every day of shoots and editing since. Like you, my parents still don't get it...
Nice one Stan.
My parents still tell their friends that I do "something with computers".
I think every parent wants to mould them into something that they'll be proud of without realising the wants of the child.
I encountered this when it came time to choose preferences for university a course. I was a geek back in high school, hell i still consider myself a geek, and basically was doing the advanced maths subjects for year 12. Throughout that year - i was intending to do engineering or something with numbers, but I realised that numbers and maths - i don't think i could do that on a day-to-day. So come preference time i choose the path less trodden - and took up a multimedia and marketing course.
Come results time, i thought i did quite well - with scores in the 90's for my TER, and straight up the folks expected i went for a larger uni and do something with "prestige" but i feel they were somewhat disappointed when they saw that i went for one of the smaller universities in victoria and didnt apply for engineering or science.
Though now i think they have accepted my vocation choice after they have seen i am in a steady job and also do web design as freelancing too, but i still think they would have want an engineer in the family rather than a e-marketer/webdesigner.
We'll be just as confused when our kids tell us what they do!
Sir Ken Robinson's point that with the speed in which technology is evolving, industries and jobs that our kids will do haven't yet been invented!
http://tinyurl.com/mxevfo
God love my dad who helped fund me through almost 6 years of Uni studying (fine art) sculpture knowing fine well that there are few jobs for a sculptor these days.
After 6 years and a graduation show that consisted of a fake cleaners cupboard and not a single piece of sell-able 'art' he was still non the wiser but never objected to my decisions. Sure, he challenged me and forced me to face up to uncomfortable truths but never played the heavy hand.
To this day, I hear him describe my Uni days as 'Ross doing something with playdoh'
He's almost as confused these days since I sold my soul to the devil to advertise stuff that nobody really needs nor wants (maybe a little harsh) but always comes across curious and questioning.
Hope I'm as understanding!
I know this is about all about Man Week but I'm going to go out on a limb and say women definitely get pressure from the parentals re: career choice.
I believe it relates to an obsession with 'good marks'. eg: if you get TERs that are off the charts you 'should' study law or whatever. I made choices regarding subjects I studied at school to maximise my mark rather than what I 'wanted' to study. So out went the art.
I still remember my old man saying to someone "Well, she got the marks to study law but she's doing journalism instead". And I'm standing right there y'know....
It's an easy marker of 'success' isn't it - the TER or the law degree?
So, it's only now (after I've had a kid of my own) that I'm doing what I want to do (not what anyone else wants) and that is studying graphic design.
It took me a while to grow some "balls"....but I did.
I am thinking that today (Friday) should be about our relationships with our fathers. Would love to hear more from you on that, Stan! ;)
I remember how Robert Bly tried to get us all to embrace our inner "Iron John" (google it for '90's flashbacks...).
It was solid man stuff at a time when our very masculinity was under attack. I recall reports of hunting trips in the US turning into Broke Back Mtn. moments around fires.
All said and done, I think we should embrace Campbell's Chunky Fully Loaded Man as the epitome of Man Week. At last an ad the boy in all of us can relate to.
hey stan - as i've also done to poor zac, i'm going to prod a little deeper here (just for manweek, of course) and ask you how your parents views on your career effect your sense of being a man?
and what is it like to be a father? how does it feel to be a father to a boy? how do you relate to him when you're having to find the divide between friend, carer and guide? and how is it different being a father to a girl? how do you react to their choices in life - even the small ones (like max's crazy choice of jean colour?)
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@Lauren: When I wrote my piece I had no real idea what manweek was about. My post was one of the first.
As I read others I got a clearer understanding of what I was supposed to do. I was tempted to do a follow up. I also really like your questions.
But I feel, in classic ad speak, that I have met the brief.
Given your comment re Max's jeans, you know that I share a lot of personal stuff via social media. My kids, particularly Max, appear regularly in my online rambles.
So I will not be taking this any further at this stage. Sorry.
I will however follow up on your questions should manweek happen next year. Promise.
hey stan... although i'm about prodding, i'm certainly not about creating an invasion of privacy. i think you know that, but just want to make it clear. those questions were really just a catalyst.
part of the reason i asked those kinds of questions is to encourage a depth of talking about masculinity. where discussing your feelings, experiences, etc, is not just about a brief, but opens up possibilities for people to address the kinds of issues that aren't by most of the media, let alone the rest of the australian male population.
and while i certainly understand your desire to shut up shop, i am still bummed that we don't get to hear a little bit about what it means to be a man like you stan, from your point of view. especially as i think that you're the kind of man who is a great role model to many (just ask them junior kids). and that's something that you can be proud of. :)
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