An acquaintance of mine got upset at me the other day for spending too much time and energy on my "career" (and by career she meant burlesque). This was, of couse, after I'd spent more than $300 of my hard earned money on costumes and props for a show that I wasn't getting paid for (It was for a good cause, so I'm all for that). I gingerly informed her that 1)I spend alot of money putting together charity shows, and 2) My career is academia - I'm going to get my PhD and become a university professor one day, so why would I want a career in something that pays me nothing?!?
A Career in burlesque - haha! You can have one if you want, but I'll explain why you might not want one:
- Since the burlesque "revival" everyone and their dog does burlesque, there are new troupes popping up every day
- It can be a really catty business, once people get into it to make money they don't support each other very well
- You spend thousands of dollars on costumes (if you're doing it right) and make very little back. Only the big names make any money at it, and I can only think of about 3 or four of those people in all of North America
- You have a shelf life, when you get too old, you can't really keep doing it.
All that being said, however, I think burlesque is a really great hobby for me. I enjoy the costumes, the performance, and the interesting folks I meet along the way. Many people spend money on their hobbies, and so I don't mind investing in mine in order to do it right. And if I spend my time on this hobby, it doesn't mean I'm career bound, it just means I've found better things to do than sit on the couch all night, watching TV and drinking beer.
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