Comments on: inkdick: february 23 2009 first day of work

By: thedeafguy

thedeafguy — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:12:22 +0000

Try standing in one square-inch spot as a movie ticket ripper for 8 hours straight. No bathroom breaks. No water breaks. Cannot move unless the manager tells you so. You know they will know if you move due to that damn spy camera right above your freaking head.

I only lasted a month before I finally got promoted to usher. Being a movie Usher is the best job….so the point of this: Hang in there, cuz the grass is always greener on the other side.

By: Tyler C.

Tyler C. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:14:01 +0000

Biking is always the best way to get anywhere! It’s always different and the wind exhilarates you in the early mornings. Prepares you for the long haul.

And the whole “being on your feet all day” thing should be no problem. As long as you don’t think about it during the day, it’ll all good in the hood g. Hehe

By: M. Dean

M. Dean — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:55:40 +0000

Retail is the hell that births monsters into the world.

By: T.J. Kirsch

T.J. Kirsch — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:09:29 +0000

Let’s just start this comic factory already! Whattya say?

By: Jon Chad

Jon Chad — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:12:33 +0000

When I worked in a CD store, I would put a couple pieces of cardboard on the ground to help cushion my feet. It was better than tile!

By: Tetis

Tetis — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:28:25 +0000

Bravo!
Excellent advise from all!

By: dio

dio — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:14:43 +0000

10 hours is long. You’ll probably develop a rhythm. As in, the first 3 hours will feel long, then the rest feels shorter. Or it may depend on customer inflow timing.

As they said, good shoes helps. Chatting, if allowed, can be nice, but often difficult at a retail store. Would be nice if you could sit… but that depends on the store.

I doubt you’ll fully get used to the pain of 10 hours, especially as you accumulate the stress for weeks. You’ll have to make sure to get enough sleep, eat well, vitamins, minerals, so forth, take a good hot shower, and maybe massage yourself a bit, or get massaged, if possible.

As you get used to dealing with a day, the next enemy will be the fatigue accumulation, and the temptation to stay up late/later.

Keep looking for your next job, and make that your motivation, the hope that eases the pain of now…

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:08:32 +0000

It will suck for a couple of weeks, but then you won’t really notice.

By: dallas

dallas — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:09:58 +0000

My advice to to take a tylenol for the first few weeks until your back muscles adjust to the strain of being on your feet all day. Moving around and stretching when you have a minute helps too.

Most everyone here has said Arch support, Arch support, cushy shoes, cushy shoes-
but if you are like me, arched or slightly heeled shoes kill my back because I have flat feet. I used to work as a zoo, and the greatest pair of shoes I ever owned were some nice regular old black chucks with gel inserts. The gel was only there though to make the sole a little thicker so I didn’t feel rocks so much when I stepped on them.

By: Joey Weiser

Joey Weiser — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:07:38 +0000

Wow, 10 hours on your first day!

As for juggling a job and comics…that’s just something you’ll have to get used to. After you get comfortable with your job, it’ll be less exhausting, but probably still somewhat exhausting. You’ll just get a feel for when the best times to work are. I found that letting myself take a small break (hour or two) after work lets me feel refreshed enough to tackle the drawing board, but it does mean that I have to spend significantly less time working on comics. But then that’s where weekends come into play! On days off, be sure to do fun stuff, but try to fit in as much drawing time as possible. Those days are very valuable. Now it’s time to really treat this as if you have “two jobs.”

Also, use the crappy day jobs as motivators for working on comics. A wise professor once told me, “Make comics your escape” in regards to jobs. Working 9-5s that I don’t particularly like are great motivators to work as hard as I can on comics in the hope that one day I won’t have to work them ever again!