Life as a Somervillain

[fell-like-rain]

I guess this is also serving as my introduction post, so, hello! I'm fell-like-rain, and these are some things about me:

I'm a early-20s recent grad living in Somerville, MA (hence the title), working in tech, and interested in a lot of artsy stuff- I write, draw, throw pottery, do theater (both on- and offstage), etc. I hike a lot, ride and fix bikes, and go to indie shows, so I'm basically a hipster, only without the handlebar mustache. (Sorry, MMM fans!)

MBTI seems to be popular here, but I've taken it a few times and gotten three different results (which is apparently not uncommon). Also, not to throw shade, but it does kinda seem like the astrology of personality tests- not in that it's completely inaccurate, but in that it satisfies the human desire to put everything in little boxes, regardless of whether they really fit.

Moving on; frugality comes pretty naturally to me, so when I learned about early retirement, it didn't exactly turn my financial life upside down. However, I did go through what I'll call the five phases of FI- skepticism, interest, euphoria, spreadsheet addiction, and boredom. I make a lot of money and spend relatively little of it, so I could probably 100% retire in about 9 years if I continued on my present course. However, that has the twin issues of a. being nine years from now, and b. I don't dislike work as such, just my chosen field.

Not that tech is bad, really- it's comfortable enough, and I don't work too hard, but I don't find much fulfillment in it. Also, it doesn't afford enough free time (both in the everyday hobby sense and the go-backpacking-for-half-a-year sense). At this point, my ideal life would probably be working 20 hours a week, nine months a year, at something at least moderately enjoyable, then spending the rest of the time working on my pottery/writing/drawing/theater and occasionally going off to walk in the woods or sail the Caribbean or something for a few months. And it's hard to do that in the tech field (at least, to my knowledge- feel free to enlighten me if it's not so!)

As I had mentioned, I went through a pretty serious spreadsheet-addiction phase, but I've since realized that all those projections and things were essentially lies, given that I have zero ability to predict market movements. As of now, I'm only really tracking one metric, which is the number of minimum wage hours ($11/hr here) I'd have to work annually to cover expenses (in conjunction with investment income). That started at around 1855 at $0 NW, and is now down to 1687. I figure once it gets below 1100 or so is when I start thinking about how to transition to other work. (Hopefully I'll be able to find something I enjoy that pays more in the $15-20 range, but I don't want to count on that.)

Of course, all my plans may come to naught if I, say, fall madly in love with someone and decide I want 2.5 kids and a suburban mortgage. Which doesn't seem likely at this point, but being realistic, I probably have little more ability to predict my own life than I do for the stock market. I figure all I can do is make the optimal move based on what I know now, and hope it all works out in the end.

Anyways, speaking of short-term thinking, here are a few near-future goals of mine:

1. Join a community theater (in progress; found one, but the season doesn't start til the fall)
2. Write and draw more consistently
3. Get out and socialize more/make more friends
4. Cook more

[suomalainen]

At this point, my ideal life would probably be working 20 hours a week, nine months a year, at something at least moderately enjoyable, then spending the rest of the time working on my pottery/writing/drawing/theater and occasionally going off to walk in the woods or sail the Caribbean or something for a few months.

ZOMG if this isn't the most millenial fucking thing I've ever read.

I kid.I'd like that too.

Welcome and best of luck on your journey.

- old (to you) guy

[fell-like-rain]

ZOMG if this isn't the most millenial fucking thing I've ever read.

Hah, I think I'm 90% of the way to peak millennial- all I have to do is change my income plan to 'artisanal vegan soap company', then I'd be all the way there

In truth, I don't think my generation is so dissimilar to those that have gone before, especially w.r.t. the ethos a lot of people here seem to have, what with growing one's own food and taking pride in greater self-sufficiency. It's just that we're less likely to accept that handcrafts are "hobbies" and a dull office job is "real life".

[BRUTE]

Demonym: Somervillian, Villen

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerville,_Massachusetts)

and here brute was hoping another villain had joined the board.

[Riggerjack]

In truth, I don't think my generation is so dissimilar to those that have gone before, especially w.r.t. the ethos a lot of people here seem to have, what with growing one's own food and taking pride in greater self-sufficiency. It's just that we're less likely to accept that handcrafts are "hobbies" and a dull office job is "real life".

Oh. I thought it was because yours is the first generation to basically journal in public. All this social media to document normal reactions to discovering that the adult world is very different from what was expected. Thinking back on what I thought in my early twenties makes vegan soap businesses seem firmly grounded.

Though I too was hoping for another villain.

[TheWanderingScholar]

Nice to see another twenty-something around these parts.

And huzzah for someone liking the creative arts around here while in tech industry.

And I agree with you on that fact that hard number crunching and excel sheets have their usefulness to a certain extent when you are young. The most important part it seems to get the basics down and creating a strong base to build off of to expand when you retire.

[fell-like-rain]

@BRUTE
Sorry to disappoint. If I was a hundred yards south, I'd be a Cantabrigian, which is less ambiguous (but a bit more pretentious)

@Riggerjack
That, too. I do think it's a lot easier to monetize a 'side hustle' (as they're known) in this day and age, though. There's a surprising number of people I know who help make ends meet through a crafting business or an extremely indie band or reading tarot online. (You may laugh, but there's more money in knitting and fortune-telling than you'd think!)

@TheWanderingScholar
You know, I used to browse the FIRE subreddit, and sometimes it seemed like 90% of the folks there were 20-something tech bros. (Though that's probably just reddit as a whole.) I think I was looking for a community with more of a range of ages-it brings more perspective to things, and I will say it's a lot nicer to read about people's gardens and such rather than bitcoin 'investment'.

Also, good news! (At least, to those not of the libertarian bent)- MA just passed a bill raising the minimum wage to $15 over the next several years, so a. a lot of workers are getting a boost, and b. it's possible I'll end up downshifting careers a little sooner than I had been previously expecting. Also, it gives me joy to imagine Charlie Baker's sigh of dismay before he had to sign it.

[Mister Imperceptible]

Also, good news! (At least, to those not of the libertarian bent)- MA just passed a bill raising the minimum wage to $15 over the next several years

Definitely not a villain.

Would I have ever played with you at Improv Boston a few hundred yards south in the land of pretentiousness?

Welcome.

[fell-like-rain]

\Would I have ever played with you at Improv Boston a few hundred yards south in the land of pretentiousness?\

I don't think so- I've only ever dabbled in improv, and never around these parts. I find it's a lot easier when you know what you're going to say beforehand

Also, I've been looking into community theater groups, and it seems like the closest one to me is the Longwood Players up in Chelsea (a recent move from Central Square, apparently). Are there by chance any you know of in the Camberville area? I do straight plays and scenic carpentry, so any group with needs in those areas could work.

[Mister Imperceptible]

I’ve never done community theatre, unfortunately. I haven’t done theatre since college. 3-5 hours a day in rehearsal is a lot, I need to be paid for that type of commitment. Improv involves less time input. But improv can be a useful tool, even if you are preparing as an actor. You just have to find good people to play with and get over the cringe factor.

[TheWanderingScholar]

@fell-like-rain:

Its reddit in general. Kind of annoying and why I am slowly moving away from it. Especially now with discord.
And techbros perspective is really annoying as 99% of people are not in the circumstance.

[Jason]

If he's blogging this shit out with a Red Sox hat on, he's like Heath Ledger as The Joker level villainous.

[Mister Imperceptible]

I would love to trash the Sawx on this thread, let’s see if he cares about the circuses.

[Jason]

Under normal conditions, I would hope he retires at age 25, becomes the next Sam Shepherd, and has his own line at The Pottery Barn. But if he's a Red Sox fan, there will always be a part of me that hopes to wake up to the news that the entire city of Somerville, MA burnt to the ground after a frugal potter's home made kiln exploded.

[fell-like-rain]

@Mister Imperceptible: That's certainly fair. In my case, I like it enough that I'd do it for free, and considering the rocky early career paths I'm seeing my theater friends from school go through (many of whom are far more skilled/driven than I am), I doubt anyone would ever pay me to act. Plus, there's something endearing about community theater, especially the folks who have little/no background and just show up to it at age 50 or what have you and fall in love.

re: the sox, I've been to exactly one game in my life and probably watched 3-4, so not exactly a rabid fan. I can see the appeal, though, if you want a nice low-key thing to do with family- my next-door neighbors will often have the game going on the radio in the evening while they sit around on the porch drinking beer and grilling. Baseball doesn't demand much of you.

@Jason: Retiring at 25 would be nice, but the dream is more to be an anonymous dirtbag than a famous actor. And if I ever sell to Pottery Barn, you can shoot me dead right then and there. That kind of HGTV aesthetic is where art goes to die.

[Jason]

We just bought an outdoor chair at The Pottery Barn. It looks ok to me.

[Jason]

I don't recall being opposed to wicker as a young person. I guess its a Millennial thing.

[Mister Imperceptible]

It’s interesting now to see so many of those I went to film school with retreating from NYC or LA now in their early thirties to settle down and get regular jobs. Of course many of them are also extremely bitter, because the world owes it to them that they be rich and famous, and now they are using all the wisdom they have acquired to declare socialism the ultimate solution. I agree with Augustus that selling to Pottery Barn might become palatable to you sooner than later.

I’m in no way dissing community theatre. If I become FI, it’s an attractive activity. If you want to be an artist for art’s sake, the money is no object.

If you are in tech, and this is an aptitude, and you are an actor, and that too is an aptitude, you can climb the ladder with application and tenacity. I only got into tech 5 years ago, and my income has octupled from when I first started. Slightly more profitable than knitting.

[fell-like-rain]

@Jason: Perhaps I spoke too harshly; I have nothing against the Pottery Barn as an institution, and I'm sure they have fine chairs. Moreover, I'm sure you could find some tasteful, reasonably attractive ceramics there. But the qualities that make something a good mass-market piece are very different from what I aim for in my work. If you're selling thousands of copies, you want something with a tried-and-true design and broad appeal. I tend to make things that are more experimental and evocative (or, at least attempting to be).

@Augustus: Just as there's a time to be born and a time to die, there's a time to rail against the system and a time to placidly accept it. I don't doubt what you're saying, but all I can do is prepare for the future, not predict who I'll be when it comes.

@Mister Imperceptible: Honestly, I have vanishingly little interest in trying to commercialize the things I do for fun, be that theater or writing or pottery. It just seems to lead to stress and sucking all the joy out of the work, at least for most people (like your film school friends). Really, the whole point of ERE for me is to have the time to do all the things I want to do, without worrying about the financial aspects.

[Jason]

(@)f-l-r

Let me know when you spin some coffee mugs. We collect those. And I'd appreciate you etching "Anonymous Dirtbag" on the bottom as a personal touch.