'That's the dream, right?' Transitioning into being a full-time artist: Slash Workers

Name a career. Any career. It's likely Lyndsey Paynter from Charlottetown has had it, at one point or another.

For the past several months she's been working as a career transitions facilitator with the public schools branch, which, for her, is the ideal position.

"Part of my job is to tell people how the workforce is changing and how people aren't ... getting locked into a 30-year position any more," explained Paynter.

"They are saying in the span of someone's life now they're going to have ...four to 11 careers throughout their life and we tend to change every eight or 10 years, max."

I'm not working in the evenings and I'm not tired in the afternoons and want to fall asleep, so I'm actually getting a lot more artwork done than I ever have before.- LyndseyPaynter

Paynter's current contract with the school board is wrapping up shortly and this adds another line to her resume. She has two degrees and has worked as a laboratory coordinator, personal trainer, fitness instructor, kinesiologist, waitress and ESL instructor. And many of these have been at the same time.

She is the definition of a modern slash worker:someone who works more than one job at once.

"I figured I lended myself well to [being a career transitions facilitator] because I've transitionedthrough a lot of careers in my life and I was getting a little burnt out from teaching fitness."

A lifelong love of art

Paytner comes by her name honestly because the one thing that has remained constant is her passion for art. She started out painting with acrylic before moving to oil portraiture. Now she also creates art prints and cards, ink portraits and is moving into digital art.

After she gets home from work she spends hours with her art pad or canvas.

"Because you love it, you don't mind coming home and working for another six hours on art stuff. Like, I often don't get a lot of sleep because I get into it and want to finish something and then I'm like, 'No, I gotta get up at sixin the morning.'"

It makes you wonder a little bit if we can't focus on one thing, how are we ever going to be successful, like just because your time is split up in so many places.- Lyndsey Paynter

At the moment she sells her artwork at fairs and takes commissions, but this summer she wants to focus on distributing her work into gift shops and perhaps tapping into the international market with designing fonts and logos.

Paynter admits that making a go of it as an artist is a tough gig. But on the other hand, working more than one job at a time can also lead to burn-out, which is how she felt as a fitness instructor.

"Having the 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. job has been a really big change because I'm not working in the evenings and I'm not tired in the afternoons and want to fall asleep, so I'm actually getting a lot more artwork done than I ever have before."

Pros and cons of being a slash worker

While it can be tiring trying to balance all the work, an upside is gaining a diverse set of skills. It also made Paynter realize that she could really play to her unique strengths in the workplace. For example,when people asked her to create a poster for workshe was quickly able to help out.

"It's going to be interesting to see if it hopefully meldsinto the next job because I can be like, 'Oh yeah, I did that in the workplace, as well, and I do it at home in my own business," said Paynter.

Beyond worrying about burn-out from working so many gigs, Paynter also has other concerns about people who live the "slash" lifestyle.

"It makes you wonder a little bit if we can't focus on one thing, how are we ever going to be successful, like just because your time is split up in so many places," said Paynter.

"I think a lot of people are trying to work towarda common goal of having that passion project that will eventually become their full-time gig."

Paynter's eventual goal isto become a full-time artistbut she knows it will take time and work to get there.

"The working from home thing and having that flexibility of your schedule like that's the dream, right?" joked Paynter.

"That's the dream."

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