Ryan's Master Plan for 2010
Sometimes, people ask me what my Master Plan is. Today, I will tell you.
In 2010, I will be a freelance game designer/writer/editor/podcaster/audio producer...or, as Mike Stackpole told me to say at RinCon to simplify it, "creative consultant."
Honestly, that's not different from right now on its own. I'm all that, between my work on:
* Don't Lose Your Mind
* A Penny For My Thoughts
* The upcoming Dresden Files RPG
* The upcoming Primetime Adventures 3.0
* Master Plan
* The Voice of the Revolution
* This Just In...From Gen Con
* etc.
I've been all that for some time. But, that's all been side work, while holding down a full-time day job as a software developer at the state of California.
Those who have known me for some time know that I'm been really unhappy living in Sacramento, working my day-job and then working another 20+ hours a week (closer to 30 these days) on the side stuff. It was awesome two years, when I was just starting out doing all this. But, well, things change, and the biggest problems are (a) I don't have time to be social and (b) everything I seem to do to be social involves me leaving Sacramento and visiting folks in the Bay Area.
After GenCon, I started seriously thinking about a declaration I made in January about wanting to move away by the end of the year. I had let that go, because as GenCon approaches there's really no way I can see beyond it. But GenCon passed and I began thinking to myself about what I'm missing out in life.
I want to see this freelancing thing I'm starting to do through. That means re-evaluating my day job, seeing if I can take that leap, etc.
I want to have a social life that doesn't involve planning so far in advance and dealing with a train commute to just have some fun.
After a conversation with my boss today, these things have become possible. I was getting myself mentally prepared to leave my job and take the full-on risk (with some savings and a plan). Anyone who has heard me talk in the last little bit has heard me talk about how I'm planning to do this -- that was, in part, a way to get up the nerve to actually do it. I tend to use that sort of friendship-shame push me into decisions I'm otherwise a bit intimidated to do.
And I didn't realize there was an option in between "keep doing this and hating life," "ditch the side stuff and hate life but still have time to be social," and "ditch the day job and risk hard." Until today, when I just frankly talked with my awesome boss about reducing my hours there and commuting in. We had a long conversation and he agreed, with some caveats, so I now have a more solid plan:
I'm going to be a part-time software developer for the state of California. I'm going to be a "creative consultant." And the funny thing is that that's going to make me happier at both jobs -- I won't resent the one for taking all my time away from the other, and I won't resent the other for making it so damned hard to earn a living. (Also, some cool stuff has happened at my day job that I feel good about, so that's like icing on a cake made of awesome.)
Most importantly, I'm going to take back my ability to have a social life, damnit. :) That is really, really important to me.
I don't post on this journal much -- it's for personal-but-okay-to-be-public stuff, like this. (I'm going to stop reposting my "pro blog" to here, so just go to RyanMacklin.com for that) Maybe I'll do more of this on occasion once I'm in 2010. I don't often have much to say because I don't often have much good to say (that I'll publicly share) beyond what I'll post on Twitter or Facebook (or the aforementioned pro blog).
[EDIT: someone made a LJ feed for my pro blog, ryanmacklincom. But be warned: I won't follow comments there.]
Also, I'll have a separate post for this later, but I'm going to be looking for a room to rent in the east bay, ideally near BART.
So, anyway, my Master Plan? Live the life I want. Make the stuff I want. Enjoy this thing I'm doing, whatever it is.
Wish me luck, friends. I'm going to need it.
- Ryan
(P.S. An endless thank you to my dearest friend, Jerry Tidwell, for introducing me to the new love of my life, melatonin. Being able to sleep soundly gave me clarity I have not had in...well, a long time. Enough clarity to realize there were more choices than the extremes.)
In 2010, I will be a freelance game designer/writer/editor/podcaster/audio producer...or, as Mike Stackpole told me to say at RinCon to simplify it, "creative consultant."
Honestly, that's not different from right now on its own. I'm all that, between my work on:
* Don't Lose Your Mind
* A Penny For My Thoughts
* The upcoming Dresden Files RPG
* The upcoming Primetime Adventures 3.0
* Master Plan
* The Voice of the Revolution
* This Just In...From Gen Con
* etc.
I've been all that for some time. But, that's all been side work, while holding down a full-time day job as a software developer at the state of California.
Those who have known me for some time know that I'm been really unhappy living in Sacramento, working my day-job and then working another 20+ hours a week (closer to 30 these days) on the side stuff. It was awesome two years, when I was just starting out doing all this. But, well, things change, and the biggest problems are (a) I don't have time to be social and (b) everything I seem to do to be social involves me leaving Sacramento and visiting folks in the Bay Area.
After GenCon, I started seriously thinking about a declaration I made in January about wanting to move away by the end of the year. I had let that go, because as GenCon approaches there's really no way I can see beyond it. But GenCon passed and I began thinking to myself about what I'm missing out in life.
I want to see this freelancing thing I'm starting to do through. That means re-evaluating my day job, seeing if I can take that leap, etc.
I want to have a social life that doesn't involve planning so far in advance and dealing with a train commute to just have some fun.
After a conversation with my boss today, these things have become possible. I was getting myself mentally prepared to leave my job and take the full-on risk (with some savings and a plan). Anyone who has heard me talk in the last little bit has heard me talk about how I'm planning to do this -- that was, in part, a way to get up the nerve to actually do it. I tend to use that sort of friendship-shame push me into decisions I'm otherwise a bit intimidated to do.
And I didn't realize there was an option in between "keep doing this and hating life," "ditch the side stuff and hate life but still have time to be social," and "ditch the day job and risk hard." Until today, when I just frankly talked with my awesome boss about reducing my hours there and commuting in. We had a long conversation and he agreed, with some caveats, so I now have a more solid plan:
I'm going to be a part-time software developer for the state of California. I'm going to be a "creative consultant." And the funny thing is that that's going to make me happier at both jobs -- I won't resent the one for taking all my time away from the other, and I won't resent the other for making it so damned hard to earn a living. (Also, some cool stuff has happened at my day job that I feel good about, so that's like icing on a cake made of awesome.)
Most importantly, I'm going to take back my ability to have a social life, damnit. :) That is really, really important to me.
I don't post on this journal much -- it's for personal-but-okay-to-be-public stuff, like this. (I'm going to stop reposting my "pro blog" to here, so just go to RyanMacklin.com for that) Maybe I'll do more of this on occasion once I'm in 2010. I don't often have much to say because I don't often have much good to say (that I'll publicly share) beyond what I'll post on Twitter or Facebook (or the aforementioned pro blog).
[EDIT: someone made a LJ feed for my pro blog, ryanmacklincom. But be warned: I won't follow comments there.]
Also, I'll have a separate post for this later, but I'm going to be looking for a room to rent in the east bay, ideally near BART.
So, anyway, my Master Plan? Live the life I want. Make the stuff I want. Enjoy this thing I'm doing, whatever it is.
Wish me luck, friends. I'm going to need it.
- Ryan
(P.S. An endless thank you to my dearest friend, Jerry Tidwell, for introducing me to the new love of my life, melatonin. Being able to sleep soundly gave me clarity I have not had in...well, a long time. Enough clarity to realize there were more choices than the extremes.)