It should be no news to you that we‘re in a state of economic crisis, so I won’t elaborate any further.
I will say, however, is that such times have really put my life into a whole new perspective. A poor college student‘s diet has helped me shed the baby fat, rising gas prices have helped me “go green” and my fashion choices as a “recessionista“ (read: Consignment/thrift store shopping) have changed my wardrobe for the better.
One burgeoning concern I do have, though, is entering the dismal job market after graduation, a.k.a. The Future.
Still, even in these tough times, I try to keep a positive outlook that I’ll get a good job after I graduate this June – you know, besides the fact that I have no clue what I want to do, the fact that I haven’t saved up any money in preparation for The Future or that my degree in linguistics will probably be as useful to me as a degree in English.
With these factors in mind, I’ve decided to take the opportunity to take a big change of course in my career path: When I grow up, I want to be a cult classic.
Before you cast off my career goals as the mere product of a silly little girl‘s hopes and dreams, I must say that I‘ve taken a very sensible approach to my ambitions. Of course, I realize now that any work experience I’ve gained at The Aggie or having a relatively decent GPA probably won’t help me climb the ladder toward cult classic-dom, so I’ve taken the time to outline a list of possible requirements to gaining my own cult following. Other than fame, talent and loyal fans, it really doesn’t seem too unfeasible.
For your run-of-the-mill renowned artist, the key to instant fame was death of the artist. For someone who wants her own cult following, the key is to be short-lived, then resurrected.
After high DVD sales of “Family Guy,“ the formerly defunct television show got itself back on Fox. In a similar situation, the sci-fi show “Firefly” only had one season, but DVD sales were so popular that the series was followed up by the movie “Serenity.” Despite low ratings during its original run on Fox, there are currently talks of an “Arrested Development“ movie (sans George Michael, I hear). Basically, you‘ve got to make the people demand more.
Another crucial step to achieving cult status is relative mainstream obscurity, because it’s important to be selective and stuff. Wikipedia defines a cult figure as having a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans.
In other words, let the fans do all the work for you! As you can see, my work ethic is strong and my standards are set high. This is probably because my parents have always taught me that I can go the distance, reach for the stars and so on. I refuse to settle for the whole “15 minutes of fame“ garbage or even measly sleeper hit recognition.
One more thing to remember is to maintain artistic integrity – don’t let the industry control you if you’re ever asked for things like “versatility” or “inventiveness,” because the beauty of having a cult following is that fans like you for being yourself. Think of figures like Chuck Norris, Samuel L. Jackson or Christopher Walken who have made quite a comfortable living for themselves by playing themselves.
I just hope that if I’m lucky enough, I’ll be able to reach the “so-bad-it’s-good” prestige.
RACHEL FILIPINAS wants you to continue with the feedback, any at all. She would also like to wish her mother a happy 45th birthday, even though her mom probably doesn’t read her columns. Rachel can be reached at rmfilipinas@ucdavis.edu.
