WHAT I'VE LEARNED WORKING WITH RUPAUL (LESSON # 4)
This coming Sunday I will have lived in Los Angeles for 10 years. As someone who is drawn to creativity I have done every kind of work you can think of over these last 10 years. Part of the reason for that was survival. The other reason was that Jane Lynch told me when I first moved here to say YES to everything but porn...and that's what I did. I am grateful for those years of saying YES because it eventually led me to RuPaul Charles. It was with Ru that I learned a different lesson.
LESSON 4 - Don't waste time on things you don't care about.
After years of doing any job that came along, jumping on any creative project to build a resume, get my name out there, hustle, and grind...it was a very needed breath of fresh air to connect with someone who valued the things they spent their time on. Ru is so good at prioritizing the things that matter to him both personally and professionally. Some of that comes with experience but I think it is also the behavior of someone who values their time and understands the importance of this ever fleeting resource.
I have only ever seen people work and hustle for the sake of survival. Taking jobs they hate. Enduring toxic work environments out of necessity. Especially in an industry that makes you feel disposable. So you can imagine the culture shock when I got around Ru. My initial thought was "of course he doesn't HAVE to grind like the rest of us. He's freakin RuPaul. He has options!." But the closer I look the more I realized it had nothing to do with his name and everything to do with the choice to make the most of his time. A choice we all have.
Time is the one thing we all have in ABSOLUTE limited supply no matter who you are. Fame doesn't give you more of it. Success won't extend it. Money can't buy it. That is why it is the most valuable resource we have. I've heard Ru say many times "I just don't want to waste creative energy on things I don't care about." I always think "Me either!"
Like most things of value it is easier said than done but in my time with RuPaul I now see the true value of my time. So I fight to deprogram myself from a life of working to survive. Being tossed around like a disposable rag by bosses, companies, and unimportant agendas. Ru is a man who has a vision for his time and that's what I want to be. I hope you do too!
