Job got you down?  Only skating on the weekends?  No time to learn that new trick?  It’s time to kiss your working days goodbye.  Here’s the full report on how to live the dream (and stop dreaming about it)

IMAGINE SKATING 9 to 5 AND MAKING MONEY ON THE SIDE, INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND….

SHOCK UNIVERSITY: HOW TO QUIT YOUR JOB AND SKATE FULLTIME

Daniel Cloutier skated across Canada with money from a grant (see grant section below)

This article explains how to survive and thrive without a job.  It covers both travel and domestic life.  It won’t be easy, but imagine this: Waking up from that 9 to 5 nightmare and skating more than you ever dreamed.  Some of this info only applies to the United States, and some of it varies by state, but most is applicable anywhere.

If you have any questions about pulling this off, email me: anderscarlsonwee@gmail.com

*NOTE: some of this may seem suspicious or immoral.  IT’S NOT.  In fact, it would be immoral to NOT skate fulltime.  Keep in mind, the United States offers no supplements for artists and most of the world’s resources are going towards war.  Your skating is important and beautiful.  If you have more time and energy for skating, the world will be a better and more aesthetic place.

“Skating fulltime is a BIG PULL!” - The lady above, who already quit her job and is skating fulltime

LESSON ZERO: STOP SPENDING MONEY

Lets take a look at your budget.  Most of us spend money on things we don’t need, things that don’t bring us meaning or happiness (and don’t bring us more skating time).  The key will be eliminating the consumption of things that don’t matter to you.  Here’s a sample budget for a month of not spending very much (keep reading to understand this).

December 2010:

rent: $100 – 450 (depending on where you live) OR zero (read on for more info…)

utilities: $30 – 80 (or zero – keep reading…)

food: $0 (keep reading…)

transportation: $20 – 100

odds & ends: $40

Total: $60.00 – 670.00 (depending on where you live and HOW you live.  Hopefully your figure will be less than $350.00 – maybe a lot less)

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT ZERO: keep track of all the money you spend in one month, then start eliminating.

LESSON ONE: FOOD

FOOD STAMPS (EBT) – most people picture hobos in rags when they think of food stamps.  In reality, 35 million Americans are on them.  That’s 12% of the population.  Think of it as a grant: the federal government wants to help you skate more!  And without your job, you are sure to qualify.    Just look up your local food stamp provider online (often it’s called Department of Social Services).  You should expect to get $200 per month, which is more than enough, especially if you supplement it…

Your new EBT (food stamps) card

FOOD BANKS – Food banks are very common, you can easily look them up online.  Some of them require you to have a local address to get food (and they’ll want to see an official piece of mail, such as a water bill or bank statement), so if you’re traveling you’ll have to pull some 007 shit.  This might involve lying about your name and using someone else’s mail.  But no need to worry, lots of food banks don’t require any of this.  In one trip to a food bank you can get at least a week’s worth of food.

Find your local food bank: http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx (or search google)

A random food bank

SOUP KITCHENS – If you need to grab a quick meal, look up a soup kitchen in the area.  Free food and always lots of eccentric people to meet.  Hobos in rags, veterans with flags, and old ladies with their bags.  Might want to do some interviews for a skate video while you’re at it.

a guy you might interview

FOOD NOT BOMBS – There are chapters of Food Not Bombs in every major city in the US, and many smaller cities as well.  Look them up online: www.foodnotbombs.net

Their website lists what days of the week they serve and at what times.  Free food for anyone!  For example, San Francisco Food Not Bombs serves EVERY SINGLE DAY in People’s Park, Berkley.  Once again, lots of bums to meet.  Ask them to tell some stories.

Food Not Bombs dishing up some free grub

DUMPSTER DIVING – It’s impossible to explain dumpster diving quickly, but basically there’s TONS of perfect food to be found in the trash.  I live off dumpster diving.  The best places to go are grocery stores with a DUMPSTER (not a compactor, which is hard to get inside).  Anything you buy in the store you can find in the dumpster.  Classic stores include: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Safe Way.  But any grocery store will do.

This website might help a little: http://trashwiki.org/en/Main_Page (but it’s not at all a complete list)

You can also dumpster dive for non-food items, but that’s even harder to explain.  Basically, if you want to buy something in a store, check the store’s dumpster first.  You might get lucky.  REI is a good bet for clothing and shoes.

WITH ALL THESE OPTIONS, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO BUY FOOD WITH CASH.

LESSON TWO: HOUSING

START A SKATER HOUSE – we need some skater houses in the rollerblade world.  If you get a group of skaters together, rent will be pretty cheap and you can all quit your jobs together.  In the future, I think skater houses will be a vital part of the rollerblade community.  Make it happen!

Max did it.  So can you.

START A SKATER SQUAT – Hard to do in the United States, apparently a little easier in Europe.  It’s difficult to explain, but if you’re in the States you’ll want to locate an abandoned house or building that’s been abandoned for a long time.  After watching it for awhile and making sure there’s no alarm system, send mail to yourself at the address.  Then break in (with supplies).  Immediately switch out the locks so YOU have the key to the door and no one else.  Then call the water and electric companies and say you want to get that going.  By the time anyone notices and the cops show up, you’ve got mail addressed to YOU at the house’s address, you’ve got the key to the house, and hopefully you’ve also got a water bill statement.  (Do your own research about the laws if you want to know more.)  Just imagine, living with other skaters for free in your cool squat!  Maybe even putting in a skatepark and charging a small fee….

Here’s some more info on squats: http://www.wikihow.com/Squat-in-Abandoned-Property

These guys lived together in the 90s and skated everyday.

CO-HOUSING – if you’re living by yourself in a house or apartment, you’re paying too much rent.  The easiest way to move into a co-house is to search on www.craigslist.org.  Go to the page for your city and under the housing section click on “rooms / shared.”  If you don’t see a place you want to live, post a add saying that you’re looking for a place to live.

STOP PAYING RENT AND LIVE IN A VAN – this is your best option if you want to really live cheap, skate all the time, and skate in multiple cities.  It allows you the most freedom at the cheapest price.  Here’s what you do: find a van or RV to buy.  You should be able to get one pretty cheep on www.craigslist.org.  Then pimp it out so your ballin.  And lastly, find a place to park it.  You can probably talk your friends into letting you park it in their driveway for a very low rent.  Or find a house to park it at on craigslist.  Or find a street or parking lot where no one will notice you (this will be hard in a big city).  If you’re traveling a lot, it should be even easier to park it, because you only need a few nights or weeks at a time.  Hell, you could even try to park it at your favorite skate spot and wake up early for a session.  Now you’ve got your mobile skater home and you’re lovin it!  But how will you pay for gas without a job?

Here’s your new home.  Welcome to the world of skating everyday.

LESSON THREE: MAKING MONEY

Making money without a job can be a challenge, but since you’ve got your budget figured out, you don’t NEED very much money.  Just enough to get by.  Besides, you’re too busy skating all the time to worry about riches.

www.craigslist.org – It’s pretty easy to sell your old stuff.  Maybe you don’t need that backpack anymore, or that DVD player.  You can also sell your services, such as teaching rollerblade lessons, teaching another of your skills, or offering to do any kind of skilled work you’re qualified for.  As a backup, you can always do odd jobs found on craigslist, such as stacking firewood, mowing lawns, gardening, helping someone move, etc.  A very good resource for making some solid cash.

www.ebay.com – lots of people making their living buying and selling on ebay.  You can sell your old stuff, or buy stuff cheap and sell it for more.  This could take more time than it’s worth, but if you have the personality for it, it’s a good way to make money and you can choose when and how much to do it.

GRANTS – bladers need to be getting those grants!  Apply for grants in documentary filmmaking and make a killer skate video!  You  can even get enough money to live off for a year or more!  Think of all that time you can spend skating and making a awesome skate video.  Grants can be a little tricky to find, but they’re out there.  Maybe you can get a grant for something else related to skating, such as starting a small business, or a photography grant….the possibilities abound.

Prayer of the Rollerboys was not made with a grant.

BUSKING – busking is a really good way to make some fast cash in any big city.  If you play a musical instrument, why not practice on the sidewalk and get paid for it?  Just put out a hat and put some money in it to start, so people get the idea.  You could also juggle, do a magic show, or even skate!  People would definitely pay to see you skate if you sell it right.  This might take two people, a skater and a talker – someone to make jokes and talk it up.

MAKE MONEY OFF YOUR ART OR SKATING – There are plenty of ways to sell your art: at farmer’s markets, on the street, and online.  And as I mentioned, you can offer skating lessons online.  Just as an example, I sold footage off my youtube account for $450.00

LESSON FOUR: TRAVEL

You on your own Anarchy Across America tour, which involved skating every cement park in the country and interviewing all the bums that live near them.

www.couchsurfing.org – one of the best ways to travel cheap and meet cool people everywhere you go.  Couchsurfing is like Facebook for travelers.  You make a profile, and then when you;re traveling you type in the name of the city you want a place to stay, and the website shows you all the people who are willing to host a traveler.  Then you contact whoever you like and BAM, you’ve got a place to stay and some folks to hangout with.

www.craigslist.org – if you don’t have a vehicle and want to go skate in some dope city, use craigslist.org’s “rideshare” section to find a ride.  Really easy to find rides to any major city.

VAN – living in a van or RV is one of your best options for living the skate dream.  It allows you to travel and also avoid paying rent.  It also allows you to live seasonally – living and skating somewhere warm all winter.  If you convert your diesel van to run on veggie oil, you can save lots of money on gas.  For more info on this: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html

LESSON FIVE: EQUIPMENT

Once in a while you need a new tool, or some new skate parts, or some new clothes.  These things are easy enough to obtain cheap or free, especially if you’re patient.

www.craigslist.org – go to the “free” section first.  See if anything you need is available free of charge.  You might be surprised to see what people are giving away.  Next, search for what you need.  You can get things pretty cheap.  Make sure to compare prices on ebay.

www.ebay.com – same deal as craigslist, but ebay doesn’t have a free section.  You can find good deals.  One secret is purposely misspelling words so you can bid on items no one else is even finding.

GOODWILL – You can get all the equipment you need at Goodwill for super cheap.  Get clothing, furniture, tools, etc.  YOU CAN ALSO GET NICE BEARINGS BY BUYING A PAIR OF TEN DOLLAR ROLLERBLADES IN THE SPORTS SECTION.

Get your bearings!

GRANTS – you can get grants for equipment if you propose a project, such as a documentary film.  You could get a video camera, tripod, etc.  Then make a killer skate video or skate documentary.

MUSIC – download at www.filestube.com, etc.

LESSON SIX: SEASONAL WORK

If you don’t want to cut pennies in half all day and you enjoy a few extra luxuries, you should consider seasonal work.  This allows you to work half the year or even less, and spend the rest of the year skating fulltime.  Here’s a list of some good seasonal work:

WINTER WORK:

Ski/snowboard resort (instructor or lift worker) – 5 or 6 months or work.  Allows you to work during the cold season and ski or snowboard while you’re at it!

Ice skating rink – 4 to 6 months of work.  No joke, those ice skating rinks need employees!  Get in some mad practice with your raw skating abilities on the ice.  Pretty soon you’ll be skating with the power of Alex Broskow.

This comparison reveals how Broskow trained.

SUMMER WORK:

Fishing / canning fish – 2 or 3 months of work.  Go up to Alaska for a couple months a year and make enough money to skate for the other ten months.

Summer camps – 3 or 4 months of work.  Work with youth, in a camp kitchen, etc.  Make plenty to support your skater lifestyle.

Trail crew – make and maintain wilderness hiking trails, cut down trees, live outside all summer, get really strong, and make lots of money.

Skatepark – 1 to 4 months of work.  Work at a local skatepark or at Woodward, etc.  Teach kids how to skate and make a little money.

Brick layer – 5 or 6 months of work.  If your like heavy work, shit some bricks all summer and then go skate in sunny California all summer.  An old friend of mine from Iowa use to do this.

LESSON SEVEN: RESOURCES

Here’s some resources that will help you learn more about your new lifestyle.  The main goal is to spend your time skating and traveling and helping the skate community, instead of slaving all day for the man.

BOOKS

How to Survive without a Salary by Charles Long

Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money by Dolly Freed

WEBSITES

www.craigslist.org – rideshares, co-housing, frees stuff, clothing and tools, part time employment, etc.

www.ebay.com – buying and selling to make money or get resources

www.couchsurfing.org – stay for free as you travel

www.foodnotbombs.net – eat free in your home city and while traveling

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Public Library – stop buying books and get edjumacated.  Also, make use of those computers.

Public Parks – get water and park your van for a night or two.  Don’t forget to skate that nice rail.

QUICK REVIEW – THE ESSENTIALS

1. QUIT YOUR JOB

2. BUY A VAN OR START A SKATER HOUSE

3. GET FOOD STAMPS / GET FREE FOOD

4. DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO MAKE A LITTLE CASH

5. APPLY FOR GRANTS

6. START SKATING FULLTIME!!!!

7. MAKE A SKATE VIDEO OR DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT YOUR NEW LIFE

Your new life

It’s time to move into a future where we all put our best time and energy into skating.  Just imagine all those cool skater houses that you could be living in or visiting during your travels.  Imagine skating 9 -5 and making money on the side, instead of the other way around.  Imagine all the amazing skate videos we could make if we had this kind of freedom.  It’s closer than you think….it’s just going to take some imagination, creativity, ingenuity, and cutting back on consumption of useless bullshit.  It’s also going to take courage.  Good luck figuring it out.  I’ll see you on the road.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 at 11:31 pm and is filed under Shock your mind, Uncategorized, lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.