Colleagues

This Bastionland Editorial was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site a week after its original publication.

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When I decided to make Bastionland into a full-time career, practically everybody I told said the same thing.

"Aah, I bet you'll go crazy working on your own all day!"

I boasted that I'm a misanthropic hermit, and working alone sounds like a dream! Though I did plan on using coworking spaces for the occasional change of scenery. 

Then March 2021 came to an end, along with my previous job, and suddenly I was working from home but also so was practically every other person in the country.

So all those conversations faded into irrelevance. I was sharing a workspace with my partner, and there were much bigger isolation-based fears to tackle beyond my workday.

Over a year later, and we still both work from home, albeit in separate rooms. We sneak coffee breaks together and the occasional walk around the block, and talk about our day as we prepare dinner. 

But I must confess, I do miss having colleagues. 

I've always loved having time to myself, but looking back on previous jobs I hadn't realised quite how much I enjoyed relied on having somebody there doing the same thing as you. Somebody to complain with about that rude customer. Another person that's annoyed by an unreliable supplier. A familiar face to ask for help when you can't remember where that shared file is stored.

At the risk of shattering any remaining doubt of my uncoolness, I actually quite enjoyed those sprawling strategy meetings and weekly catchups. Maybe four people. Somebody to give the spark of an idea you wouldn't have had alone, or perhaps turn your own half-joked suggestion into something viable. Yeah, some meetings were hell, but only I'm pining for the good bits.

Now, like so many others, I'm working solo. And not just remote, but literally the only employee of the company. I've had collaborators, I have other designers that I can ping for a chat, and lots of social media contacts to reach out to, but it's not the same. 

When I started this job I spoke to my partner about creating a little discord server for people working in similar situations, a sort of UK RPG water cooler, but everything I've seen from social media over the last year has put me off that idea. That shared complaint about a bad customer can take on an ugly new form when you digitise the negativity. It needs real air to dissipate. Screens trap it below the glass, turning rotten. 

Maybe I'll take a walk instead.