VOCATIONS
They say work dignifies, although sometimes all it manages to do is leave our backs aching and our patience wearing thin. In this series, Gonza dons a wide variety of uniforms, from traditional trades that smell of sawdust and hard work, to professions as outlandish—literally—as astronaut. Because let's be honest: we spend a third of our lives clocking in and out, so denying that our professional life is a fundamental pillar of our identity would be fooling ourselves.
Here we serve up the hot and unfiltered debate: Is it better to do what you are passionate about, or to learn to be passionate about what you do? We've been sold the romantic mantra of "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life," a phrase that looks nice on a mug, but often clashes head-on with the reality of the bills. Is vocation a divine calling felt deep in the gut, or a pragmatic construct built to find meaning in routine? Perhaps true mastery lies not in the position you hold, but in the dignity with which you perform your role and the love with which you do it.
This collection explores how our professional image defines us in the public eye. The moment we're introduced to someone, the second question is always, "So, what do you do?", as if our human worth were measured by the answer. Gonza, with his characteristic irony, shows us that behind the suit, the blue jumpsuit, or the diving suit, the same person still lives, full of insecurities, dreams, and a longing for Friday. Our profession becomes so intertwined with our lives that we sometimes forget where the professional persona ends and the human being begins.
Get ready to see Gonza trying to maintain his composure in work situations that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. I don't know if we'll find the answer to the eternal dilemma of success and happiness at work, but I assure you that watching him grapple with tools he clearly doesn't know how to use will help us demystify that affected seriousness of the adult world. In the end, we're all apprentices playing at being professionals in this complicated business we call life.