I always thought I was paranoid in terms of the stability and status quo of our world. I mean, the broken household probably wasn’t doing me any favors, and the constant looming threat of that mythical foreign terrorism in the mid 00’s was the icing on the cake.
However, my paranoia wasn’t directed towards a looming evil, or even the next alcohol fueled parental spat. My paranoia lied in the crumbling of the middle class. That very middle class my single working mom hangs onto by a thread. With each passing year, the finances just get worse. Household living expenses and utilities just go up exponentially, while my mom’s salary is stagnant.
I thought I’d be the one to be successful enough to just take the existential weight off of her, and pay back the years she has helped me in the pursuit of my career goals. Well, it’s a year out of college, and everything is just worse. My student loans are drowning me, with no end in sight. No one will hire me in my field, or any creative job remotely related to my field.
I can’t keep up with debt. My mom can’t keep up with bills. My college friends are all in the same employment situation as we spiral closer to an event horizon. Even my home friends who skipped the insurmountable student debt can’t even really do anything.
This modern world isn’t built like our parents or grandparent’s generation. The world is skidding to a gridlock as wealth gets hoarded by the elite. We’re riding the runaway capitalism train straight off of a cliff. We can’t make enough to DO anything. We can’t find work to make enough to DO anything. The socio-economic distinction between all of us is shrinking at an enormous rate, unless you are in the well upper class. Even a few of my well off friends and family aren’t getting the work they would hope. Trickle down economics is a fucking scam spewed by people looking to protect their wealth.
It’s truly frustrating to be trying your damn best to WORK for a comfortable living, and you can’t even be granted that. The gridlock has to end. That paranoia I was thinking in my teens turned out to be true, and supported by even reputable political candidates running in the next election cycle. The working class is going to disappear before you know it, and the creative and scientific figures of society won’t be able to support themselves. It is said by scholar and historian, Odd Arne Westad, that the West was going to lose its economic and political power as Asia further developed. However, even these modern thinkers didn’t see the 4th industrial revolution, resulting in the rise of automation.
If only automation produces goods and does mundane services, then who can buy those goods and services? There won’t be a working middle class to consume. Working hard to get ahead is absolute bullshit in 2019. Maybe it DID work at one point in the past, but not anymore.
Speaking of not being able to consume, I may be laughably poor, but I can still create things I wish I could tangibly make.
I settled on a random job to cover bills, and after work, I’d photoshop a classic car. I figured it would be a nice way to practice my graphic design skills, and use Photoshop while I can still afford it. I’ve photoshopped cars before, but I knew coming into it with a fresh perspective would yield some really cool results.
My first render was of a 75-86 Rolls-Royce Camargue. Stock, this vehicle is slow and a bit gaudy. It’s also rare and expensive as hell. My Instagram v8_or_die has a lot better information on the vehicle. My idea was to give it a proper stance, and swap in the more potent 420hp turbocharged Rolls-Royce designed 412ci v8, that was available in another model.
Next was one of my favorite ideas I had. It was an 1984 Oldsmobile Toronado with all-wheel-drive and a turbocharged Oldsmobile diesel v8. It had to be stanced with a custom front air dam, of course. The appeal of this to me was the fact that the real Oldsmobile diesel engine had a heap of early design flaws, and so the engine never got to reach its true potential. If money was no factor, I’d recast the engine block with the proper amount of head bolts and better wall thickness. Perhaps I could even go with some kind of custom aluminum heads for it? I would just love to dump a few thousand dollars developing a “what-if” improved version of the original design architecture.
Next was my 1974 Roadrunner Hellcat idea. A Hellcat engine swap is getting popular these days, and dropping one into a pro-touring themed Roadrunner would be great. The 74′ model year is all but forget, so this would garner some curiosity.
Next is a 1979 Cadillac SeVille in a protouring stanced style. I think it is one of my most well executed renders thus far, and I’m really happy how it turned out. Practicality is obviously up for debate haha.
Next up is an 85 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. I used the wheels and front air dam from CTSV wagon. I always though the “high technology” series v8 that came in these had a lot of potential. It would have also been interesting to see an all-wheel-drive system integrated.
These have been my best renders so far. I have had a few that I wasn’t as proud of, or didn’t finish, but alas, that is just life. I love making unconventional custom cars, and I think it is a great way to bring awareness to the lesser appreciated segments in our automotive history. The automotive hobby isn’t just about dick measuring with your horsepower. The automotive hobby is a way to respect the design, engineering, marketing, and socio-economic history surrounding those 4 wheeled things you drive to work every single day. If I was Jay Leno, I’d just be building ridiculous cars all day long. It would be fun to design these odd creations, build them, and auction them off for a charitable cause. Perhaps in due time.
I think something has got to give at some point here. People can’t keep living while getting under paid and over charged for everything. The system is broken, and it is up to our generation to fix it. I don’t even think our parents can do anything at this rate, or perhaps it is just willful ignorance? The complete lack of empathy shown for anyone in this society is also appalling. Have cancer in the United States? Well have fun being bankrupt, but don’t worry, you can make a GoFundMe! Maybe you should have just worked harder for better medical insurance?
Maybe…you should just work harder? You know, by the bootstraps!
It’s kind of pathetic that asking for a livable wage with affordable healthcare is somehow controversial. There’s so much nonsense going on in this world, and we can’t even get the basics right. The infinite reach of human greed is unfathomable. So unfathomable, I fear it may be too late to fix the damage that has been rought.
All I want to do is get a job in the creative field. It would be even better to get a creative job in an automotive centric company. Maybe a studio working an an automotive centric game?
If I do end up getting a job I really love, will I just end up being one of the willfully ignorant? Will I become just as selfish as the “haves”, since I would no longer be a “have-not”?
I hope not. I hope I have enough self awareness to never forget where I’ve come from, and fight for those looking to climb the same impossible ladder. I keep fighting on, everyday, with every ounce of strength I have. I will keep improving my skills, and sending out applications, or die trying.
