Escape from Cubicle Nation

Escape from Cubicle Nation now has a theme song: The Cube by Owen Sartori

Sometimes things fall in my lap that I don't even realize I am looking for.

A few months ago, I got an email from Owen Sartori, a cube-dwelling computer programmer-turned full time musician from Minneapolis.  He said:

"Hi Pam!  I love your blog and wrote a song that you might really enjoy.  It could be Escape from Cubicle Nation's theme!"

I listened to the song, for the first of at least 50 times, and can't agree more!  Here are the lyrics (the song launches when you go to his MySpace page):

The Cube
by Owen Sartori

Another beautiful day in the cube

There's data to be entered by this paper-pushing fool

You know, I never see the connection

between the face in the computer's reflection and this micromanaged you

So tired, so barren, so bloody uninspired

Call it cubicle or coffin

from the moment that I log in my mind plays hide-and-seek

You know, I never feel like working

If they knew how much they pay me for surfing I wouldn't last a week

command or strong demand that this...

That this should be my life

Such a cruel joke that this should be my life

Oh, my life

What's important is the paycheck

If you can never mind the train wreck you just might make it through the week

What a pitiful existence

always kneeling to the resistance, never rising up to take yourself a peek

over this grey divider, this foul obstruction, this shameful notion...

That this...  That this should be my life

Such a cruel joke that this should be my life

Oh, such a cruel joke that this should be my life

I'm more startled than I'm scared

More angry than I'm sad I'm not yet there

fool me once I'm still the shameful, still the fool and still to blame for this.

That this should be my life

Such a cruel joke that this should be my life

Oh, such a cruel joke that this should be my life

I'm more startled than I'm scared

More angry than I'm sad

One of the things that I love the most about this connection is that Owen is writing from personal experience.  And, of course, that he escaped, realizing that the "cruel joke" of cube dwelling "was not his life."

The Cube is the title from his new CD, Another Beautiful Day in the Cube.  If you love the song or the album, buy it!  By supporting independent musicians, you support entrepreneurship in general.  The iTunes link is here (you need iTunes to access it) or you can get it from Burst Records.

Great work Owen!

I am already having fantasies of a speaking tour to promote the book which begin by blasting The Cube loudly in the room.  :)

Business 101

After yesterday's post about Grand Canyon University, the new college focused on entrepreneurship, my Dad sent me this cartoon. (I don't have the source, but knowing him, it is most likely from The New Yorker)

It was too funny not to share, given the topic of this blog. 

Thanks Dad!

P.S.  My Dad has read my blog every day since I started with a readership of 2 people.  I appreciate it!

'My own private cubicle' illustration by Frank Wu

Every once in awhile I look at the referral source for visitors to this blog.  If they are a result of a Google search, I often find some great sibling sites.  I found this wonderful illustration of My private cubicle by Frank Wu from the search "trapped in a cubicle picture."  He captures the angst some of us have felt while trapping ourselves within a cube!

Also great is his Fighting for the corner office.

Keep up the great work Frank, you have real talent!

Death by cubicle

In his gripping post Death by Cubicle, Matthew Sheahan captures the spirit, mood, despair and insanity felt by some people trapped inside Cubicle Nation.  Exerpts:

"Sometimes I think that I will suffer a death by cubicle. Not that the place where I work presents any mortal danger. If the walls of my cubicle collapsed and fell on top of me I would be able to escape without any serious injury. I could probably survive a fall from a nearby window if I had to jump during a bad fire. I might land on the homeless couple that camps out underneath one of the boss’s windows. No, what I mean is that working in the regular working world will eat away at my heart and soul to the point that I will either take my own life in a spectacular way or I will finally submit to the life of a corporate drone, a condition worse than death."

"One of my co-workers was fired last year. It was a big shock to me, seeing as she had been there for about six years and was a consistent and good worker. I have kept in touch with her, and she told me that getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to her. She started her own jam company as a hobby a few years ago, and has been working harder at it since being fired. While her firing causes me to live in constant fear of losing my job, it also leaves me longing. If she can get fired and land on her feet doing something she loves, then what’s stopping me? Maybe financial stability is a small price to pay for happiness and/or sanity."

Matthew is a journalist, so his writing is very good.  But perhaps my favorite part of the whole thing is a comment at the end of his post:

"i do believe your daydreams may come true if somone from "the office" reads your latest column. best of luck!"

mom
02.18.2005

Cuba libre!

My friend Michael cracked me up with this sign-off after he read this blog ...

CUBA LIBRE!

Translated from Spanish, it means "Free Cuba," and I believe it refers to the fight for Cuban independence.  Although I don't drink, I know it is also a mixture of rum and coke. I feel it is a very appropriate war cry for this blog.  May you be free from your "cuba" in the new year.  No offense Fidel!

Real evidence of Cubicle Nation inhabitants

A short search on Google led me to a tribe of Cubicle Nation inhabitants.  In their words,

"For the denizens of the millions of beige boxes around the world. Like mice in lab cages, neatly laid out side by side, you will find us. We have photos of our families and pets hung with small pins on the bland fabric walls. A small toy or two sits next to the computer monitor. We can hear each other's phone conversations, and when something of interest happens nearby, our heads pop up like a giant corporate whack-a-mole game. We are...

CUBICLE NATION. "

Cubicle Nation - tribe.net

A few sample comments reinforce my belief that for some, survival strategies are akin to putting lipstick on a pig.

Mon, September 27, 2004 - 12:18 PM
Cubicle decor
So what do you add to your beige cell to make it more homey?

I have little goodies like toy cars, a statue of Gutenberg, a miniature of the chopping block used to behead Henry's wives (that makes me smile when I think of some folks here), photos of my cats and my hubby, some peacock feathers in a vase, a picture of the two of us drinking wine in Germany, a mosaic pencil holder...lots of paper and crap.

(Notice that the "lots of paper and crap" is the actual work that she is paid to do inside the cubicle.)

Sat, August 21, 2004 - 6:00 PM
Wasting away in Cubeville

There must be millions of us out there; mouse-clicking, paper-stacking, fresh-air-yearning drones of The Great Hive.  Our walls are beige, our carpets are grey.  We are ... cubicle nation.

Sat, August 21, 2004 - 8:03 PM
Re:  Wasting away in Cubeville

LOL!  Hey...I can go a step further...mine is in the basement of the building!

National Lampoon had the other corner on Cubicle Nation - under office pranks. 

National Lampoon's office pranks

OFFICE PRANK:

Cubicle Nation!

THINGS NEEDED:

-A shotgun

-A homemade flag

-landmines

Come to work and declare your cubicle an independent country.  Construct your own flag for your cubicle/country with your face as the emblem.  Hang the flag high over your work space, naming the country after yourself.  Also create an original national anthem and sing it at full volume.  If you can't think of an original tune, use a song from 80's rockers RATT.

When a co-worker comes near your cube, yell, "Get the hell out of MY country!"  Make specific rules which govern your new country.  Start a revolution to overthrow other cubicles.  Make them refer to you as "El Presidente."  When security comes to remove you from the building, put up a fight, protecting the rights of your country and its bi-laws.  Once escorted to your car, drive home and enjoy a hearty laugh at coworker's expense.

Need I say more?

Are you trapped in Cubicle Nation?

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my ideal client these days as I ponder the next phase of my business.

After simmering on this for the last couple of weeks, it suddenly hit me:

I want to free the prisoners of Cubicle Nation!

Cubicle Nation was not even a term that I knew of consciously before this afternoon.  It just came to me as I was walking my six-month old son around the house to put him to sleep.  I was suddenly overcome by the feeling of the oppressive, constraining, crazy-making environment of many corporations today.  I thought about the people that, like myself, know how to thrive in those environments, but by doing so feel their creative soul and spirit sucked dry.

I am getting clearer on the profile of someone in this situation. Can you relate?

• You are a smart and capable professional that works in the corporate world
• You have done all the "right things" in your career; gotten good grades, went to the right college, took a job at a prestigious company and quickly climbed the ranks
• You have all the trappings of outward success
• Despite this success, you often feel like an imposter and wonder when everyone is going to find out that you are actually absolutely the wrong person for your job
• You hate playing office politics, biting your tongue, and watching your creative projects whither and die by getting caught in endless committee reviews and revisions until they are lame, gutless corporate initiatives that have zero chance of making a difference
• You want to escape and do something creative, adventurous and bold like start a new business or teach scuba diving but you are afraid to leave the security of your job

I know these people are out there because I have run into them for years in corporations across America!  They want to make a change but are terrified to actually do it. 

There are many people inside corporations that feel energized, motivated and happy with their jobs.  More power to them!

But for those that have never quite "fit in" and feel the oppressive, Big Brother-like dread of working in Cubicle Nation, I think we have some juicy possibilities here!