Welcome to Wishful Working
When I stepped away from traditional employment and started freelancing in 2022, I became obsessed with work. Not in a “grinding at my desk for 80+ hours per week” way, but in a “passionately investigating historical and cultural norms around work” way.
Wishful Working was born out of a desire to share my self-employment experiences and thoughts about the world of work. I also want to acknowledge the many types of work that fill our days — paid and unpaid, seen and unseen.
These categories of work aren’t mutually exclusive, and they likely aren’t comprehensive.
The goal is to simply broaden our narrow definition of work and recognize value beyond economic productivity and profits.
Life Maintenance
The work of sustaining daily life
Includes things like household chores, cooking, errands, home upkeep, household logistics, personal admin.
Often unpaid, invisible, and feminized. May also be referred to as “reproductive labor.”
Inner Work and Self-Care
The work of sustaining yourself
Includes things like exercise, healthcare and therapy, rest and sleep, recovery, healing, reflection, self-improvement, learning, hobbies and play, spiritual practice.
Generally unpaid.
Relational and Care Work
The work of sustaining others and maintaining relationships
Includes things like caregiving, parenting, community care, mutual aid, neighbor support, relationship upkeep, social admin, volunteering.
Often unpaid, invisible, and feminized.
Employment
The work of economic exchange and paid labor
Includes salaried jobs, hourly work, self-employment, entrepreneurship, informal paid work, side hustles.
Socially recognized as “real work.”
Creative Work
The work of meaning-making and self-expression
Includes things like art, writing, music, craft, design, content creation, cultural and narrative work, innovation.
Can be paid, as part of employment, or unpaid, as personal practice and/or cultural contribution.
Stewardship
The work of sustaining the natural, social, and built world.
Includes things like environmental protection, climate work, conservation, community stewardship, civic participation, organizing and advocacy, gardening, animal care.
Can be personal, home-scale work or collective, system-scale work.
About the Author
I’m Kara Detwiller, a writer and creative originally from Des Moines, Iowa. In 2021, I moved to rural Saskatchewan, where I enjoy small-town living as a freelance content writer, aspiring author, and part-time librarian.
I love reading, crafting, traveling, watching movies, spending time with family, drinking tea, napping, being outside, and thrifting.
Connect with me on LinkedIn or shoot me an email.
