...And Scene
That's it. I am done. Kaputt. Before this city becomes the death of me, or before I become the death bringer to someone in this city I have to leave. I will be leaving screaming at the top of my lungs, half naked, and with streams of mascara running down my face. I don't wear makeup but you get the point of my near insanity if I lay it out that way. I am a pacifist, but it took 90 minutes of yoga, a conversation with Li'l Pony, the movies "A Constant Gardener" and "Fight Club", and an organic baby spinach salad with chipotle buttermilk ranch dressing to placate the rage that I had boiling in me. It takes a lot to make me flip out and it has to build up, but I'll be damned if the people in this city didn't manage to get me there in a weekend. Friday through Monday people in the service industry, a client, and fellow artists took advantage of my laid back non-confrontational attitude and walked all over me. I let them get away with it which is why I think I became more upset day by day. I usually fight back; especially for the underdog, but when it comes to myself sometimes I give into the defeatist attitude hoping not to rock the boat. It ALWAYS backfires, and then I end up spending days beating myself up trying to figure out what went wrong. Grrrrr! I am over it now, but I am still disappointed in my fellow human beings.
Before anyone goes commenting on how there are people like this in every city, let me explain that Miami Beach/Miami seems to have a higher concentration of shady, lazy, and complacent people. I can't understand why a city that is know for tourism and parties has the most deplorable and unprofessional service industry in the ENTIRE WORLD! Yes, I said it. The world. I've been all over the world and Miami Beach needs to have a sitcom based on the shit that goes on in restaurants, bars, and retail and what these employees actually get away with. I have been living here off and on for 4 years after being away for 10 and I haven't seen a touch of improvement. From the under poured 12 dollar drinks in practically every establishment, to the unsanitary preparation of the food, I am surprised I haven't gone postal at some restaurant and stabbed a couple of servers with a fork. I have a list of restaurants where I have been sickened by their food. One of the restaurants has given me a stomach virus 4 times, swear to you! My letters to the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce are probably used to pick up dog poop in Flamingo Park. What is with the velvet rope policy at practically every establishment in this city? I've learned that if I want to go out to a club I need to bring 57 models, or strippers to even get noticed at the ropes even though I will most likely drop a couple hundred bucks on drinks. I should get a beejer with that. Sunday was the final straw. Picture it, breakfast at one of the trendy eateries that I know will take about an hour and half out of my day. I am prepared for this, I mean its Sunday, a day of R&R right? The server took 35 minutes to come to our table to get our DRINK order. Another 15 to get us our coffee and mimosas. We saw the server twice throughout the entire meal which took about 2 ours to serve, clean up, and hand over the final bill. At one point I had to go into the restaurant to look for the skank for some more coffee and napkins. Yeah, the hostess was about as bright as a postage stamp so I had to do it myself. On that final bill there was a 19% tip (service) charge included which I took as a suggestion, because I reduced it to 15% although the skank deserved like a penny. I am bitter, but not cruel. We left, and I shit you not, the serve CAME AFTER US! A block down the road the little hussy runs up to us to tell us that tipping is mandatory. I informed the skank that so was service, and I felt that 15% was generous considering it was pretty much a self service kind of meal. The server ROLLED its beady little eyes and stormed off! The nerve of that skank, so I went back to the restaurant, one that I have visited many times to suggest to the manager that some of their employees could use some sensitivity training. I never raised my voice, and I did the conversation to the side as to not create a scene. He told me that due to inflation, 18% is the new industry standard and I should be more understanding of the server who is "just doing their job". WHAT?!! Oh Gawd, my heart is jumping I need to walk away from this one like I did on Sunday.
As for the client and the fellow artists. Well, I am usually the first one people call a 7:00 am if their makeup artist doesn't show up, or I will take shit jobs because I was once on the bottom rung of the ladder in the fashion industry and I think it is good karma to give back to people who could use the help. I don't have to make 1k a day on every job, I am proud to say, because I love my work. However, Miami doesn't get the greatest reputation in the fashion world because of its notoriety for having people here that either want you to work for free or claim the project is more that it is. All fluff and no substance. I had to learn how to do hair because it would guarantee that I would make more money. Clients lie all the time to get the better artists which is good business practice I guess, but bad karma. Don't tell my agent that the job is for a major retailer but for local advertisement, and when I show up have it be for some local designer who is wanting to develop their web page, and look book for their clothing line in the hopes of selling to said major retailer. When you lie like that my rates change, and what I should be getting for this kind of work is vastly different from what you projected to my agent. On top of that, it is sooooo unprofessional and just plain cheap to cram a three day shoot into one. Also, do not talk down to me as if I should be honored to be in some shit hole studio in some warehouse district near the airport after I was misled into believing my work would be valued. You can't expect me to be this chipper disco queen when you have 400 shots (yes, that was 400) planned and the breakfast you provide is a bucket full of croissants from Costco or the lunch you provide is bags full of chips and a Publix deli sandwich wheel that has been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. I can understand a small budget, but please inform me of this before I get there so I don't feel taken advantage of so I can make the economic decision as to whether it would be to my benefit to take the job. On top of all that, don't expect me to stay 2 hours overtime without the consideration of asking me. This was all day Friday. I tried my hardest not to walk out, I call my agent a million times, and she felt that I shouldn't leave either. So I took it. All of it without lube. Monday rolls around, and the producer tells my agent that I was the most unprofessional artist that she ever encountered. Apparently, I didn't speak or was my usual self as I had been, and the client was "scared" to ask me to do anything. Apparently out of the 400 shots 53 had too much shine on the forehead. Apparently the client was upset about the fact I chose not to do makeup on her and I focused on the models. Apparently the client was upset that I didn't want to stick around after the shoot (already 2 hours overtime). Apparently my agent didn't do shit to defend my reputation and did not voice my concerns over the fact I felt I was taken advantage of, misled, and underpaid. I have never received a complaint in all of the time I have been in this industry, not one. I have taken pride in my ability to take the lumps and brush them off. This Miami designer got a 3 day shoot, with a stellar artist for 11 hours (15 minutes lunch) with two models (makeup and hair), 300 changes, no overtime fees, no kit fees and no transportation reimbursement for the wonderful price of $400 minus 20% agency fee. Uggg, my stomach is in knots right now. I have to let it go.
Ok, so I am done with this city. Done. Wow, that was so nice to vent out. I am hungry now.
Before anyone goes commenting on how there are people like this in every city, let me explain that Miami Beach/Miami seems to have a higher concentration of shady, lazy, and complacent people. I can't understand why a city that is know for tourism and parties has the most deplorable and unprofessional service industry in the ENTIRE WORLD! Yes, I said it. The world. I've been all over the world and Miami Beach needs to have a sitcom based on the shit that goes on in restaurants, bars, and retail and what these employees actually get away with. I have been living here off and on for 4 years after being away for 10 and I haven't seen a touch of improvement. From the under poured 12 dollar drinks in practically every establishment, to the unsanitary preparation of the food, I am surprised I haven't gone postal at some restaurant and stabbed a couple of servers with a fork. I have a list of restaurants where I have been sickened by their food. One of the restaurants has given me a stomach virus 4 times, swear to you! My letters to the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce are probably used to pick up dog poop in Flamingo Park. What is with the velvet rope policy at practically every establishment in this city? I've learned that if I want to go out to a club I need to bring 57 models, or strippers to even get noticed at the ropes even though I will most likely drop a couple hundred bucks on drinks. I should get a beejer with that. Sunday was the final straw. Picture it, breakfast at one of the trendy eateries that I know will take about an hour and half out of my day. I am prepared for this, I mean its Sunday, a day of R&R right? The server took 35 minutes to come to our table to get our DRINK order. Another 15 to get us our coffee and mimosas. We saw the server twice throughout the entire meal which took about 2 ours to serve, clean up, and hand over the final bill. At one point I had to go into the restaurant to look for the skank for some more coffee and napkins. Yeah, the hostess was about as bright as a postage stamp so I had to do it myself. On that final bill there was a 19% tip (service) charge included which I took as a suggestion, because I reduced it to 15% although the skank deserved like a penny. I am bitter, but not cruel. We left, and I shit you not, the serve CAME AFTER US! A block down the road the little hussy runs up to us to tell us that tipping is mandatory. I informed the skank that so was service, and I felt that 15% was generous considering it was pretty much a self service kind of meal. The server ROLLED its beady little eyes and stormed off! The nerve of that skank, so I went back to the restaurant, one that I have visited many times to suggest to the manager that some of their employees could use some sensitivity training. I never raised my voice, and I did the conversation to the side as to not create a scene. He told me that due to inflation, 18% is the new industry standard and I should be more understanding of the server who is "just doing their job". WHAT?!! Oh Gawd, my heart is jumping I need to walk away from this one like I did on Sunday.
As for the client and the fellow artists. Well, I am usually the first one people call a 7:00 am if their makeup artist doesn't show up, or I will take shit jobs because I was once on the bottom rung of the ladder in the fashion industry and I think it is good karma to give back to people who could use the help. I don't have to make 1k a day on every job, I am proud to say, because I love my work. However, Miami doesn't get the greatest reputation in the fashion world because of its notoriety for having people here that either want you to work for free or claim the project is more that it is. All fluff and no substance. I had to learn how to do hair because it would guarantee that I would make more money. Clients lie all the time to get the better artists which is good business practice I guess, but bad karma. Don't tell my agent that the job is for a major retailer but for local advertisement, and when I show up have it be for some local designer who is wanting to develop their web page, and look book for their clothing line in the hopes of selling to said major retailer. When you lie like that my rates change, and what I should be getting for this kind of work is vastly different from what you projected to my agent. On top of that, it is sooooo unprofessional and just plain cheap to cram a three day shoot into one. Also, do not talk down to me as if I should be honored to be in some shit hole studio in some warehouse district near the airport after I was misled into believing my work would be valued. You can't expect me to be this chipper disco queen when you have 400 shots (yes, that was 400) planned and the breakfast you provide is a bucket full of croissants from Costco or the lunch you provide is bags full of chips and a Publix deli sandwich wheel that has been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. I can understand a small budget, but please inform me of this before I get there so I don't feel taken advantage of so I can make the economic decision as to whether it would be to my benefit to take the job. On top of all that, don't expect me to stay 2 hours overtime without the consideration of asking me. This was all day Friday. I tried my hardest not to walk out, I call my agent a million times, and she felt that I shouldn't leave either. So I took it. All of it without lube. Monday rolls around, and the producer tells my agent that I was the most unprofessional artist that she ever encountered. Apparently, I didn't speak or was my usual self as I had been, and the client was "scared" to ask me to do anything. Apparently out of the 400 shots 53 had too much shine on the forehead. Apparently the client was upset about the fact I chose not to do makeup on her and I focused on the models. Apparently the client was upset that I didn't want to stick around after the shoot (already 2 hours overtime). Apparently my agent didn't do shit to defend my reputation and did not voice my concerns over the fact I felt I was taken advantage of, misled, and underpaid. I have never received a complaint in all of the time I have been in this industry, not one. I have taken pride in my ability to take the lumps and brush them off. This Miami designer got a 3 day shoot, with a stellar artist for 11 hours (15 minutes lunch) with two models (makeup and hair), 300 changes, no overtime fees, no kit fees and no transportation reimbursement for the wonderful price of $400 minus 20% agency fee. Uggg, my stomach is in knots right now. I have to let it go.
Ok, so I am done with this city. Done. Wow, that was so nice to vent out. I am hungry now.
posted by Joshua-Myles at 11:12 AM
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