By John Debono
Hospitality service jobs, like bartending and serving, unites us all as broke artists. These jobs can both be incredibly fun and horribly humbling in one night. For the more observant individual, bartending can provide more than the ability to pay rent. There are essential creative and business skills that can be enhanced through bartending. For future writers, here are seven reasons to see bartending not as a job, but as a learning experience.
1. Don’t be afraid of heavy lifting.
Even the most enjoyable jobs have miserable moments. For bartending, it’s going to a venue in the afternoon to carry giant bags of ice, throw around kegs and cut countless lemons. It’s boring (and somewhat painful) but it’s what you need to do to secure a paycheck. Take this approach to screenwriting; you’re constantly editing your work (writing is re-writing), which means cutting out hunks of dialogue, scenes and sometimes even whole characters that you grew to love so your story has the maximum payoff. This takes a great deal of discipline and focus, but whether it’s getting your magnum opus made or meeting attractive women, the sacrifice is worth it- so grin and bear it.
2. A sense of ambiance
When people are going out on a Friday night, they want to have fun. With that in mind, frat boys are not going to enjoy the pubs that my grandmother does and they probably do not enjoy the same stories (except for Drive. Everyone loves Ryan Gosling). So have the location reflect your customers’ definition of fun. Whether it’s formica counters, tea lights, or drunks butchering Sweet Caroline on karaoke night, you give them what they want. When you’re writing, be aware of the mood and setting of your story and create a world your target audience will recognize. Don’t bend over backwards conforming to genre tropes, but keep in mind that a moody family drama doesn’t play out in a honky-tonk bar in the way a knee-slapping buddy comedy would.
3. Be charming
It’s hard for bartenders to make tips, 95% of which are earned as a result of likability. Like in life, when everything else is fairly even, being a nice guy will be the reason you succeed. Get to know your customers, do not be afraid to compliment them and it never hurts to smile. As a writer, personal connections are everything and if you do not have them, make them. When you are an anonymous name on one of fifty scripts, you might not get noticed. When they recognize your name, you become more of a priority. Personal connections do not substitute talent, but it helps open that door.
4. Show confidence
Swagger is a necessity for bartending. You have to be the person that everyone wants to hang out with. As corny as this sounds, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Don’t be arrogant, but be interesting and charming enough so people want to get to know you. With writing, not only does that confidence come out in how you sell yourself, but in the script. Characters can be unlikable, but they better be interesting. You can work to make them modest or kind, but you can’t fake passion for dull characters and it’ll show in your work.
5. Observe your patrons
While bartending you have to pick up on small details. The way someone walks or looks at you exposes a lot about their emotions- and more importantly how sober they are. As words are only as meaningful as their context, these characteristics become important tools. Joaquin Phoenix in The Master is a great example. The unpredictability of Freddie Quell is visualized by Phoenix’s twitches and the intensity of his stares and body movement. Writers should always look to fully flesh out their characters. Heroes lose control and villains have pet cats- pay attention to people and apply their idiosyncrasies to the page.
6. Show patience
In bartending, you see a lot of people acting irrationally or straight up cruelly. As a result, bartenders are more rational and calm than most get credit for. It is easy to get angry about stupidity, but is generally counterproductive to express this. As a writer, you will have to deal with jokes and criticism about your career choices. Unless they can offer something productive about your writing, all getting mad does is take focus off the work. Learn to laugh at yourself and how to deal with these questions. If you are working towards your dreams, it shows more courage than most people have and remember that success is the greatest revenge of all.7. Listen: Everyone has an interesting story.
Probably the most insightful bit of advice I have is perfectly summarized in the Cheers theme song. A bartender should be able to listen to everyone and be as comforting and non-judgmental as possible. Every patron is the lead in the story of their lives, and you can bet they’ve got plenty experience to fill the margins. As a writer you’ve got to have an appreciation for good stories, tolerance for the bad ones and the wisdom to know the difference. Keep your ears perked everyday and pay attention to the people around you- listen in and you may just end up with the seeds for the next Juno or Garden State. If bartending has taught me anything, it is how interesting and open people are if you give them the chance.
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