Making Plans (Artskaf)

[Lore]

Lore just sort of blinked at the fact Cadence did not have PA or a proper diary. She hadn’t meant a journal for thoughts, but an actual concrete planner for things like meetings – or even just people’s birthdays! And it was no good at home either. Didn’t she have a Wallet? (she did!) Much better to sync it all to something most people carried everyday.

Though Lore seemed genuinely surprised she didn’t seem at all phased, just considerate of how best to offer her help. That was a given, and something she didn't even pause to consider might not be wanted to the degree she would give it. There were plenty of people in her life who preferred spontaneity (well, that being Damien again), and whatever Lore’s own preferences for living life she generally just got on with things. Chaos didn’t stress her. She just liked to roll up her sleeves and organise it.

“Hm, okay. So Work and Creative might overlap but they have very different fuels. Or, uh, spoons as you put it. Creative is all the things that energise you – the ones you get to do and are probably the reasons you became a musician. And work is all the necessities which go into the thing you love also being your business. So think of your categories that way – in terms of energy. Your balance needs to be between the things that recharge you, the things that drain you, and the things that can be both, dependent on what the rest or your day or week looks like. The colour coding works as a visual aid for that information at a glance, not necessarily a hard and fast rule in this case. Scheduling isn’t about timings, or not only – it’s about translating it all into a format that works the best for you, so you get the most out of it.” She was typing as she talked – inputting the information Cadence gave her into a barebones document. “So your PA definitely needs to know that about you. Your spoons, I mean. That way they can arrange things better to suit your needs, and make sure to preserve decompression time when you need it most. While also making sure you don’t become a hermit. And, uh, laundry and chores we definitely delegate. You don’t need to be worrying about those.” She paused for a fraction of a moment, thinking. “Well, unless folding laundry also comes under recharging. But otherwise, if it’s taking unnecessary spoons, it goes. Makes sense, yes?”

[Cadence]

"Lore," Cadence said, her voice genuine. "I think you are an absolute godsend."

Lore was completely changing her way of thinking on this. Things now made a lot more sense than they had. Her complete crashes on the weekends being the biggest concern. Ezvin had helped with that. The social time with him had done more than reveal that she could have emotions that weren't freaking out. She had actually felt recharged. It was all about energy consumption and recycling.

Cadence also knew she didn't want to be a hermit. She liked being with people, and thought that was maybe part of what had been nice about going to the nest. There had been people there. Becoming a hermit was not something she wanted, but she knew she needed alone time too. That was just as important. Cadence also had to smile at the mention of chores.

"Yes - it makes sense. Chores have to go away. Definitely not a recharge. By delegate, I assume you mean that my PA does it, or at least makes sure it gets done?" cleaning had actually in many ways become a detriment to her health. Ezvin had called it something like a "Cinderella impression." He wasn't off the mark on that. It had been a stressful way to just fill time that she didn't know what to do with. That also brought something else to mind. "You seem to be a very professional woman, so please keep this here, but I have significant emotional and mental health issues. I'm assuming my PA should know about those too and how to handle it. It's also a part of the reason things are messy. Sometimes, it's just hard to keep my head above water if that makes sense." Cadence didn't go into details. She didn't think she needed to at this point.

"I think now it seems like there is a definite imbalance. Work is very high, creative is low, and social is abysmal. It's difficult to make a change directly to balance that out - at least during recording season. But then again, you're the expert. Maybe I'm missing something. I can't cut my recording time down. It just doesn't work that way. But I feel like there has to be something I can do better," Cadence continued to spin her rings and sighed. "There is another problem too. I don't know if I have the knowledge to train someone else in this." Lore would probably be a perfect PA for her, but Cadence wasn't one to poach and Lore seemed completely happy in her position. She wasn't going to ask or even joke about trying to take her away from it, but maybe she could help the person Cadence found.

[Lore]

Cadence made her beam. And Lore was utterly unselfconscious about it.

“By delegate I mean you get a housekeeper or cleaner for chores,” she explained. “Your PA can help with the hire, and they will be the one to liaise and keep things running smoothly.”

She shifted a little, clearly enjoying herself. She hadn’t even realised the coffee had arrived. “See, this is why we start with the blocks of time which are non-negotiable. Then you can see what's left.” She pointed at the information she had input. The colours were chosen arbitrarily for now, just for illustration purposes.

“This is your rough work week now. And this is where you're trying to recharge at the end of each day – but it's just to repeat the same cycle the next day, not true rest. And the weekend is just more of the same – a frantic attempt to fit everything else you need to before it's Monday again. You're living on depleted. Obviously this is a temporary situation for recording season, and it's okay to do that sometimes – really push yourself. But that doesn't mean we can't be more efficient with it.”

She swiped the screen.

"And this is your week without the things we don't need. Creative and Social at the weekends, with extra decompression as and when you need it. I would say your workweek blocks are long and it might benefit you to break those down further, visually speaking I mean. And perhaps look at ways your lunch break can be used to help keep things more balanced. This is where you look at the overlap too – which part of the day is most draining, and which has elements of creative fulfilment. Sometimes order matters. Flexibility is going to be key for you I think. Though it's also important to remember that sometimes a bad day is just a bad day.”

She didn’t pause or seem phased by the confidential admission. “Oh and absolutely. Mental health challenges have one of the biggest correlations with unproductivity. I did some work with the displaced and homeless in New York, helping people get back on their feet. Most people want to help themselves, they just get stuck in cycles which make it difficult. Less spoons you could call it I suppose. Think of your PA as your defender of spoons. I do like that analogy by the way.

"Of course given you're high profile I wouldn't put it on your job spec or anything. But someone you can trust with that information needs to be high on your list of priorities. Speaking of."

She opened a new document, this one just a blank page.

“Let’s decide what qualities you are looking for. Essential, desired, willing to compromise shall be our headings-” she added that as she spoke “-and I’ll help you interview of course, because I completely agree, this is nuanced work and you need someone right.”

[Cadence]

Cadence let Lore talk, listening intently, and noticing the way that Lore beamed at her compliment. Lore was completely in her element right now and was clearly enjoying the whole situation. The excitement was palpable, and it was hard not to get a little excited too. Cadence allowed it. But Lore had ultimately found the rub of the matter. She was running on depleted. Right now, things were better - a break in recording for the holidays had allowed her to recharge and she was feeling pretty good, but it was now easy to see where the emotional crash was coming.

The mention of overlap brought a response from Cadence. "There are times when we are working that it sort of becomes a collaborative creative space. Yes we're working, but it feels different. There's a different energy there. There are even times when we just sort of goof off for a bit. I don't discourage it, because it feels like we all need it a bit. I could see how planning some of that could be helpful, but these ones usually aren't. The spontaneity of it sort of keeps it magical - particularly in the creative bits."

What was really standing out for Cadence though was the idea of a PA. So much could be fixed by that. Even when recording, she was sometimes thinking of the pile of laundry or dishes at home. Getting someone to help with that, and also keep her focused when she needed to be was becoming essential, especially since her popularity was only getting bigger.

"Well, they need to be patient for sure. I'm not always easy to work with, especially when I'm close to anxious or panic. Most people can learn how to deal with it, and the band is always willing to help someone new figure out how to do with my idiosyncrasies. Along with that - trustworthy, but that seems something any PA would need to be," she flinched a bit as she continued. "This is going to sound bad, but a female would be preferred, simply because it's easier for me to trust them. I know that sounds bad, but there are reasons why that is the case. It's going to be easier to build a trusting relationship with a woman." Cadence paused and thought some more. "You know, it might be great to have someone who knows when to push and knows when to hold back. Is that too much to ask?"

[Lore]

“That’s why the schedule stays flexible. Of course you don’t plan the creative spontaneity. I’m not that crazy, Cadence! I mean that when it happens, and it gives you extra spoons, you can look at your week and see where you can use those spoons.” She laughed to herself, for the analogy again (delightful, really), and began to type up Cadence’s initial response for qualities in a PA.

“Nothing bad about preferring women,” she said with a shrug, not because she didn’t understand that this was clearly related to the trauma touched on early, but because she genuinely didn’t find it a bad thing to ask for if it was going to help. “You don’t have to justify it, least of all to me. It’s useful to know we are looking for a woman. And nothing is too much to ask. Doesn’t mean we’ll find all the right qualities in one person, but the clearer idea you have the better. And sometimes unicorns do exist. That’s what the columns are for anyway – to work out what things you can compromise on, and what things are non-negotiables. We list everything down, no matter how arbitrary.”

She looked up long enough to smile, then noticed the coffee with a small ‘oh’ of delight. While she took a sip she reached for her wallet, which had been lying face down adjacent to her workspace. “Here is my contact. Just let me know when you are ready for interviews, and I’ll be there. Or if you ever fancy a coffee, lunch, whatever. I don’t actually know anybody in Moscow yet. Well, aside from Jessika.”

[Cadence]

Lore was fun. That’s all there was to it. She was an absolute delight. Cadence was once again glad she had stepped out and decided to talk to someone. ” I don’t think you’re crazy at all. In our line of work we call it eccentric, but I think I’m beginning to understand better. I think a PA will help a lot.” she smiled disarmingly.

She nodded at her statements, understanding. ”Ill take some time to consider more of what we need to look for. My agent is getting things going on finding applicants. We’re on a recording break for the holiday. We’ll likely work at finding someone soon. I definitely want you there for interviews, so will keep your informed.” she sent her own contact information in return.

”You know, I’m similar,” she said with a gesture towards Lore’s coffee cup. ”When I’m focused, I tend to forget about the world around me too. Except it’s not spreadsheets for me. It’s usually sheet music.” she took a sip of her own coffee. ”And always up for coffee, lunch, dinner, or whatever. I don’t have many friends here, but have made some. Could introduce you to a couple of people if you’d like.” Casey, the band, or Ilesha would be great. Maybe they could do a girls night out or something.