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PrintLayering Work
For many, holding multiple jobs is part of the Jackson Hole culture.
Derek DiLuzio works as an adventure photographer, as a photography instructor and as a server at Rendezvous Bistro.
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Unlike their coastal counterparts, conversations in Jackson rarely begin with “What do you do?” The answer is often too complicated, too variable. Because, for working folk, making ends meet here requires a lot of work—and creativity, particularly for creative types.
Like the multiple layers of woolens worn in winter, artists pile on the jobs.
In 2008, Teton County residents were holding down more than double the number of jobs as the rest of the country, according to data from Jackson economist Jonathan Schechter. When the national average stood at 0.6 jobs per person, Teton County reported 1.4 jobs per permanent resident—a ratio that earned us a per-capita-job ranking of tenth out of the roughly 3,100 counties in the United States.
“I think we are Renaissance people here,” said Macey Mott, who grew up in Jackson and returned in her twenties after stints in Salt Lake City and San Jose. In her urban experience, she found people identified themselves by their professions, whereas in Jackson, a doctor and a ski bum are likely to forge a friendship over shared interests.
Mott epitomizes the Renaissance woman in the valley. For nearly a decade, she has balanced her full-time job at Aspen Travel with her leadership of Riot Act, Inc., the theater company she founded with four friends (who have all since moved away). Through Riot Act, Mott has put on more than twenty productions. She also teaches swing dancing at Dancers’ Workshop and babysits periodically through Jackson Hole Babysitting.
