Dealing with unemployment - anyone else?

[lph]

You know what? I think you sound pretty dang impressive, Ivona. Best of luck to you.

[ZenSojourner]

At what point did I use the term "bigot"? I did not. Please stop quoting things that I never said.

Maybe if you pulled that stereotype that you have of me out of your head we could have a reasonable conversation... you just seem really prejudiced as if you have some knowledge of how "my kind" of people are...

Bigot is the word for someone who is prejudiced and judgmental. I'm not going to go back and pull the exact quotes, but the whole sellout thing is also warranted, given that it's a synonym for the words/phrases that you DID use. C'mon, you strike me as being pretty intelligent - you know where those words are coming from.

I'm glad you seem to have more of a plan than you at first communicated to us. I still think you are FAR underestimating the effects of your appearance on your ability to get a job, but you'll either find that out for yourself, or you'll find a job. I'm not so wedded to the notion of being right that the latter eventuality doesn't hold FAR more appeal, LOL!

I'm seriously worried about you being homeless and "squatting" on the street and I surely hope that doesn't last long. Homeless issues are something I've been very aware of since the mid-80's and it just keeps getting worse. Even the best of friends will only put you up for so long. I really do hope you find something before feelings of hospitality run out. I've been homeless too, when I was younger than you are now, and it's a dangerous thing. Sometimes people you THINK are your friends will show their true colors when you're down and out and try to take advantage. Just be alert. Hopefully you won't be faced with that sort of betrayal, but be aware of the possibility.

We all wish you the best, whatever else you may think. Best of luck.

[IvonaDestroi]

Bigot is the word for someone who is prejudiced and judgmental. I'm not going to go back and pull the exact quotes, but the whole sellout thing is also warranted, given that it's a synonym for the words/phrases that you DID use. C'mon, you strike me as being pretty intelligent - you know where those words are coming from.

I'm glad you seem to have more of a plan than you at first communicated to us. I still think you are FAR underestimating the effects of your appearance on your ability to get a job, but you'll either find that out for yourself, or you'll find a job. I'm not so wedded to the notion of being right that the latter eventuality doesn't hold FAR more appeal, LOL!

I'm seriously worried about you being homeless and "squatting" on the street and I surely hope that doesn't last long. Homeless issues are something I've been very aware of since the mid-80's and it just keeps getting worse. Even the best of friends will only put you up for so long. I really do hope you find something before feelings of hospitality run out. I've been homeless too, when I was younger than you are now, and it's a dangerous thing. Sometimes people you THINK are your friends will show their true colors when you're down and out and try to take advantage. Just be alert. Hopefully you won't be faced with that sort of betrayal, but be aware of the possibility.

We all wish you the best, whatever else you may think. Best of luck.

yea, you know it's not as nice as having your own place but I guess I'd consider it more like being houseless then homeless. One of my best friends right down the street is always down for letting people stay there, he's had a ton of people come and go for both long and short term stints. Luckily for me, he can't stand being by himself so he's always happy to have people over (what I'm more worried about is the constant large groups of people/parties all the time!)

Theres also quite a few community warehouse/venue types of places where I can always crash as well, and also a few friends' houses for a once in awhile thing. So I don't think I'll really have to squat so much, although I do know of a couple places just in case.

Before I moved here I lived in a van for 2 years travelling, so I'm pretty experienced with dealing with the shady side of things. My internal alarm signal seems to work very well. I've been in some scary situations before but I always found a way to get out of them safely. The most important thing is listening to your instinct, which I am exceptioinally good at, so I'm not too worried. I feel like I know how to handle it if I have too.

Amusingly, both my roomates have decided to jump on the houseless train and save up some cash of their own! Apparently it is that bad economically..., A lot of people I know are moving out right now, so, well, at least I'm not alone

[jobob]

I wish you all the best, Ivona. Sincerely.

[Bluetree]

Ivona, let me give you some advice, if I may... I have been in a similar situation as you have. Well, not the houseless part, but the professional/arts/music part.

Deciding a profession in the arts (or any creative field) is a difficult thing. When it comes to your desire to work as a fashion designer, you have to be committed. How much do you want it? You want it bad? Well, guess what... someone is around the corner who is even hungrier for it than you are. You are a situation where there are thousands like you, many whom have more talent, resources, education, connections, charisma and yes, even luck.

But the good news is, in some ways, you make your own luck. You do it by working harder and being tougher skinned than those around you. You do it by deliberately placing yourself in the way of opportunities and opening your mind to possibilities, even if they do not fall in line with your preconceptions.

This is what I did when I was in school and looking for a way to build a reputation: I did stuff for free... lots of stuff... for years.... ***sigh ***
Since I was in a creative-type world (academically and socially) I gravitated towards those with other kinds of talents (those who were as poor as I was) and tried to help them as much as possible. I designed flyers for free, I designed tattoos, I roadied for bands, I put them up on my floor, I did gruntwork for alternative weeklies and freebies, I made friends with musicians, artists, actors, the like. I never asked anything in return from them except the experience I was gaining.

But a remarkable thing happened over the years. Those dirt poor creative-types matured, got jobs and started climbing up the ladder. And when they needed album covers, portfolios, portraits, advertising, etc. they called me. As luck would have it, some of those bands who slept on my floor and played at my birthday parties are now headlining stadiums. That snotnosed college radio kid now has a nationwide show on ESPN. And that young night-school law student now is a partner in a firm and can afford my $10k paintings. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did come together after years of hard work in obscurity.

You may not have a job in your field right now, but that does not mean you can’t be working at it (you’re just not getting a paycheck). If I were you, I’d find those punk bands –*or any kind of alternative musician – and offer to make clothes for them. Not just one or two, but as many as you can. Find those with the talent and drive to be more than a back-yard hero and ask for nothing in return except a promise that they will promote you and your name. Ask them to mention your name on stage, or on their website or on their albums. It's a good tradeoff. Build a reputation and start marketing yourself.

You do not need to invest in the finest materials. I recently saw a show called RuPaul’s Drag Race where contestants vying for the title “Next Drag Queen Superstar” had to make drag outfits out of homely, thrift store castoffs. A few of the contestants showed their savvy and resourcefulness by making some truly spectacular pieces.

It may not work, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. If your designs are good enough, unique enough, people will notice. The cream always rises.

Good luck.




BTW... You might have read Sun Tzu’s Art of War (an ancient military treatise whose competitive strategies as well know in the business world). Well, there is also a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. His publisher says he “lays out the day-by-day, step-by-step campaign of the professional: preparation, order, patience, endurance, acting in the face of fear and failure-no excuses, no b*llsh*t.” I highly recommend it.

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... somebody mentioned Americorps... Americorps doesn't pay very well (from what I've seen, a stipend that is hardly livable, if livable at all -- however, they do provide an education grant at the end, that you could certainly apply to further education and maybe (I don't know, you'd have to check it out) apply to education loans. Anyway, something to think about. I'd love to do Americorps actually, I think it's a great program -- the pay seems a bit of an issue to me, but I think it varies from place to place, and in some areas it might be better. I think it would be incredibly rewarding and interesting.

[PamNY]

Bluetree, what a great story you have to tell. To my mind, that's exactly the kind of information that would be useful to a young person (or any person!).

Pam

[papaver]

Ivona, let me give you some advice, if I may... I have been in a similar situation as you have. Well, not the houseless part, but the professional/arts/music part.

Deciding a profession in the arts (or any creative field) is a difficult thing. When it comes to your desire to work as a fashion designer, you have to be committed. How much do you want it? You want it bad? Well, guess what... someone is around the corner who is even hungrier for it than you are. You are a situation where there are thousands like you, many whom have more talent, resources, education, connections, charisma and yes, even luck.

But the good news is, in some ways, you make your own luck. You do it by working harder and being tougher skinned than those around you. You do it by deliberately placing yourself in the way of opportunities and opening your mind to possibilities, even if they do not fall in line with your preconceptions.

This is what I did when I was in school and looking for a way to build a reputation: I did stuff for free... lots of stuff... for years.... ***sigh ***
Since I was in a creative-type world (academically and socially) I gravitated towards those with other kinds of talents (those who were as poor as I was) and tried to help them as much as possible. I designed flyers for free, I designed tattoos, I roadied for bands, I put them up on my floor, I did gruntwork for alternative weeklies and freebies, I made friends with musicians, artists, actors, the like. I never asked anything in return from them except the experience I was gaining.

But a remarkable thing happened over the years. Those dirt poor creative-types matured, got jobs and started climbing up the ladder. And when they needed album covers, portfolios, portraits, advertising, etc. they called me. As luck would have it, some of those bands who slept on my floor and played at my birthday parties are now headlining stadiums. That snotnosed college radio kid now has a nationwide show on ESPN. And that young night-school law student now is a partner in a firm and can afford my $10k paintings. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did come together after years of hard work in obscurity.

You may not have a job in your field right now, but that does not mean you can’t be working at it (you’re just not getting a paycheck). If I were you, I’d find those punk bands –*or any kind of alternative musician – and offer to make clothes for them. Not just one or two, but as many as you can. Find those with the talent and drive to be more than a back-yard hero and ask for nothing in return except a promise that they will promote you and your name. Ask them to mention your name on stage, or on their website or on their albums. It's a good tradeoff. Build a reputation and start marketing yourself.

You do not need to invest in the finest materials. I recently saw a show called RuPaul’s Drag Race where contestants vying for the title “Next Drag Queen Superstar” had to make drag outfits out of homely, thrift store castoffs. A few of the contestants showed their savvy and resourcefulness by making some truly spectacular pieces.

It may not work, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. If your designs are good enough, unique enough, people will notice. The cream always rises.

Good luck.




BTW... You might have read Sun Tzu’s Art of War (an ancient military treatise whose competitive strategies as well know in the business world). Well, there is also a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. His publisher says he “lays out the day-by-day, step-by-step campaign of the professional: preparation, order, patience, endurance, acting in the face of fear and failure-no excuses, no b*llsh*t.” I highly recommend it.

I just love this post!

[crazycanuck]

Idis-I thought of you last night when we were at a popular upmarket restaurant/club as the gent behind the bar had a mohawk. Nice appearance & added some funkyness to the place. A female worker had tatts but didn't cover her arms with a full length shirt.

Just a thought should you ever wander the world even further than you're planning to.

[Trek420]

Ivana, I'm employed and dealing with unemployment. I'm trying to transfer from my current job to another job in the same company. It's virtually the same job in the same company.

There is no transfer process for this particular move.

HR that I work with on this ranges from clueless to refusal to think outside the box to fearful of doing anything creative to downright putting roadblocks in my way.

But I will achieve my goal or ... take my skills elsewhere.

HR departments including my own are like kids in the candy store now. With so many out of work it's a "buyers market". They may feel "Oooh, this one's got an AA oooh this one has a Masters, that one is ..." Find a way to differentiate yourself, stand out from the crowd on skills and experience.

OTOH having a job hinders me right now. In a normal job market the best time to look for a job is while you have a job . But I think empathetic HR specialists are thinking "I can get people to work. I like to make that call "congratulations, you are HIRED! This one HAS a job."

Lastly I'm not necessarily recommending a call center enviornment but I work in one for oh I think about one of the top 10 or so largest companies in the world. And by the way it's likely I'm waaay further to the left of you and been so for a loooooooooong time, like from before you were born You would not know it to look at me but you're likely center progressive at best compared to me.

When you call us you don't know what we're wearing and you sure don't know my politics. Some of us dress to the nine's, others wears sweats to work. I'm normally in jeans and t'shirt and my current podmate is covered head to toe in tats.

She's starting her own clothing company along with a couple of friends . The idea for the product line literally started over a joke and a pun and a drawing scribbled on a napkin over lunch in the break rooom.

One of the owners of this line sits next to me and I believe any day now she'll quit and run this full time along with a couple of bands and musicians she manages.

http://www.pgapparel.com