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I've been wanting to write about my work situation for ages but haven't had the energy or fortitude to sort through it and get it down in print. It looks like we are in the waning days of the shop where I work, as the 80 year old owner seems bound and determined to be run it into the ground. It is not a pretty sight and dealing with him and his dementia, paranoia, ego, and pride have taken a toll on all of us. I was informed last week that my hours are being reduced, down to four days a week, which leaves me at 27.50 hours at $12/hr. I saw the writing on the wall going way back to last May when he refused to sell the business to his general manager, who we all would have loved to work for; it would great to work directly for the GM and his wife. Since then the old general manager left to open his own store about 40 miles away. The store I work at has seen a steady and now rapidly increasing decline in leadership, store operations, organization, ordering, HORRID customer service by the owner (not the sales people) and HORRID treatment of the employees by this owner.
Anyhow, through all of this I knew what was going to happen and started looking for other jobs back in the spring and had some interviews, but nothing came of it. In the meantime I was making $12/hr for a retail position which is pretty good around here so I decided to stick it out until the bitter end so I can hopefully get unemployment when it all finally crashes and burns. I've also been saving like crazy and have a pretty good emergency stash for a few months, at least.
I have had a long and varied working life, doing mostly retail and display type work. I have a BFA and an MFA in the arts, but I have never really had a "career" job, with the exception of being a display assistant at a major department store that went bankrupt long ago (I also have chronic back injuries from that job). I worked in a bead store for nine years when my daughter was young. I have taught figure skating in the past. I have helped hoarders clean out their homes. I repair broken jewelry. I write songs and play guitar. I am interested in sustainable/simple living, local food and production issues and my community of musicians. I live in Michigan and the job climate is still pretty tight here. I am 50 years old. I have some physical limitations. I have very limited skill in office-type things. I am a terrible typist. I am friendly and engaging when it comes to customer service (most of the time). I hate malls, corporate entities and stupid rules. I am independent and somewhat of a loner. I love to travel. I am organized and have a keen sense of visual acuity. In short, I am a Jill of many trades, but master of none.
So I sit here and ponder possible new directions and realize some of the positives of my life ~ I have no debt, no minor children or pets at home anymore, a car that runs, a sense of adventure and wild streak, reasonable rent for the area I live in, a small cushion of savings, a small retirement fund and pretty good health so far.
The downsides of my quite comfortable yet very frugal life are ~ no health insurance and chronic back issues that are flair up a little more often now, a 14 year old car with almost 200,000 miles on it, and not enough savings or retirement savings for the long-term.
In the meantime, for the next month while things at the old store are winding down, I am going to be helping my old GM at his new store one day per week. Hopefully, as his business increases he will be able to add more hours for me. One downside is having to commute about 45 miles to get there, but if it actually works out in the long term, perhaps I will move closer. There are also some possibilities brewing with current co-workers and the plans they are concocting, but nothing's concrete yet. Yup, it is adventure and I don't know what the outcome will be....
Any feedback/thoughts/encouragement will be appreciated.
My task for the next month (as the end is drawing near at current job) is to stay open to change and new possibilities, and to keep a sense of adventure and to not let fear overtake me. This is finally my chance to do something totally new and exciting, whether it is selling everything and relocating, starting all over again...this my chance finally to shake things up and reinvent myself and hopefully discover new potential that I never thought I had.
I've been wanting to write about my work situation for ages but haven't had the energy or fortitude to sort through it and get it down in print......
Congratulations for getting it down in print! That's a big chunk of the battle, you know, SiouzQ?
Have you ever read anything by Barbara Sher ("I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was"), Barbara Winter ("Making a Living Without A Job"), or John Williams (http://screwworkletsplay.com) ? All three of them have at least one thing in common: They don't believe that we're just supposed to pick one thing and say, "Okay, cool. That's my job."
I am also a Jill of all trades. And I now know why that is: I just am a "scanner," interested in many things, and would be bored silly if I just had one career doing one thing.
Celebrate your inner diversity, your patchwork skillset, your mosaic life! Perhaps find several things you think you might love to do, each providing a part of your income. That, coupled with the one or two days a week of working for your good GM, might be both fulfilling AND pay the bills.
Just a thought - it works for me :D
I think that you have a lot of really diverse skills, there, and -- like a very creative friend of mine -- could actually patch together a lot of work.
My friend does the following: 1. professional organizer; 2. life coaching (along with professional organizing); 3. artist in residence at the community center -- which means three things A. she teaches multiple art classes a week, B. she gets free use of the studio space, and C. she has a small budget for art supplies for herself. She does ceramics, but she not only does and teaches ceramics (hand building, mostly), but she also teaches life drawing and "abstract art theory" which is a great little course. She also has her work in galleries, shows, and craft/arts fairs, as well as sells a series of "coloring posters" through local shops (she has these awesome drawings that are HUGE, and she simply had several printed out, and hten took it to various local shops and sold 10 or so to the shops for about $4 each, and the shops sell them for $8, and they usually sell out each month. it's a tidy little income, to be honest, and at the holidays, she sells TONS of them).
As part of her decluttering business, she runs seasonal workshops such as "spring cleaning to last the whole year long!" and "preparing for summer, a vacation from your clutter!" She's quite clever. These workshops cost about $25 per person for a three hour workshop, and then usually she gets about 1/2 of the participants hiring her to help organize. She charges $100 per hour for decluttering/organizational services, and averages 2 hours of work a day on this.
With her artist in residence job, she also does 2 hours of work per day on her own arts, and then teaches 1 art class per morning for 1 hour each day over 4 days. She also leads 5 hour workshops every 6 weeks on a given art topic, providing a lot of opportunity for people to get an added dose of their arts. These workshops cost $125 per person, and she takes home $120 per person after "renting" the art space.
her life coaching aspect is new, but she's noticed that sometimes people don't need heavy-lifting (hoarder style) decluttering help, but just need some help with efficiency. As an example i was talking about how our move to seatoun made some things harder on me, and she pointed out that I could spend $20/wk on a cleaning lady (her cleaning lady is $20/hr or $50 for three hours) or I could spend $9 on parking per week to make my life a bit easier. My husband actually HEARD her (he hasn't heard me all these months!) when I said that I either A. need child care; B. need a cleaning lady; or C. need to drive into work at least one -- if not two -- days a week. OR, we need to change HIS schedule to accommodate my need to clean. she just sort of guided the process in saying "really, it's about reducing stress. spend some extra money -- it's not much -- and you reduce stress by a lot." And she is right.
What we decided is that DH would stay home on Wednesdays, and he made that decision on his own after really hearing how stressed I was, and so her work is actually quite simple and good. :) WE now pay only $8 on wednesdays, and then it's $16 on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fridsay is free because we use free parking for two hours (which is when DH comes back from work, I go to work for 2 hrs, and DS is at the playground!). Ok, maybe it's about $3 in gas. :)
Anyway, I think that you could probably use a TON of your skills to do a lot of different work -- and even though it wouldn't provide health insurance, still, you might be able to really create a livelihood out of it. It will take time, so perhaps you could use the time that you are currently working to get some things off the ground (eg, a basic business plan, a marketing budget, starting on the marketing, etc), and go forward from there.
I know a lot of people who make their lives this way. It's really great, to be honest.
Wow, Zoebird and Puglogic, thank you for taking the time and energy to respond, great stuff! I am amazed by your friend and how organized she seems ~ that must take a lot of energy to do all that. I fear that for myself I am essentially becoming very set and "lazy" about my time; I prefer to meander from one thing to the next on my own time. I don't like that crazed sense of urgency like I used to. I think I will have to become willing to adapt back to that type of life, to some extent. For the last few years I haven't had to be at work until 11:00 am, which is great for a musician! And after all the crazy years my teenage daughter put me through (a runaway and drug abuser ~ by the way, she's doing great now), I think I am still recovering mentally and emotionally from the stress of dealing with her. Physically I am doing much better and take care much better care of myself now. I guess now is the time to explore my values about work, life, art and music to try and figure out how I can carve out a niche for myself, doing things that I enjoy without being stressed out and driven crazy!
Lots of food for thought...
Being self employed doesn't have to be frantic. You can set your own schedule, and the heaviest lifting is when you start -- getting clients. Once you have market penetration, it ticks over pretty easily with less effort.
puglogic
11-23-11, 10:39am
Being self employed doesn't have to be frantic. You can set your own schedule, and the heaviest lifting is when you start -- getting clients. Once you have market penetration, it ticks over pretty easily with less effort.
Agreed wholeheartedly. Don't assume it's frenetic -- it's exactly what you make it, no more, no less.
My first two hours of the day are all about meditation, moving slowly, expressing gratitude. I take vast "play breaks" in the middle of the day. I'm a committed napper, too :D
Maybe you start there: What do you want your day to be like? That's where Barbara Sher's 'perfect day exercise' comes in handy. It helps you to clarify how you want your days to flow, what you want to be sure is included in them, how much contact you want/need with others, all of the good stuff. With that in hand, you may get a clearer view of how to patch together a great life that pays the bills.
It's from her book "Wishcraft" if you have access to that at the Library.
This morning I woke up feeling a little fearful about it all, probably it is because it is my 3rd day off in a row and that starts making me feel a little squirrelly. Even though I characterize myself as a loner I do rely on work hours to have some socialization with other people. I know I need to leave the house everyday from about 1 ~ 4:30 pm because that is the time of day when I really start plummeting mentally. I also need to make plans with people because when I don't work, I tend to hole up and isolate at home.
I did have a career counseling appointment yesterday that is offered by the University and we had a nice chat and I got some books on loan about jobs for creative and unconventional people. I have always wanted to make some of my living as an artist, whether it was doing jewelry or photography stuff, but circumstances of being a single mom had always prevented me from doing so, except in the smallest sense here and there. There is also my singing, which I do make a little money at but frankly, things for musicians around here are pretty abysmal!
Now is the time to explore all these things but I'm finding it a little overwhelming to even know where to start! I must remember that I don't need to figure it all out RIGHT NOW (that is when the fear comes in). I still have the job for now, and I'll be working for my friend starting next week in Birmingham, MI at his very high-end guitar shop. Being there will enable me to meet new people who have plenty of money to spend; perhaps it will open my eyes to new opportunities, and I can practice my people and networking skills. I must remember to take along our band business card ~ who knows, maybe I can even book us a gig out of this somehow.
I was struck by the management situation at your job and how similar it is to mine (if I get the energy, I'll post about it here in a sec)...You're lucky in that you have that one opportunity with the manager you like. Here's hoping that works out!
The other thing is, you have so many skills that are transferable to another job or, like others have pointed out, would be marketable in a freelance kind of way. And you're not narrowly focused (like me, for instance - I've got a niche job in a dying industry and would probably not be able to work in my field again if I left my current mega-dysfunctional place of employment). You haven't backed yourself into a corner, basically. And that's good!
I second all the advice above, and remember to take advantage of networking. Have a web presence and a Facebook page. I've gotten a number of gigs recently from having my art gallery online at a site that functions as a go-between for clients who want art, and people who can produce it on demand. Can't quit the day job yet, but it's a nice supplement. Could turn into more work soon.
Congrats on having as much savings as you have, on a pretty minimal salary. I make more than you per hour, but started saving late, so you're way ahead of me. I only just acquired Dave Ramsey's first baby step - a small e-fund. Working on the next step, trying not to get discouraged. I'd LOVE to have your fiscal discipline!
Good luck, you sound like you're at an exciting place right now!
Sounds like there are so many things out there for you. You have handled your life in such a way that you don't need to jump into something just to "have a job". I think (if I had the energy) that this would be a golden opportunity to get involved in many wonderful things and never get bored!
I can't really add anything to what these other posters have said except good luck!
Sherry
I got out today to take my favorite walk in the woods and per usual, my mind frees up and the noisy clutter of voices in my head fades and things seem to start making more sense. Plus my eyes really open and I got some good ideas for possible jewelry to make just by looking at shapes found in nature. And a business card/logo idea came to mind. I am in exactly the place I have wanted to be, which is to be free to make some really interesting choices regarding my future. I also realize my entire life has been ruled by fear ~ fear of success, fear of failure, fear of people and of economic insecurity, fear of what people think of me, fear of what my parents will think. It is ironic though, because I have had many female friends who think I am so brave because I take off in my little old car and go driving out west and camping by myself. That is a different kind of chutzpuh (sp?) though. I also realize the way I grew up and what was modeled to me by my parents was to play it safe, don't take risks, don't make waves, don't rock the boat. They always knew I was artistic and creative and they encouraged that. It was also known by the time I was 10 years old that I was going to go to art school, which I did, but I never really had a clear idea about what to do with the education I received. I had a grand time playing around in great studios during school, but I was woefully unprepared for the real world when I graduated back in the early '80's. At the time I neglected to get a teaching certificate because that wasn't what I wanted to do. I no longer even remember what I wanted to do anyway. Somehow I was just going to make a living, or marry someone who would bring home the bacon and I would be the artist. Well, things, sure ended up quite different!
Thing is, I am 50 years old and really, nobody can tell me what to do anymore. I would like to let go of the fears that have ruled my life and move beyond them so I can grow up and be successful on my own terms. Eight years ago I didn't know how to play the guitar and I certainly didn't sing in front of people; now I perform fairly regularly and get paid for it. I really can learn how to do new things, even if it is uncomfortable at first. Yup, taking risks...it seems to be the theme here in my little pep talk to myself.
way to go siouzq~
if you would like some help on business planning (it's a great tool for sketching out for yourself what you know, what you don't know, what you need to do, what can wait, and so on), let me know. I love helping out with that stuff. :)
Although the circumstances are unfortunate, it sounds like this might be a really great opportunity for you to move in a new direction, or expand the parts of your working life that touch on your real passions.
Are your guitar/voice skills good enough that you might be able to give lessons? Maybe that is a service that you could do on the side, or even offer through your friend's shop as a different aspect of the business. What about other areas related to the arts that you might be able to expand into -- design (I know a tough market, but if you are good maybe there are ways you can make it work), arts marketing, arts management, etc.
If you haven't looked at it before, I really recommend Ramit Sethi's website www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com -- I know, totally cheesy name, but his stuff is GOOD! His "earn 1 k" materials are really worth reading if you have any idea about starting up a sideline business. Focuses on results and getting your first 3 paying customers. Much more practical than the more artsy/philosophical Barbara Sher approach, but you can still fit that "do what you love" philosophy into his system. His thing is that you should do what you love, but it needs to be something people will pay you for. If I were ever to lose my current job, I would use his system to start a small business.
I'm so glad to hear your daughter is doing better. It is a shame your current employer is driving the business into the ground. Does he have heirs you can speak to? Maybe they would be interested in trying to wrest control out of his hands in order to save something for them to inherit? Or maybe the old manager will eventually come in and pick up the pieces and rebuild, once the buisiness is worth virtually nothing. Sad to see it happen, whatever the case. But again, hopefully this will lead to new and better opportunities for you.
If you are interested in offering lessons, singing at weddings (hey, you never know!), etc. I would use these last few weeks in the current business to get the word out to your customer base that the shop may be going under, but you will still be around and part of the community. If nothing else, make up some business cards and give them out to everybody you know/see. You soon may not have the business as a platform/space to raise your profile from, so milk it while you can. Who knows, maybe someone will be glad to hire you if they know you won't have your current job for long.
Good luck and keep us posted -- and keep coming back for ideas/support.
lhamo
Although the circumstances are unfortunate, it sounds like this might be a really great opportunity for you to move in a new direction, or expand the parts of your working life that touch on your real passions.
Are your guitar/voice skills good enough that you might be able to give lessons? Maybe that is a service that you could do on the side, or even offer through your friend's shop as a different aspect of the business. What about other areas related to the arts that you might be able to expand into -- design (I know a tough market, but if you are good maybe there are ways you can make it work), arts marketing, arts management, etc.
If you haven't looked at it before, I really recommend Ramit Sethi's website www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com -- I know, totally cheesy name, but his stuff is GOOD! His "earn 1 k" materials are really worth reading if you have any idea about starting up a sideline business. Focuses on results and getting your first 3 paying customers. Much more practical than the more artsy/philosophical Barbara Sher approach, but you can still fit that "do what you love" philosophy into his system. His thing is that you should do what you love, but it needs to be something people will pay you for. If I were ever to lose my current job, I would use his system to start a small business.
I'm so glad to hear your daughter is doing better. It is a shame your current employer is driving the business into the ground. Does he have heirs you can speak to? Maybe they would be interested in trying to wrest control out of his hands in order to save something for them to inherit? Or maybe the old manager will eventually come in and pick up the pieces and rebuild, once the buisiness is worth virtually nothing. Sad to see it happen, whatever the case. But again, hopefully this will lead to new and better opportunities for you.
If you are interested in offering lessons, singing at weddings (hey, you never know!), etc. I would use these last few weeks in the current business to get the word out to your customer base that the shop may be going under, but you will still be around and part of the community. If nothing else, make up some business cards and give them out to everybody you know/see. You soon may not have the business as a platform/space to raise your profile from, so milk it while you can. Who knows, maybe someone will be glad to hire you if they know you won't have your current job for long.
Good luck and keep us posted -- and keep coming back for ideas/support.
lhamo
Just checking back in ~ it's my third day off in a row. I am having a problem of waking up in the middle of the night and try as I might to not to look at the clock or let my brain start ruminating, it's happening anyway. I start beating myself up for all the choices I made in the past that got me to this point of being "middle-aged" and not having ANY clue as to which direction to go. Lying awake in the dark at 4 am sends me into bad places in my mind. What I REALLY REALLY need to remember is it's not what I did or didn't do in the past, rather, it's what I need to do NOW to send me on a new path, which is to say, don't live in the problem, seek the solutions. I think my stumbling block is knowing where and how to start reinventing myself and being okay in this holding and exploring pattern that I'm in until the new year starts. I should know more by then as to the future of my current position.
I worked in my friend's store on Monday because he had to go to child-birthing classes with his wife ~ I did all the closing procedures, including setting the alarm and running out the back door before I set if off, only to realize I left a light on in the back. So I entered the building again, disarmed the alarm, checked everything once again, reset alarm, closed the door and the key didn't work! I'm trying and trying to turn it to no avail. Re-enter store again, disarm the alarm and was COMPLETELY befuddled as to what to do! No one else has a key, I'm 50 miles from home, Charlie's back in Ann Arbor too, there is no one I can call. He said he tested this new key to make sure it worked! I'm swearing up a storm as I envision having to sleep in the store with $100,000 worth of guitars because I can't get the back door locked! I made myself calm down and really looked at my key ring, really looked hard. It was then I realized I was trying to lock the store with my house key (well, it did look exactly the same in the dark)! At any rate, I finally got that all under control and felt very sheepish....I'm like that with new things and procedures; they can totally confound me the first few times I have to do them!
Today I need to stick to my plan of filing for unemployment on-line (I may be able to get some help because my hours were reduced), practice for a gig tomorrow night, make a big pot of spaghetti sauce, work on some writing, try to work up some jewelry prototypes (I'm actually not all that interested in doing the jewelry thing ~ as it turns out, I have yet to make myself sit at my work table to even play with stuff and that is telling me something). Perhaps I will go to an open mic later for the social aspect of it because it is very, very easy for me to isolate at home, especially now that there is snow on the ground.
Gardenarian
12-1-11, 4:48pm
Hi SiouzQ - I just wanted to let you know that I'm finding your posts very inspiring!
There is a website, Manifest Your Potential (http://www.manifestyourpotential.com/), that I have found helpful in sorting out just where I am headed. Give it a try! There is a lot to look at and ponder.
Thank you Gardenarian, that makes me feel good that someone else may be getting something out of what I deem are my "selfish" posts where I answer my own questions half the time and vent and be overwhelmed and then act as my own cheerleader. It is helpful to me to write things down and since I don't "journal" persay, this place acts like one and when people chime in I don't feel so all alone.
My interesting ideas seem to come at strange times; instead of waking up at 4:06 am like a couple of times this week, I'm making it until 6:00 am just lying in a half drowse for awhile. I came up with an interesting name and logo for a jewelry or clothing line...I did finally play at my work table the other day and had some fun and came up with some ideas that finally excited me. Tonight after work I must rearrange my work space and take it all back down to the basement where I can get messy and not worry about the floors, etc. That will open up the extra bedroom for perhaps exploring the idea once again about taking on a roommate.
I need to keep busy and keep moving forward, without planning the outcome one way or another :)
PS: I will check out that website later too, thanks!
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