For those of you who've been getting too little work lately (or none at all), let me offer some words of essential encouragement, because we're not out of this economic rough spot by a long shot.
You have probably gone to job interviews and presented yourself just as always -- maybe even better. You probably did everything right, in spite of any hindsight second-guessing. Your attitude was hopeful that this time it could happen. Maybe you remained as positive as you could and expressed willingness to change, perhaps into a new line of work, even take a pay cut. That you weren't hired is not your fault.
What is happening in this economy says nothing about you. We are in an employer's market. Employers have their pick of the abundance of applicants and can be picky by even the quirkiest of standards.
I don't want to say "keep your chin up, it'll be your turn soon," because that might not be true. I want to tell you to keep up your self-esteem and give yourself a pat on the back for just sticking it out and making the adjustments you've made. What is happening is not your fault and says nothing about you. It does say something about our society in general, its economic power structures and their priorities that are not producing the right conditions for Americans.
As part of this self-esteem boost, it may be time for you to take another look at talents you've neglected or undervalued. Maybe you were raised not to be a starving artist, to keep a steady job in order to be a responsible, productive member of society. For many of us this somehow translates into suppressing our creative side even in jobs that could benefit from it.
Maybe, just maybe, that part-time job you have now (or total unemployment) allows you the time to paint, write, sing, photograph, film, play music --or finally put it out there if you've been keeping it to yourself.
Creative work does produce something very beneficial to society: imagination, humor, entertainment, conscience, color, feeling, heart, dreams... Aren't all those things better for us than material success, personal pride, independence, not needing others' help, holding on to possessions or grieving over losing them, climbing the corporate ladder?
There's been a lot of talk about the greed that drove the big banks and tanked the economy. With that much greed comes a real lack of a lot of other things: lack of imagination and play, lack of balance in life, ignoring the voice of conscience, lack of empathy and compassion... Artful, creative work helps put these things back into their proper place in a full, rich life and a well-balanced society. They've been squeezed out of our schools when budget crunches forced bad choices by decision makers to choose competitive sports over art. The creative, artful approach to decision making gets squeezed out of public decisions if politicians think it will make them look bad. They're squeezed out of our lives when we slave for months or years for a demanding corporation or under the heavy weight of debt that may never be repaid (at least doing the same things we've been doing).
Now some will start to think I'm encouraging irresponsibility. Think what you like, just ask yourself if you too are ailing inside for want of a better life and believe that maybe, just maybe there is a better way for us to live.
How did just meeting our so-called financial responsibilities get so difficult? There is a (subconscious) tendency in our society (corporate mindset) to punish creativity for its own sake. A colorful, varied, free life is too easily seen as irresponsible (if you live marginally). Our society too easily views a cooperative, peaceful, non-competitive, love-based life as pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams with no value. The great corporate machine wants your creativity for IT. Are you willing to give it away even for a moment longer? This machine wants conformity and allegiance even if it cannot keep its promises or give enough back to you for a rich personal life away from work.
So if you've had enough, give up on IT and start innovating, creating and trying something different and better. Start believing in YOURSELF again. I do. I believe in you. And I believe in the Creative force inside you longing to give birth to something new.
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Please take my poll. Select the thing that stands out to you that immediately makes sense. We are all multi-talented and creative, but what comes most naturally and calls to you? Or select 'other' and tell your story.