At the start of the economic downturn I was downsized at my newspaper job – and then I promptly panicked. I knew there were actual Mensa members who I was competing against for jobs and my self-confidence disappeared. I am smart enough to know that when I get scared I get dumb, but that didn’t stop me from taking the first job I was offered – wearing a name tag in a big box store.
And yes, it was as horrible as you imagine that it would be. Continue reading
Being a graphic designer, there is probably nothing that raises my hackles more than the idea of crowdsourcing. For me, it is yet another thing helping to monetarily and creatively devalue my career in this time where no one has any budget for anything. Yes, I admit it, I’m bitter and this may or may not be sort of a rant. I went to school for design and have spent many years trying to get people to understand that it is not about drawing nice pictures but helping a client communicate his or her mission the most effective way possible. Now, with lack of budgets and people continuing to undervalue my service profession, I am getting more and more squeezed out. Rather than a lawyer, a doctor, or an accountant whose service people seek out, I am becoming no different from someone whose job has been shipped overseas. So how is it possible to make peace with something that threatens my very livelihood? Whether I like it or not, this is not a new phenomenon nor will it go away and how should I learn to make it work for me?