Unemployment Breeds Creativity

So I haven't blogged in a month... It's been a whirlwind for me. Quick update: I left my last job with tears and good-bye lunches. I was sad and disappointed. After a week of wishing I could permanently stay home, I got called for a temporary assignment with the same company I'd just left, but in a vastly different department. The job was horrible, the pay was horrible, and the coworkers were horrible. Two weeks later, it was over.

So here I am, unemployed again and being super productive at home. I am on top of all the chores, laundry is done, I feel relaxed that I don't have to drive in rush-hour traffic and come home to a pile of things to do.

During all this transition (there's a word I'm sick of) I have made a decision. Z and I would really love it if I could stay home once we have children. On the other hand, we'd really like to afford things. With all of my career changes lately, we've been thinking about the types of things I could do either once we have children or once the children are school-age. Going back to school for my masters in education was a topic, but I ultimately don't think that's for me. And we'd still have the problem of me working on someone else's schedule.

For a long time now, I have been very interested in photography. I want to learn more and practice more, with a quality camera. I have decided to pursue this now, while searching for a job and ultimately keeping a day job, until I am secure enough to make photography my career - children's portraits, family sessions, weddings, etc. I plan to do it all. Down the line I might even have a studio, who knows? What I do know is that I have been lacking a creative outlet since I left school and don't have opportunities to write (I know, that's what this blog was for...), and I need to be creative. I also need to quit working for companies that don't appreciate me or appropriately compensate me. That isn't to sound snobby, but it's a fact that for the past three years I've been largely underpaid, underappreciated and unhappy in my career choices. There was a brief 5-month window where I loved my job, but with this economy, I couldn't count on that, and I was laid off. I am ready to make success for myself.

I am weighing my options right now on which camera I should purchase. I've been asking photographer friends, researching different brands and styles, and comparing prices. Once I decide on the best I can afford, I will buy it and begin practicing. You'll probably see some of my early attempts at great art here, but I'll eventually start a separate photography blog. I guess we'll see.

Here's to stepping out on a limb, which I pretty much never do. Ever.