Creative Layoffs in a down economy

(Editor's Note: December 2, 2008 was my last day at my previous job. I was laid of mid-November due to budget cuts in a company that even at this date can't get the cash to pay the bills and risks closing it's doors after 30+ years of success. I've hopped on the emotional roller coaster that everyone's talking about and never seemed to even remember getting in line to ride. The wait is growing and we're all praying that the train malfunctions and the ride shuts down.)

Of all the people to lose their jobs, creatives have to have the easiest time bouncing back. It's what they do. We tailor our work for our clients and sell our selves and our product constantly. Now while we may not land a job that's a perfect match, we can still fit into the description pretty well. Everyone can use marketing help, sign design, a little product development...

But paying the bills may not go hand in hand with employment. It's been 2 months since I was given my notice that my position was eliminated and hours upon hours of job applications later, not a nibble. I've found 40 hours with a previous part-time job I had on the north side of Indianapolis. The owner is a doll and has a drive to grow. It's a fine art portrait studio specializing in a combination of techniques to create digital oil and water color paintings. It's the only place like it in America. Nifty! I have moved from a sales associate position (which I knew was a temporary fix until a full time option came along) to an artist in training spot. Excited as all get out about learning this technique of imagery, I fear that it will not pay the bills. It sure would be a fantastic skill to add for illustration and visual communication but the minimum wage part of training will not support a newly wed couple with the other spouse student teaching, banned from taking a job during that semester.

Reality: I'm earning 44% of what I had at my last job and savings is trickling out the door. I have to keep looking for other full time work as this new version of my position develops.

But with all the locations that are killing their marketing departments and outsourcing, creatives are ravenous and employers have the creme de la creme to pick from. Lost in a pile of resumes from extremely qualified executives, every day I try to stand out with my humble but solid experience. It's just that when it comes down to it, if some former art director applies for a graphic design spot because there's nothing else out there, I can't compare on paper to their qualifications.

Wheels spinning, my objectives shift. Relocate? Apply to grad school? Launch a business?
Luckily, a new President should be easing my transition shortly and I look forward to deciding where I'm going, and fast.

For now, Careerbuilder, Monster AIGADesignJobs and LinkedIn, show me the way.
CM

FreshBump.com = Inspiration

Totally stole this post from Matt W. Moore's Blog

FreshBump.com
"The homies at FormatMag.com just launched a new website called Freshbump.com. "Freshbump is a daily visual inspiration source for industries including, but not limited to: Advertising, Architecture, Computer Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Photography. Freshbump is a social news media site that facilitates community driven content promotion and prioritizes posts based on the collective view of our userbase." Nice work guys!"

It's awesome and I can't stop hopping to different sites from it! It's really a visual person's dream distraction!

CM

Tales of On-Site Event Graphics Production

Holy cow!
Putting on an event at a professional football stadium for high school marching bands, their parents, major sponsors and the community is a huge graphics monster! Tackle it right, and everywhere you turn, you see your work staring back at you. Program books are being hocked everywhere. Jumbo displays flash with giant imagery that was born out of your tiny computer screen. And there are an endless number of credentials, passes and signs that whirl around you at the event like a design tornado.

My set up included moving my entire Mac G5 tower to the site and getting me up and running with my software, remote server access and other tech goodies.

My three day on site set up.

Lucky me, I get to share my computer with everyone else save a few people who have their computers. It's great when PC folks use your Mac because they leave all the programs open, not realizing that closing a window doesn't equal quitting the program. So when I get back to my set up, I have to run offense and close everything so I don't crash what I need. I also quickly made a sign that told people to use the web interface to check their mail, NOT my email client and sign in as their account. To make it easier, I removed my key programs from the dock (once I set it back to the place on the screen I like it to hide) so that people wouldn't just see them and use them. That helped, but my web browser had all sorts of gems left by other people, like their Gmail account logged in, a college website with school registration info and weather reports (indoor event!)

On site (day-of) design production is very interesting, constant, trying and rewarding. While you are tethered to your computer to create printed media, you also get the chance (opportunity) to run your newly printed items to the person or location in the facility that needs them. Such wonderful design needs include, but are not limited to, credentials no one made, misplaced credentials, corrected typos, signs to reduce confused patrons, and signs made bigger so that people at the end of the ticket line can read prices. Not having a color printer on-site makes you plan ahead but it also is a pain when you have black and white print options. We make up for it by printing blank templates of the color media and printing customization or stickers we apply to it. 90% of the time it works.

90% of the time, has been enough so far ;-) This is 4pm of day two of four. Tomorrow we go live at 5:45am with our first band stepping into their first official prep rooms. More crowd flow assistance than graphics from here on out (is the prediction) but we're ready for anything.

If I get a chance to work a position like the info booth again, I'd be thrilled. It was so quiet I got to write this blog. Until then, I'll go back to being on-call design guru.

CM

(Editor's Note: Three days after this major event, 20% of the workforce was laid off due to budget cuts. Nothing says thanks for all your hard work like two weeks notice. For more on that, see January 23, 2009 post)

What happens 1 week after a deadline?

You never know how hard you're working until you crash CS3 several times while finishing a project. Success or failure? Depends on when you last saved... and if you got a screen shot ;-)

It's a 3 Monday Week

I'm out of town for work Th evening through Sunday and it's feeling like a 3 Monday week.

Nothing moves forward, challenges renew and get more like a clusterf*** every hour.

It's hard to leave your design desk even a day when you have major deadlines to meet the day you return.

October 31, you're such a flirt. You may never get here!

For your visual pleasure :

Coke side of life

For now, I aspire to something greater with a better margin for people to get contributing materials to me...