Working for a Living
Good news is that I have a small freelance job that will be the first graphic design gig I've had in 2017. Hopefully, it will lead to more work with the same client and their associates. I would love to find meaningful work again.
Bad news is I was, essentially fired from my remaining retail job yesterday due to my inability to sale the prerequisite amount of store credit cards to the public. I am simply not a sales person. Although credit card account sales is not specifically in my job description as a cashier and sales floor associate, every retail company does require a minimum amount of store-specific credit cards to be sold by all associates. At the risk of looking like a complete asshole to customers, I tried to promote the card yesterday, after my one-month termination notice, to every customer with zero results no matter how assertive I tried to be with it. Fuck it. I am not made for sales or retail. Never have been. I like working with the public and meeting people during the day but I'm useless in retail. And there is no value in retail wages or the low part time hours.
Other people I know my age who have been displaced by the changing job market have gone into real estate sales as a new career. My retail experience tells me I can never do that.
Meanwhile, MonsterMustDie is being more assertive that I need to find a way to make money to contribute equally to the house. He insists I can make money still doing basic graphic design as an independent freelancer and he thinks I'll make money in photography if I start a commercial photo website. I don't know all the ins and outs of setting up a commercial website - I just make eye candy. And what kind of photos would I sell now? All of my old music business connections are gone. I haven't been out to a single show or club since we moved here to North Carolina. It is a desert here for me. What would I sell on a photography website? I have a basic DSLR and photos of mostly local southeastern bands from years ago. If I can sell work or services, I could invest in more and better equipment. That could increase the amount of work I get. I also need new computer hardware and software. I am not yet investing in cloud service because I have no income stream. I need a new macbook, a second large monitor, more lighting equipment, a higher-res camera, a few more lenses.
This makes me want to return to my little condo in Atlanta more every day, where I would have low cost of living in a tiny space and less dependence on my car and, maybe, some of my old work connections.
Really, I just want to work and make a reasonable amount of money for household expenses.
That, and making some friends here who want to hang out and do things would make me much happier here.