OK, I just thought that sounded good. It is really my top 5 items that I feel I need to accomplish in 2010. Really, there are many more, but I need to start somewhere. I am not one to make New Year Resolutions. So here they are:
Wow, it is October already. I don’t know where the year has gone.
I know that I haven’t been posting much lately. I wish I could say that it was because I was too busy at work, but the truth is that I am still looking for my next job.
Last fall, I took a part time job at Cox Farms as a hayride actor. It was fun, but I missed half of their fall festival due to a vacation. But, I was invited to come back again this year. Since, I am between jobs, I asked to work weekdays instead of just weekends like last year. The first week they were open was slow, but it really picked up on Thursday. I was playing the superhero and had hayrides backed up waiting to be “helped”. I must say that it was more fun being busy.
The other week, I went to Seaside Heights, NJ for Clownfest 2009. I could have saved money by not going, but since I wasn’t missing out on work and had already paid for part of the expenses, it seemed like a good plan. I learned a lot and had fun walking the boardwalk on Saturday and Sunday.
I have also done some work helping friends with their websites and developed some print materials for the Opera Guild of Northern Virginia.
But, now that I have been unemployed for six weeks, I am getting a little concerned about the amount of money I am not earning at work. I have missed three paychecks and the unemployment compensation and part time job just can’t compare to what I had been making. I am lucky that I have some money saved, but will need to get serious about cutting back on expenses and earning extra money if this keeps up much longer.
OK, I have been avoiding this… Yes, I am currently unemployed. I don’t know all the details, but my last employer went out of business. We were told on August 19th and sent home that same day.
For a long time, I used my day job as an excuse for not being able to spend more time working as a clown or an actor. But, now I have the time on my hand and don’t have any jobs as a clown or actor. I have the time to put together a Birthday party show, learn a few more balloons, and practice some magic tricks. I can also put together some headshots and marketing materials. But all of this takes time and money and doesn’t bring in a paycheck right away. I just don’t feel that I am at a point where I am ready to be able to do clowning full time and make enough money to cover the expenses.
My other side business for the past year has been developing websites. I have had my own websites for a few years and seem to add one or two each year. I have not been paid as a website developer as I am either working for myself or volunteering my services to the group. I have started talking with a few friends about creating or updating their website. I see this as one possible option for income until I can get my clown business off the ground.
But, since I need the money, I am also looking for a full time position. I know that there is a chance this will mean that I will actually have less free time for clowning and acting than I had with my last job.
Only time will tell what happens next.
So if you are interested in hiring a clown, actor, website developer, or eLearning developer, I am available.
I am a web developer. As such, I feel that it is only right that I have a personal website to use to both learn about developing websites and to publish some of my work. I have always struggled more with the content side of having a website than I have with the technical side.
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