I find myself in a café downtown Holland (MI) on a Wednesday afternoon, sitting at a window seat watching the world go by while enjoying a cappuccino and a bagel. I’m not at work and I’m waiting for a photo assignment to start at 6 pm. It’s an absolutely beautiful day out; the sun is shining and it’s about 55° and people are everywhere – I came out to the coast early to get this year’s first glimpse of the big lake and to take in all that is beautiful. There have been very few jacket sightings and I’ve even seen t-shirts and shorts. I’m looking forward to the changing season.
So as of last week I find myself unemployed, well, at least no longer employed with the bank I was with. The writing was on the wall with that job; I was searching for something else and only showing up to get my job done and to go home. This is unfair to the company and unfair to myself. Neither one of us was helping each, only hurting. It was obvious that I was not supposed to be a banker and that role was something that was clearly not a right fit. I was brought into that position based on my personality and my ability to make clients feel comfortable; I was not brought in because of my excellent operational skills for behind the scenes paperwork – which is all I did for the nine months I was in that role. I was a papers pusher. I was told we would be a great team and compliment each other very well. With my personality, “you’ll pick up the operations end no problem and you’ll go far”
That didn’t happen.
I won’t go into the who’s and the why’s of what happened. I’m not here to point fingers and say he said she said. This situation goes both ways and I feel we are both to blame. I believe all parties involved are in a better place at this point and I am now looking to the future. I am in a better place.
I had begun to search for new work and I was actively sending my resume out, even having an interview. In a strange twist, the day I was called back for a second round interview I was also dismissed from my main job. I’m not sure how as I was very careful, but I believe they had gotten wind of my search and they saw it as a window to get rid of me. It was a strange and surreal experience and I really had no idea how to react. It was basically stunned silence, and I wandered around the house for the remainder of the night. The only thing I accomplished that night was neatly hanging all my suits on proper hangers and putting them away. I knew I would not be wearing them again for a while, preferably only for weddings and funerals. I had grown very tired of the suit and tie – I’m a jeans and t-shirt guy. I think on the inside I’m thankful all this has happened.
Coincidentally, on that same day I was released I was given four photo assignments from my recurring client, MVP Illustrated. This just added to the surrealism of being “unemployed.” Here I was, having the long walk of shame back to my car after being let go, and at the same time scheduling four photo assignments and booking a second interview for another job (it went well by the way – more on that later).
So, back to Holland. My assignment tonight is a follow-up session on some “before” photos I shot back in January. MVP Illustrated is a seasonal magazine for the MVP Sports Clubs brand of fitness centers. They have six locations in west Michigan and two in Orlando. I cover the MI locations. It’s a great gig and I meet a lot of great people, the work is fun but as a seasonal magazine printed four times a year it’s not something I can support my wife and I on solely.
One of this weeks projects: sending out feelers to other publications to see if I can get some more photo work. That would be the ideal situation. This week I have been enjoying myself being a full time photographer; completing sessions and editing them thereafter. I could get used to this, I wish I was used to this.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep doing my thing and I’ll keep you posted on the other interviews I’ve been having. I’ll tell you more about it later, but just know that it has absolutely nothing to do with the financial industry. I spent five years too many in that game-
In the meantime, ever since I was let go, I’ve been sleeping better than I have in over a year.
Pypeline.