I Am The 53%

I was a NYC EMT.

I was there when it all went down 10 years ago.

When my service was done, I moved to Arizona to pursue a dream on my own.

I met my wife.

I started a business.

I bought my first home and new car.

Every quarter I write a check to cover my taxes; sometimes it’s a big check, sometimes it’s a small check, but it’s mine, and it represents what I earn, not what is given to me.

I have never needed government assistance.

I have never taken a social handout.

Some months are good, others are terrible.  Some nights I sleep well, others not so much.

These are my choices, and I fight for them everyday, good or bad, right or wrong. 

Corporate greed sucks and I agree that politicians are all shysters.  But you won’t see me sitting in a park participating in a drum circle – I have to much work to do, and I have people who rely on me.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles…The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who at his worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

-Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

I am the 53%.  I am Sean.

#1amthe53

I Need Some Lemons....

I feel as though I should preface this post with a bit of an explanation.  I’m frustrated and annoyed at the state of the economy, the state of our country, and the state of the job market, and particularly the hiring practices currently in place by most companies.  Explanation over.

So, as we all know, the economy is well, let’s just say it – total crap.  Politicians and economists, those living in their ivory towers, just don’t have a clue as to how the real world works.  They continually promise positive change on the horizon, but as each day passes, it seems as though the horizon gets further away, and the country slips closer to another Great Depression.

So, what to do?

I have worked hard to keep my little company afloat in dire times.  Now, once again, I find myself combing the job boards hoping to find something that I can do, but I’m not sure what that looks like.  I am not an office guy – not because I don’t like commuting or anything, but because I can’t stand office politics and over the top political correctness – creative people cannot thrive in sterile environments, and that is exactly what today’s corporate setting has become. I cannot stand the idea of working my ass off for some lazy bum (aka a CEO) so he can get rich.  Someone very close to me tells me everyday how people are being laid off, not because business is down, but because upper management wants their bonuses.  So, instead of working to increase productivity and making a better product, the just fire people, throw them away if you will, just so they can get an extra million, because the first 10 wasn’t enough.  I would happily work at Wal-Mart or Target, or any other big box store, but they’re not hiring.  They have an endless supply of out of work individuals with BA’s and BS’s and PhD’s – why would they hire me, a guy with no formal degree?  Mind you, that’s not just retail centers, it’s everyone. 

I think that’s what really ticks me off.  Yeah, I don’t have a formal degree – I only went to Roger William’s University for a couple of years before I could just no longer afford to go.  So, what did I do?  I went to work.  I planted the seed for Lone Wolf Drafting and Design in New York, while being a volunteer EMT on Long Island and paid EMT in New York City and working a full time design job.  Then, when I exhausted all options there, I moved to Arizona on my own.  I found a job here doing landscape design and then went to work for GarageMahals.  When that went south, I restarted LWD+D, developed my own client base, got married, bought a truck and a house, all while keeping my little business alive in the worst economy, ever. 

So yeah, why would anyone hire me, right?  Just because someone has a degree doesn’t mean anything.  You could have 15 degrees which just shows you’re a professional student – fantastic.  Where is the real world experience?  Where is the education that only fighting for something that means something to you can provide?  There was a time when you, that is the person that YOU are was enough to get you a job.  People would take a chance and give you your shot, not because of your education, but because of the unique experiences that you could bring to the table.  Why is this a concept that is so foreign to hiring managers now (well, maybe it’s because there are “hiring managers” who themselves only know how to follow a company hiring formula, and have no idea how to exercise free thought)?

So, here is my question: where do people like me find a decent job using my skills; a job where integrity, talent, tenacity and creativity really mean something – where is that job board?  I’m really asking.  Monster.com, Jobing.com, Careerbuilder.com, AZ Central and the like all have the same 5 or 6 jobs, and they all want 10 years of experience being a sheep in someone else’s office with 3 degrees.

Really?

Well, how about 5 years of sacrifice and hard work? How about 5 years of using my talents to make a name for myself in my industry and maintaining a client base based on word of mouth? How about getting my work published, twice? And how about 5 years of hitting the pavement looking for clients, going to conventions, and just scraping by so that maybe, some day, I could have a profitable company and make something of myself, by myself.

Where is the company that hires and rewards that guy?

Until the day comes that I find that job with that mythical company, I will have to continue to struggle.  I have to keep looking for at least some part time work until the economy turns around and business starts coming in again.  If anyone in the Phoenix area knows of anyone that may be hiring creative, talented, hard working people, please post a comment with a way to reach you.  To anyone else with a small company that is struggling, I hope you find a way through, too.

February 18th, 2010

Yep, February 18th, 2010 – that is the last time a posted a blog.
A few days ago, I was looking at all of my stuff, my work archives, my photo archives, my blog files, my website – and then I clicked on this little button that says “stats”. Wow – people actually read this stuff. People actually look at my website. However, I did also notice a decline in how many people were looking at my various online works. I decided to take a look at the last time I posted anything – the date: 2-18-2010.

Unacceptable.

Therefore, I have decided to take up blogging again, and make sure I post more work as it is completed. All that being said, however, I cannot take all of the blame for my lack of blogging. This year has been filled with many ups and downs. For a while, I didn’t think my little company was going to survive. Work dried up for a long time as the Great Recession has continued to march on (the folks on Wall Street who say the recession is over clearly have no concept of the real world, and that is all I will say on that subject).
Personally, life got a bit stressful. The apartment I was living in with my wife was just way too small, and the rent was going up. My wife’s employment status was hanging by a thread a couple of times during the beginning of the year. However, through the grace of God, work trickled in when we needed it from my oldest clients. Then, the biggest change of our lives came around – my wife and I bought a house, our very first house. The mortgage is far less then our old rent, and it is a much bigger and more appropriate space for a new family starting out. For almost 6 months out of 2010, we shopped for a house, bought the house, renovated and then moved in to said house. This was one of the major reasons for my non blogging status, lately.
Since moving into my new home, I have tried to keep Lone Wolf Drafting and Design alive with success. I have updated my website for the first time in 8 or 9 months. In the coming weeks and months, I will post new projects on this blog and give you, the reader the “behind the scenes” explanation of how they came about. I will also be picking up older projects that just seemed to “fizzle” – the Classic Industrial Loft comes to mind right away. There are also upcoming projects (both personal and professional) that are currently on the digital drawing board, and I will begin posting those as well.

For those of you that have kept this blog on your RSS feeds through this time of inactivity, I thank you for your patience. For those of you who may have strayed away, I don’t blame you, but now is the time to come back.

Here is a sneak preview of what’s to come:

On behalf of Lone Wolf Drafting and Design, we wish all a happy and safe holiday season, and a prosperous new year!