The first week of unemployment was euphoric, a weight was gone from the shoulders and I was buzzing with grand ideas. After looking and looking at my inherited (from my Grandmother) sewing machine I had an urge to become a maker of all things wonderful. I got the scissors out and a pair of old ikea curtains became a handbag. I decided that it would be the most perfect job in the world for me to make things, sit at a stall now and again selling unique 'made by me' things and lead a boho hippie life. No office, no set hours, no rules. For a whole week I became frantic, material flying, thread strewn all over the floor. I have visited every haberdashery I could find and fought with the concept of getting a zip to make a pocket close.... Before discovering the zip foot of the machine! Oh the zip foot was like a light shining halo moment. In my haste to become a hippie designer I didn't really consider the correct way to do things but after several mistakes, coffee fuelled days at the machine I had actually made a little clutch bag with a polka dot bow, complete with a zipped pocket and a fastening clasp. A small achievement that represented a new outlook on life.
Since this frantic persona was within me I also sat up one night till 1am making my very own website. I bought a step by step set up site that did the trick, the only problem is that my lack of photography skills means that I have had trouble trying to display my wonderful creations to a satisfactory standard. I still have not really got around this one yet! Anyway, my new site can not be found by search engines just yet so I listed my (oh so wonderful) polka dot bag on ebay, and somebody actually bought it, a 'buy it now' price after only 2 days. My first customer, and so far my only customer. The frantic craziness has died down a little, I'm not sure of I ran out of steam or if the real world get a hold of me again.
Out of the blue a woman called me, for a boring admin job I applied for months ago, invited me for an interview. Through gritted teeth and fake gratitude I agreed and went along. I can't pin point the deflation in my attitude but I think it, in fact I know, it came from that call. A call that the unemployed wait for, the call that secures the opening of doors to a bank balance without the minus signs. A call to the 9-5, sit in the office and moan your effing face off all day because you hate the majority of the day, but it pays the bills. Oops a swear word has just slipped out at the thought of the office being part of my life again. I think I have developed a phobia of office buildings, brings me out in a sweat, stomach churns and I start to swear............. F**k. Will I find a way to avoid offices FOREVER?!
Ok back to the plan, I shall make another polka dot bow bag and list it on ebay, if it sells I shall have to make my living room a bag factory. I have made a couple of other bags but I need to have a chat with my camera to behave in some way to be nice to me. Tomorrow is official bag day. I must become a talented in demand bag lady, if the bags don't sell I shall go back to my list and hope for the lotto win. I have been unemployed for two whole weeks and two whole days. Tomorrow is Monday again, a new working week with no office. In fact I am no longer considering my self unemployed, I am a struggling designer. In fact, no I am not a struggling designer I am a new and up and coming designer. PMA positive mental attitude and all that jazz. I am believing in miracles here and am hoping that tomorrow greets me with open arms. I shall look into the whole paperwork stuff of self employment when I am snowed under with payments for my wonderful bags. Maybe I could also start yoga and chanting for more positive hippie vibes.
Another note here is that on my first and frantic week of being a crazy hippie maker of dreams I may have had more coffee than food, far too frantic to eat stuff and now I may need to purchase a smaller bra.... I would have much preferred a flatter belly than a flatter chest.
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