Getting Creative

Did you watch the video? If you haven't trust me, you wanna. It's freakin' sweet.

With weddings, jobs, and unemployment on my mind constantly, it's no wonder that I am becoming more creative than I have ever been before. With the wedding, I want it to be as suh-weet as the one in the video with our own twists and turns. With unemployment, I'm having to get creative as to where to find money in my life. (Trust me, I've looked for the bunny in the top hat... I keep coming up with zilch.) And of course, with the job market, I'm having to get creative as to what I'm looking for.

It's no secret that I had my dream job. Ski industry? check. Media? check. Cool people? check. Web? check. So now, any job I look for (unless it is the same) won't be as great. It took a while to come to terms with that, but now I'm okay with it and eating humble pie.

Sure, I'll take that executive assistant job. Yes I'll work for that hippy company. Nannying? Why not. Freelancing? Hell yes. It's time to get creative, and while I don't have a soundtrack like these people, I am sure trying hard.

Another Wedding? Sheesh!

The problem with being one of the first people to get married among your friends is trying to set the bar high. The problem with getting married among wedding aficionados (people that go to weddings like it's their job) is making it unique enough to not have it fade away in their memory. Funny enough, I have both problems.

Not that it is an issue. Long ago I thought I wanted to be a wedding planner. I was planning events like crazy and loved it - not knowing that weddings were a whole other beast. So setting the bar high is kind of turning into my goal. Not that I am trying to compete with my wedding, I just want to make it so unique and so fun for our guests that we'll hear how much people appreciated it for years to come. Just because I have a ton of friends that get married later on, doesn't mean that I'll try to slip things by hoping they won't remember. We are planning this thing like it's the last wedding on earth.

Which leads to my other problem in trying to make it unique. I have a few friends that go to 8,9,or 10 weddings a summer. They are sick of seeing the standard fare and want something different. While I am not willing to forgo all traditions and some things will be the same as everyone else, we are adding in enough pizazz that I think people will be surprised at every corner. Yes, I will have a white strapless dress. Yes, I do have a solitaire engagement ring. Yes, my dad will walk me down the aisle. But I am getting married on a dude ranch for goodness' sake, so I think our guests will be happy especially my pro-wedding guest friends.

These problems aren't problems at all. I am taking these "challenges" as ways of making our friends and family more and more welcomed to the ranch, we are putting more and more effort into small projects that probably most people won't notice, and we are loving our wedding more and more everyday. It helps that I am unemployed, of course, but I'm enjoying it.

Living the Freelance Life

I faced a hard decision when I got laid off. Follow my heart and spend the summer enjoying the sun, traveling, and wedding planning. Be responsible and start severely looking for my next career move. Or I could find a way to support myself and take some time off.

My decision wasn't really made by me; more it kind of presented itself. After I got laid off I probably sent out 150 emails to my entire rolodex asking if anyone knew of any rocking opportunities. Not surprisingly, not many did, or at least not in my area. So, a few kind an pitying souls offered me something else.

Acquaintances Rick at SAM Magazine (Ski Area Management) and Brad at SkiCoupons.com offered to give me some writing projects for their respective mediums. Which is pretty funny, considering I haven't ever really been known for my writing skills and I haven't really written much in two years. I never really consider my writing a skill, as I feel everyone should know how to write, I guess not everyone does though.

Anyhow, the problem now isn't the lack of things to do or write, its actually having the discipline to get them done. My SAM article is due July 15 and the articles for SkiCoupons are due as I write them, which means I am slacking hard core. I've never claimed to be very disciplined on my own; this is the reason I don't know how to play an instrument or know another language. I've never even taken an online class or anything. I know I need to go somewhere to get something done. Thus, I've never really considered freelancing as a permanent gig.

Although the life of a freelancer is appealing (especially once I become a mom), it's not something I really want to do forever, which makes it perfect until I find a job I love after the wedding.

For now, I'll take any kindness anyone can offer. I love when (almost) strangers reach out. I also love having the time to get everything else done that I love.

**Nerd Alert** 'Cause I'm FREE.... Freelancing!