I hit reply too soon.
Write down your goals. It sounds stupid and lofty but take out a piece of paper and write down your goals of how you want your life to turn out. It helps you stay subconscious stay focused on your goals. Write them out in the positive (by positive, I mean write what you do want, not to avoid what you don’t want), in the present tense and make them detailed. For example do not write something that you don’t want that is vague like:
I don’t want to feel financial insecurity anymore
Write something positive and concrete like:
I have enough money that I can easily meet all my bills this month
Try it. At the very least it cannot hurt.
As for depression, proper nutrition can do alot for you. Eating more omega-3 fatty acids and taking things like B vitamins and magnesium could lift your mood. You can buy these at walmart for maybe $10.
I actually have tears in my eyes, reading all these wonderful posts. It restores my faith in humanity.
Bonobo, I tried to e mail you, and it says you are not accepting e mails. Please e mail me when you get a chance. I would LOVE for your friend to take some of my work to a show or 2, for a commission. This is what my hope is, eventually, to be able to go to a couple shows a month and sell my artwork. I honestly think I could make a good living at it, if given half a chance. I can do commissions of people’s pets, horses , what ever. I can do cats, by the way, and need to do a few :).
As to getting a roomate… I have a VERY small house, the only extra bedroom is used as my dog/grooming room, it is a TINY room, I doubt anyone would want to rent it out !
I have no family at all, other than a few stragging cousins that I haven’t seen in years. I was an only child, both parents dead , all aunts and uncles dead. I truly am alone.
I don’t have a bachelor’s degree, I have never gone to college at all. I will check into Ivy Tech, or ISU. I would love to get an education… at 45 , better late than never, huh?
I had a WONDERFUL offer from a poster here today to set me up a web site, and someone else has offered to make me business cards… both will come in VERY handy, and set me on the right path.
I can’t say it enough guys. Thank you, every one of you that is taking the time to reply here and offer help and comforting words. I feel better tonight than I have in… I don’t know when. ((((hugs)))) all around !
As for jobs, it can be hard. I’ve learned that nobody will ever call you back. If you are signed up with a temp agency, call them every morning as soon as they open- they’ll give you first crack at jobs just to get you to stop calling. If you turn in an application, show up every day until you get to talk to a manager. They simply don’t hire people who just drop off applications. I’ve also had luck with posting extremely creative ads on Craig’s List, and with sending well-worded entertaining letters to every restaurant (though I’m sure it’d work for anything- try pet stores/kennels/vets) in town.
Don’t worry if the job is crap. Crap jobs lead to good jobs. One year ago I had a crappy retail job that only gave me 12 hours a week at minimum wage. Now I’ve got as cushy a job as you can get. Do your best on the job, work to expand your responsibilities (when anything comes up to do, do it. Try to get as many “duties” on to your next resume as possible) and if it is retail be extra super nice to the customers. I had countless customers offer me job while I was on the job because they liked my service. Every moment on any job is an opportunity.
As for the doctor, there are free clinics out there. They are a pain in the butt to find information about, but they will help you. Planned Parenthood provides excellent primary care on a sliding scale, and they can probably help refer you to someone. Get on the phone. It may seem like a wild goose chase as clinic after clinic says they can’t help, but just keep asking “where would you recommend” and eventually you’ll find someone.
As for depression, it never helped me when anyone said this, but it lifts. It will get better. Don’t worry about loosing time or money. Just concentrate on every day and soon things will get better. I’ll give you some warning though- people on this board can be loving angels, but they can also sometimes be a little harsh about these kinds of problems. If someone says anything snippy, try not to let it get you down. It’s the nature of the Internet.
This is also a very good idea. Part of stress and depression can be simply feeling adrift in life; like you’re not going anywhere, and you wouldn’t know where to go if you were. And you know what they always say; you can’t GET what you want until you KNOW what you want. Start with baby steps - “I want to earn $10 a week.” Maybe you can get a paper route that will allow you to achieve that goal. Any step forward is better than staying in place and stagnating. Build on each success, and learn from each failure.
PapSett, my heart goes out to you. It’s been a tough cycle, hasn’t it? The dogs can be a godsend in rough (ruff?) times.
The art is a great idea for bringing in some cash immediately, but have you considered pet-sitting as a profession? I don’t know how many pet-sitters are in Evansville, but there may be a couple – look through the yellow pages and find out if they are hiring. Given you have experience with dogs, this might be a good option for you. You get to go to other people’s homes and water their plants, take care of their animals, plus get paid. You’d need to be bonded and insured, but it is another possibility.
Anna, just emailed you. I’ll figure out how to fix that on my profile.
The pet sitting idea is a great one! Around here, people get $15-20 per visit. You could make a few fliers and put them at vets, put the word out with dog people you know…won’t make you rich, but a few bucks here & there, maybe…
Do you have friends, people, activities that get you out of the house IRL? I know - for me anyhow - with depression comes a tendency to isolate. This isn’t the greatest idea; keeps you ruminating and going around in circles in your own head.
Way to go on the utility bill freebie!
Everyone else has already said everything I was going to, but I’ll chime in on how wonderful and original your paintings are. I especially like the one with the sleeping leopard, and if you’re accepting offers just drop me an email with a price and we’ll make a deal.
My cousin is a professional dog walker. She’s making very good money doing it. People want their pets exercised! Flyers at the grocery store or even a newspaper ad will probably get you a heap of inquiries.
Also, dog poo clean-up. A guy in my town is raking in the cash hand over fist.
Whoops… I intended to add that I have gone thru the yellow pages and contacted every pet shop , pet sitter, kennel & grooming parlor listed. Most are not hiring.
I have trained for a local obedience club in the past and put obedience titles on several dogs (And let me tell you… training a Gordon Setter is much more difficult than training a Golden Retriever or a Border Collie !) I have applied as a trainer at a couple pet shops that offer that service. I had never thought about doing private lessons… that is a very good idea ! I will get some fliers made up and stick them up around town.
I really think you need to get out and have some human contact. A part time job would be great for you. Of course since I work in a hospital, that’s where I was looking. I went to Deaconess Hospital’s, very busy, web site. They have several positions which you would qualify for, including “patient sitter” and “Child Care assistant”. Of course, like any hospital there are always full time positions for cleaning (environmental services) staff. I looked at the on-line application, and they have it really nicely set up that you can put in your non-educational skills, like your care of your father.
I don’t know how much help the follwing information will be, but I recently visited my dad in Indiana, who was transferred there from Oklahoma to help open an enourmous wharehouse for Dollar General. I know as a fact they’re looking for workers since my Dad spent a good amount of time talking about the dozens of interviews he had to do. I haven’t a clue when it’s actually going to open though. It might be a while since when I last looked at it it was very much under construction. Still, I’d ask around. It might serve you well to get your foot in the door early. Maybe there’s something there for you
There might be an entry level position that you’d be perfect for. It would be worth it to take a look, even if just to get a feel for what you would need to learn in order to get your foot in the door. Hope this helps!
I’m one more person cheering you on. You have a talent with your art that people will pay for. You might consider painting individual portraits of people’s pets, putting up flyers or business cards at vet offices, pet shows, groomers. Maybe do a sample portrait of a vet’s own pet and display it at the office with your card. Pet grooming is an option too, if it interests you.
Good luck, don’t give up. Life is change, and if you hang in there you’ll see that difficult changes bring their own rewards.
I’m in a small town, but this may be an option even in a larger city: our library puts on art shows in an informal gallery space, and you can advertise the fact that the items are for sale after the show closes. It wouldn’t have to be all your stuff either; you could be a part of a larger craftspeople’s show. The vet office is an excellent idea, too; if you are on close terms with one you could decorate the office with a few pieces and include your contact info.
Here is an Arts Council resource too (I don’t know if you have to have any credentials as far as qualifying as an artist (juried work, etc.) but I doubt it).
Artist Membership - $35 for literary, performing, or visual artists, except for full-time students who pay discounted rate of $15
Benefits Include
For visual artists, free membership in the Artists of SW Indiana
Inclusion in our Member Discount Program, which brings discounts from about 35 retail stores or performance venues
**Option for a listing in the Arts Resource Directory that goes out to area schools and others interested in hiring local artists **
Weekly electronic newsletters keeping those with computer access updated on time-sensitive exhibit, display, performance, and instructional opportunities
**Various exhibit, display, and performance opportunities **
Discounted admission to workshops and many arts events
Invitations to workshops, exhibits, and special events such as the Mayor’s Arts Award banquet, exhibits, artists’ studio tours, bus trips to out-of-town art-related activities, and more
**Artist referral and networking services **
Option for statewide database listing
Subscription to quarterly ArtsTalk newsletter with Cultural Calendar
(If nothing else, you’ll get a discount on paint and supplies, and begin to meet other creative folks. In the event that you switch careers, you’ll get creative energy from the community there.)
Yes, better late then never. My grandmother at the age of 50 told her job to shove it, went back to college for 4 years and started a totally new career.
I feel for you. My dogs are the main reason I made it through this past fall. I don’t have much, but please PM me. If I can help you pay for their food or heartworm meds I’d love to.
Also, if you can paint greyhounds go to www.greytalk.com. There’s a forum called Pet Merchandise. I think people there would love your work, especially if you could personalize your items.
