Okay, so maybe it's not the worst news ever, but this news cost me my job. So yeah, I'm feeling hella bummed and am not at all sure of what's next.
Four months ago today, I started this awesome new gig as a product designer for We R Memory Keepers, and unfortunately tomorrow is my last day.
It has been one heck of a ride, these past four months -- from submitting some designs that were floating around in my head, to sparking enough interest to get me the job, to starting without a clue and just doing it, to flying to Utah for a week and learning the ropes, to returning back to NY and trying to understand what my version of 'working from home' looked and felt like. Then learning what it took to make scrapbooking products, to finalizing the packaging and completing deadlines. Starting right away on another line after the first one was finished, and experiencing my first ever real bought of creative block -- that lasted three weeks! Just when I thought I wasn't cut out for this job, I pushed through, and created some designs I'm extremely proud of, and slowly but surely my second line came together. Finalizing both of my lines was a thrill, and when the printed versions showed up on my doorstep to create with, my mom and I were over the moon as I pulled out each piece and saw them in the flesh - as real products - right there in front of my eyes!
Last week, when I was creating projects with my products to mail back to the office to use in the Summer catalog, I stopped and finally had a concrete thought: This job is awesome and I can do it. How lucky am I that this is my job? Bring on the next assignment!
I swear, only at that moment did the job's greatness come full circle in my head. The three+ months prior, I was struggling. Struggling with the huge adjustment of working from home. Struggling with all the 'new' stuff I needed to learn. Struggling with a huge out-of-nowhere bout of anxiety. Struggling with three-week long creative block. Finally, I got to a place of true confidence and security in my role, and the call came the next day: American Crafts purchases We R, and they do not employ full time workers who aren't in-house. DAMN.
Read more about it here and here.
I suppose if I were a regular crafter, this news would be exciting. Two great brands joining creative forces? No doubt a bunch of great, innovative products will follow... but I'm not a regular crafter. I'm also a designer. I want to help innovate new product to aid in this hobby/jobby/industry I adore, and with this news, that opportunity was stripped from me.
I'm SO bummed about it, but here I am.
Starting over yet again.
Job search #2 of 2014 is on.
On the bright side: now I have four months of incredible learning experience under my belt and two completed paper lines to show for it. We'll see what comes about. :)
