Hi there, Internet. We’ve been friends for a long time now. Perhaps about 12 years? That’s absolutely forever in internet time. During our friendship you’ve helped me in more ways than I’ll ever know. You’ve inspired my art, improved my general knowledge and even gifted me with a social life. Without you I just wouldn’t be me, and that’s a scary but true fact.
I’m okay with that. And usually I’m happy to just let you quietly influence me from the background and give me support when I need it almost by osmosis.
But now I really need your help. I have to find a job and get on with this real life thing I hear people mention. I know I know, I’d prefer just to sit around all day hanging out with you, drawing comics and making awesome stuff. But the sad truth is that sometimes awesome stuff just doesn’t pay the bills. Like rent and food and yes, even internet.
I know that I’ve been incredibly lucky up until this point to have been able to avoid real life pretty much continuously. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’s not something I’d wish on my enemies, but to be fair it has paid off in a bunch of really odd ways. I have been able to focus on getting well and improving my art at the same time.
I’ve finally reached the point where I don’t want to be ‘the sick girl’ anymore. I want to be able to stop asking for handouts and be able to use my own legs to sustain myself. I’m pretty sure they’re strong enough to hold me up now.
So what I need from you now is a bit of help finding work. It doesn’t have to be fun or exciting or permanent. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be paid. It just has to help me gain skills so that I can become more independent. If you don’t have work for me, perhaps you’d be keen to meet with me, look over my CV and talk possible jobhunt strategy? I haven’t ever had a ‘normal job’ before, so any help o how I smooth talk my way onto a paycheck would be incredibly appreciated.
The help that I have had so far has said to ‘use your networks’, and you’re the biggest network I know.
I’m not looking for a career. I know what I want to do, I want to illustrate. The more I try to step away from it, the more it pulls me back in. Unfortunately is is very hard to be an illustrator immediately. What I need is something small that will fit in nicely in-between things and pay my bills while the other part of me gets her shit together in order to make a proper go of it. I need something to be able to pay for my sketchbooks, my art supplies, and my stock.
Here’s a copy of my current CV. Please let me know what can be improved with it.
I’m crowsourcing this, because it’s the only thing I know how to do. Come on internet, I know I can count on you.
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