The Joy of Joblessness by Jillian  Shellabarger

I lost my job on December 5th, 2007. Since then I have been looking for work and …nothing. I did get an interview and they called back saying I was overqualified and wanted too much money. Was I supposed to be flattered or something? Because I am still jobless you know.
So I start to take pictures….a lot of pictures. And I find that I am not absolutely terrible at it. And later, I stumble across RedBubble and I am mesmerized for a day and a half just looking at all the art and photos here. So then methinks, welp, why not put my stuff on there, too? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? They could laugh and say that I am awful and I could come back with my healthy defense that even a fistfull of ketsup packets on the floor can be considered “art”…and so I uploaded my pictures with the best of intentions, hoping to share my little view of the world and the things I find beautiful and interesting to the masses. And then….lo’ and behold, you respond. You even commented on my photos from half way around the world!! Some of you, from the UK, or Australia, or the East Coast. I mean, that is just absolutely crazy to me because I live in Oregon in the United states…that is the state right above California for those who hate geography. Anyway, I was absolutely amazed and excited. So I posted a few more pictures, then a few more….and I got more bubblemail and help with how to navigate this site a bit, and lots of great and encouraging comments.

All I can say, is that joblessness has its perks. And even when I start to work once again, I will still be snapping pictures and posting them here. This is the coolest and for me, best kept secret on the internet. I LOVE RedBubble and the community here. Thanks you guys for getting me out of the “slump” of unemployment and giving me an encouraging and fun place to be….even though I am a half a world away, somehow, I feel so close and so connected to all of you. I appreciate that, so thank you. Really, I mean it so very much!
With love, Jillian~