BlakeAtwood.com

There are seasons in my life where I’ve privately journaled about my life experiences. Most of it is so wretchedly written that a drunken monkey wouldn’t want to read it; however, that’s not exactly the point. For me the point is to simply record the event so I can remember a comedic circumstance, an inaudible word from above, or a lesson I should have learned by now.

(As a side note, my journaling tool of choice is Google Docs, but I read this article earlier today – OhLife: A Personal Journal You Might Actually Keep Updating – about a site built for the sole purpose of private journaling).

Today I’ll share a quick comedic moment that happened almost a year ago to the day. I’d taken a trip with my Uncle to northern California so we (well, mostly he) could attend the Healdsburg Guitar Festival. Here’s my summary of an informal jam session that happened one night:

We went to a McKnight owners jam held at the hotel, but I didn’t stay there very long either. The one humorous moment came when I was talking to some guy about wanting to play out more in Austin. He asked, “What kind of music do you play?” I hemmed and hawed. “You don’t look like the rock type. Country?”

Well, crap, was all I could think.

photo credit: austrini

Since I’ve moved to DFW, this is what I’ve been doing:

• Applying for job after job after job after job. By now I’ve applied to almost 70 places.
• Learning that Tom Petty was right.
• Being the runner-up for a position in early July.
• Watching 24.
• Enjoying living closer to my nieces and nephew and, yes, even their parents.
• Spending time with old friends and bizarro friends.
• Living vicariously through John Marston and being wooed to the dark side.
• Getting invited to the cast and crew screening of Paradise Recovered held at the Alamo Drafthouse. They were even so kind as to give me a film credit.
• Seeing Mr. Daniel Whittington rip up Opening Bell Coffeehouse.
• Watching my nieces get baptized during a very inspiring baptism service.
• Attending a small church called The Village.
• Seldom updating my website or twittering because it feels like there is so little occurring.

Since I’ve moved to DFW, this is what I’ve been thinking:

• that I honestly wouldn’t have gone this long without landing a proper job. It’s a foolhardy thought given the economy, but I now have a healthy appreciation for the difficulties of those that have faced much worse in regards to unemployment.
• that I’m living in interstitial space, somewhere between who I used to be and who I want to be, and unsure of who I am now. I once had a vague idea of my future, but now it’s an unseen vista just over the horizon.
• that the hamster in the wheel of my mind needs to ease up on the caffeinated beverages.
• that I’m entirely too ungrateful. Despite the things I rail against God for, I take far too many things and people for granted.
• that no matter how long the night, dawn still breaks like grace, a shimmering surprise to a worn-out sinner.

I tweeted this yesterday:

Because the day before I felt like this:

While there are thousands of people much worse off than myself, part of my self-pitying ice cream coma arrived as a result of finally learning the answer to a specific job application process that’s lasted for the last three months. (The answer was no in case the picture didn’t clue you in). I drowned my sorrows in a PB&C shake from Cold Stone Creamery. It helped. A little.

But today, like every day, is a new day. Motivation has returned. Self-confidence, ever wavering though it may be, came back to roost. I have ideas for better utilizing my time. (I’ve watched the entire first season of 24 in about a week – thank you Netflix streaming -  and tore apart my defunct PS3, among other things). I’d like to help you, or your friends.

This is where you come in.

• Do you need a simple website?
• Maybe a brochure or newsletter or heck, even a magazine?
• An article written and pitched?

I can write. I can design. I can do layout. Yes, I will ask for a fee in return for these services, but it will be a mutually beneficial venture: inexpensive for you, experience for me. Pricing will be discussed up front, before any work is done, and will be on a case-by-case basis based on your needs.

So if you or someone you know is in need of a small website (I can host it as well), graphic design work, or copywriting, use the contact tab on the left side of this website to contact me.

I promise not to spill chocolate shake on your website.

[P.S. I am still looking for a full-time job in the DFW area, but plan to continue freelance work when a new gig is obtained... as long as the new gig is OK with it.]

[Adapted and expanded from this post: The Primal Scream]

In the wake of the death of my marriage, I began a search for answers to questions that I knew had no answers, but the desire to know, unequivocally, what had gone so horribly wrong was too great. I had to know the answer to “Why?” More than just “Why did this happen to me?” I had to know “Why does this happen to anyone?” even “Why does this happen to everyone, in some form?” Which, really, boils down to the first question, plus a pointed noun, “Why, God?” Yet even in asking that question, in thinking long enough about it, one might even question the necessity of the comma, the necessity of the God, and simply, honestly, ask “Why God?”

Read the rest at RelevantMagazine.com…

While I’ve had the fortune to not have had to look for many jobs in my years of being an adult, I’ve always heard it was about who you know; in other words, it’s networking. This notion always scared me because I thought I’d have to know a lot of people, and I thought I’d have to know them pretty well for them to be interested in helping me find a job. Thankfully I live in a time where networking floats in the air I breathe, in the digital bits of the tweets and status updates of social networks. Now that I’m embarking on a new adventure, I sat down at my computer last night and wound up spending two hours “networking.”

It began with this article: HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter, from Mashable.com. At the end of the post, the article lists multiple twitter accounts to follow if you need to find a job. I clicked the ones of interest to me, and as I was about to start clicking “follow,” I thought…Wait a minute… If this new account decides to follow me back, or if any other traffic should arrive as a result of starting to follow these accounts, do I really want my lame Twitter page to be their first impression?

So I googled “Twitter background templates” and found this free downloadable Twitter background PSD file from @chadengle of fuelyourcreativity.com. I edited it and wound up with the background currently seen on my twitter page. It’s still fairly simple, but it’s direct and looks better than before.

Finally, I felt confident to start following new accounts (listed here for your amusement). Then things got really fun. I’d begun using Hootsuite online recently at my current job and knew it would be a useful tool for this new endeavor. I didn’t realize how powerful the tool they’ve created is until I saw how it could help me in a job search. I created a list on which I could place only twitter accounts related to my job search in Dallas and Fort Worth. I created a column that only tracks the hashtag #tweetmyjobs. I created other columns that deliver real-time results for “Dallas jobs” and “Forth Worth jobs.” In perusing the results, I found @writerjobsdal, an account aimed directly at the type of job I’m looking for. I started to find interesting jobs almost immediately, but my eyelids could bear their burden no longer. I left the search until today, but knowing that I’d set in place useful tools for my search allowed me to sleep soundly.

Feel free to make recommendations of Twitter accounts, or share your own story if and how using online tools helped you get a job. Or, you know, offer me a job in DFW.