Friendly Advice (Plus Artist Blog) (Patreon)

Alright guys quick update and explanation.

I haven't really been able to work as much as I would have liked for the past two months and the reasons be fall between health and financial issues. I have already explained the health scare in my family as one of my grandparents have been hospitalised a few times in May and we were concerned if they were going to succumb to their ailments. Thankfully, the doctors made a reasonable decision and encouraged my grandparent to undergo surgery to correct the issue. As of right now they are healthy and taking it easy, but the inevitable does linger at the back of our minds. They are at that age and they have been through so much, it's understandable why they wish to rest one last time when that day comes. For now, we as a family we are taking life head-on daily and are just pacing ourselves at this point.

The other major reason for my absence was not because of laziness or any form of disinterest - it was financial burdens that slowly crushed us as your's truly jumping the gun on some career decisions. Allow me to explain:

I normally don't like revealing my personal end too much for risk of privacy, but what you all need to know are the basics: I decided to into the field of finances as a side hustle and as most of you know I am officially licensed by my state as of March. With that license you'd expect to have a set career and no problems finding a job right? Well... not quite. On one hand you have companies seeking you constantly, but most only offer sweet words in the interview process - enticing you that you can make 100k a year with just 10 sales a week (the math does add up I checked), but how LONG does it take to accomplish that goal the recruiter won't answer. Some recruiters offer training but with a set of criteria you need to fit before they begin training:

Do you have a network? Do you have money to invest? What experience do you have working with clients of a specific demographic? How well can you handle high stress situations? What sales experience do you have?

Answer "None" to any of these questions and the likelihood of you being turned down is high.

I did eventually land a contract with one company, but like any other self-starter companies you need to supply your own resources in order to succeed - in layman's terms I need to provide my own finances in order to launch my business.

What about a side job while I build the financial business? That's my next subject: On the other hand, because of the license you become overqualified by default. Other regular nine-to-five jobs won't hire you due to the likelihood of you being recruited by a higher paying company. Yes, not even a present contract - that mind you is CLOSED contract that doesn't demand any hours - did not deter any apprehension smaller employers might have possessed from hiring me, they still thought the financial license was a well enough reason to turn down my applications despite me offering as much hours as possible (yes, this includes restaurants).

The only positive of the current contract I have is there is no pyramid scheme, no catch, no subtext - just purely "you reap what you sow" honest work, be as big or small as you want - the world is your oyster. Which is fantastic, especially for someone working from home looking for flexibility... if only I had planned for said investment before I agreed to the contract things would be smoother and or maybe different.

So for a month, I attempted to find other means of income as the financial contract was at a stand still (because of my lack of finances to invest for resources). Normally, I would ask for commissions, but have grown weary of constant commissions and small tasks to feed us and pay the bills. I did manage to catch up eventually, but let's just say May through June was when I had to do something quick or else all services would be shut off and/or I would reported delinquent by the Credit Bureau (bad financial habits are not good in my line of work; also we may need good credit to move soon). It's anyone's guess what odd jobs I had to take to get food on the table. However, I can confirm that the job I decided to pick up you can easily download the app off GooglePlay or the Apple store and start working ASAP. It involved being outside all day, heavy lifting, dealing with bad weather, navigation to parts of town I've never been to, and a lot of driving around to the point that I barely - and I place emphasis on "BARELY" - had time to eat, use the bathroom, draw, write or even catch up on commissions.

Ten to twelve hour shifts ($13/hr minimum) EVERYDAY of the week really blurred together. I did genuinely loose my sense of time and space at several intervals - even the weekends were workdays. To say I was overworked is an understatement. I even awoke most days with restless legs wondering what time I needed to be at my job when there was no scheduled job for that day. The only positive of moving so much was exercise and finding short cuts in town, but I would not recommend anyone taking what I signed up during the summer or the dead of winter. Unless you have the experience and the durability of a trucker, or you are comfortable with moving around a city all day and don't mind the exercise, I wouldn't recommend just anyone doing this.

I digress - Yes, this period did pay well, and the company recognised me for my efforts, but it was still not enough for me to stop and breathe for a day. Bills were barely paid and I hardly had any sleep because of it. I had to constantly work until another company (local and a simple service provider) hired me not too long ago for a year long contract. After two weeks of this new position, I can confirm the pay is better and confidently confess I am back on the horse again. Twelve hour shifts seven days a week are now back to eight hours for five days a week, and to say I am not used to the free time is also an understatement.

So... what now

Will I keep my license? Yes. Because my spouse and I are considering moving closer to home soon - closer to family -, and keeping that license will be a great help in finding better work opportunities.

Will I try to exercise my license until then? Yes! I will try to exercise it a bit more in the coming months, but we will see.

As for commissions, I know - everyone is wondering about their commissions.

I will say they are being worked on, but as for selling commissions right now I will be on hiatus. The orders sent in will be completed over the summer and you guys are more than welcome to add or even requests edits to active orders. Alas, new orders will not be placed at this time. How long this hiatus will last? I will place an approximation of October at the earliest if no other serious life events occur.

At this time, I will not give anymore promises but what I can give is my assurance that my situation is improving and I will pace myself to get these projects done ASAP.

I do genuinely thank you all for your support and patience. With that, until next time!