When I was in my mid thirties, I unexpectedly found myself without a job. I lived in a small town at the time, and employment was a tough market.
I had been working at a photo shop, for the previous two years, and he decided, without telling his staff, that he was closing up shop. Great!
His way of telling us was by posting a note, written on photo paper, posted on the door. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be closed effective immediately. Thank you for your patronage. Your film and photos will be available upon request” That was it! That was how I was told I was unemployed.
So, I began to search. I still didn’t know what I wanted to “be” when I grew up and knocked on a few business doors in hopes of getting hired on the spot. IT WORKED.
My mind was set on staying in the photography industry as I had started to develop, what my boss called, “a keen eye for it.” But, small town-small dreams- there were no other photography shops in town. Instead, I applied at a graphic promotions shop. It had an entire retail floor and the lower portion was all for orders, engraving, administration and embroidery.
The interview was 5 minutes long. My new boss was an old guy named Arnold who seemed funny, kind, and at the time, very generous. My starting wage was much more than the…
