On the current financial climate

I don't read the news. I don't know anything about economics and I don't know anything about US politics. I couldn't pick out Joe Biden in a line-up and the only thing that frustrates me about the recession is that the media has turned it into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Until yesterday, I haven't really been affected by the current financial crisis. Sure, I noticed the price of stuff going up, but we switched our energy supplier and petrol appears to have lost about 20p a litre so it's been a relative plateau for me - my funds have just leaned more towards food shopping than energy/fuel. Yesterday, however, it seems that the pending recession (I don't even know if we're actually in a recession now - we could be!) took its toll on the awesome agency I work for. It wouldn't be fair of me to go into details of the whys and wherefores (largely because it'd be mostly speculation), but the upshot is that in a month today, I'll be jobless. <!--more--> Obviously, the potential repercussions of me not having gainful employment could be great - I'm getting married in exactly four weeks, Christmas is coming up and I have financial responsibilities and dependants. Weddings, contrary to popular belief, aren't an expensive ordeal. Like most things, if you buy (operative word) into tradition and cliché then you could end up spending a load, but if you remember why you're doing what you're doing and remain selfless then you don't have to blow all of your savings (nothing) on it! Having re-read that, the same goes for Christmas!

The reason that this is a little more than a twitter update is that I'm swaying towards freelancing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's damned difficult to find a job at Christmas. I've had to do it before and it's really stressful. Secondly, the (buzz-word-worthy) financial state of affairs seems to have scared small companies into not hiring people (I like working for small companies - I don't function well as a number and a keycard). However, just because these companies aren't hiring, doesn't mean that they're still not trying to make money. My plan is to put my name in the head of agencies in the area as a Swiss Army Freelancer type person and take any web projects that they can throw my way. I've always really wanted to take what I do into freelancing, but I've never really had the balls. It's a big step! What I really need to do now is get my portfolio up and running, get my CV up-to-date and get on the phone.

This is kinda where anyone reading comes in. If you're aware of any websites that need attention (and the owners are aware of it - I'm not a cold caller!) please get them to email me - with my gorgeous little designer buddy, I can offer a wealth of branding/internet services.

All this self-pimping has made me feel quite dirty, but it needs to be done!