I created this site back in July of 2017 when Alfred Angelo was abruptly shut down and myself and all other employees and brides were left in the dark and left hanging to dreams, careers and days of dresses.
Never a fault of mine as those decisions came from above my paygrade and a search for employment commenced immediately by being approached by others in the industry that day while also not prepared to showcase works or submit portfolio as I, like others, just were not given warning. New traveled fast and was national/global in news.
Unemployed and with no income coming in, I dusted off my desktop, fixed my computer and began to collect and recollect my work while trying to find anything within my field to continue working and surviving. A task of hard-drives and lots of coffee, I worked with what I had available to me to get a PDF portfolio together at least to try that route since I never really understood a personal site before and never built one.
I invested my money in Creative Suite and with the guidance and review of the former Chief Creative Officer (retired well before the closing of AA), I worked on the sections of the PDF first before attempting to build a portfolio site for the first time.
I’d never really put most of my work in one place as it has been spread out between various profiles and worked its way through the internet over the years. As I began to build, it was the amazement of the work created even after 3 years of not really focusing on my personal visual works yet still focused on my literary sides. Most of the visual work on the early site was from Atlanta before working with the former CCO on how to tackle what had been the last 3 years of my work, namely Alfred Angelo and Disney Fairy Tale Weddings by Alfred Angelo.
Each page goes into more my thought process and marketing that has branched into blog posts and concepts that with the right help could always be something viable (“if only I had a team”). I never shy away about not being compensated properly at AA and my CV points in the direction of responsibility that multiple people would be doing in other companies. In the end, the image rights are mine due to breach of contracts and non-payment as with most of the vendors at the end of Alfred Angelo.
The picture above, the hard work of Senior Creative Manager who happens to have years of experience in photography creating something special knowing you can never separate the two positions when multi-tasking. (Always an idea on where to go and where to subtly push things, it is my belief AA was a year out from being very successful at least on the marketing side).
After Alfred Angelo, it was about 300 job applications (no-exaggeration) before landing a contract position while delivering flowers on the side through a friends company. Wasn’t a permanent position, but it was a chance to rebuild and start back over in The Phoenix City confused, at times embarrassed to come back thinking I failed career-wise and 100% broke. Still made it though with help from friends and family though.
My about me goes into a short story of where I am at today so no need to re-cap. I think where I want to talk about is that 4 times unemployed aspect since Alfred Angelo as money dwindles right back to $0 again and for no reason behind it so. Aspired to do school to prevent past experiences and always welcomed the idea of leaving school as well for the right opportunity. COVID changed the expectations of the experience, but as showcased it was taken in with all my heart and was succeeding in that regard.
Look around the site and you don’t get everything. Never will here. Probably there is allot more here than other pages, but that is also because 300+ applications does that to someone. Lucky if one gets an email back while others fighting to be noticed from 100s of applications via’ing for the same position. It is never from a lack of people not wanting jobs, so many of us are out there trying to make it.
I like to think my website is a “Look but don’t Touch” approach. A collection of jars of pennies built thoughts of working with what you have to be creative or be profound. I’ll always laugh at the seemingly Narcissistic aspects of personal pages at times, but then again….we have social media accounts and this one just fleshes things out to be a “Get to know me or drop a line and get to know You”. We all are out there trying to make it.
I’m protective and open at the same time knowing my words are valuable in that they come from the heart, but also that “due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings”, I just have not found the right fit yet nor approached even though I try. Just because something is on here, it doesn’t mean you have the right to take it and if so remember it is being taken by someone who is hitting $0 dollars again in situations that never needed to occur if people act with compassion, professionalism and with understanding.
Always a good motto that The Golden Rule still applies in this world and one day the things we take for granted become lost or forgotten. I suppose my journey will go in one direction or the next as I plot out courses here and there. Hope goes a long way and never something to be locked in permanently. With all the bad in the world, why hold onto the one thing just for yourself? It is appropriate to release it knowing as it spreads it will come back to you as well.