Your Skill Set, Indian Style
I recently had done some test images for a new client, a stock photographer in L.A. I went to the trouble of setting up an FTP account for him to send and receive images form me, and I did a bit of work on six images he sent. After a few days not hearing from him I called and asked what was up. He said his editor had been out of town but that she would take a look at them. When she did, he called and said that she “says the color is a little off…but she can’t tell exactly how. Oh, and there was a color profile that was supposed to have been embedded in there that I forgot to tell you about, and you should have used Adobe RGB for your conversions. Also, they’ve suggested I start using a shop in India they’ve found that will do the work for $5 an image.”
I had considered this person a friend, up until this point. The money he had offered for me to do the work here was a low figure (this was my first little shock), but I was willing to try it and see if I could make it work. After the decision to go with India, our relationship (on my end) changed in a way which makes it difficult to go back. Something was revealed about the person’s character which I had managed to overlook.
This lead to a discussion with my wife about why I attract characters that sooner or later end up taking advantage of me. It has happened three times in the last year.
Friday morning I have accepted a temp job at a publisher on South Beach. The money is abysmal, but there is the abyss of bad pay, and there is the abyss of no money. The graphics market in South Florida has collapsed. I would guess that it will follow suit elsewhere, but because of the real estate doldrums here, it has happened more quickly and with greater intensity. I have confirmed this with others, it’s not just me.
A family drama is under way involving my mother’s side. Money and power are being wielded by one that has it, but has no use for it. When it (love) has always been made about money and power, why are people surprised when they are treated in a fitting manner? My conversations with one family member today were excruciating, but I managed to disguise my pain, I think, with the help of body awareness / self remembering. Naked greed, ancient grudges, and pure paranoia were the hallmarks of the chat. If a proposed sale goes through, we will manage to keep our house. If it does not (and there is little to believe that greed, paranoia, and blood lust will allow it), we will be up Shit Creek. Currently, we are standing at the edge of Shit Creek, savoring the smell.
