Jobs Applied For: 15.
Interviews Scheduled: 2, waiting to hear back from a sick music internship.
GRE Studying: Social Psychology review, Persuasion and Affiliation/Attraction.
Music Practice: Nada.
It is always a challenge to get anything done on a three day weekend. Throw in a fight with mom, a HUGE family bar mitzvah, and the fact that it's unofficially the last weekend of summer 2011 and you have a formula for no minor accomplishments over the past few days. I managed to study for about 3 hours this morning and apply for 15 jobs on Thursday the 1st, but that's about it.
There is something to be said about very large Jewish family gatherings. Yes, it is definitely one big happy tribal gathering but it is also a hot spot to catch up on the latest community gossip. Everyone wants to be kept in the loop and find out about the latest and greatest. The older relatives also want to keep up with the youth, namely me. "So Marisa, you successfully graduated from New York University, your dream school. What are you doing with your life now?" This was obviously one of the frequently asked questions of the weekend. Some friends thought that appropriate answers to this should have been: I just joined a cult out in Texas, I have become a missionary for the Mormons, or I am currently a dancer at a gentleman's club. As much as these made me laugh, they obviously don't know that my modern orthodox family would not appreciate the humor. After I explained the truth,"I'm currently unemployed. No, I can't find a job anywhere.", the myriad of advice began to flow. Aunts, Uncles, family friends, and distant cousins would begin to suggest that I go into social work, law, or medicine (like the rest of my family). Many would begin to provide me with helpful names, places, and companies to reach out to. While the tips were obviously appreciated, there was a slim chance that it would ever help me in the long run. These conversations generally ended with a kiss on the cheek and an awkward well wishing. They all followed this formula...except for the talk I had with my younger Uncle and his wife.
My uncle (mom's younger brother) is someone who definitely knows my current thoughts and feelings. Up until his luck changed recently, the job market was not very kind to him either. His wife also works very hard and is a mother to two adorable toddlers. Since they are younger than most of the relatives I was speaking to, I felt more comfortable discussing the full situation with them. And because of that, I received the best advice from them this weekend.
Get out of town.
He said "if it's truly your dream to make it in the music business, you have to start looking in other cities besides New York." His wife also proceeded to tell me how she bought a car and drove to California the second she graduated college. She felt that she needed to go somewhere else and live in other parts of the country before she settled down. I had no idea. My uncle also said that the biggest piece of advice he could give me was to stop listening to all the people that tell me that I can't do it and start being determined again. It was so refreshing to hear this after all of the people who told me I should be the one to change. Needless to say, the second the festivities were finished I went online to do some research. The big cities that I can do what I want as a career are Chicago, Nashville, and Los Angeles. There are also a few opportunities out in Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston but it'll be a bit more of a hunt there. Everyone who knows me well knows that my heart will always be in New York City. However, this is probably my only time to be a mobile 20-something and I shouldn't be spending this time in my childhood bedroom hoping things will magically work out on their own. Let's make this happen.
Before I sign off, I want to use this blog as a promotional tool. After I became unemployed, I took on a project to become my friend's band manager. I figured that it would be a great way to build up my portfolio and learn more about the business I want to get involved in. Normally I will never use names of other's in my blog but I want to advertise his concert for tomorrow. So come check out James Downtown at Pianos on the LES in New York. His band is a really great mixture of rock and blues and his songs are super catchy. They'll be playing in the upstairs lounge at 8pm. Here is a link to the facebook event http://on.fb.me/psPAlS . I hope to see you all there!
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