What do Walt Disney, Ella Fitzgerald, JK Rowling, Chris Gardener, Abraham Lincoln, Ang Lee, Larry David, H.J. Heinz, and Harrison Ford have in common?

 

Well…they do seem to have The Force with them. They have this special “Je Ne Sais Quoi,” a very unique talent. But, they have something else in common, something that you might not know.

Before fame, they have all experienced either bankruptcy, being unemployed, or homeless, at some point. These challenging times have forced them to use another road–or inspired them a new idea–and eventually helped them to achieve their ultimate goal.

 

Before you ever heard of them:

“Before Mickey,” it was not much of a fairytale for Walt! Walt Disney’s first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram went bankrupt in Kansas City, he lived out of the street for a while but then got the idea for Mickey and moved to California.

The Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald was a homeless teenage runaway until debuting at the Apollo Theater in 1934.

JK Rowling was unemployed and living on state benefit while writing Harry Potter;

Abraham Lincoln was a self-declared ‘insolvent debtor’ after a failed general store venture. Because bankruptcy laws were not there yet to protect him, he had to continue paying of his debts for 17 years.

Chris Gardner, who inspired the movie The Pursuit of Happyness was homeless with a young son while being enrolled in an unpaid internship to become a broker.

Ang Lee spent six years as a stay-at-home husband before his film career took of. Ashamed when unemployed, he wanted to give up but his wife, the family’s sole earner, urged him to pursue his dream.

Before co-creating Seinfeld, Larry David was consistently unemployed.

Almost everyone has used-once in his or her life-Ketchup on some fries or hamburger. But, did you know that Henry John Heinz’s first company, Heinz Noble & Company, went bankrupt;

While he was unemployed, Harrison Ford taught himself carpentry and eventually, he was hired to build cabinets at the home of director George Lucas and the rest is history!

 

 

What is the Job Seekers Who Should Not Be Unemployed series about?

Last weekend, for mother’s day, I found on the Internet a cool 50’s style poster about a mother with the message “Not All Superheroes Wear Capes!” and I decided to post it on my social media.

Today, I would like to talk to you about other Superheroes who wear no cape, individuals who are often seen as data for statistical purpose or treated as outcasts by the society. I am talking about: Job Seekers.

In the Job Seekers Who Should Not Be Unemployed (JSWSNBU) series, I am going to introduce you with talented artists and/or creative minds that are momentarily experiencing some difficulties. These creative people are all driven by only one thing: their passion. So, there will be writers, singers, movie directors, actors, stunts, animators, inventors, visual effects artists…and chefs, why not!

 

Art:

Art is my life. And, not only do I like to create, but I also like to share with others my findings or thoughts (it took me a while to get to that ‘sharing thing’ point though, but that would be another blog post series!)

Art is contagious and I often get inspired by meeting with other artists. I also get inspiration from seeing what’s around me, listening to music or people talking, or even tasting food or drinking wine (the latter comes naturally from my “Frenchness”)!

Art is constantly in movement. The main reason being that Art is alive. Art can be directly created by “Dame Nature” but–at times–it needs a little push. And we know how much humans love to give a little push! Therefore, Art could be created by a good witch–or a mad scientist–using a cauldron, adding one tiny drop of this, or one tiny drop of that. The result could be either a love potion, or an evil spell!

 

My goal:

There are great talented people all around us that make Art every day; I want to introduce some of them to you.

Also, I want to remove the dark shadow that often flies over the head of job seekers.

Being unemployed is not a disease but it often makes you feel ashamed and a burden to your friends and family. I speak from experience.

When a creative individual is unemployed it adds another layer of pressure; the questioning of his or her ability to create. Therefore, doubt arises. Thankfully, these challenges can sometimes turn your life around and lead to positive outcomes.

Much to discuss!!!

The first post for the JSWSNBU series will be published tomorrow and will feature Curtis Schultz and his Superdog!