The whirlwinds of Wellington

Good afternoon, faithful readers - I'd have preferred to follow up with you sooner, but the better weather has been seeing me out & about for longer periods of time, leaving me feeling somewhat depleted in my off-hours. That being said, I am pleased to report that Stalking the Job has, in recent days, made forays all across the city. All last week I found myself making many connections in-person, both on the street and in the foyers of a number of offices and studios.


A flying start

The week got off to a good start, keeping an appointment with Malcolm Jusamani of The Creative Group. I'd worked for Perennial, Inc. through TCG a number of years back, and Malcolm and I seemed to hit it off quite well. Of course, my goal remains to find myself full-time, gainful employment (as opposed to part-time, short-term or contractual situations), but I'm only too happy to have someone like Malcolm working on my behalf.

Increasingly, it's becoming apparent to me that my (very real) need for a revenue stream threatens to derail my QR code initiative, and there may soon come a day when I will indeed have to forego this strategy in order to take on work that might be far-removed from my own field of expertise. By signing on with TCG, I'm hoping to avoid putting too many eggs in one basket - even if it does mean working part-time, short-term or contractually. Besides, should Malcolm manage to line something up, I would at least stand a chance of impressing upon his clients my indispensability... which could lead them to picking me up for good. Hey, it's a long shot - but it's hardly as though I'm a stranger to long shots, now is it?

Whirling winds on Wellington Street

I spent a fair amount of time walking up and down Wellington Street just west of Spadina last week, and I'd like to think it was to good effect, even if the high winds occasionally blew my sandwich board up and into my face. More than once I found myself wishing that, rather than canvassing, I could instead be in  a park flying a kite - which is something I used to love doing. But as I said, my time was spent to good effect, as I found myself interacting with quite a number of people working in related fields, all of whom wished me every success in my bid to re-enter the workforce. Now, if only I could move past the well-wishing and onto something well-and-truly-wonderful...!

In fact, Sheila Jacklin, whom I encountered outside of Bensimon Byrne, gave quite a boost to my spirits late in the week when she (rather thoughtfully) engaged me in conversation about the working world and life in general. In talking with Sheila, I came to realize that what I value - what gives me satisfaction - is not simply to work, nor to simply earn a paycheque. What I most wholeheartedly want is to be a part of something bigger than myself. To find myself once again in the fast-paced (and dare I say it, "synergistic") environment that only a studio-type environment can afford. To once again be a member of a team, and by hard work and dedication, to prove to the members of that team that I am a valuable resource - that I possess insights, talents and highly-developed skills which frankly need to be tapped.

More hoops

As previously mentioned in these pages, while I've been mounting this campaign I've also continued to use more traditional means to pursue opportunities - mostly through applying for positions posted online. I tend to think of this as "jumping through the standard hoops", and yes... I jumped through a whole series of hoops last week, applying for seven or eight jobs, mostly via Media Job Search Canada and LinkedIn. One position in particular seemed quite ideal, and a small technical issue with the company's website led me to speak directly with one of the members of their HR department - I'll choose not repeat the name of that company at this time, however (as I'm just superstitious enough to not want to jinx my chances).

In fact, on Wednesday morning - after having dispatched two new applications online - I'd headed out to canvass the area just north of my neighbourhood, only to find that I'd not stocked sufficient numbers of business cards (I'd had cause to hand out more than a dozen in a very short period of time). On returning home to pick up another small stack, I found that another promising opportunity had just been posted on MJSC, so I took some added time to jump that extra hoop!


Inspiration from the unlikeliest of places

Friday was a real stand-out, as far as I'm concerned. Perfect weather saw people out en masse wherever a patio was to be found, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that people love to scan QR codes once they've had a pint or two. Seriously, though - the good weather seems to prompt people's innate curiousity - and what's more curious than a man out walking around with a giant QR code hanging off his shoulders?

Taken by Gene Sasso on Queen St. West, April 5th

But I wanted to say a word or two about inspiration, specifically how I've been inspired by one man I've encountered any number of times in my journeys on the streets of Toronto. He's the man you see on the left of this photo - and he goes by the name of "Irish". Irish is, by his own admission, what some might call a "bad risk"... living his life on the streets, a habitual drinker, he's nowhere near to being anybody's poster-child. But for his faults, he is nonetheless a perfectly honest man (if occasionally brutal in his honesty), particularly where his own life is concerned.

He does not assign blame to anyone or anything for his circumstances; he takes full ownership of - and responsibility for - his life. Mind you, his responsibilities are comparatively few; it's really more a question of him setting the bar fairly low for himself, but nonetheless, he acquits himself quite well given the low standards he chooses to apply. Would that he could confront and wrestle his personal demons to the ground, I've no doubt at all that he could go relatively far in life. Further, he is of a generous disposition. In spite of being on the lowest rung in society, he does not let the people in his orbit go wanting for a bite to eat, a place to sleep or simply someone to talk to.

A towering figure, with eyes cocked so wide as to make it near-impossible to ascertain where exactly he's looking at any given time, many would no doubt find Irish to be an imposing man - just the sort of man that we as a society tend to try not to notice to as great an extent as possible. But, in all truth, it's a very rare thing indeed to meet someone who is as honest and as forthright as the man called Irish. Sláinte!


Another evening-time experiment

Perhaps it's due to all the walking around I've been doing, but I've found recently that my stamina has increased dramatically in the last little while. I was able to walk from Ubisoft's offices (out at Lansdowne & Bloor) down to the Entertainment District without the need for a break, and still had sufficient energy to canvas from University to Portland, between Wellington and Queen several times over. As the sun was still shining quite warmly at dinner time, I decided to extend my walkabout and headed south to the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays were due to take to the field at 7 PM that evening.

Wishing to remain firmly on the right side of the law, I made a point of approaching a security guard and an on-duty member of Toronto Police Services standing adjacent to Gate 1, just a short distance from the suspension bridge linking the Rogers Centre to Front Street West. I wanted to know the specifics as to where I could reasonably go about my business without rankling anybody unduly - but I was somewhat put-off by the frankly hostile reception I received from the TPS officer, who clearly did not take any of what I was saying at face-value. Indeed, he seemed to want to ticket me (for panhandling, of all things faithful readers). I was sternly advised to restrict my movements to the suspension bridge - some thirty feet away from Gate 1 - and ironically, this is where ticket-scalpers loudly, openly hawk their (illegal) wares... within earshot of the police. Props to the security guard however, who wasn't behaving at all like the TPS officer, and who did wish me the best in my endeavours.

Not the droids I was looking for.

As for the crowd? Well... now, after experiencing them first hand, I think I can report truthfully that for the most part, they're not the droids I'm looking for. After all, it's not necessarily the quantity of hits that I'm concerned with so much as it's the quality of the hits that I am getting. No, the people I was hoping to intersect with weren't turning out in great numbers for the ball game - which did surprise me somewhat, as many guys who I've worked with in the Entertainment District over the years have been fairly rabid sports nuts! But as tough as I might've had it, the well-dressed men trying to flog photocopied "Black History Month" pamphlets were the ones fighting the steepest uphill battle that evening. I had to admire their thick skins, as some of the Blue Jays fans were behaving in a downright belligerent manner towards them. Still - all in all, a worthwhile experiment... and one that I may choose to repeat should I find events somewhat better-suited for my campaign to target.


Have you seen that QR Code Guy?

Taken by Nadia Beja (of Zoom Media) on Berkeley Street April 5th

I mentioned that Friday was an exceptional day, and I wasn't lying...! Indeed, Friday saw quite a few people taking photos - which I will endeavour to feature here on the blog in the days and weeks to come. The photo above is slightly back-dated,  however: On a chance encounter on Berkeley Street, near to where I live in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, Nadia Beja of Zoom Media was kind enough to ask if she could take a picture to upload via Instagram. Not missing a beat, I asked Nadia for her permission to reproduce her photo here - and so here it is, folks. And remember, if you've taken a photo of That QR Code Guy in his journeys around Toronto, I want to hear from you.

Once again, this is John Currie for Stalking the Job, signing off. It's been a wonderful weekend, folks - and don't forget to keep your eyes peeled, because I'll be seeing you...