From Frustration to Creation
How I Used Collaging to Cope with Unemployment Setbacks
The past week and a half has been incredibly challenging! I've spent hours on the phone sorting out my unemployment benefits.
Here's the situation in a nutshell: Two months' worth of my benefits is in limbo. Although a new debit card was sent to my home address, I never received it. When I called to inquire about the card, the customer service representative informed me that the money had already been transferred to a bank account. I insisted this was impossible since I hadn't received the card. The CS person then marked the transaction as fraudulent. More phone calls ensued in an attempt to reach a manager to get authorization to file a dispute claim. I emailed the form, which was not approved, and followed it up with a written appeal. I won't receive the results for another 5-10 business days. I'll need to make another phone call next week to find out. To be honest, I'm not confident I'll get that money, but I am hoping for the best.
There's no way to sugarcoat it—it simply sucks. If you’re into astrology, you’ll get it when I say, “This mercury retrograde period is one for the books!”
I might as well make lemonade out of the lemons I've been dealt with from this situation. While on hold multiple times over several days, I used the time to collage. Instead of putting my energy into getting angry and upset, I worked on expanding this into a small series and putting together a short video:
Collaging has helped change my mindset, there's no doubt about it. I've noticed this change over time. I used to get anxious and emotional, with worst-case scenarios looming in my mind and replaying 24/7. I used to cry and act out, sometimes venting my anger at minor irritations.
Fixing my financial situation has also made a huge difference. It's during these moments that I remember spending 8 years in the basement and feeling grateful for having gone through it. As Brené Brown said, all experiences matter!
I'm feeling much better today. I'm calmer and it took less time to reach the point of acceptance that nothing about what happened was within my control. I did have one anxious moment at 3:00 in the morning. Thankfully, Tina talked some sense into me. I shed some tears and took several deep breaths until I fell asleep. The feelings never completely go away, but I've learned to cope when they resurface.
I'm always a work in progress, but one thing's for sure: I'm glad I'm not where I used to be.
Sometimes, it's not just about the outcome that matters, but who we are becoming as we go through every difficult experience.
MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT SUNDAYS WITH STELLA
Great news, dear ones! I've listened to your requests and created a support page on my website. Now you can contribute to 'Sundays with Stella' in any amount using your credit card, PayPal, or Venmo. Your generosity is truly appreciated!
The Coffee Collage series is also available on my online shop. Each print purchase helps support Sundays with Stella. Have a look!
If you would like a print made for the collages featured in this post, send me an email at photo@kalaw.com. I would be happy to discuss it with you.
PS. I saw this video last year by Christian Marclay from his retrospective show at the Centre Pompidou. It's called "Telephones, 1995," and I thought of sharing it because of its relevance to the collages.
Enjoy!
Ugh! I hate what you've been going through, Stella, but just LOOK what you're creating! Awesome!
Lemons? YES PLEASE TO GALLONS OF LEMONADE! 🍋🙌⭐️
In adversity art always comes to the rescue. Stella, I hope things get sorted. Love the video and can relate to it. It happens quite often in India as well. Hold, hold, hold and then it gets disconnected.