The author at her desk pondering the pros and cons of having a job. © Sari Gennis.

With the animation industry going through one of its...cycles, if you're like me, you've found yourself with more time off than maybe you'd planned. It can have its ups and downs, but I've actually come to peace with being laid off. Okay, I like it. Who doesn't, really? Your time is your own, you can sleep in, you get to spend time with your loved ones, finally work on all those art projects...What about the money thing, you ask? No, I'm not independently wealthy and it does get scary being unemployed for any length of time. So let me share some of my tips and tricks for staying sane...

First, my daily schedule.
6 AM: to the gym, one-hour workout
7 AM: yoga
8 AM: coffee and toast, getting me at my computer by 8:30 to continue work on my screenplay and/or short film.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaa! Okay, for real:

9:30 AM: the alarm goes off.
11 AM: the cats decide it's really time for breakfast...and coffee and toast for me. Check CNN to make sure we're not at war yet...head for the shower. Sometimes I make it there and sometimes...well, the kitten takes a post-breakfast nap, why not join him?

Then lunch, and checking in with my other out of work friends, and plans for later. Maybe some job search calls, then settling in with my work. If I'm lucky, I can get in a good 4-6 hours on one of my projects. Sometimes I sit down to work at 2 or 3 PM and five minutes later...it's eight o'clock...talk about being in the flow! But I have to admit, I wasn't always like this.

Money
Oh yeah, the money thing. Funny, isn't it, the way the bills keep coming? Aren't they supposed to stop when you don't have an income?

Back in the good old days of hefty salaries and signing bonuses, my incredibly mean accountant made me save almost half of everything I made. All I can say now is, thank you, Harvey! And unless you know Harvey or you've learned to live on unemployment, I can't help you much there. I can tell you I've found some creative ways to save money. I mean, how often do you watch the Cinemax Western channel? And...resist that urge to put everything on credit cards! No good will come of it!

One of the brilliant ideas I had early on was not to go grocery shopping until I used up everything in my cupboards. THAT can be fun. After a few creative meals like hummus and tuna fish with cherry Jell-O for dessert, I gave that up. And I once had a boyfriend who made me a Kraft macaroni and cheese burrito...but that's a whole other story.