While summer’s quickly slipping away, I’ve started slowing down, trying to stay present and enjoy the beautiful weather and lazy pace of August. Here are a few things that are making me happy right now:

If you’re needing to slow down and get creative this month… The August Break
Susannah Conway’s running The August Break, a chance to step away from the computer and spend the month with a camera. Though I’ve decided to continue blogging a bit this month, I’m participating in the break so I can get in the habit of taking more photos and spend time playing around with all of the fun camera apps I’ve got on my iPhone. (You can see my pix as I add them here).

If you’re running a business… Minimalist Workday: 50 Strategies for Working Less
Everett Bogue’s free e-book, Minimalist Workday, is both a great introduction to working for yourself and an exhaustive list of ways to gain focus if you’re already in business. I found several tips to immediately improve my workday, and I plan to re-read it again in a month or so to see what else I can improve.

If you’re thinking of starting your own side gig… 27 Reasons Why You Should Never Have a Job
While you’re on Everett’s site, downloading Minimalist Workday, be sure to check out 27 Reasons Why You Should Never Have a Job. I think I ought to frame this and post it on my wall for those days when I get tempted to return to a salaried job.

If you’re needing a little R&R… Yoga for Bloggers, Writers, Concert Pianists, and Computer Geeks
Marianne Elliott released this 10-minute Yoga For Bloggers video when she launched her new website in April. I downloaded it a while back, and it sat on my computer desktop for ages until I clicked on it again today. Holy heck! This thing is a gem! My neck, shoulders, and wrists feel open, relaxed, and downright yummy. I plan to make this a part of my daily routine, and I highly recommend it to anyone who sits at a desk or computer. Looking for more yoga goodness? Her next 30 Days of Yoga starts in October.

If you need to know that all’s right with the world… Touching Strangers Photo Project
In Touching Strangers, photographer Richard Renaldi asked complete strangers to pose together for photos, “with the stipulation that they must touch each other in some manner.” The resulting photos—some awkward, some moving—are a great way to be reminded that we’re all just trying to figure out this life stuff.

One of the great things about not having a plan for Rock Unemployment is that I get to check out all of the awesome folks online who are doing cool stuff. After all, being between gigs isn’t *always* about sitting on the couch, watching Dance Your Ass Off… right?

Today, via Super Duper Fantastic—who I met a few years back when I was doing my 101 in 1001—I came across Not That Kind of Girl.

“NTKOG” is “on a quest to do 250 completely uncharacteristic things before August 23, 2010″. Not only is her writing snappy, she’s out there rocking it! Among other things, she’s gone out on the town in a blonde wig, asked for a do-over on a manicure, and tried being a day drinker. Check out her What I’ve Learned page for the whole list.

Consider me a fan!

… and I couldn’t be happier.

Bear with me, since this post is going to be all about me. (Look! I’ve already used “me” twice in a sentence!)

Yesterday, I broke apart the Rock Unemployment site. Today, I’m taking down the Twitter feed. I’m killing off the Disqus comments, too, and returning to the standard WordPress commenting system.

Thanks to two terrific blog posts (from Marie Forleo and Elsie of A Beautiful Mess), I’ve realized that it’s time to simplify and stop doing the crap that was taking up all of my time and keeping me from the good stuff. I want to share ideas, learn from you, and do it all with the tools that I enjoy: a simple website and an email list.

I’m tired of writing what I think I *should* be writing—it was boring to me, so I can’t even imagine how YOU feel about it—and I want to start writing stuff that I find interesting. That may or may not include:

• Restructuring the way we learn and work: Our education system here in the US is crap. Our jobs are worse. Freelancing and creative gigging are perfectly legitimate options for a lot of folks, and we should start talking about that.
• Minimalism and the simple life: I’ve been tracking my progress reducing my personal consumption over at Daily Guilt. I want to share that with you.
• Cool people doing cool stuff: I keep bookmarking awesome projects I see on the web and in real life, such as this cool-as-hell Flickr set by Jason Travis, showing people and their stuff. I find these projects inspirational. If you’re like me, you’ll probably dig ‘em, too.

I agonized about these changes and even called my friend, Dyana, for “permission” before I started deleting code.

I don’t know where this site is going, or if I should even call it Rock Unemployment anymore, but I’m moving forward and figuring it out on my way. I’d love your feedback, suggestions, or great links (I’ve been reading a lot). Let’s get this party started!

This morning, Sam Bennett and I had a chat about creativity, organization, and getting geared up for your next project or job search. We had such a great time, I’m posting the whole 30-minute conversation here, unedited.

In our chat:

• The magic of the “Genius Envelope”
• How to rock your goals in as little as 15 minutes a day
• Why the people you vibe with are the key to your next big opportunity

Listen to our conversation here:

Right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) here to download the mp3

Links from the interview:

• You can visit Sam Bennett’s website, The Organized Artist Company, at: theorganizedartistcompany.com
• While you’re there, be sure to check out her Creativity Jump Start Home Study program
• Also mentioned: Creative Freelancer Conference

A while back, Eric Proulx from Please Feed the Animals created an inspiring documentary—Lemonade—about laid-off creatives who found a new calling. If you’ve got the cash, it’s well worth your money, and you can buy a DVD over at the film’s site. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can also check out Lemonade for free over at SnagFilms. Give it a look!

Watch more free documentaries

Go to college… or don’t.
Work for “the man”… or yourself.
Become a doctor or lawyer… or a fireman.

Following up on yesterday’s post where I showed my insanely jealous side, here’s a kick-ass video of Sir Ken Robinson from the TED conference this year, talking about how we can revolutionize education. Anyone who feels, as I do, that our education system is failing us and falsely limiting our career choices should watch this right away.

So what are we going to do now?

I spent a good chunk of time yesterday and today checking out some un-freakin’-believable photos by a 17-year-old (!) photographer named Nirrimi. Her use of light and color and gorgeous people, many of whom are her friends, is just astounding. Don’t believe me? Check out her work here.

I’m not going to lie to you and say that I wasn’t jealous at all. I was completely overwhelmed with jealousy! (She’s only 17! How can she do such awesome stuff? It’s not fair. Blah, blah, blah…)

Then I thought about what it would take to create great photos like that: a thorough understanding of my camera, practice shooting, a little reading up on light and color. These things aren’t impossible. In fact, they’re pretty easy to achieve with a little dedication.

Whether or not I’m willing to take the time to become an excellent photographer (I’m not), it’s within my reach at any age. Do I want to become a world-class pastry chef? Totally possible. Do I want to learn to play guitar? I can!

There’s nothing stopping me—or you—from creating awesome stuff. It’s usually just a matter of learning a few basics, then practice, practice, practice.

So, what do you want to create? Is anything really stopping you?

Two videos completely rocked my week. Want to get fired up about your gigs, or maybe just choose better gigs in the future? Watch them NOW.

This video of a talk by Jasmine Star is geared mostly toward photographers, but don’t let that stop you. All creatives can benefit from her advice on branding (hint: it’s YOU). The video’s not short, but I’m pretty sure it’ll make you rethink the way you do things. As she says in the video, “…You can rent a camera, and you can rent a lens, but you cannot rent your brand…”

I somehow missed this 15-minute talk by Gary Vaynerchuk. (I think it’s from 2008). If you’re at all doubting your ability to do work you enjoy or to create a legacy for future generations, Gary’s talk will knock that right out of you. Watch it now…

I’m making some changes to my business and shifting my priorities as a result of watching these videos, so you’ll see new stuff on the site in the coming weeks.

Have you been inspired to try something new in your work or personal life? Share your story in the comments!

I had a great time seeing friends new and old in Denver last weekend (as well as checking out a Rockies game at Coors Field). Welcome new readers!

Here are this week’s quick tips from @RUbetweenjobs on Twitter…

Job Search Tip:

• Make sure to spell the hiring manager’s name correctly! You may even want to have a friend double-check it.
• At your interview, get the names (or cards) of everyone you talk with, then send thank you notes immediately.
• “Help” is not a dirty word. Don’t be afraid to ask for some if you need it!

Side Gig Tip:

• If you’re not able to help a client, don’t be afraid to recommend your competitors for the job. It’ll come back to you!

Cheap Fun Idea:

• Naps aren’t just for kids. Take a couple of hours and enjoy your time away from the 9 to 5!

Denver Nightscape by dagpeak, on Flickr

I’m in Denver for the Creative Freelancer Conference. If you’re here for CFC, HOW, or just ‘cuz you live here, let me know and we’ll meet up!

Here are this week’s quick tips from the Twitter feed…

Job Search Tips:

• Already got a job? Start building your network now. You never know when you might need it!
• Get out & meet new people. Find tweetups near you on http://twtvite.com/ or be brave and start your own!

Side Gig Tip: Stay flexible. Keep your expenses down, do work on your own schedule & always look for new opportunities!

Cheap Fun Idea: Rent a bicycle and explore a new part of town