(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via 10 questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

This week’s blogging brunch companion is Briana of Unemployed Brooklyn.

——

Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? It’s on us, since this isn’t real and all…

Thanks so much for inviting me to brunch!  I’ll have eggs benedict with really runny poached eggs. black coffee and a spicy bloody mary - since it’s on you and all …

Now to the juicy stuff…

1. When were you laid off? Or are you employed?

I was laid off mid November of 2008.

2. What did you do?

After many years in retail management for luxury companies, I had segued into a job as the operations manager for a start up cosmetics company/photo studio - which was, unfortunately, privately funded and affected big time by the first market drops.

3. When did you start the blog?

I had a lot of ideas (don’t we all!!) and kept a journal-ish notebook right after I was laid off, but I didn’t actually start Unemployed Brooklyn until February of 2009.

4. Initial reason for starting the blog?

I had written really personal, diary-like blogs in the past, but I felt like there were a lot of other people out there who were unemployed and feeling all alone and that I was in a position to share my story with people who were in a similar position.  When you’re unemployed - especially in the dead of winter - you feel like you are totally isolated and that no one else is in your place.  By putting it out there on Unemployed Brooklyn, I just felt like I might be talking to someone.  And then I got readers - which was something I wasn’t really expecting …  It made me feel less isolated - knowing that I was making others feel less isolated, if that makes sense.

5. Motivation to continue blogging?

After being featured on NY1, I realized that people were not only reading my blog, but relating to it.  That people read my blog, care about what’s going on, and, more importantly, feel like they are not alone in their situation - part of a community - is beyond motivation to continue blogging.

6. Do you think blogging about unemployment/the recession will help you find a job?

I think that blogging about my experiences will help me gain exposure, but it’s a tough market and I’m not sure what it will do beyond that.  Though, through my blog, and the media exposure I’ve gotten, I have organized a couple of networking events for the unemployed in North Brooklyn (and hope to organize many more), so maybe one of my readers will get a job through my blogging!

7. What do you want to do next professionally?

I am enrolled, for fall, in a textile design class at FIT, and that is my ultimate goal - to do textile design.  My undergrad degree, from Brandeis, is in studio art, with a concentration in painting, and I spent so many years working in high end fashion retail - it is surprising to me that I didn’t make the connection earlier!  Short term, I am actively seeking an operations or admin position in fashion or beauty - which is where my experience lies.

8. How will your blog change when you rejoin the workforce?

I’d like to think that, when I get a job, my blog will continue.  I’d like to try and assist other unemployed people in North Brooklyn, and to share my experiences in my new job…

9. What’s new at your blog and where does it go from here?

My blog is always new - it’s a day to day account of my life as an unemployed and single gal in Greenpoint and, as all New Yorkers know, everything changes here in a heartbeat.  I can’t say where Unemployed Brooklyn is going to go from here, but it’s somewhere you want to read about.

10. Why should someone read your unemployment/recession blog over others and/or what makes your perspective special?

My perspective is mine - it’s of a single, unemployed gal in Brooklyn.  And, while I have a varied (and awesome!) group of readers - I think that anyone who is single or unemployed or in Brooklyn can really relate to what I’m writing.

Bonus Question: Any Final thoughts or words of wisdom for members of The 405 Club?

I think my advice would be to just not lose sight of the horizon - the economy stinks right now and the job market stinks, but it will all improve.  Keep striving for your ultimate goal - that’s what I’m doing, and I think that’s what’s the best for everyone (economy, country, you and I) in the end.

—-

A huge thanks to Briana, writer and founder of Unemployed Brooklyn.  Be sure to check out Unemployed Brooklyn here.