It’s been a little over a month since I was laid off from my magazine gig—the entire publication folded and we were all let go.

That’s the back story. Now to my point.

I was checking out Flickr for something completely unrelated, when I decided to type in the word “Unemployed.” Hmmm. I kept plugging in words like, “laid off,” “layoff,” “getting sacked,” and “getting the axe.” Needless to say, I hit a goldmine. Some of the images were dramatic, others were simple and to the point.

But of course, what made this whole mini-exercise/break from checking out gossip sites and Media Bistro so therapeutic was a) realizing that I’m not the only person who feels like dog poop right now; b) I must take more time to express myself—whether it’s using a camera to capture those poopy-esque moments or writing about them; and c) these are regular people who are putting their work out there for the rest of us to see.

And “c” is what SMITH is all about.