When I read the papers these days about what to say to a friend who lost their job, or what to say and not say, I find it very foreign. - 'Don't use platitudes, stay neutral, etc... like people are going to go postal if you say "sorry" or "another opportunity will come" (which is the truth)
People in the arts seldom are afforded to "have" a job long enough to mourn it much when they "loose" it. And if the futurists are correct, the old days of staying in one place or at one gig for life is like much of the old ways - quant and antiquated.
A career in the arts is often like a concrete trampoline -
buoyant on the rise and hard as hell on the decent.
But arts are only a reflection of life, so maybe we lifer's just acknowledge and get to know the cycle a bit more, or that crazy overdose of optimism in our brains just moves us on to the next shiny thing as quickly as possible. I have also learned that strapping several pillow to your body when you are flying high is a good idea.
More than once people have said I am like the little boy digging through a pile of horse manure - when ask what he is doing, he exclaims " There's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"
Somewhere along the way, I heard Joseph Campbell say that if you really look at your life, you will see that the greatest moments are usually preceded by the worst moments. I have found this to be true, so true. So when your hurt and splatted on the concrete, remember, something really shiny is coming....