When I divorced my wife and started living alone—paying rent on my own—I planned for at least a $400 loss each month until I could get another or a different job. I expected that to take no more than six months. Fortunately, my savings have increased by $3,000, thanks to working extra hours, receiving a tax refund, and selling unused items. As a result, I now have about a year before I’ll be forced to give up on getting a book design job and take any job just to cover the deficit.

After moving to Toronto, I spent three years adjusting to a new environment and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, followed by four years trying to make it sustainable through a business—which ultimately failed. Over the past year, I’ve worked part time and consolidated everything I’d done so far in order to shift my focus fully to book design.

Only recently have I started seriously pursuing book design as a career, and I’ve come to realize how challenging it is to find a job in this field. Unlike marketing-driven graphic design—which is more common but doesn’t interest me—there are very few opportunities specifically for book designers. I honestly don’t know if or when I’ll get the job. Right now, it still doesn’t feel real.