Alaska@Work
Kristi Trimmer
Artist and writer, Anchorage
May 24, 2021
Alaska resident since: 2015
Time claiming UI: Since March 2020
First time claiming UI? Yes
How has the pandemic affected your work?
"I started Alaska Wild & Free, an animal- and nature-based art company in late 2018. In 2019, we had a tremendous year and built a building and attended the Alaska State Fair! At trade shows, we spoke with cruise lines and National Parks to carry our stickers and coloring books for the next summer season. 2020 was going to be amazing!
"Thousands of stickers were ordered, coloring books were in production and stores were sending in orders. Then the pandemic hit and those orders canceled one-by-one. Retail shows and markets started to cancel too. I looked around my inventory room and wondered, how in the world am I going to pay my bills with stickers? I had spent everything building up this inventory as all those invoices were due to be paid in a few short weeks. That didn"t happen as store owners were also scrambling, families put a halt on spending money on anything other than essentials as people were losing their jobs left and right. It was the perfect storm to go from the best year for my business, to the worst. I made 20% in 2020 compared to 2019. It was financially and emotionally devastating.
"My business was centered around tourism, and it took me until the end of 2020 to be able to slowly pivot into different market segments."
Describe your experience filing for UI or other benefits:
"Filing for UI initially was a disaster. I filed the first day word came out that it was open to entrepreneurs. I kept getting rejected. After three months of not being able to be approved, I contacted my Congresswoman and Representative. Within 48 hours I received a call from the UI office and within 72 hours I had three months of unemployment support. I cried happy tears as it was the first bright light to shine in a long time."
What advice would you give other claimants?
"Be patient. If the filing system rejects you or you don"t understand the verbiage, reach out and ask. Always remember that the voice on the other end of the phone is a person. Treat them with respect and know that these times are stressful for everyone. Be kind."
How do you keep yourself busy during the pandemic?
"My guilty pleasure was my community garden plot in the C Street gardens. I spent many days there weeding and working the land. I grew so much produce that I was giving it away to my neighbors. I taught others how to plant a Victory Garden and grow their own food instead of relying on grocery stores. I did not stop working even though money wasn"t being made. I created 150-plus more designs, researched new products and created a catalog of work to use once trade shows were a thing again. Of course, daily outings to the dog park with my Service Animal, became a regular occurrence too."
What are your career plans or hopes for the future?
"My goal is to build up my online website, AlaskaWildandFree.com. My dream-big goal is to have my art in every national park, zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. I"m working on that " one store and park at a time."
Anything else you"d like to add?
"I"ve learned that it is okay to accept help. It doesn"t make you a failure, it doesn"t make you weak, and it certainly doesn"t mean you are not worthy. Accepting help shows strength and compassion to yourself.
Always remember to lift others up, don"t push them down. Your small act of compassion can be what someone else needs to thrive."
