I have a good-paying job as a designer at a small, but growing startup, yet I’ve always had the dream to pursue a more independent path as an illustrator...I’ve thought about taking the next step, but I don’t know if it’s foolish when I make a good living that allows me to be independent and save. Is this a silly pipe dream?
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Asking Not Asking #19: I Don’t Hate My Job
“Here’s the thing: I don’t hate my job. I don’t necessarily love it, either. It’s interesting and fast-paced and I like working with a team. I also like the consistent salary and the security that comes with it...But sometimes I get the urge to quit and start over. I get antsy and want to leave. Then I think about it and wonder why. Will I regret not trying something else?”
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Header Illustration by WNW Member Rachel Denti
How to Find a Mentor Anywhere
People of great wisdom and conviction know: I’m not ready for it. This has yet to deter me from seeking out mentorship from friends, motivational speakers, new age philosophies, and books. No one has outwardly consented to mentoring me, but I find myself privately cataloguing their advice and experiences so that I can apply it to my own life.
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #17: The Girl Who Got Lost in the Fire
“I’ve tried side projects, going on art-dates with myself, taking self-care days. I’ve tried making up small projects just for me, but I can’t seem to find the motivation or passion to do it. I feel trapped in this illusion of freelance because I constantly feel I can do it better, do more, do things differently, but every time I have some time off, I feel paralyzed and tired.”
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #16: Searching for Fulfillment
“Options I am considering: 1) Go back to school to get an MBA in Marketing and do…marketing?…somewhere? 2) Leave and start my own photography and design studio. Options I’m definitely NOT considering: Staying where I am. I’m so ready to jump that I can feel the wind in my face.”
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Book Design by Anna Kasnyik
An Actual Advertising Book That Doesn’t Pretend to Have It All Figured Out
“Junior creatives in the fledgling stages of their careers are reading about the economic impact of the industry, overseeing global campaigns, changing the world through 360 campaigns, but not how to write the ad for the brief in front of them. This book is written by somebody who is definitely still in it and still figuring it out.”
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Illustration by BarsRsind
The Freelancer’s Guide to Working with Editors: What 4 Editors Want You To Know
Now that I’m a freelancer, I find myself back [to] learning how to best communicate with editors, anticipate their needs, and generally try to read their minds. So I invited four editors to tell me everything there is to know about their jobs in the hopes of demystifying it for myself, and for freelancers everywhere.
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Asking Not Asking #15: Waiting to Be Seen
“I want to be heard and be part of bigger things, alongside better people. Yet any new attempt is met with another refusal...How can I be heard? How can I make you see me? How can I contribute?”
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Meet the Membership Board: Illustrators Cécile Gariépy & Jonathan Calugi
Members of our Membership Board are not only some of the most talented and experienced creatives on the platform; they also take time out of their busy schedules to proactively vet creative talent on WNW and offer personalized feedback to help fellow members strengthen their profiles.
Read MoreAsking Not Asking #14: Unqualified
“One of the real surprises of this process has been finding what I think is the type of work I want to make. Before getting sick, I actually never had ideas for personal work. I always felt blocked…It feels daunting that my interest is heading in a direction where I especially feel the least qualified. How can I move forward from here?”
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Asking Not Asking #13: Comparing Myself
Sometimes I’m proud of where I’m at and other times I feel so behind, like all of my friends and peers are further along because they make more money or they have jobs at well-known agencies. I’m in my late twenties and I want to feel like I’m making progress. Starting a business feels like starting over.
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Illustration by Martina Paukova
Bad Emails, Phone Anxiety, and Other Workplace Hazards: 11 Creatives on How to Cope (Pt. 1)
As creatives, we are constantly navigating a minefield of distractions and slight upsets—those little moments throughout your day that completely throw you off, linger in your mind, and affect your ability to be creative and present. Sure, they’re not full blown disasters but they still have the power to ruin your day if you let them.
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Asking Not Asking #12: Stuck
I quit my management consulting job after 9 years because I am convinced I want to create my own business. I’m struggling because I have a lot of skills… Now I feel so stuck because I don’t know what I want to focus on. All of [my previous ventures] were great experiences but none of them were me and I am not sure what I want to do.
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Asking Not Asking #11: Overwhelmed
I am very good at getting started. I can get pretty far with that motivation, but somewhere along the way I start to question myself and also try to create balance between work, life, love, fitness, etc., and I get overwhelmed and let things go.
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Asking Not Asking #10: Unsure
In the past year, I’ve learned that I am resourceful. I’m trying to figure out what I really love and should invest energy on. I want more purpose and fulfillment in my life, but I don’t know exactly what I am good at anymore. I took time off to have a child, which I’m proud of. Right now I am trying to get back to doing what I know, which is advertising and art direction.
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Asking Not Asking #9: Frozen by Fear
What I have always loved and known to light me up are those one-on-one moments with people; that sitting in the darkness next to someone as they battle through something. Through journaling, I have thought that clinical psychology may be an option for me, but as a 31-year-old who just got out of an 8-year relationship and lives in a foreign country, I feel this deep sense of fear to pursue this.
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Illustration by Tallulah Fontaine
America’s Got Talent: On The Unique Anxiety of Immigrant Creatives
Maybe by examining the unique experiences shared by creative immigrants, we can begin to grasp the bigger picture of immigration and how it impacts those contributing their talents to arts, culture, and innovation here.
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Asking Not Asking #8: Balancing Act
My fear is that I’m spending too much time in this comfortable space and not enough time pursuing work or opportunities that truly excite me. I don’t want to feel uninspired or bored with the work that I’m doing, but the money makes it hard to turn down. How can I find a better balance between steady work and new business ventures?
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Asking Not Asking #7: Building Confidence in Business
“I'm realizing now that I have the knowledge and insight to take on well-paid contract work to cover my living expenses as I continue building out my business. My challenges are: 1) I don't know the first step for beginning contract work like this. 2) I'm not very confident in marketing myself.”
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