Illustration by Martina Paukova
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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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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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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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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Artwork by Grace Miceli
“I couldn’t help but think about the way many of us architect our freelance lives and how these lifestyles make us more vulnerable to depression and anxiety than other people.”
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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
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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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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“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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“The old adage ‘Just keep shooting’ is overplayed. Of course I’m going to keep shooting. But how does a guy who doesn't have the budget for a $2k printed book and a $4k trip to NYC to maybe get a meeting with a few agencies move on to bigger clients?”
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Image by Steven Quinn
“The best way to combat Imposter Syndrome is by talking about it with other creatives. It’s important to realize that feeling like a fraud is not some secret defect but a universal symptom of being alive and having an internet connection.”
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Image by Eugenia Loli
“Creativity, like love, had to be romanced, not bullied into submission. The Artist’s Way would teach me that kindness was the only way. A part of me worried that it wouldn’t take, or worse, it would and I’d lose my angsty edge.”
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“Now this artist solely references the follower’s work. Together they've begun migrating my audience away. This is affecting my visibility, my bottom line, considerably; this also negatively impacts our shared agency's numbers.” … I need to determine what I can personally do aside from ‘keeping my head down and working.’
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Photo by WNW Member Julie Glassberg
I'm here to tell you what you need to do to not get a job. This advice is coming directly from a bunch of Creative Directors and Recruiters on WNW. They told me very specifically what annoys them, what makes them skip portfolios, and what nixes applicants right away.
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Remember how hard you worked because of how excited you were? You are more than capable of channeling that same excitement, ambition and dedication towards shifting the tides of your career towards something better suited for you.
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The money and perks ad agencies offer come at a high price: crazy hours, high stress, and the expectation that you’re available for work 24/7. Plus, I’ve never been to a retirement party in advertising.
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“But I feel like somehow I can’t move forward. Did I not work hard enough? What can I do to make this situation better? What should I do when the uncontrollable things (in regards to the current political climate, law reforms, etc) affect so much in my life?”
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“I have had many achievements that I never imagined I would have as a professional photographer over my years practicing my craft. But now as a mid-career artist, I am looking on the horizon at my life as a freelancer and I ask, ‘Did I choose the wrong life?’”
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“The last couple of years have been strange for me. The best way I can think to describe them is that I've been slowly drifting out to sea, further and further away from the energy and curiosity and creativity I’ve been known for my entire life. Instead of daydreaming, I stare off blankly into space. Instead of spending my weekends reading and writing like I used to, I spend them cleaning the house, doing crosswords, and napping. I don’t have the desire to be creative.”
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