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For Creative People: How to Develop Your Career
Debbie
Brown, SPHR, MBA, MSW
In
my work with attorneys, MBA's and other creative professionals,
I often watch people struggle with the need to conform
to other people's expectations. This frequently means having
a narrowly defined career and some perceived level of security.
It also means fitting in with a particular company culture.
But
creative types in particular often require variety in job
tasks and freedom to experiment. They tend to be entrepreneurial
in spirit, and don't want to be micro-managed. Sometimes
this may mean having two or three part-time jobs simultaneously.
Or having several different careers in one lifetime. If
we look at some of the more popular and successful people
in the entertainment industry, for instance, we see that
they not only act, but also may direct and produce. Writers
may be reporters, novelists and commentators. Singers may
write children's books. Some may choose several distinctly
different careers, perhaps as a way to use up all of their
talents in one lifetime. I started out as a clinical social
worker, then became a stock broker for several years and
I have had my career consulting firm since 1993. At all
times I have viewed my work as my "craft", and
I consider myself to be a creative, resourceful person.
Having my own firm has allowed me to concentrate on the
things I do best, and the flexibility to change and grow
at my own pace.
Innovative
high tech firms hire people who often don't fit the traditional
mold. The interactive departments of established companies
are housed in different locations or at different sections
of the corporate headquarters. Their culture is less restrictive
and dress is casual. One very conservative Fortune 500
company has pool tables in the building that houses the
web design and strategy departments. Rules that apply to
the rest of the company do not apply to this group. In
this respect, the company has adapted to these creative
types in order to recruit and retain these highly talented
people. This revolution in internet technology has affected
the firms who interact with these companies as well. The
trend in attire then becomes business casual to adapt to
the environment of the tech firm.
In
this example we see how the world has changed to accommodate
these creative people. Those individuals who are comfortable
with what makes them different and stay true to those qualities,
expect the world to adjust for them. In my years working
with creative types, it holds true that those who embrace
who they are, rather than deny and suppress their true
selves, are more fulfilled individuals. If we are aware
of the unique combination of qualities and strengths which
we alone have, we can then focus on ways to use these in
our lives.
Sometimes
I work with people who, although miserable, are resistant
to making any adjustments to transition to work they enjoy.
One such client is a woman in her mid twenties who makes
a good salary, but has no full-time work experience except
for a year with a law firm. She would like to transition
out of law, but refuses to consider a job that would pay
her less than her current salary.
In
her book The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron says, when speaking
of highly creative types like this attorney, (and this
applies to others as well)...."if being an artist
(or something else) seems too good to be true to you, you
will devise a price tag for it that strikes you as unpayable.
Hence you remain blocked."
This
person wants to skip the steps it takes to get in touch
with herself, to hear her true voice. Her perceived need
to earn as much money as she currently does, and her reluctance
to do the grunge work that is necessary to explore career
options, is the block that keeps her from moving forward.
It becomes an either/or, black or white philosophy, this
idea of all or nothing, like there are no other alternatives
to being inspired and fulfilled in her work and still have
the material comforts she requires.
Frequently
people get messages from family and friends that doing
creative work does not pay. But developing creativity and
resourcefulness in your career and in how you manage your
career can pay off in dollar rewards as well as in personal
fulfillment.
Take
Action
If
you feel blocked in developing your career, think about
ways that you have solved other problems successfully in
the past. When were you the most resourceful and creative
in problem solving? What was the process that you went
through?
Visualize
and meditate on the life and the career you want. How do
you want to express yourself? What are the best ways for
you to do this? Suspend all judgement. Then start to take
small steps in those directions. Talk to people who are
doing what you think you might want to do. Start experimenting
in low risk ways. Whatever it is that you want to do, start
doing it. If you want to write, start writing. If you want
to start your own business, start conducting the research
and creating the business plan.
Currently
I am working with a lawyer who has always sought creative
outlets that he has not gotten through his work. He took
two years off to dance and do choreography. After going
through the assessment process with me, he determined that
he wants to turn sculpture, a longtime hobby, into a full-time
career. He has made trips to the Western part of the US
to visit people who are doing what he wants to do. He now
sees that it is an achievable goal. He has created a space
in his home for a studio dedicated to creating sculpture.
I have no doubt that with his talent and determination
he will make it happen.
Another younger attorney was unhappy working with a large
law firm practicing environmental law. He worked long hours,
and despite his interest in the environment, was not happy
practicing law in this area. He was able to take a job teaching
at a law school. For the next two years he focused on getting
his life in balance. He became more involved in environmental
activities---his passion. He got married. He and his wife
identified a city where they would like to live. Not long
after visiting that city, he received an offer with a land
trust. It seems that often when we take small steps in the
direction we want to go, the universe also takes steps to
meet us.
Unlike
the earlier example, this person was willing to take a
cut in salary to be able to scale back, get his life in
balance and plan for the future. Since he lived under his
means, he could support himself on the teaching salary.
This kind of flexibility is sometimes what is required
when we make changes. It is important to have a vision
for your life, but it is also helpful to refrain from being
rigidly attached to the way you think it should unfold.
"If
you're a truly creative person, you know that feeling
insecure
and lonely is par for the course. You can't have it both ways:
You
can't be creative, and conform too.
You have to recognize that
what makes you different also makes you creative."
Arno Penzias in Fast Company
