For
Creative People: How to Develop Your Career
Deborah
R. Brown, MBA, MSW
"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
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.
A
bird does not sing because it has an answer;
it sings because it has a song.
- Chinese proverb
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.
