Why Working In The Creative Industry Is Still A Great Gig!

Here’s a few reasons why working in the creative biz is still a great gig!

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Wearing what I feel – It’s something we take for granted but as I wait for my morning coffee each day amongst the other worker bees I am typically surrounded by a sea of black sports coats and khaki pants…these small moments in life are still near and dear to me! Some people love the feeling a suit provides, and I get it…putting on that sport coat does give you a sense of confidence plus some much needed extra pockets! Let me be clear, there’s a difference between sloppy and casual and that line is blurred many times within the wardrobe choices of a creative team….but having the freedom to choose each day is something I still cherish…silly yes, but true!

Characters – Anyone in the creative industry can vouch that within your team of co-workers you have some amazing characters! I imagine this may be true to some degree in other industries, but I also imagine that those oddities are not celebrated the way they are in ours. Uniqueness in some cases is shunned and anyone who dances to their own drum is quickly handed the “approved” music sheet. If this held true for a creative team the results would be disastrous or at least vanilla which is just as bad. Ideas come from peoples experiences, imaginations and personal perspectives…it’s the fuel that fires a team and therefore the oddities are not only accepted but encouraged…. unless it’s pantomime, there’s no place for that.

We have our own brand of HR – it’s called common sense….if you don’t like what someone is saying you tell them to stop, it’s amazing how often that technique actually works without having to attend a training course. Sure us creative types can be sensitive, competitive or even odd at times…but in the end all those emotions are driven by a common theme…we have pride & passion in what we do and that’s a constant bond you can always circle back to.

Image by withassociates via Flickr

Passion – I can’t count how many times I hear the words “I’ll take it home with me and work on it this weekend”, that’s a powerful statement each and every time. When you hear that in other industries it’s typically not volunteered nor a happy gesture.  But with creative’s it’s in our DNA to keep tweaking or solving or searching for that idea. It’s not always inspirational and in some cases we’re a little obsessed but in a good way. This is one of the few industries that you never stop actually “working”. Our work is creativity…and at night or on weekends your still being creative. Folks are snapping photos, writing stories, viewing artwork, conceptualizing over a beer or playing music. One thing leads to another and before you know it your in front of your laptop jotting the idea down or trying to sketch it out on the back of an old parking ticket before the light turns green. That passion can’t be manufactured and it’s one more reason why I love what we do.

In these days of crazy RFP’s, timelines that require time machines and creative committees comprised of lawyers…it’s the simple things that remind me why I love all the craziness. Plus on Monday I get to come to work in a t-shirt with a tie drawn on it, can’t wait!

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