"Or perhaps your lifestyle (creativity, enjoyment) should become your work... which leads me to my next suggestion"

April 29, 2014

Notes to Self are longer journal entries from Seven Yrs Ago. I was 21 in early 2014.

In terms of being dissatisfied in a creative field, ask yourself why are you doing it? Creativity, in essence, is 2 things:

1. having fun so you’re not getting paid for it and

2. pushing yourself to invent, to find the buried original

These two things are no easy fixes (immediate, solvable) but rely on a willingness to listen and learn, and intuition.

So, if you are dissatisfied now, use these 3 things (which you probably have the building blocks for if you chose to go into the arts in the first place) to figure out why now.

1. List things you like and things you don’t about the major/career, longterm goals and short-term insights.

   1. Longterm +, short-term - = You see the practicality + even the beauty of it, but you don’t enjoy it now. The “Now” is your most inspired place, but easily your most pressured with the rigor of school. Either change your major/career ideas or change your attitude and routine.

   2. Longterm -, short-term + = Easier to answer(?). You enjoy the “Now” for the work and what you produce, but you don’t see a career/future in it for you. Either change your major until you get positives on both ends because maybe that “Now” spark is an ember waiting to conflagrate, or if work prospects are what worry you, then align yourself with the right people and connect your way thru. If lifestyle coinciding with work worries you, relax and make sure to find that balance. Or perhaps your lifestyle (creativity, enjoyment) should become your work…→ which leads me to my next suggestion

2. Ask people, fellow students, faculty, those in the business, why they’re in this particular creative field. See if their answers match up with your internal ones.

Are you grinning in agreement or arguing passive-aggressively? If you’re going to be in a creative field, it has to be your passion (ugh hate this word) which means you have to want to work hard till you get $ and better yet, envision yourself at the top.

Though in base reality, you may never be #1, at the top, it’s about the climb and if you see yourself trudging towards it, then go for it and eventually you will be in the top tier.

So that’s it. Even if you’re starting your skillset now, look at the top and see if you can envision yourself there. Compare yourself to the top so that you will set your standard.

For commentary seven years later, go here.