Related Posts
Community Builder
Rising Star
And there goes GIO's chance at the Haas F1 seat
Subject Expert
Deloitte FDD vs PwC FDD? NYC
Do anyone know about any HR ops vacancy?
Additional Posts in Creatives
Is the paid LinkedIn worth it?
Coach
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Not that it helps but sadly, this is everywhere now.
Come up with the coolest shit possible for every project. Make sure comps are as good as possible. Put that in your book. Pretend it sold
Side projects
Wow very relatable content
OP, you have described the central challenge of the agency creative career: not just continually coming up with cool ideas, but regularly selling them in and producing them w excellence. If u fail to do any of the above, ur career dies the slow death of quiet but increasing desperation that u r now sensing. To survive, it takes a combination of creative perseverance and ongoing career management. And even then it’s a coin toss.
But in the end, everyone gets fired. In my entire career, I’ve known exactly one creative who retired from an ad agency. One.
Remember - we’re here to make a product, not necessarily indulge our creative fantasies. That’s what your own life is for.
Read a book by Paul Arden called “It’s not how good you are. It’s how good you want to be.”
It tells you exactly what to do.
I’m feeling that too. The stock answer to these things is always “side projects,” but having a torrid time at work really depresses me and makes it hard to put energy into other pursuits. It’s pretty vicious.
^true. But professionally you’re going to struggle if you can’t produce work that’s attractive and competitive. If I’m feeling creatively unfulfilled, I can write a short story. If my agency isn’t fulfilling the need for good work that will help build my career, I just might be screwed.
If you’re looking for a partner to beef up your book with you can join the “make ads with me” fb community- it’s meant to help connect creatives, provide feedback, etc
I’m having the same crisis. I think some of it is us being “too hard” on ourselves. I think there’s value in the story of the idea, not just the idea itself. And don’t be afraid to update your work with how it SHOULD have been executed vs how it actually was (whiddled down and watered down most likely)
Another point for side projects. I put my heart and soul into a startup that failed. But the beautiful designs go me my next job.
Thanks ACD2!
To everyone else - it’s not about being creatively fulfilled. I know I can do that with personal work. I’m talking professionally. You can’t get a new job with a shitty book.
If you are not progressing me and moving me forward in life I’m ✌🏾I don’t care if I have to skip to 100 agencies ima get my work for my book.
Yeah I really hate that the go-to solution for this issue is just “side projects”.
You’re right. The answer is a mix of produced work to show you know the process, and side projects to show what you’re capable of. No one piece will show everything
Same problem. I’ve been doing mock + side projects to showcase my diversity.
@SR1 I love that there’s a go-to solution for this. You’re in control of it, and can make it anything you want.
I mean true. But when interviewing people want to know if you have work that’s out in the wild. A book full of side projects isn’t really beneficial either, even if it is great stuff.
Create your own. Work with creatives.