As with any career, working in a creative job has
pros and cons. This section outlines some of
them.
Rewards
There are some rewards that are common to
most creative work. These include the outlet for
being creative, the flexibility of the work, and the
opportunity to collaborate with others.
Being creative. Engaging in a creative activity is,
for many workers, its own reward. Workers do
interesting or unique projects while adding their
own style.
Producing something that didn’t exist before
leads to a sense of accomplishment. “Being
creative is really fulfilling,” says wedding
photographer Kyle Carnes of Portland, Oregon.
“You can express yourself and take pride in what
you create.” News editor Gerri Berendzen of
Columbia, Missouri, agrees, adding that she
enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with trying
to break a big story—and getting the facts right.
Flexibility. Compared with workers in some other
career fields, creative workers may have more
flexibility in choosing tasks or setting schedules—
especially if they are self-employed.
Often, workers have the creative freedom to
explore a project or topic as they like. For
example, a cartoonist sketching a new superhero
character might decide to combine existing
ideas, such as a cape, with his or her own
elements, such as the idea of a child superhero.
For many workers, exploring and remixing
interesting ideas is part of the fun.
Collaboration. Creativity often benefits from
collaboration, and many people enjoy working
with others toward a common goal. “I find it
really satisfying to help an author’s writing get
better,” says Berendzen.
Even when working alone, people in creative
occupations often learn from others. Freelance
illustrator Dufford, for example, browses online
art communities and blogs, taking elements of
others’ art ideas and reinterpreting them in
unique ways. “If you surround yourself with good
art,” he says, “you’ll be inspired to create good
artwork.”
Challenges
As with almost any career, creative workers may
face challenges in their jobs that they need to
overcome. To succeed, they must be able to
handle stress and frustration, accept criticism
and failure, and learn to persevere.
Stress and frustration. Creative workers may feel
pressure to constantly produce new or better
ideas, sometimes immediately. But inspiration
doesn’t arrive on demand—and the added stress
may inhibit creativity even more.
It also may be common to work on tight
deadlines for long stretches of time or to work at
odd hours. And because competition for these
jobs is often intense, workers may have a hard
time finding enough creative work to earn an
adequate income.
In some jobs or on certain projects, artistic
freedom may be limited. “You have to remember
that you’re creating for other people, not
yourself,” says Dufford of working for a client.
And restricted autonomy may be even more
frustrating when a client changes project
requirements without sufficient notice or
compensation.
Self-employed workers usually face additional
frustrations, including managing staff problems,
assessing financial risks, and balancing work–life
demands. Deciphering complex laws related to
business ownership is also difficult. “I have to
pay business, art, and local taxes on top of
commercial photography and business licensing
fees,” Carnes says. “It can be hard to figure out
what you’re supposed to pay.”
Criticism and failure. Creative workers imbue a
little of themselves in their creations. Some
workers may have difficulty separating from their
work, which may make them more sensitive to
criticism and prone to self-doubt.
But in many creative careers, criticism is
necessary. Feedback from clients, friends, and
peers is often part of the creative process.
Among that feedback may be negative
comments that could lead to a different
approach.
And creativity takes a lot of trying—and failing—
before an idea comes to fruition. “You have to
risk failure and rejection to find success,” says
Triola.
Workers should be prepared to put hours of
thought or effort into an idea, only to have
nothing come of it. “Out of 10 ideas, only 1 might
make it,” says industrial design firm owner
Austen Angell. “You can’t get attached to an
idea. Keep an open mind.”
Perseverance. Often, the polished end product of
creativity belies the struggle that went into
achieving it. Turning an idea into a finished
product doesn’t happen overnight: creativity
takes a lot of work and perseverance.
By focusing on the end result, workers can learn
to push themselves. “Creative people are all
about ideas, but that’s the problem: it can be
hard to finish one,” says Carnes. “I really enjoy
the feeling of accomplishment I get when I
complete a project.”
pros and cons. This section outlines some of
them.
Rewards
There are some rewards that are common to
most creative work. These include the outlet for
being creative, the flexibility of the work, and the
opportunity to collaborate with others.
Being creative. Engaging in a creative activity is,
for many workers, its own reward. Workers do
interesting or unique projects while adding their
own style.
Producing something that didn’t exist before
leads to a sense of accomplishment. “Being
creative is really fulfilling,” says wedding
photographer Kyle Carnes of Portland, Oregon.
“You can express yourself and take pride in what
you create.” News editor Gerri Berendzen of
Columbia, Missouri, agrees, adding that she
enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with trying
to break a big story—and getting the facts right.
Flexibility. Compared with workers in some other
career fields, creative workers may have more
flexibility in choosing tasks or setting schedules—
especially if they are self-employed.
Often, workers have the creative freedom to
explore a project or topic as they like. For
example, a cartoonist sketching a new superhero
character might decide to combine existing
ideas, such as a cape, with his or her own
elements, such as the idea of a child superhero.
For many workers, exploring and remixing
interesting ideas is part of the fun.
Collaboration. Creativity often benefits from
collaboration, and many people enjoy working
with others toward a common goal. “I find it
really satisfying to help an author’s writing get
better,” says Berendzen.
Even when working alone, people in creative
occupations often learn from others. Freelance
illustrator Dufford, for example, browses online
art communities and blogs, taking elements of
others’ art ideas and reinterpreting them in
unique ways. “If you surround yourself with good
art,” he says, “you’ll be inspired to create good
artwork.”
Challenges
As with almost any career, creative workers may
face challenges in their jobs that they need to
overcome. To succeed, they must be able to
handle stress and frustration, accept criticism
and failure, and learn to persevere.
Stress and frustration. Creative workers may feel
pressure to constantly produce new or better
ideas, sometimes immediately. But inspiration
doesn’t arrive on demand—and the added stress
may inhibit creativity even more.
It also may be common to work on tight
deadlines for long stretches of time or to work at
odd hours. And because competition for these
jobs is often intense, workers may have a hard
time finding enough creative work to earn an
adequate income.
In some jobs or on certain projects, artistic
freedom may be limited. “You have to remember
that you’re creating for other people, not
yourself,” says Dufford of working for a client.
And restricted autonomy may be even more
frustrating when a client changes project
requirements without sufficient notice or
compensation.
Self-employed workers usually face additional
frustrations, including managing staff problems,
assessing financial risks, and balancing work–life
demands. Deciphering complex laws related to
business ownership is also difficult. “I have to
pay business, art, and local taxes on top of
commercial photography and business licensing
fees,” Carnes says. “It can be hard to figure out
what you’re supposed to pay.”
Criticism and failure. Creative workers imbue a
little of themselves in their creations. Some
workers may have difficulty separating from their
work, which may make them more sensitive to
criticism and prone to self-doubt.
But in many creative careers, criticism is
necessary. Feedback from clients, friends, and
peers is often part of the creative process.
Among that feedback may be negative
comments that could lead to a different
approach.
And creativity takes a lot of trying—and failing—
before an idea comes to fruition. “You have to
risk failure and rejection to find success,” says
Triola.
Workers should be prepared to put hours of
thought or effort into an idea, only to have
nothing come of it. “Out of 10 ideas, only 1 might
make it,” says industrial design firm owner
Austen Angell. “You can’t get attached to an
idea. Keep an open mind.”
Perseverance. Often, the polished end product of
creativity belies the struggle that went into
achieving it. Turning an idea into a finished
product doesn’t happen overnight: creativity
takes a lot of work and perseverance.
By focusing on the end result, workers can learn
to push themselves. “Creative people are all
about ideas, but that’s the problem: it can be
hard to finish one,” says Carnes. “I really enjoy
the feeling of accomplishment I get when I
complete a project.”
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