The next time it takes you 10 minutes to find an electrical outlet at Starbucks and you almost miss a deadline, or the next time you endlessly grill a source to get that one short gem of a quote, remember this: Someone else would love to be in your shoes. According to a survey from CreativeLive, 40 percent of Americans want the creative career you have. The online education network found that 36 percent of employed American adults want to quit their current jobs in search of something more creative, and 55 percent of them would leave their corporate jobs for the self-employed life if they could live off it. The report includes data from more than 2,100 adults and was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Creative Live. The report found that millennials (the 18-to-34 crowd) are most likely to go after careers that allow them to make a positive social impact. Thirty-one percent of millennials with jobs say that working with creative people is important to them, and 35 percent report that having a job that makes a positive social impact is very important to them (only 19 percent of those over 35 say that’s a priority). The study also found that 24 percent of millennials that hold jobs are twice as likely as people ages 45 to 64 to take online classes to improve their careers. Chase Jarvis, co-founder and CEO of CreativeLive, says this indicates a rising cultural trend in skill-based learning among younger workers. There is “jarring evidence of a massive — and growing — creativity crisis,” he adds. While simply switching into a creative industry, or doing so as a self-employed professional, may not solve the problem, the notion of taking “the plunge” is quite appealing to many. For others, simply being in a creative environment — even if their job isn’t in an artsy field — would probably be enough to satisfy them. “Everyone is inherently creative, but very few people in traditional employment tracks are empowered to put their creativity to use every day,” Jarvis says. “Americans are faced with an unstable economy, rampant unemployment and [are] stuck in jobs focused more on tasks than ideas. So, they are increasingly turning to the one thing they know to be true: their creative passion.” Secret to Success: Make the Shift Joel Keller, a New Jersey-based freelance writer and co-founder of Antenna Free TV, understands the struggle that makes so many people flock to creativity. “You get tired of working in an office after a while. The bureaucracy, the meetings, the office politics… it gets to you,” says Keller, who got his start in the information technology field before he followed his creative dreams and became a writer. “Even though I heavily concentrated on math and science in school, I always wrote on the side,” recalls Keller. He worked in the IT industry for about a decade and learned the writing business on the side by penning essays and op-eds. By 2006, he was published regularly, and had a growing blogging gig. That same year, he took a leave of absence from his job at IBM and worked full-time as a freelancer. “I did well enough that I left the IT world for good the next year,” Keller says. Making the change was easier because he was single. However, Keller adds, “Even those with families can explore what a creative career might be like; my brother’s doing it and he’s got five kids!” Time-management skills are a must if you’re looking at an alternative career such as being self-employed. “A creative career may never be feasible for you full-time,” says Keller. “It just depends on your situation and if you can tolerate a couple of years of reduced pay while you build your business.” Keller admits he funded his first year of freelancing with savings. You do not have to have a stockpile of funds to get started, but having one certainly takes some pressure off. When I knew I wanted to work for myself as a writer, I worked a part-time editing gig at night and ran my business during the days. Make sure to understand what it will take to make your creative dream a reality, as many people cannot just quit their day jobs and begin a career as a social media specialist, web developer or newspaper reporter. Secret to Success: Vary Your Sources of Income “Even if you’ve lined up assignments, it can take a while to get paid. You need to be able to pay the bills while the freelance checks trickle in,” she says. “If you can take on assignments while you’re still employed, it’s a good way to develop relationships and build a freelance portfolio___ and help plump up your savings account.” A lot of writers have found that the key to sustaining their careers is to hone their writing skills in a variety of practices. Although I started as a reporter for a newspaper, I built my business around copywriting because it was more lucrative and enabled me to work in all industries. That gave me enough money to later take on writing books and magazine articles. Now, I write just about everything! After Helmer got rolling as a full-time writer, she didn’t want to limit herself to only writing for one medium or industry, so she offers courses to mentor aspiring writers, speaks at industry events and has published books. These are all other ways to leverage her editorial skills and ensure a constant flow of income from various sources, which in turn helps her continue writing for markets that pay more sporadically. “Having diversified income streams is the same as having a diversified investment portfolio; it helps you weather blips in the market,” says Helmer. The varied work has given Helmer the opportunity to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. She’s penned a local travel guide and books on the environment. “It’s also nice to juggle a long-term project with some of the quick turnaround work I do as a journalist,” Helmer says. The mentoring work allows her to share her passion and encourage others. “There are a lot of people who want to be writers but believe it’s not a viable career option, she says. Mentoring and teaching allows me to dispel misconceptions about creative careers like writing___ and show writers what it takes to be successful. Not all writers are broke and surviving on ramen noodles!” When Helmer began freelancing, her mentor described freelancing as a three-legged stool. She said there would be assignments you take for love, assignments you take for money and gigs that complement the other work you are doing. In order to have a balanced and sustainable career, all three legs need to be equal. So Helmer offers a reality check: “If you take on too many passion projects, you’ll be broke. If you take on too many soul-draining, high-paying gigs, you won’t love your work. And if you’re so busy teaching or making coffee that you’re not writing, you’re not really nurturing a writing career.” Secret to success: Work for it Keller says it’s easy to covet the lifestyle of a freelancer who is making a living off her talent. You may see something about a person in a technical career who thrives using his or her creativity and want that job, or you may want to sit in a writing studio all day and churn out novels. In theory. “Who doesn’t want to work out of a studio or office with a view of the mountains or a big city’s skyline? Who wants to keep grinding away at an office job when they can move to a farm in the woods for some peace?” Keller remarks. “I think people want to do creative careers because they have a fantasy that it means they can kick back and work the hours they want.” Of course, there are great aspects to working in a creative field, but working more creatively — for yourself or a company — doesn’t mean it’s easy. Keller says that not knowing how much money you’ll make in a week, month or year, as well as all the hustling that comes with growing a business, can be tough for someone who is self-employed. Those who jump into a creative field — say from an elementary school teacher to a news reporter — may also be challenged in learning a completely new field. This is why it helps to have a mentor, take a course, or connect with others in the field. Attend a networking event or go online to communities such FreelanceSuccess.com that can help you gauge what it takes to follow your dream and get ideas. Secret to Success: Build a Brand Can anyone have a more creative career? Sure — even people in noncreative careers have to use their creative side. They don’t have to leave their day jobs to engage in a creative activity either. Working in a creative field, though, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed happiness. The fact is not everyone can be successful being self-employed because not everyone excels at managing the financial, marketing, legal and client relations aspects of running a business. You have to be willing to learn at least some of these skills if you plan on making a living off your talent and being your own boss. Dawn Papandrea, a writer from Staten Island, says that being self-employed means you always have homework, so to speak. “Between deadlines, you need to market yourself and pitch for new assignments to ensure that you have a steady flow of work,” she says. “Sometimes, you’ll be inundated, and other times you’ll be slow. It’s important to manage your time well, and be willing to make up some extra hours if you hope to take some time off. You also need to be diligent about bookkeeping, invoicing and other money matters.” While there are some not-so-glamorous aspects of jumping into self-employment or transitioning into a more creative career, it may be worth pursuing if you feel that strongly about it. Just remember that you’re building a brand if you go the self-employed route. When you’re not working for someone else, you are your own brand. That means you must cultivate a positive reputation through proven results. You have to have a foundation. And in today’s nation of freelancers, it also means that you have to stand out to start a business — and stay in one. “You have to want it badly enough to find the time to get to work,” Jarvis says. “Spend your nights and weekends writing every story you’ve ever wanted to tell — be it something you’ve lived or something you’ve imagined. The only way to fail is to never start.” Jarvis advises that people who are spending their nights and weekends writing yet can’t make the transition to their ideal career should share their work and collaborate with others. Find a mentor, or send out a query to pitch that essay you’ve been pining over. “Things don’t make things happen, people do,” he says. “Find your tribe, listen to their feedback and learn by iterating.” Kristen Fischer is the author of When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined (Career Press, 2013).Also on Mediabistro
“Time-management skills are a must if you’re looking at an alternative career such as being self-employed.”
Jodi Helmer, a writer based in North Carolina, says that building a financial cushion certainly eases the transition.“A lot of writers have found that the key to sustaining their careers is to hone their writing skills in a variety of practices.” “When you’re not working for someone else, you are your own brand. That means you must cultivate a positive reputation through proven results.” NEXT >> Crafting Your Ongoing Education as a Writer
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