A compilation of lessons I’ve learned and advice I have received during my 18 years in the business.
When you’re starting out, who you work with is more important than where you work.
Try to meet the person you’ll be reporting to every day. Check out their work if you can. The ethics and habits you pick up in the first few years of working can set you up for life, or ruin you.
Ignore the money, invest in your career.
In the beginning, don’t make money the only criteria for choosing a job. Work at a place that will let you experiment and take creative risks, even if their cash offer is not the best.
Your career is built on your work, not your bank account.
You need to be lucky, but…
A hundred wheels (client approvals, budgets, weather on the day of the shoot, to name a few) need to turn in sync for a great piece of work to roll out exactly as you imagined it. That needs luck and lots of it. But the more hours you put in, the more chances you give luck to do its magic.
10% of your work will drive 90% of your career.
Learn to recognise the signs of an opportunity to create work that’ll help you level up your reputation. When you spot it, do whatever it takes to make sure it comes out the way you want it.
Don’t let your job be the only outlet for your creative soul.
It’s frustrating to have your idea get knocked about till it squeezes into the narrow confines of a brief or the whims of a client. Sooner or later the iniquities of this power balance will get to you. Find a hobby that lets you colour outside the lines or the book even.
Make friends outside of work.
The insights you’ll need to create meaningful work will only come from understanding the real-life problems, concerns and aspirations of people from all walks of life. The usual drink-and-bitch sessions after work will not give you that. Go out there and live life, it will reflect in your work.
Don’t settle for becoming great at one thing.
A couple of years in you’ll discover the skill that comes to you effortlessly. Work relentlessly to hone it, but don’t stop there. Keep adding skills that complement your strengths till you have a portfolio of skills that you’re really good at.
The day you think you’re great is the day you stop being great.
Always be learning. You’ll never know everything there is to know about a topic. Be open to listening to other points of view about subjects you consider yourself an expert in.
When life becomes ‘Same shit, different day’, it’s time to change your diet.
The deliver-or-die, day-in-day-out nature of working in a creative industry will get to you one day. If you spend most mornings sitting up in bed plotting a way to escape work, it’s time to move on. Your destination could be a different organisation or a new profession.
But take a break to clear your mind and reassess what you really want from life before you start working again.
Start saving ASAP for the sabbatical you’ll eventually need.
As soon as you can afford to do so, start saving money. Start small and keep increasing the size of your ‘Take a break from it all’ EMI. Aim to save up at least one year’s expenses. A good rule of thumb is to have 3 times your annual rent stashed away for the day you decide you need to head for the mountains for a spell.
Finally, remember why you got into the business.
Creative professions are glamorous on the outside and a mix of blood, sweat and copious tears on the inside. Constantly dealing with the pressure to come up with ideas that are better than yesterday can get to the best of us.
On the other hand, nothing will beat the high you get when your creation gets appreciated by the world. So remember to have fun and enjoy the process. Keeping these tips in mind might just help you survive this roller-coaster ride with your sanity intact.
