Finding your true North

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As creatives its far more convenient to make compromises and just settle.

Settle to the lifestyle, to the job, to the pay, to the role we are being assigned, just so bills can be paid. For what its worth, its OK to make compromises every now and then, but when it begins to threaten your happiness and you’re no longer at peace, it inadvertently affects your desire to create. With no drive, lack of ambition and motivation the mojo heads south. 
In order to make a living, creatives now have to take on demeaning roles, terrible pay, work ridiculous hours and put up with over bearing superiors. It's nobody's fault, it's just the reality we find ourselves in. Trust me! been there, done that.
You can keep up with this routine and never realise how much you've lost in terms of quality of life, personal and career goals till you see younger, hungrier even more talented colleagues vying for your position. Out with the old, in with the new.
Finding that delicate balance, that safe haven, your true north is always the challenge when you are a talent on hire, your happiness hinges solely on your ability to find fulfilment while giving your very best even in the harshest conditions. Many a creatives have lost it here and have sunk into that ditch of regrets never to be redeemed.. Truth is, it's never too late to pause, ponder and make that desired change.

It all starts with a hunger to be more, a dissatisfaction of your current state, a knowing that you are better than this and the willingness to do something about it regardless of the cost. Nothing good comes easy, nobody's going to just hand you the life you truly deserve, you've got to sit up and earn it. 

Firstly, its important to know those things you value, your value system gives you structure and purpose by helping you determine what is meaningful and important to you, it helps you express who you are and what you stand for, if you are unaware of, or become disconnected with your values, you end up making choices out of impulse or instant gratification rather than on solid reasoning and responsible decision-making.

Take a candid objective look at your value system. When push comes to shove, what are those things you can’t trade? Is it Time, Relationships, Money, Security, Career Advancement… You'll never get a job that fully satisfies you on all front, except of course you’re the boss, even that has its trade offs. At some point you’ll forfeit one for the other in order to find that right balance. 
I started off trading everything for money and security, Yes, I was able to pay my bills and I had that sense of security but I wasn’t happy I practically dragged myself out of bed everyday, creating became a nightmare. Oh! how I loathe Sunday evenings (sounds familiar right), the routine drove me nearly mad till I gave myself that deserving break.
Though it wasn’t easy, with no paying job at the time the future looked scary, it was sheer bravado and that undying will to be more that kept me, I was able to make the change because I realised that my time and career  were too huge a price to pay. I needed time to focus on other things I value.

Secondly, it’s OK to say NO, its OK to negotiate. Artists generally can be crowd pleasers, putting our feet down isn't always a strength, we always tend to find a middle ground, we'd rather grumble behind closed doors than turn people down. It's always the artist that has to work late into the night to compensate for the long, sometimes pointless mid-day meetings.
Just because you don't know when the next paying job will come, you act desperate by selling yourself short. Always make it a habit to negotiate from a position of strength, never seem desperate, the client can tell when you are. You are a creative professional not a Heidlberg offset machine, it's better to present one well thought out creative and defend it convincingly than to present 5 beautiful creatives without the punch just because the client keeps asking for more. 

You also have to define whether you are a generalist or specialist as a freelance or independent artist. Honestly its OK if you can be everything to everybody and still keep sane, but its not always advisable. Nothing screams desperation like an artist who takes on everything and anything. You make the mistake of presenting yourself as the Swiss Army knife solution to all creative project and you loose identity even your next creative pitch without you ever knowing. Rather find out your client’s need and tailor your portfolio, showreel or presentation to meet that specific need. A client in need of the services of a graphic artist won’t be thrilled with your illustration portfolio no matter how cool it looks.

Time quickly flies as a young creative, one moment you are the celebrated art director \ copywriter the next moment you can be in-between jobs looking for an agency that can have you for a fee. Don't just sit at your desk churning out creatives year in year out. Push yourself a little you won’t break, add more relevant skills, study something entirely different, take classes, meet people and network. At the end of the day this can be your game changer, communication and social trends are constantly changing so why shouldn’t you.

 Never forget you are on a journey, never stay stagnant, always keep pushing. The thrill of being successful as I've learnt is in the journey -the failures, the successes, the disappointments, the accolades, the querries. They're all part of your story. You won't want to look back and say these word 'I could have, I should have. It's OK to be afraid, but then it's cooler to be courageous.
Did I forget to mention I'm yet to make my $7,567,873,543 mark? Lol. I'm still on that journey. 

 Lastly, you are unique. No one has your idea, at least no one brings them to life like you do. You'll possibly live, succeed and eventually die as a creative. It's everything and all that you are -it's your true north. Make a mistake of not taking this seriously and you'll spend the rest of your life in regrets hustling lower tier jobs. 

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