The Creative's conundrum

amother

Wed, Aug 30 2023, 8:09 pm

I know that Creative is not properly a noun. But I don't know how else to refer to them. I am talking about people whose parnassa involves creativity. Artists, songwriters, authors etc. Creatives.

So these are just some thoughts I've had lately, and I would love to hear others' take on it.

I am extremely fortunate to have a talent that I can monetize. As they say, love what you do and you won't work a day in your life. I do love what I do. Every day I get to use the gifts Hashem gave me, and I even get paid for it.

And yet, its not always so easy to make a parnassa.
The way I see it, there are two routes a creative can take.
One is creating content and then trying to sell it. The other is accepting jobs or commissions, in which case you are producing work for the client.

For example. Lets say you are a songwriter.
One way to do it is to hang up a shingle saying that you create songs for people, and when they come, you produce a song for them. When you do that, your main goal is to satisfy the customer. It isn't necessarily to develope your own skills. The customer may not like it, and then you need to edit and correct. And for the most part, you can never reuse that content, because it is specific to the client. Those are the cons.
The pro of this route is that you know as you're working that this is a paid job. You agreed on a price in advance. You probably got a deposit upfront and you will get paid when it's done.

The other route is to just sit at your piano and write songs. There is no one telling you what to do. You are free to explore any genre you wish. When you have produced your masterpiece, you now have the task of trying to find a buyer. You may never end up finding one. And while you are busy creating, you don't know if this time will produce any money at all, and if yes, how much and when.

So, personally, I have been doing the first route. I only end up producing work when hired. Lately I have been feeling a bit restless. There are so many projects I want to get to. Things that are interesting to ME. But I am too busy producing for others. Plus, I don't know if I can afford to work and not know if my work will bring in money.

I am often asked to do things (within my field) that are not so interesting for me but I accept the job because I can do it.

But when will I get to doing the things I want to do? Also, I don't love the idea of always having the customer's face on my mind as I work, because I am only thinking about pleasing her or him. And sometimes the customer really doesn't know what they're saying. (Other creatives no doubt can feel what I'm saying here.)

Once in a while I get asked to do something that is right up my alley and that's very exciting for me.

But I'm wondering if other creatives can relate and if yes, what are your thoughts on the matter?

amother

Catmint

Wed, Aug 30 2023, 8:17 pm

I fully relate. I feel like my clients own me, and although I'm earning beautiful money (BH!!) I feel like my creativity gets squashed when my clients take charge of projects. I LOVE when clients give me free reign, there's nothing like just letting my creativity run wild without any comments or feedback.

On the other hand, if I wouldn't have clients and I'd have to create stuff without anyone breathing down my neck, I would never put the time in. I work very well under pressure, and I don't think putting pressure on myself would work for me. If it works for you perhaps consider putting a few hours a week aside for your own personal projects. It might be worth it for you.