Whether you’re a graduating senior this spring or just getting ready to change gears and start following your passion, if you’ve been eyeing a creative career, you likely have many questions.
What steps do you need to take to get started? How do you stand out and get your talents noticed? Where is the best platform to take your talents?
And, most importantly, what are the things you can do to make sure you build yourself a fulfilling and successful career over time?
Valid questions, and if you’re looking for some friendly advice, then you’ve found it!
The experts at Designity are here to share their wisdom with you, gathered up over years of successfully doing what they love. So, no matter if you’re a budding designer, copywriter, video editor, animator, or anything else, we’ve compiled the top tips to help guide you on your journey and help you find success!
Why Many Choose a Creative Career
There are plenty of reasons why many creative-minded people choose to follow their talents and find full-time or part-time work in creative fields like graphic design, illustration, video production, copywriting, animation, and more.
Check out the following list of common reasons and see how many of your personal boxes it ticks:
- Passion for Creativity — Many people are naturally inclined towards creativity and find joy in expressing themselves through art, design, writing, and other creative outlets. A creative career lets them pursue their passion!
- Being Your Own Boss — Creative professions usually offer more independence than other jobs, allowing creatives to have greater control over their projects, work environment, and schedule.
- Need for Self-Expression — Creative careers provide a platform for personal expression and the opportunity to share your unique perspective and voice with the world.
- Continuous Learning — The dynamic nature of creative fields takes constant learning, adaptation, and innovation, which can be intellectually stimulating, personally fulfilling, and just straight-up fun.
- Variety of Work — No boring routine here. Creative careers often involve working on a diverse range of projects with different themes, challenges, and goals, which keeps the work interesting and engaging.
- Finding Your People — Many creatives thrive in environments where they can work with other creative minds, sparking inspiration and camaraderie as they bounce ideas off each other, collaborate on projects, and learn from each other.
- Opportunity to Stand Out — A creative career offers the chance to build a unique creative online portfolio that can set you apart in the job market, opening doors to opportunities and recognition.
- New Tech — These days, it seems as if there is a new tool, platform, and medium to explore every week, making it an exciting time to work in creative fields.
- Emotional Reward — Seeing your creative vision come to life and excite your clients provides a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that is inherently rewarding and just feels good.
Career Advice from Designity’s Best
So, if you’re looking for tips from pros who’ve “been there, done that,” then Designity is the place to go!
We’ve polled our experienced creative community for their best career advice tips to help you navigate the challenges of getting your career off the ground, embracing your unique talents, and achieving the success and fulfillment you’re looking for!
Here they are now!
1. It’s Okay Not to Know Everything
“My mind immediately went to the amount of times I lied about being “proficient in Excel” on my resume. So, my advice would be: it’s okay to not know everything, so you don’t have to pretend that you do.”
— Katherine J, Senior Copywriter
There’s no need to fake it till you make it. That only leads to anxiety and a potentially awkward situation later down the line. Instead, be honest and be okay with not knowing everything. Nobody does. That’s why we need a team.
Plus, you can always find someone to help you with it later!
2. Service the Material
“Service the material. Make your work the best it can be for the work being done.”
— Brent W, Senior Copywriter
Dedicate yourself to the quality and integrity of your work, regardless of what you’re working on, and focus on how you can add value and purpose to each and every project you work on.
This way, your work is always contributing to your client’s objectives and reflecting positively on you and your abilities.
3. Embrace Humility
“Embrace humility and look for ways to serve others. You don’t have it all figured out, so look for ways to help others and to grow.”
— Joseph C, Head of Design
Sometimes, helping others we meet along the way is the best way for not just professional growth, but personal growth as well. Adopt an attitude of a lifelong learner and teacher and you might just find that it helps you discover more of your own creativity and potential!
4. Become an Expert in at Least One Area
“Invest in hard and soft skill training and be sure to become an expert in at least one area. While trying to be versatile is good, lacking an area of focus and in-depth understanding can hurt your career.
Same with industry-specific experience. Think about what industry or products you’d like to work on aside from just about what creative categories or disciplines you’re interested in.”
— Sitara D, Creative Director
Find what you’re best at and lean into it to position yourself as the go-to expert in whatever that might be.
Having a “specialty” can lead to unexpected creative career opportunities, more collaborations, and more leadership roles as the people around you begin to think of you as their friendly neighborhood expert!
5. Be Yourself
“It sounds super cheesy but be yourself. What makes us “creative types” are those quirks, hobbies, and passions that set us apart. Don’t cover those tattoos, talk about your baking, pottery, etc.
Also, being true to yourself creates better work. None of us produces good creative work while penned in.”
— Cristin B, Creative Director
Not cheesy at all; at least we don’t think so.
There’s only one “you,” so why hide it? Your confidence will come out in your creative work and make your results all the better for it!
6. Blaze Your Own Trail
“Burn the trends to the ground! Blaze your own trail, find your own voice, and don’t let trend forecasts beat you down. You do your best work when you’re making the world a more beautiful place, and the only way to do that is to find and honor your own voice.”
— Joseph C, Head of Design
There’s only one “you,” remember? Embrace your individuality, because it's your biggest strength. Your individuality is what will ultimately make your work stand out, position yourself as the talented creative that you are, and set your personal brand apart.
7. Be Open to Every Opportunity
“Be open to every opportunity that comes to you, no matter how small it seems. You never know who that person knows or what experience it’ll give you. It could unlock something you didn’t even know you were passionate about. So, stay open to opportunities and stay open to changing with the ebbs and flows of our industry.”
— Rose R, Creative Director
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, after all. Staying open to opportunities and not dismissing them outright before you’ve had a chance to think about it, might make all the difference.
Especially in a field as dynamic and ever-evolving as the creative industry!
8. Consider a Creative as a Service Career
“Creative as a Service models herald a new era for the creative community. It positions creatives at the forefront of a dynamic landscape, connecting them with a multitude of qualified clients and ongoing projects. This innovative approach not only amplifies their visibility but also offers unparalleled opportunities for growth across diverse sectors of the creative industry.”
— Shahrouz V, CEO and Founder of Designity
If you’re looking for a freelance creative career where you can grow, learn, and share your talent, perhaps a Creative as a Service platform that would suit you and your talents best.
If so …
The Benefits of Creative as a Service Careers
Many creative career seekers have turned to Creative as a Service (CaaS) platforms over working for a traditional marketing agency, a staffing agency, or freelancing on their own.
The marketing landscape is changing more and more and creative careers are changing right along with it. There are many advantages of a CaaS career for creative folks and it makes it a very attractive and often lucrative decision.
Here are some of those benefits now:
- Diverse Projects — Creative as a Service platforms expose you to a wide range of projects across different industries, enhancing your portfolio and adaptability.
- Flexibility and Remote Work — CaaS platforms give you the freedom to work from anywhere, improving your work-life balance and reducing commuting stress.
- Continuous Learning and Growth — These platforms necessitate the learning of new skills and adapting to emerging trends, encouraging professional development.
- Collaboration with Diverse Teams — Creative as a Service platforms expand your professional network through teamwork with a variety of professionals, offering fresh perspectives.
- Steady Stream of Work — CaaS careers provide a more consistent project flow compared to freelance work, improving your finances and workload planning.
- Supportive Environment — They give you access to tools, resources, and a community of fellow creatives, helping with problem-solving and inspiration.
- Opportunity for Specialization or Diversification — The work done for CaaS platforms helps sharpen your expertise in a specific area or expand skills across disciplines.
- Increased Exposure — CaaS platforms enhance your industry reputation through work on various clients' projects, opening up opportunities for bigger projects and roles.
- Reduced Administrative Burden — Creative as a Service platforms have admin that handle client acquisition and billing, allowing you to focus on creative work.
- Innovative Working Models — Creative as a Service careers encourage innovative project management and collaboration methods, inspiring creative thinking and problem-solving.
<div class="c-blog_comp-cta cc-component-2"><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-left"><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-left-wrap"><img src="https://global-uploads.webflow.com/61cdf3c5e0b8155f19e0105b/63695243d096983691046ac3_Potential-Creative.png" loading="lazy" alt="" class="c-blog_comp-cta-left-img"></div></div><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-right cc-dark"><div class="c-blog_comp-content"><div class="c-text-wrapper cc-mb-32"><div class="c-title-4 cc-bold"><strong>Like to work as a freelancer with consistent income?</strong></div></div><div class="c-text-wrapper"><div class="c-text-2">Designity's collaborative model is designed to give you all of the perks of being a freelancer without the income instability.<br></div></div></div><div class="c-blog_comp-wrapper"><a href="http://designity.com/creatives" target="_blank" class="c-button w-button"><strong>Join Our Creative Community</strong></a></div></div></div>
Looking for a Place to Jumpstart Your CaaS career?
If you’re looking for a place to start your career, somewhere where you can have a steady flow of interesting projects and learn from the best, we have one more bit of advice for you.
Why not join the Designity community?
Designity is made up of the top 3% of US-based talent and we’re always looking to add more talented members to our creative community.
As a Designity Creative, you’ll enjoy a number of perks, like:
- A flexible schedule — Work the hours you want and from wherever you have Wi-Fi access.
- Consistent workload — Enjoy a consistent workload with as many projects as you want to take on.
- A variety of interesting projects — Designity clients are a diverse bunch, so you’ll enjoy working on diverse projects for a variety of industries.
- A 100% remote environment — Go ahead and enjoy that full tank for a little longer! Enjoy the freedom to work from wherever you have access to the internet.
- Competitive pay — Designity Creatives are paid competitive wages for their work!
- Growth opportunities — There are plenty of opportunities to move up and take on different responsibilities.
- Experienced colleagues — Learn from the best and most experienced Creatives and Creative Directors around!
So, if Designity sounds like a place where you can put down roots and start working your way up in your own field, then why not give it a try?
If you think you’ve got what it takes, apply now with our one-of-a-kind application process.
Are you ready to start excelling in your creative career?
