Finding a ‘Perfect’ Place in the Creative World
As a young creative, the question of ‘choosing the right career path’ felt daunting. I tried to identify trends that seemed like safe paths to success. Creatives used to go to the top agencies to learn from “the best”. Later, the trend moved to big tech companies to become well-versed in building a product with cross-functional teams. However, following the trends did not equate to feeling fulfilled, nor did it secure a long-term career. Today, there seems to be no trend that creatives can follow. Examples like Accenture acquiring Droga 5, Jony Ive leaving Apple, and Nick Law joining Apple are validations of various industries disrupting each other in the modern creative industries. In an era where there is no safe route to follow, I started to listen to my gut and follow my heart.
I was fortunate enough to work at the industry’s best places, which helped shape who I am today. However, I could not pinpoint why I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. It wasn’t until a partner at the consulting firm that I was working at asked me to send him a note on why I decided to leave. As I thought deeply about my values, I realized the thirst of being in an environment that encourages fluid creativity was something that I absolutely need.
All the times that I had zigged while others told me to zag were really in order to fulfill this value. I had told my parents I would not take the Korean college entrance exam — while I was in one of the most prestigious high schools — to attend an art school in New York City. I then attended a graduate school that was specifically designed to explore diverging creative paths. I stayed in a startup with no maternity leave while pregnant. I left a Fortune 100 company that had world-class benefits including great maternity leave. And ultimately I joined a small creative agency that gives me the creative freedom to shape my environment, and to have a part in something bigger than briefs.
As Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” These different places helped me gain all the right skills to become the creative leader I am today. It took me years to find the right environment, but there are some key steps that creatives can take to find their sweet spot.
Interview your manager
Your career is the sum of the relationships you build along the way. The managers you work with play a huge role in creating not only your career, but supporting your creativity, and pumping the creative blood in an organization. Fluid creativity is cultivated by trusted relationships with honest and kind people. These trusted relationships not only nurture your fluid creativity, but also reap benefits for your company at large. A recent study from Gallup found that highly engaged teams increase profitability by 21%.
If you haven’t done it yet, make sure you interview your manager: Is your manager leveraging your strengths and weaknesses to push your inner potential and creativity? Is the relationship built on trust and respect? Up-and-coming talent should seek the environment that has the right people who can support their creativity.
Go beyond what is billable
I thrive at places where my colleagues and I can chat about saving plastic utensils at kitchen countertops, how might we stop the abortion bans in the couches, imagine a new GoT finale driven by AI at the water cooler. These kinds of conversations emerge in casual, relaxed settings with people of diverse backgrounds. These are the types of dialogs that can push your thoughts in different angles, and stimulate creativity, and therefore productivity.
Find yourself an environment where you feel detached from timesheets and the definition of what is billable and profitable. The right place will empower you to speak up and support you to pursue projects that you feel passionate about. No, you wouldn’t be secretly doing it after working hours, but the workplace would provide time and resources to make your vision come alive.
Diversity in demographics and thought
When I tell my three year old or grandparents what I do, I say, ‘ I create stories that others can relate to.’ That’s what creatives do in plain language. We know that these stories would be boring and even isolating if they were created by people of the same race, gender, and sexual orientation. But to push innovative and inclusive ideas even further, we need diversity of thought.
One of the reason why I joined Barbarian was the Strangers in Residence program. The program invites creatives and technologists into the office for a 2 month long residency. We collaborate with unorthodox thinkers on a project using technology and passions as the brief. It has addressed art accessibility, cultural appropriation, and we’re currently working on an environmental sustainability project.
So when assessing your current or next workplace, take a moment to look around the office and speak with creative and non-creative employees. Is it a homogenous group in demographic, skill and experience? If so, I recommend selecting a new environment that can push your creativity with different perspectives.
Find yourself in an environment where the legend of innovation lives on
Recently, one of our clients told us that she wanted to work with Barbarian a decade back. After we started working together, she said her expectations of Barbarian were spot on. This is interesting because almost everyone from a decade ago was gone at this point. However, what she is witnessing is a living record of radical thinking at Barbarian—the old and new keeping our legend alive. The World Economic Forum recently reported that the most successful modern workplaces out there are the ones who are leveraging creativity to evolve with technology’s presence in the workplace. Insert yourself in an environment where your team not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.
For most people, a “fulfilling” workplace isn’t something that can be singularly defined without experiencing it, but you owe it to yourself to look for a place that aligns with your values and fulfills your creative spirit. Don’t hesitate to continue your search if you already know your current workplace is discouraging your creative growth. And when you find a place that you believe in, make yourself comfortable enough to propose bold ideas, and take on big initiatives.
Even if the industry changes every day, creativity will always be our business. A company that encourages, supports and inspires you creatively won’t just give you a job, it might just give you a career.
Special thanks to Soyoung Kwon, Lillian Ritchie and Peter Loftus for their support and guidance in producing this piece.
