The Creative Mentor's Podcast

Well this is it, the end of the road. If you've made it this far in our journey congratulations. You're gonna be JUST FINE. I had so much fun producing this for all of you. We both have celebrated some serious success and I just want to thank you all for participating with me.

A lot goes into quitting a job, you would be surprised. There's a lot to say and do. I walk you through the process and the feelings as well as my suggestions of how to handle it and what you should remember for later.

Change is scary, but inevitable. It can feel really good when you're ready to up your game! This week I talk about how to weigh your options when you're ready for a change in your career, or ready to grow into something new. 

Man, it sucks to get fired. A lot goes through your mind but the most important question is "What do I do now?". Well, as someone who's been fired before, I will tell you. It's not my favorite thing to bring up, but it's been 8 years and I figure this is as good a place as any to talk about how it all feels, what you're supposed to do, and how you bounce back.  Self-made Millennial Resource: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeNm7lbfRg9wiBDSLQ-M8RA Job Doctor Tessa: https://www.tiktok.com/@jobdoctortessa? 

One thing will always be true with working, you will run into conflict. Because systems are not smart, and people get wrapped up with work, it's tough to know how to deal with conflict resolutions at work. I walk you through some context, tips, and tricks on asserting yourself and what boundaries are appropriate for you. 

When you hear the word "networking" you always think of that weird business card scene from American Psycho. I'm here to tell you that it can be more sincere than that. I walk you through some framework on how to connect with the creatives around you and yes, make friends as an adult. Which is hard.

We will all experience jealousy in our careers. Both for someone, and as the target of someone else's jealousy toward us. I talk about my own personal struggle with being jealous of past co workers, as well as the best advice someone gave me to help me get over it. The fact is, when we all root for each other, we all thrive that much more. 

Who determines how hirable you are? Not you. A lot of creatives count themselves out before anyone has a chance to count them in. It is not up to you to determine how hirable you are. We talk about common mental road blocks as well as considerations the job market makes in order to hire you. be confident, don't shrink and miss out on great opportunities for yourself. 

I interview a Sr. Art Director, and my old boss Danielle. We discuss what Art Directors look for in candidates when they apply for jobs, how teams have managed through work from home in the pandemic, and general philosophies on how to keep creative flowing when you have an on demand creative job. She also had a lot of great book recommendations as well as job search hacks. Creativity, inc. - https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012 atomic habits - https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299 google search emails for criteria - https://kinsta.com/blog/gmail-search-operators/ 

I interview Freelance Photographer and Videographer Zoe Rain. We talk about the world of freelance creative work, how she managed her contracts with brands like Nike and tour photography with clients like Macklemore. We talk about keeping our creative joy, and how to figure out how to write business proposals and freelance contracts. Contracting Templates: https://wonderfulmachine.com/consulting/pricing-and-negotiating/  Salary Guide: https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide

I interviewed the women in the creative industry I speak with every day about our common connection. Surviving toxic work environments. Jessica a Digital Graphic Designer, Stephanie a Content Specialist and Quality Assurance Specialist, and Carissa Director of Creative Services. We talk about the Bad Place job we met in and the HR nightmare it was. It's important to reflect on how jobs have treated their workers and how as a worker you cary that through to all your other jobs. We talk about that, and tips on getting through it if and when it happens.

I interview the Character design supervisor on Tuca and Bertie (Adult Swim), and my LONG time friend Amanda. We discuss art school and finding ‘our people' and how to break into a field where it seems like ‘you have to know someone' Amanda has a lot of great advice for students and career seekers and I felt like I learned a lot from her in our hour. She also shared a ton of resource links I have in the comments section on Patreon and Youtube.

I interview a User Experience Designer, and my friend Eric. We learn about how he got into a field that did not exist when we were in college, and he shares his art school journey with us. Eric is also the AIGA Chicago Mentorship Program Chairperson and the reason why I am like this. He's very generous in talking about mental health through his successes and struggles through his career. No matter who you are, Eric has some great advice for everyone. 

Knowing how you want to work, is just as important as why you want to work. Working with in any system is not perfect. It can be a huge stressor on a worker. I walk you through what to expect, and help you figure out how to weigh how much you'll deal with at work, before you don't want to deal with it. 

Working is stressful. There are a lot of reasons why. Today I talk about some grounding touch points to help manage stress, and signs to look out for when dealing with stress so you don't bring it home with you, or back to work. 

I explore all the feelings the pandemic left with us about working. How the shift feels, how finding work feels, how creativity feels. It's a strange time.

We finally talk about art school. Is it worth going to? How to we measure its value? What's frustrating about it? We walk through all of it. 

Talking about how the system isn't perfect, and it's difficult for companies, corporations, and clients to measure the value of your creative skills. I talk about building interpersonal skills, and framing your mind to appreciate yourself and appreciate your own value.

We talk about setting up creative boundaries so that you can keep creative joy personally wile also doing creative work for yourself and brands.

Capitalism has another loop hole for us to exploit as creatives. Separate your 'creative money' from your personal money. We'll talk about the perks of becoming a 'business entity' and how the government LOVES that for you. 

Figuring out how to manage yourself is really hard. Especially since we all compare how we actually work to what we think we should be doing. Honestly, finding your natural working style is enough. 

Talking about ourselves or our work is the hardest thing for creatives. I walk you through some steps how to do that! What natural charismatic skills do you have? What's unique to you? NEVER be humble. You're your best advocate. 

There are a lot of working styles you will run into as you gain experience. The best way to collaborate and move forward is to understand the context of these styles. They will set you up for the best success and make you a happier creative.

There are "good politics" and "bad politics" and I walk you through them and how to find a place to work where there are "good politics" so you can be sure you're in the best environment for your creativity. 

I take you through the kind of work most creatives work with in, how much they make, where they work, and for how long, with what experience. All to help give you perspective for where your skills fall on the working spectrum. 

Talking about how to help set small boundaries at work that you don't have to announce to anyone! These tips and tricks can help keep you a little more sane every day. I hope these help!

Burnout is a real thing we should all be concerned about. Let's learn what the symptoms are, why it happens to us, and how to address it. Don't let work culture trick you into think it's normal, because it's not. 

Working in capitalism and being a creative/artist is an oxymoron. How do we think about this and rectify all the baggage that comes with it every day or not? I don't have the answer, but let's talk about it.

Imposter Syndrome is feeling like you're not qualified or good enough to do your job. We ALL suffer from it, and I tell ya, it does not go away with experience. What does happen with experience is coping with it and I'll walk you through some universal truths, and techniques that help me. Sometimes it's nice to just talk about it.

There's a lot of talk of 'selling out' in the creative world. Today I wanted to unravel that and think about that further and how that holds us back vs pushing us forward. And it was a hot topic when I was in art school and I just wanted to revisit it as a creative professional today.

We've all heard of 'the side hustle'. This is about how to think about the value of if you want to do that, or not. We pull creativity out of thin air and can make anything happen. Here's some framework to think on financial goals, with creativity goals. 

You only get paid more if you ask! I'll be walking you through the research phase, and how to frame your ask so that you are as successful as possible when asking for a raise. We will also talk about 'wage accessibility' and how it's a real thing to consider. This conversation is for everyone. Beginners and managers a like.

The name of the game is KEEP AS MUCH OF YOUR MONEY AS YOU CAN. As a self employed creative that is very tricky business! I'll walk you through how to think about taxes, and the choices you can make to put yourself in a better position to keep as much of your money as possible and also not get in trouble for tax fraud on accident. It's not the most exciting topic, but it can be a very lucrative one.

This week we're talking about money. OH YES - Money. How much should you be paid for your work? How much can creatives even make? How do I learn about all of this. Don't worry. I'll show ya.

The hottest topic of them all! We'll go over the do's, the don'ts, how many pieces you should have, and how a boss or hiring manager views your portfolio and how to get them to choose you!

This week we'll go over options on where to find work! There's a lot of websites you can visit, and be on. We all know how painful they can be. I have some tips and tricks for you on your search, and one of them is working with someone who's job it is to do all that for you! Let's chat.

We focus on the question of 'what does success mean to you?'. It's an important question to answer when setting a foundation for navigating a career in being a creative. Let's talk options.

Born out of frustration creative colleges don't teach creatives how to navigate their careers in art and design, I will. Learn how to talk about what it is you do, balance creative joy, how to work within different creative cultures, negotiate pay; and get your industry questions answered.