I read this article today in the good ol’ New York Times about how this is the age for the right brain. Meaning, all of us creative kids that our parents were worried about making it in the real world are actually quite marketable. We just have to play it right, figure out how that creativity translates into business, and make decisions that will feed our creativity rather than starve it. The Times article mentioned this book by Daniel Pink that looks pretty great. (I haven’t read it, so if you have, feel free to comment.) Check out the Johnny Bunko video trailer for the book, but basically, manga style Johnny is helped out by a superhero fairy godmother who appears when he breaks open a pair of chopsticks.
And when I think about artists trying to fit into the corporate world, I am always reminded by this beautiful cartoon my friend Brian Musikoff drew based on his personal experience. There’s more than this one frame. Read the whole thing, it’s great.
The point is, you didn’t go to school to learn about something you love just so you can graduate and sit behind a desk and do what others tell you. Have the courage to make your career your own, even if it’s not as easy as your friends that do their 9-5 and go home. They’re not happy any way, or they’re just not as smart as you. So work a little harder, do it a little different, and make that creativity work for you.
