Imagine that you won a lottery. You, your family, and your friends were the only ones who survived while the rest of the world was affected by some new deadly disease!
That is what it feels like for us creatives out there. This Pandemic time we are experiencing – where our industry is dying and bankrupting everywhere we look – might be just what we need to start realizing our dreams.
In fact, 90% of people working in creative jobs today would not have been able to go into their dream career even ten years ago because, at that time, they did not have access to enough information about how to do it right. In our digitally connected world, everyone has instant access to all kinds of information needed for their success. It is no longer a case of who you know but rather of how good you look on paper.
Well, if this is your time – congratulations! This might be your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue the dream career you always wanted without having to worry about money or social status or anything else that stops us from doing what we love.
But do not get too carried away just yet. It would be naive to think that the world has changed for good and nobody will ever discriminate against creatives again because “we are all creative souls deep down.” It will take some time until people learn (or forget) this lesson. Before then, here are some tips on how to use this Pandemic time to pursue your dream career:
1) Make your portfolio rock
\No matter how good you are, nobody will hire you until they see what you can do. And when it comes to creative work, there is no better way of telling than showing. If this Pandemic time has opened the doors for everything creative, then it’s your turn to show what you can really do. Don’t be bothered if, at first, no clients are willing to pay for your services – just create something amazing that would convince even yourself that this is exactly what you want to be doing! It might even become an inspiration for somebody in need in the future.
2) Get in touch with fellow creatives
Look around and see who else survived too. Chances are they all had been working on their dream career (or still working on it), and they might even be able to help you with your plans. This Pandemic time has probably opened some new opportunities for them, too, so get in touch!
3) Keep calm
This is not the end; this is just the beginning. As outdated as this might sound right now, actually no industry dies these days – all of them transform into something else, which makes room for new kinds of businesses and jobs. Just look at photography or IT nowadays – both used to offer fairly repetitive tasks where anyone could do them with enough training. But today, there are hardly any factory-like digital workplaces left where people work on an assembly line doing the same thing over and over again. Now everyone has to be creative – not just the people in the studio building catwalks, but also those working on photoshoots or designing websites.
You might want to go back to school and study something more appropriate for today’s demands. Or maybe your dream career will change with time (and you will find it too). There is nothing definite about this Pandemic time that will not end one day – but don’t forget that even if this Pandemic time ends tomorrow, there are still millions of humans left who will continue enjoying their entertainment provided by creative professionals like us!
4) Do research about the things you want to do or make
What counts is not whether or not you can make money using your creativity; it matters what you love doing because if you love it, then that’s your future career right there. You don’t need anybody else to help you do something you love doing. So the first thing you have to do is take a close look at what’s available today – not yesterday! Then go through all possible ways of making money with it and work backward until you find something that works for you.
5) No matter how good your portfolio looks, never stop learning new things
Even if this Pandemic time has opened so many doors for creative people, they are still humans after all – which means they are proud creatures prone to getting stuck in their rut. Chances are no one will discover just by accident that there is somebody out there who can make an amazing 3D model of the new iPhone or design a beautiful website for any client out there. Your portfolio has to be always up-to-date, and you might even have to develop two (or more) different portfolios depending on what kind of work you want to do.
6) Be proactive
There is no better way of getting into this Pandemic time than by offering your services – whether they are digital or not! Make sure that at least part of your life is dedicated to constantly pitching yourself as a service provider, especially if it’s something never done before. This Pandemic time is all about individuality, so being an individual with unique skills will give you an advantage over others who simply rely on their experience. Unlike in the past, today, it doesn’t matter whether you know the 3D program or not. It does matter that you can finally create something that will be appreciated by people looking for something unique these days!
7) Keep in touch with your friends
Don’t just send them a message the other day saying how much fun it was having drinks together at the pub – get in touch, work together once in a while, travel together and do all of these things again. After all, being creative means being social! The more people you have on your team working towards one goal, the better are your chances of achieving it sooner than later! That’s why no jobs exist which would require only one person doing everything – because this Pandemic time is all about teamwork and sharing ideas.
8) Be patient
Even if some jobs can be done in minutes, your success will not happen immediately – it takes time! This Pandemic time has been around for a few years already, and it doesn’t seem like the Pandemic itself will end any given day soon. So you have to be eager but also patient – always looking for opportunities, getting involved in various different projects, teaching yourself new stuff all the time, and most importantly, never stop moving forward! This way, you’ll stay on top of the ever-changing market where knowledge often becomes obsolete within a few weeks or even days.
9) Avoid competition whenever possible
Yes, there is a huge pool of talented young people worldwide who are just waiting for their chance to show what they can do. And chances are you’ll also have to fight them off when it comes to getting any kind of job in this Pandemic time. But that doesn’t mean you should try and compete with everyone! If you want a 3D modeling job, go find one where your skills will be welcomed rather than required – which means instead of trying to prove yourself by creating something “better” than other people did before, take a closer look at what they did and focus on your interpretation of it. You might not get paid well for 3D models these days, but you still can make money doing something else, like designing clothes or working as an IT specialist.
10) Keep up-to-date with what’s going on
After all, you don’t want to miss any opportunities, now do you? That’s why it makes sense to check “Techcrunch” or “Hacker News” daily. They contain so many interesting stories, and they might even guide you to something completely new and unique, which will blow away the competition! And if it doesn’t pay well right now – who cares?! You can always switch jobs next week after doing something else for a month or two.
Conclusion:
So there you have it – 10 ways of getting into this Pandemic time by doing exactly what you like best: creating things! And if not by yourself, then at least as part of a team where everyone has their own unique set of skills and ideas to contribute. No matter how big or small your role is – as long as you have a plan which will bring you closer to the goal, stick with it, and don’t be afraid of trying new stuff along the way! Because nothing can stop someone who’s passionate about what they do from reaching their goals in this Pandemic time!
Author Bio:
Anji Velagana loves pursuing excellence through writing. He currently writes for Gologica.com, a global leader in providing the best online training to individuals who wish to take training on different abilities. He has experience of 5 years in the field of content writing. Contact him via LinkedIn.