Nothing ever goes to plan with my career
The story
Unfortunately for me, I want to be a creative person full time. There's been a series of attempts.
1 - Animation
I was a grade A student in high school and took lots of AP's including AP art and design. My councilors said with my grades my state's flagship school would be a good safety school and the Ivy's where a reasonable reach. She was wrong about that and it's all been downhill from that conversation. Long story short I couldn't get into an art school with a scholarship. I went to the ONLY state school to accept me, could never get an internship all 3 years (had enough AP's to graduate early), and graduating with my degree in animation at the top 10% of my class with a portfolio reviewed by and references from 2 emmy award winning animation professors didn't mean anything to studios. I would go to networking and hiring events, portfolio and resume reviews, talk to recruiters, get referrals, even move to LA. All for 0 job offers after years of trying.
2 - Design
While I was trying to get into animation I worked a graphic design job. It didn't pay enough, especially for LA, so I beefed up my college portfolio to highlight my motion design stuff and started applying. A year passed with no interviews and I got laid off. I got a certification in UX/UI design and applied there too. Another year passed. I assure you - whatever job advice you have (talk to recruiters, send out 100s of applications, tailor your applications, ask your dad to get you a job) - I did it! Multiple times. No luck.
3 - Self Employment
Throughout this entire stint I would have side hustles I tried (and failed) to get off the ground. I tried to be a gallery artist. Sold one drawing. Had a painting featured at the High Museum of Art. Did some local art fairs (and sold nothing). Absolutely no one else ever cared about representing my work despite it. Okay. Cool. There was an online original painting business - no sales. Online art prints - 10 sales in 2 years. Art on stuff (notebooks, zipper pouches, etc.) - 7 online sales and I made money at in-person markets but never enough to break even on the booth fee. Alright; fabulous.
4 - Marketing
After my layoff year from the graphic design job I got a job as a marketing operations coordinator - so not even doing the marketing. Just fetching virtual coffee so other people could do it. I decided to lean in. If art doesn't want me, maybe money will! I learned as much about marketing as I could to apply it to a future business attempt. I got my PMP certification and applied to project management jobs. You can probably guess how well this went.
5 - Self Employment Take 4 (current)
I still work that marketing job. My company laid off everyone but me and my boss' boss. The company is in shambles so there's not really a clear job for me right now other than sending bills to accounting. So artistic. So fulfilling. If I have to talk to META customer service one more time I'm going to crash out. Since the lay offs at the job I've been applying elsewhere to almost no avail. I had 3 rounds of interviews including one with the CEO for a better paying marketing job!!! They then paused hiring. Seems both art and money don't want me. I've started another business - a stationery shop. 11 sales in 5 months - so the marketing knowledge is helping me do a lot better. But I had a collection launch today to crickets that sent me into a bit of a spiral.
THE DILEMA
I keep trying as MUCH and as HARD as I can to make my career cooperate. It just refuses to go my way. Any advice I can find online assumes I haven't tried, didn't do some obvious thing, or some empty motivational platitudes like "you haven't quit until you stop trying (like as if I don't have bills to pay)" is going to help. I've started therapy and my therapist is very helpful on everything else - but on this topic he tends to tell me to just follow my dreams. I feel like he has to watch me show up every day and sponsor events for promotion and work with influencers for marketing and post to 5 social media platforms every day and start a mailing list and start a youtube channel and read marketing books and go to webinars by my local SCORE mentors (all things I'm doing BTW) and yet still make 0 progress after keeping this up for a year to understand what I'm talking about. There is NO lack of trying - but nothing ever works. I just can't seem to be a full time creative. I can't even do plan B and make enough money for an apartment. I don't know what else to do or how to deal with these feelings. I'm always searching for some kind of solution, but the truth is it takes hard work, time, and luck to be successful and luck is just not on my side at the moment. To anyone who read all this - how do you manage to live your life knowing what you truly want isn't coming to you? How would you stay motivated in business 4 and somehow believe it's going to work after all the previous failures? What am I doing wrong? Is this normal?
Stories in the same category
Points of view
Hey there, I can totally sense your frustration, and let me tell ya: your perseverance is downright impressive!
mate, if i had a magic wand to fix this crap, believe me i'd hand it right over. i'm gonna lay it down bluntly: the creative world is brutal and doesn't give a damn about your hard work or top-notch credentials; it's all about schmoozing and catching that lucky break. you've been hustling harder than most; don't let that go unnoticed in your own mind. have you thought about pivoting within creativity? sometimes shifting just a bit can spark unexpected success. keep pushing but also take moments to breathe and see things differently...you never know when opportunity might surprise you like an unexpected plot twist!
Honestly, it sounds like you're spreading yourself way too thin across all these attempts and unrealistic expectations when maybe it's time to either focus hardcore on one niche or pivot entirely; might just be your strategy that's broken, not you!
How long would you focus on something before pivoting? I too have wondered if maybe I do too much. Like, I applied to motion design roles and kept working on my portfolio for it for about a year. What if I'd of done 2 instead of pivoting to UX? But, I also feel like at some point you gotta take your L. I'm already a financially disappointed artist, I don't want to be a starving one. When are you "going all in" and when are you "still chasing a pipe dream"?
Honestly, I’d base it less on “1 year vs 2 years” and more on whether you’re getting any signal back. If you’re improving, getting interviews, feedback, freelance bites, whatever, then maybe keep pushing. If it’s just grinding alone with no traction, a second year might just be more pain with better branding.
Going all in means focused testing, not blind loyalty. Pick one lane, set clear targets, give it 6-12 months, and if the market keeps saying no, pivoting isn’t failure... it’s "data" :) The pipe dream is when the goal stays vague and the strategy never changes.
It's tough not seeing your efforts pay off, especially when you're grinding so hard; however, I beg to differ with the notion that luck isn't on your side entirely. It seems like you've built an impressive foundation with your skills and experience! perhaps it's time to slightly tweak the approach instead of questioning your abilities. Sometimes it's not only about adjusting tactics but also embracing the idea that some paths take longer than others to bear fruit;😉 Keep pushing, adapt when necessary, and remember growth often occurs in ways we least expect.
it sounds like you're stuck in a frustrating catch-22 that so many creatives find themselves in. it's like "doing everything right" isn't enough, which can feel like a real slap in the face after all your hard work and dedication. 😕 i get it, really, but perhaps there's another angle to consider. seems like you've got a ton of skills under your belt (animation, design, marketing) have you thought about branching into something more unconventional? maybe work on collaborating or integrating skills in unexpected ways? sometimes industries overlap and open doors you'd never expect to exist! might be worth exploring those hybrid roles where creativity meets tech or data, for instance. i'm sure you've already heard this a million times before but trying to stay flexible might just lead you somewhere new and exciting. keep at it!
Damn, it sounds like you're doing everything right and the universe is just being a real dick about it all; have you considered collaborating with other creatives or diving into niche art communities to maybe find some untapped avenues or inspiration?
not to be a downer, but it seems like you're running around in circles. have you really considered whether this relentless pursuit in the creative industry is worth the mental strain and financial instability?!! sure, passion is great, but at some point practicality has to take the front seat; ever thought about merging your skills into something more sustainable while keeping art as a hobby? it's not giving up; it's just realigning with reality😏
yo, sounds like you've been hustling non-stop, and that grind is seriously no joke... one thing to consider is collaboration! sometimes teaming up with others can open unexpected doors and give your work a fresh edge; plus it's a way to split the heavy lifting! also, maybe dive into communities or forums related to your passions where you can not only learn but also showcase your skills in a more organic setting. hard work paired with smart networking could just be the right mix to flip the script! keep hanging in there; it's all about finding that rhythm between persistence and adaptation.
wow, what an honest reflection of your journey; it's incredibly commendable how relentlessly you've pursued your passion! while I might somewhat disagree that luck is entirely against you, sometimes persistence counts for more than immediate results and seems a significant part of any creative endeavor, much like the old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." perhaps exploring collaborations with others in your field could provide new opportunities and insights; after all, synergy often leads to unexpected possibilities. remember that progress can be non-linear and subtle at first but tends to accrue over time as you continue pushing forward with dedication and resilience; 😊
Sounds like you're chasing a mirage and drowning yourself in busy work instead of refining your craft; maybe it's time to stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and focus on what actually brings value, because half-hearted attempts lead to nowhere.
sounds like you've been pushing through a lot of barriers, and that's something not many can claim for themselves...
Your journey is a testament to relentless perseverance, and that's commendable!
let's face it, your story reads like a never-ending cycle of disappointment that's honestly hard to wrap my head around; maybe the problem is you keep switching gears without really mastering anything long enough;; you've got all these skills but it seems like you're jumping from one thing to another too fast. also maybe it's time to reassess what "success" even looks like for you??! instead of chasing some impossible dream, why not redefine what being a "full time creative" means in a more personal way? figure out where you can strike a balance between paying bills and flexing your creativity. spreading yourself thin won't get you anywhere, so stop trying to do everything at once. just pick one path and stick with it long enough to really assess its viability.
sounds like you're caught in a loop of endless hustle with minimal payoff, and that's a tough spot to be in. ever considered that maybe it's not about doing more or trying harder, but about doing differently?!! perhaps there's value in stepping back and reassessing which aspects of your work actually hold the most potential???? might be time to streamline what you're putting out there instead of scattering efforts across multiple ventures. also, consider honing a niche that distinctly positions you within your fields; sometimes narrowing focus can yield better results than casting too wide a net!!! just some thoughts to break the cycle, because grinding without specific strategic direction seems counterproductive. 😐
Your story really highlights the relentless grind that comes with trying to break into creative industries; it’s a world where talent sometimes takes a backseat to networking and timing: both of which can be tricky to navigate. I wonder if there's anyone in your network you haven't tapped into yet or mentors who might have fresh perspectives? What about exploring collaborative projects with others who are facing similar struggles? It might help to diversify not just your skills but also how you approach getting noticed. Also, have you thought about focusing on one niche area within animation or design that maybe isn't as saturated right now?