Ep. 44: The Creative's Curse

Before we dive in to today's episode, I want to state something for the official record:

As a designer and a writer/editor respectively, Marcella and I are self-aware enough to admit we occasionally have a flair for melodrama -- sometimes slipping a little too easily into the trope being the "tortured artist."

But when we both read The Creative's Curse by Todd Brison, we agreed that it spoke to us; both as the professionals we are with IMPACT, as well as the creatives we are "out in the wild."

Because as much as we hate to admit it, the clichéd notions surrounding the stereotypical artistic temperament are based in reality.

The emotional peaks and valleys. The glory of acceptance and appreciation. The despair of feeling like your work is underappreciated or devalued. The compulsion to create something -- anything. The demoralizing realization when you lose your own voice and have to go out and find it again.

Again, yes, it's a little melodramatic -- but for anyone in a creative pursuit, this should sound familiar. (Especially in a fast-paced agency environment, where you need to be able to deliver inspired creativity for marketers on-demand.)

So, in this week's episode, we dive into why we do what we do, how we deal with those dark moments when we feel the weight of crushing defeat on our shoulders, and why creatives seem to be so negative all the time.

Enjoy!