A series of broad lessons were provided by the panelists on the District 5 panel of creatives last Saturday. Jim Darling (freelance designer and photographer), Philippa Hughes (founder of Pink Line Project), Sventlana Legetic (founder of Brightest Young Things), Valli Revindran (Creative Director, PBS and co-founder of DC Design Babes), and Jeff Wong (Creative Director at Clearspring and AddThis) all have fascinating careers, but their stories and the lessons we can draw from them are what really make them unique, and provide valuable lessons for aspiring creatives, designers, and entrepreneurs.
It’s Hard Work
All the panelists emphasized this one: this job isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s not an easy one, and you shouldn’t expect it to be. According to Philippa Hughes, she works longer hours now than she did working at a law firm, but its a different kind of work–her job now is a lot more fun. Svetlana Legetic talked about how Brightest Young Things grew out of nothing more than a generic blogspot blog (and it’s still up), but with some hard work, passion, and great connections, grew into the powerhouse DC blog that it is today. Speaking of connections, Jim Darling has used his to make freelancing a realistic endeavor, capitalizing on his connections for paying opportunities and more exposure.
Be Realistic
It’s a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling thinking that “you can do anything you put your mind to” and “nothing is more rewarding than expressing your creative passion,” but a certain dose of reality needs to be applied there, too. There’s no doubt everyone has plenty of creative potential, but finding the right balance between inspiration and reality is essential to making that sustainable. Every single one of the panelists hit on this point–you have to have a business, too, if you want to be a creative professional. Like it or not, money is a hard fact of life, and just “expressing your creative passion” won’t necessarily pay the bills.
If Something Scares You, Do It Anyway
That was the quote of the afternoon, thanks to Jim Darling. He hit the nail on the head, and each of the panelists agreed–breaking out of your comfort zone is the only way to really break out as a creative professional. Do those things that are scary. Go to those intimidating events. Thinking about skipping an early morning photo walk? Go to it anyway, sometimes those can be the most rewarding experiences. And well, breaking away from normal routine is kind of what DC Week is all about.
Thanks to Alex Priest for the write up!
