i
about
#the50 is the first
fully-Tweetable primer for graduating creatives.
My name is Jamie Wieck and I decided to write The 50 Things Every Creative Should Know (#the50) when I realised I was not the first, nor the last student to fear the leap between art college and the creative industry.
Inspired by my own, and my friend’s (sometimes rocky) experiences within the creative industry, #the50 addresses the most common concerns held by graduating creatives and aims to bridge the gap between art college and the professional world.
Each piece of advice has been written within 140 characters and features a consistent hash-tag, making them easy to share across Twitter.
Following its previous publication on mywebsite, #the50 now has a permanent home atthe-50.org – I hope its advice proves useful for many years to come.
1
you are not the first
There are very few ‘firsts’ these days. Countless others have started studios, freelanced and requested internships. It can be done. #the50
2
there is always
someone better
Regardless of how good you are, there will always be someone better. It’s surprisingly easy to waste time worrying about this. #the50
3
success is not
a finite resource
College fosters a zero-sum mentality: that someone has to fail for you to succeed. In truth, another’s success doesn’t limit yours. #the50
4
you cannot score
without a goal
If you don’t know what you want, then how can you pursue it? Having a goal defines an end point, and subsequently, a place to start. #the50
5
starting anything
requires energy
It takes more energy to start than it does to stop. This is true for physics, your career, and that idea you need to work on. #the50
6
the path to work
is easier than you think
To get into the industry you need just three things: great work, energy and a nice personality. Many forget the last attribute.#the50
7
have a positive self-image
Your self-perception is your most important asset. See yourself as the person you want to be and others will see this too. #the50
8
create a clean
and simple website
An online portfolio is the alpha and omega of your career. With a wealth of web services, there’s no excuse for not having a website.#the50
9
curate your work
Never stop editing your portfolio. Three strong pieces are better than ten weak ones – nobody looks for quantity, just quality. #the50
10
listen to your instincts
If your work doesn’t excite you, then it won’t excite anyone else. It’s hard to fake passion for mediocre work – scrap it. #the50
11
make your work
easy to see
People are lazy. If you want them to look at your work, make it easy. Most of the time employers simply want to see a JPG or PDF.#the50
12
hand-write addresses
Clients, prospective employers and potential clients gravitate to letters with handwritten addresses. The personal touch goes far. #the50
13
time is precious:
get to the point
Avoid profuse humour or gimmicks when contacting studios for work, they’ve seen it all before. Get to the point, they’ll be thankful.#the50
14
never take
an unpaid internship
This is not a necessary evil – a studio that doesn’t pay their interns (at least the minimum wage) is a studio not worth working for. #the50
15
do as many internships
as you can stand
Internships are a financial burden, but they are vital. They let you scope out the industry and find the roles that suit you best. #the50
16
don’t waste your internship
A studio’s work can dip, as can its energy. Ignore this and be indispensable, the onus is on you to find something that needs doing. #the50
17
make friends with a printer
A good relationship with a printer is invaluable – they will help you save money and the environment. #the50
18
find your local d.i.y. store
and pound shop
D.I.Y. and pound shops are great resources of cheap, ready-made artifacts ripe for tinkering, re-decoration and re-contextualisation. #the50
19
be patient
It’s not unusual to complete several internships and not find ‘a good fit’. Try applying to a studio you hadn’t considered. #the50
20
ask questions
Assume nothing. Ask questions, even if you think you know the answers. You’ll be surprised at how little you know. #the50
21
ask for opportunities
It will feel cheeky, but ask for things. Ask to be included in exhibitions, magazines, pitches – if you don’t ask, you can’t get. #the50
22
seek criticism, not praise
You learn nothing by being told how great you are. Even if you think your work’s perfect – seek criticism, you can always ignore it. #the50
23
make friends, not enemies
The creative industry is a small world: it’s a network where everyone knows everyone else. Remember this before pissing someone off.#the50
24
news travels fast
A good intern will find their reputation precedes them. Jobs are nearly always offered on this word-of-mouth evidence. #the50
25
don’t get drunk
at professional events
There’s a difference between being ‘merry’ and ‘paralytic’. The latter costs you your dignity, your reputation and possibly your job. #the50
26
network
There’s some truth in ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. Talk to people, send emails; at the very least sign up to Twitter. #the50
27
dress smart,
look business like
Take your work seriously? Then take your appearance seriously. Clients are more likely to deal with people who look like they care. #the50
28
never work for free
Working for free not only devalues the profession, but it makes you look weak. Even a ‘nice’ client will take advantage of this. #the50
29
negotiate
If you really have to work for nothing, negotiate. Clients and studios have access to many resources that can be viewed as ‘payment’.#the50
30
read contracts
Never sign a contract before reading it. Subsequently, don’t begin any job without a contract – you may have to write one yourself.#the50
31
make your invoice stand out
Businesses are deluged with invoices. Make yours stand out with colour or shape and it’s likely to rise to the top of the ‘pay’ pile. #the50
32
there’s no such thing
as a bad job
Always push yourself to do your best. Logically, there’s no way you can be dissatisfied with ‘having done your best’. #the50
33
there’s no such thing
as a bad client
The onus is on you to make a client relationship work, not the other way around. If it’s not working out, ‘fire’ them as a favour. #the50
34
embrace limitations
Limitations are invaluable for creating successful work: they give you something to push against. From this tension comes brilliance.#the50
35
the environment
is not a limitation
The environmental impact of your work isn’t a fashionable consideration – as a creative, it’s your most important consideration. #the50
36
boring problems
lead to boring solutions
Always interrogate your brief: re-define the question. No two briefs should be the same; a unique problem leads to a unique solution.#the50
37
new ideas are always ‘stupid’
New ideas are conceived with no context and no measures of success – this falsely makes them feel silly, awkward or even impossible. #the50
38
do not underestimate self-initiated work
Clients get in touch because of self-initiated work. Ironically, business is excited by ideas untouched by the concerns of business. #the50
39
justify your decisions
Clients fear arbitrary decisions – they want problem solving. Have a reason for everything, even if this is ‘post-rationalised’. #the50
40
show sketches,
not polished ideas
Clients often mistake ‘rough’ digital work for the final design. Show sketches for as long as you can, it makes them feel involved. #the50
41
work with the client,
not against them
You may think you’re right, but look at the client’s solution along with yours. Occasionally you’ll be surprised. #the50
42
don’t always take no
for an answer
Fight for superior solutions. Demonstrate your thinking to your client, take them through it – it’s hard to argue with logic. #the50
43
pick your battles
The creative industry is often infuriating, but not every argument is an argument that needs to be had. This takes time to learn. #the50
44
if you’re going to fail,
fail well
Being ambitious means you have to take on things you think you can’t do. Failures are unfortunate, but they are sometimes necessary.#the50
45
be an auteur
Regardless of who you’re working with, speak up if something’s not right. Take it upon yourself to be the barometer of quality. #the50
46
take responsibility
for failure
If a job’s going wrong take responsibility. It feels counter-intuitive, but responsibility means you can do something about it. #the50
47
share your ideas
You’ve nothing to gain from holding on to your ideas; they may feel precious, but the more you share, the more new ideas you’ll have. #the50
48
get out of the studio
Good design is crafted from understanding the relationships between things. These connections can’t be found when locked in a studio. #the50
49
awards are nice,
but not vital
Awards look good on the shelf, but clients seldom pick up the phone because of them. Solid work encourages that. #the50
50
don’t take yourself
too seriously
Take your work seriously, take the business of your craft seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously. People who do are laughed at. #the50
