Dear Creatives, are you at a career crossroads?

Dear creatives, we've all found ourselves at a crossroads in our careers:

1. Get the Bag: one path gets us closer to financial stability, but we might have to sacrifice creative control to get the job done;

2. For the Exposure: the other takes us down a path of creative enlightenment, exposure, and freedom of expression, but lacks an immediate opportunity to capitalize.

Is there another way?

Let's walk down these two paths before we create our own way.

Get the Bag:

We've all been here. Someone wants your services, is willing to pay for them, but you want nothing to do with the subject matter. It's not sexy, but it's stability. What do you do?

Sunshine's Advice: TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY if your basic needs are not met (rent, food, supplies, etc.) and you are in no position to turn away work. DO NOT TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY if you are in a stage in your career where you are generating enough income to not only survive but thrive, UNLESS:

• this opportunity is connected to a brand you've always wanted to work with;

• it will allow you to expand in your skillsets;

• it will expose you to a new, desired, larger audience.

For the Exposure:

We've all been here. Someone wants your services, is unable/unwilling to pay for them, but you want nothing more than to gain this type of exposure so you can level up in your career. It's sexy, but it's not stability. What do you do?

Sunshine's Advice: This is a leap of faith moment. Can you afford to do it? Can you sacrifice the time away from paid work? What's the impact of the exposure? In my experience it's less about the one pivotal moment that will change your career trajectory, but more about the smaller, cumulative steps you take towards the bigger goal. See this opportunity as just one step in many you'll take along this journey. Weigh the pros and cons based on your personal circumstances and move forward accordingly.

The "Other" Way:

The NFL's Super Bowl halftime show is renowned for its star-studded performances that captivate millions around the world. However, the league does not pay its halftime performers. Instead, the NFL covers production costs and provides a massive platform for artists to showcase their talent to a global audience. The reasoning behind this approach lies in the unparalleled exposure that the Super Bowl offers, with millions of viewers tuning in, creating a unique opportunity for artists to enhance their visibility and potentially boost concert ticket sales, downloads, or sales of products they own.

What is the equivalent to a Super Bowl halftime performance in your industry? Is it working with a particular art gallery or art fair? Film festival? Music festival? Director? Designer? Podcast?

Whichever path you choose, know that along your career journey you'll face many crossroads. You can change lanes as many times as you want in order to get to where you want to go.

xo

Sunshine