creative types that have 9-5 jobs

[beastieangel01]

do you ever find that by the time you get off of work, despite having a desire to do something creative, you are just zapped of any and all energy you have to do so?

When I create something, it's because I am really feeling it right then. Sometimes I get lucky and I feel that way right after work and somehow I have the energy.

Otherwise, when I'm at work an idea strikes and I'm super excited to work on it once I get home. Then my day is so busy and mentally taxing that I just can't muster the energy to start the idea. That or I push myself to start, and the passionate drive I had earlier has been diminished, and it turns out to be crap.

Then there are the times that I am free, but the creative ideas or drive isn't present at the moment. I try to just make myself start but then I end up hating what I make and scrap it because the passion or fire isn't there.

Maybe this means that I just don't REALLY, REALLY love making art or something. But, I do. At least, I thought so.

Hmph.
:mad::(

[Guy Incognito]

fraid so - there's nothing i'd like more than stay at home all day and make tunes , practice and learn loads of techniques and make stuff i can be really proud of. but its work and family for me and i'm lucky to get a few hours a week and get all frustrated when its not happening and i cant create.

but kids come first and i just treat it as a hobby. my expectations and aspirations are a lot lower which makes feel a bit rubbish sometimes but its still nice when a few people DL my stuff or i get the odd nice comment about a remix or mixtape. i will always keep plugging away till i get too old or too deaf.

[Freebasser]

Having to deal with low-level clients with little no budget/aspirations makes it hard for me to get really into any of the projects I do during the 9-5 as they usually aren't very creative jobs.

Also, I've usually had such a stressful day meeting deadlines that I just can't get enthusiastic enough to think about design once I get home. However, I've just ordered myself a 24" iMac which should be arriving any day. I think that should give me a much-needed boot up the arse and get me illustrating at home again. Here's hoping (y)

[Guy Incognito]

Having to deal with low-level clients with little no budget/aspirations makes it hard for me to get really into any of the projects I do during the 9-5 as they usually aren't very creative jobs.

Also, I've usually had such a stressful day meeting deadlines that I just can't get enthusiastic enough to think about design once I get home. However, I've just ordered myself a 24" iMac which should be arriving any day. I think that should give me a much-needed boot me up the arse and get me illustrating at home again. Here's hoping (y)

I'm not 100% sure what you do, i know its digtial design of some kind - but isnt your work a two way process - i.e they give you a few pointers and you go away and come back with inspirational ideas and therefore inspire each other or am i being too unrealistic.

[Freebasser]

It's mainly layout for brochures and banners and the occasional website. Our clients are a mix of "we know kind of what we want, but we don't know what it should look like" and "we don't know what we want, but here's the awful design another agency pitched that we liked and here are the shitty 72dpi photos we are forcing you to use".

However, I've just spent the last week creating an annual report from a supplied text document for a large government body, where I had access to hundreds of professional photographs, and that's the sort of thing I enjoy doing at work. Complete free reign with good quality material and no expectations (y)

My real passion is illustration, and there isn't much call for that in my job, which is why I fritter all my money away on design books and vinyl toys and am very much looking forward to having illustrator at home once more :D

[Guy Incognito]

ahh, so you are in similar predicament but at least you are in similar line of work to your passion, maybe you will get a break and get to use your talents better.

i take it you do little side projects, covers for local bands, erm.. work for authors - do you erm.. advertise your services? or do you illustrate as a hobby?

[beastieangel01]

I'm so glad you two chimed in.

Sometimes I feel like such a failure because I lack the energy. If I could afford to work less hours (I've considered this but I'm already ridiculously underpaid and am looking for something that pays more, ack) just so I can pay my bills but have a few hours to myself, when I STILL have energy, to make art, I would be so happy.

I mean, I am happy in general. Things just aren't ideal. But that's life, I guess.

[Freebasser]

I've not had chance to do much illustration at home for the last few years.

I am planning to bump up my portfolio a bit and really get back into the swing of things. That's phase 1. Phase 2 involves me launching a personal website (constantly laying out cool ideas for my website in my head then forgetting them) and starting to look for some commissioned projects. So yeah... it's been more of a hobby than anything else really, but hopefully that will change soon.

However, if you... ummm... know of any ummm... local umm... bands that need record covers designing, then ummm... maybe I might be able to errr... do some o' that shtuff ;)

[Guy Incognito]

I'm so glad you two chimed in.

Sometimes I feel like such a failure because I lack the energy. If I could afford to work less hours (I've considered this but I'm already ridiculously underpaid and am looking for something that pays more, ack) just so I can pay my bills but have a few hours to myself, when I STILL have energy, to make art, I would be so happy.

I mean, I am happy in general. Things just aren't ideal. But that's life, I guess.

please dont take this the wrong way but it sounds you like what you do requires total dedication and i reckon you might just have to go for it, take some time out and put all your efforts into it because it sounds like you are caught in a bit of a circle with work and inspiration. i realise this might be impractical and i know this is gonna sound poncey but life is art and all that.
but i guess you will just have to keep plugging away. can you not take this frustating situation as inspiration. i dunno i aint an artist. what exactly do you do?

I've not had chance to do much illustration at home for the last few years.

I am planning to bump up my portfolio a bit and really get back into the swing of things. That's phase 1. Phase 2 involves me launching a personal website (constantly laying out cool ideas for my website in my head then forgetting them) and starting to look for some commissioned projects. So yeah... it's been more of a hobby than anything else really, but hopefully that will change soon.

However, if you... ummm... know of any ummm... local umm... bands that need record covers designing, then ummm... maybe I might be able to errr... do some o' that shtuff ;)

website sounds good - you need a theme or an angle. i dont know of any local bands but i thought you might thats all. There must be some way of getting your work noticed. maybe if there are some bands with crap fliers you could do better ones for them. A mate of mine used to go on peoples websites, then completely redesign them and email the people concerned the results and he ended up with a really good job by doing that.

you could design fake album covers. all you need are band names and titles, just an idea. stick em on a website, make it funny or summat. i dunno i'm just thinking out loud.


When i finally get some decent tunes together you can design me summat(y)



tell you what - just as a little side project and if you dont mind- design me a better image for this mix with the silly roadsign image www.gpproductions.podomatic.com its the mix called volume one. go nuts on it.


this post took ages - i'm off to bed

[jennyb]

I basically work as an architect. I was elated to have my own house eventually some years ago. At first I would wake up at like 7am on Saturday and be wielding hammers and saws at the house happily and detailing things for my home and such... drawing my own home remodel, I even built a little model of it... thinkin omg could life get any better? I'd run to Home Depot for myself straight from the office. Then eventually creating all day for someone else then coming home to continue on 'my' creation became exhausting. I almost don't care about my home project anymore and I've lost a little passion for architecture in general. Kind of burnt out, ya know? It's kind of sad, actually. I used to enjoy home improvement shows now I can't look! When you're in art school you have all these grandiose ideas of getting paid for something you enjoy but don't expect things like this to occur.

[beastieangel01]

I do not have a creative based job. I get to do creative things, sometimes, but not all that often.

I do so many things all day and deal with tons of people that I am mentally drained by the end of it all.

Oh well. I'm working on trying to improve my situation so I can work a bit less, but it'll take some time.

So, you know, one step at a time. And patience.

[jabumbo]

i have many times thought about trying to fit my 40 hour work week into 4 days so that i could have 3 day weekends to travel places. i love nothing more than to just go off somewhere with no real time constraints and just enjoy myself.


creatively speaking though, i always tell myself that i am going to teach myself how to play the piano or the guitar, that i'll learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and all sorts of crazy things like that. but i "never get around to it".

i think a lot of times it does get halted by the whole work thing. i look at each day as having so many free hours, and i think to myself that those couple hours between dinner and bed could be just as well spent relaxing in front of the tv instead of trying to stimulate my mind and learn something new.

[camo]

I'm ill in bed so I can't give this my usual in depth 5 seconds of time.

But yeah I find it hard to keep up the creativity once I've gotten home, or at least I do now. When I finished my degree I was all about trying to make money and being extra creative but I've found myself slowly wanting to do things in my spare time other than being 'Captain Graphics'

Like freebs said, you come up against so many uncreative, budget tightened, procrastinating clients that you slowly start to lose the love you once had for the game. You find yourself buying expensive items like this laptop here and the wacom tablet over there as catalysts for your re invigoration into the foray but it only lasts for as long as your happy to divert your time into it.

Freebs maybe me and you should knock heads and see what happens?

[Waus]

I think it's just a matter of finding something you're passionate enough about.

My job suits me pretty well.

I find I'm most creative when I have a goal in mind. Aimless creativity is fun for me too, just usually not as productive.

If I have some free time at work I try to create stock materials for future use, look at cool design examples (ffffound.com) or make projects for competitions.

In conclusion, find an aim for what you want to make. Just creating without direction is hard.

[Nuzzolese]

do you all consider yourselves "creative types?"

[b i o n i c]

this is why so many " "creatives " " struggle.. and the ones who make it are often the ones with no plan b, which means living like a "starving artist". as they say, if you plan for failure, plan to fail orwhateveritscalled... if you work out a plan b, you will usually fall into it.

i have always tried to work in things related to my interests to try and get something more than just money for my work. also, for me... well i love to take photos. i try to carry a camera with me at all times and push myself to take the long way when im tired, im usually so excited by the prospect of catching something interesting (to me) that once i've pushed myslef a little, it snowballs on it own and i become excited and remember why i love doing it.


i consider myself a creative i guess. for a while my nametag at work said i was, it said "title: CREATIVE ~ department: CREATIVE". thats just so fucking cool, i had to keep that ID and pay the lost fee...

[b i o n i c]

no wait then its another saying, something about if have a plan b you will usually end up going for plan b... something like that

[camo]

do you all consider yourselves "creative types?"

I do.

[fucktopgirl]

Yep people, you are all slaves, myself too...

[Nuzzolese]

I'm not a creative type but I'd be willing to financially support a creative type. I would be a great patron of the arts if I had more money. Instead I just have my ability to be forgiving and affectionate and supportive.

Maybe one day I'll end up lke the former wives and girlfriends of Picasso and Debussy; used up, abused, rejected for someone younger and better looking and more inspiring, eventually shooting myself in the chest while standing in the middle of the Place de la Concorde. I'll survive, of course, find someone new. Don't worry about me!

[camo]

I'm not a creative type but I'd be willing to financially support a creative type. I would be a great patron of the arts if I had more money. Instead I just have my ability to be forgiving and affectionate and supportive.

Maybe one day I'll end up lke the former wives and girlfriends of Picasso and Debussy; used up, abused, rejected for someone younger and better looking and more inspiring, eventually shooting myself in the chest while standing in the middle of the Place de la Concorde. I'll survive, of course, find someone new. Don't worry about me!


Do better at work and fund for me to sit at home drawing robots all day (y)

[Nuzzolese]

I'm going to have to see some of these robots before I commit to anything.

[camo]

Not until I see some money :D

[beastieangel01]

I'm not a creative type but I'd be willing to financially support a creative type. I would be a great patron of the arts if I had more money.



I need you in male form.

Actually, I do have that but he doesn't make enough money to support us both. Not yet, anyway.

ONE DAY!

[Nuzzolese]

you need me in male form? kinky bitch.

(ps I want you inside me)

[b i o n i c]

ba01, do you carry a sketchpad with you all the time? do you just doodle on everything?

[beastieangel01]

I used to carry a sketchpad but it became too much bulk with my day to day stuff. That and I noticed I always ended up sketching on other things (notes, post its, etc). I do so almost every day.

I'm not really looking for advice or suggestions. I was just hoping that someone would be able to commiserate.

[b i o n i c]

pretty much everyone who liked art and music class more than math and science(y)

[beastieangel01]

stupid "real" world :mad:

[b i o n i c]

the 'real world' is just an extention of school if you think about it

[beastieangel01]

true.

Very little art and music in my life still. And now, California schools are getting rid of both of those completely I believe.

JUST LIKE MY LIFE.

*shakes fist*

[Freebasser]

Freebs maybe me and you should knock heads and see what happens?

2x headache I should imagine :O

We need to do one of those projects where we meet in Berlin and spraypaint a collab piece on the side of a disused warehouse like all the cool graffiti artists are doing at the moment (y)

[roosta]

when i left college i swore i'd put aside some time each week to indulge in purely personal creative projects.
18 months on...i've barely done it. i'm getting pretty frustrated about that.

i've written some stuff, and done a bit of art...but the stuff i'd really like to do i havn't yet.

hopefully this summer i can get it on the go.

[Knuckles]

I make myself.
The economy going to shit scared me so I went out and got a job. (only forty hours a week. That's part time compared to what I'm used to.)

Believe it or not I'm actually getting about as much writing done as I was when I wasn't working at all. Go figure...

What I do is set a time that I absolutely have to be out in my office six days out of the week. Sometimes I'm too tired to do more than a few paragraphs but it's still something.

[camo]

2x headache I should imagine :O

We need to do one of those projects where we meet in Berlin and spraypaint a collab piece on the side of a disused warehouse like all the cool graffiti artists are doing at the moment (y)

Yeah but Berlin maybe a bit ambitious to start off with. I vote Bury.