Traditional 9-5 office jobs involving time clocks and dress codes are great for most people, providing them with structure and security. For creative or entrepreneurial types however, these jobs are completely inappropriate. Both hyper-creative folks and risk-takers will find it much more fulfilling to occupy themselves in non-traditional jobs, industries and businesses, despite the risks and hard times it might involve. Read on to find out why traditional jobs are not a good fit for creative people.
1. Too much structure
Artists find it very hard to conform to structure in traditional workplaces. Instead, they thrive on the abstract and unstructured. Schedules and rules will only inhibit the creativity they need to tap into.
2. Off the clock
Creatives and entrepreneurs often experience bursts of creativity and inspiration that cannot be confined to a daytime clock. Most traditional employees will push themselves to finish tasks within a given work day – often resulting in sub-par work for the sake of a schedule. Creative types will do the task at the moment when they will do it best.
3. Autonomy drive
Creative types do not shy away from accountability – they WANT to be held responsible for they work they do. When given the requirements and expectations for a particular task, they want the freedom to do it in their own way, without being micromanaged. If they want help or assistance, they will request it. Trying to put them on a leash will only hinder their work.
4. Daily grind
Doing the same exact thing every day of the week is like a prison sentence for highly creative people. Instead, these types see each day as an empty palette to be filled randomly or as they see fit, completing tasks in a non-linear way. While from the outside it may seem that creatives shirk, they are simply completing their tasks in an unconventional way
5. Own drum
Hyper-creative individuals don’t necessarily function at optimal performance when confined to a do-or-die time-frame. While these people understand the concept of deadlines, they will simply do better work when they’re trusted to complete a given task on time. A creative should honestly let you know how long he or she feels it will take to get it done. This preference makes corporate positions less appealing to creative types.
6. Too many rules
A creative person wants and needs to be the one deciding how to budget and use their own time. They tend to avoid being micromanaged, preferring to be given a task, budget and time-frame, and then set free to accomplish big things on their own.
7. Non-traditional industries
Ad agencies, doctor’s offices, and law firms will not keep a hyper-creative person engaged for long. These professional environments are a poor fit for them because they don’t engage their creative powers, and wind up frustrating the hyper-ambitious individual within. Creatives and entrepreneurs need surroundings that provide them with flexibility, autonomy and inspiration.
So if you think of yourself as a creative type of person, the best advice we can give you is to stay away from traditional 9-5 jobs. You need to find work that allows you to escape the hum-drum of the office, so that you’ll have the freedom to flourish and grow.
