If you’re a fan of the show Entourage, you know just how hard it is to come back after a stinker. Medellin bombed, and The Vincent Chase Brand suffered. Even with the best intentions, your name is only as good as the last thing it was attached to.
During those times when you’re employment-challenged, it’s especially important to take stock of your brand. What do you stand for? Not just as an advertising person, but as a human being?
Like Vince, you will be tempted to take the first job that comes along because you feel a financial pinch. Ideally, you’ll have enough in savings to get you through the down times. Or you can freelance to pay the bills. Or maybe your family has the resources to help out until you get back on your feet. If any of these luxuries are at your disposal, by all means, take advantage of them.
But if you’re like me, your brand might be as much about providing for your family as it is about winning Lions. If that’s the case, you may need to entertain what’s in front of you in order to survive.
My brain knows how important it is to protect my brand. I love the challenge of the blank page, the late nights with art directors, unscrewing convoluted briefs, picking fights in the name of better creative, building relationships with my clients, and improving any aspect of my professional self that requires it. I tell myself that I’ve worked too hard for too long to jump at the first salary that comes along.
But the truth is that I’m scared as hell that I may not be able to stand on principle for very long. I need to earn some income and earn it quickly. There are mouths that need feeding and mortgages that need paying. At the end of the day, if my professional brand has to take a hit in the name of my personal brand, then that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
I just hope it doesn’t come to that.
6 Comments
what will you do? Compromise? Move?
For the first time, I have a child and babysitter depending on me. I’m ashamed to have a gap on my resume and a short-term crappy brand too.
Do you suspect freelance wil dry up as well?
It’s Rob T. (think link was randomly forwarded to me). I’m really sorry to hear the news. For what it’s worth, your dilemma reminds me of what a wise adman once said to me: “The ads will never love you back.” It should come as no surprise that the guy who dropped this kernel of wisdom is a twice-divorced CD (whose kids live on the other side of the country). Inside this industry, he’s considered a big success. In life, not so much. Sure, there’s a lot of gray area in between the ends of that spectrum that we all try to occupy but, when push comes to shove, there’s no question which path to take. Best of luck out there.
Ditto to Rob.
When you’re in the old farts’ home, who do you want keeping your company: your kids or chunks of trophy medal shaped like weird animals.
You’ll do fine out there, I’m sure.
maybe you can get in on the $700 billion bailout to buy you some time.
I’m already at that point having been out of work for a couple of months. I say take whatever comes along and use the following two excuses when a decent employer finally hires you again:
- was travelling
- was taking some time to focus on my own creative projects; novels, etc
No one EVER asks to see holiday snaps or read unedited chapters of unpublished novels for obvious reasons. You’re in the clear.
Both excuses have worked for me. (Both are technically true, but I was travelling to look for work and writing cos I had the time.)
Never put in more than 40 hours in a work week again. It just doesn’t make sense to do so in the end. Let the clients wait for their work.
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