It’s time to quit your job. It’s hard being creative when it feels like you’re on a treadmill. That’s how I felt working in my last job. I was running like hell but getting nowhere. I felt like a slave to the wage, trapped and restricted. It was incredibly frustrating. It was more the work and how it was managed that got to me. The people in our studio were awesome. Working on mundane crap made me feel like I was wasting time and energy. That wasn't healthy for me or my employer.
Lazy corporate bullshit
I also learned that I hated corporate bullshit. It just wasn't for me. I never bought into it and thought people who did were idiots. "Where do you see yourself in 5 years." I swear if I have to answer the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years time” one more time, I will punch someone in the face. Fuck off.
If I win the lottery in the next 5 years, I'll be out the door, on a beach sipping an ice-cold beer. I mean, is that the best you’ve got—really.
Must have taken you what, one minute to find that question on Google. You think we can't find the perfect answer on Google in the same time. Come on. We’re better than that.
The loss of purpose and making it pop
Why does working in an office have to be so difficult and clichéd? The stereotypes are everywhere, It’s easy to spot them, but let me point them out.
- Not having a proper design brief (if at all)
- Expected to work extra unpaid hours (that's the norm)
- Being patronized and told how to design
- Lack of planning
- Lack of communication
- Office politics
- Business speak and acronyms (make it pop, just reach out, think out of the box)
- Mention that we are all a family when you never talk to the boss or half the company
- Asked to design your boss’s 40th birthday card
- Everything is urgent and wanted now
- Being told it's a quick job (when you know it's not)
Sound familiar? We poked fun at them. “Make it pop” was popular with my American chums. I was actually told “Can you jimmy it up a bit”—hilarious.
Nobody likes a troublemaker
When an account handler says “We’d like another thing like the last one” that made a piece of me die inside. No meeting, no brainstorm, nothing. I fought for brainstorms and meetings, let's try and think what the client wants to achieve. Eventually, I ran out of fighting. I just did what I was told. There's only so much fight in me. It’s terrible to admit that. It's my job, to educate and to try and change how things are done. I was screaming inside “That's such bullshit”. Discussion and thought should be encouraged, it makes ideas better. It creates new ideas, fresh ideas, cool ideas. The real word sets in. Fighting your corner makes you a troublemaker. Nobody likes a troublemaker, so nothing changes. Before you know it you're just agreeing rather than getting involved.
The path of least resistance
It's sad, but I got used to it. I had my feet under the table, the work became routine, easy, and comfortable. When you’re in that comfort zone, you become complacent and lazy. Going the extra mile was rarely appreciated. So I sat back and took the path of least resistance. I hated doing that. I started to question myself. I wanted to make a difference, I never wanted to paint by numbers. Alarm bells were ringing.
It's time for change
When your job starts to grind you down, and you're writing stories like this one, you know it's time to leave—It’s time for a change. I decided to stop complaining about being unhappy and get back control of my own life.
Fear of failure
I was scared to fail. Fear of change kept me in that comfort zone. But fear can be a great motivator if you let it.
Time to quit your job
I’ve decided to embrace change, quit my job and start doing the kind of work I want to do. Yes, it's scary, and yes, I might fail, but I’m not letting that stop me. It’s motivating me.