Unemployment, Creativity boost or a creativity killer?
What is it for you? I would like to know, really. That's the question I'm eager to explore with you. The answer has eluded me in the past; the relentless pace of survival and the constraints of financial resources left little room for exploration.
Today, as circumstances have shifted a bit, I find myself in a position to unravel the relationship between unemployment and creativity.
My creativity is dead in my first weeks of unemployment, surprisingly. The good news is that I am very well aware of why. Knowing the why is helping me manage the anxiety of not being on my toes now that for once I owe 100% of my time.
It makes sense if you think about it, it’s been too many years of hustling and now when my body does not feel productive I get on a low. I understand with no doubt why this is happening to me and especially how my mind affects the creative process.
There should be more talk about the processes of unemployment and how that’s lived by each individual, but it seems like it’s still a topic treated like a pest. I still notice how some people on Linkedin have to justify why they are using the green banners of looking for work and explain they are not ashamed to use it, but if they feel the need to explain it’s because they also think this topic is treated by some people like a pest. The worst part is that deep down, we may do this too and hence the need of justifying, because that’s how we were raised in this society, a structural system that’s not easily changed.
Think about for how long woman has been able to procreate and equally not procreate but just now, the millennial generation brought attention to non-procreation and introduced the childfree term and lifestyle around it giving visibility to what life is like without kids, which we haven’t seen as frequently as we have seen moms. Whether it’s on tv, on the frame and photography ile on Target, around us and/or when social media started.
Think of how much work there is to do in debunking unemployment and unemployment gabs. Think of how much and how fast our market, society, technologies are evolving but the structural workforce models and systems remain almost the same.
Having gaps in one’s career journey is so crucial, in fact I wish it was a requirement to end the social pressures once and for all. The creative sector inspires me so much because in my opinion they are the ones that manage this more beautifully and fearlessly regardless of what the world thinks. The Media and Entertainment industry is driven by a different nature that I have seen people adapt and succeed over and over even if the odds seemed slim.
Thanks to them, that is why I have likely normalized it as well. Thanks to you really, as most of my little community is creative. Thank you.
To be fair, something has progressed in the last decade. From the point of view of a recruiter, I have witnessed slight progress in which unemployment gaps are perceived. In my opinion there is little chance they will ignore your resume just because of a gap which is already a huge step. That makes me feel more reassured as I am going through it myself, so I wanted to let you know too, your reassurance as well.
Millennials are normalizing a lot of things that before they weren’t but we still need to justify ourselves most of the time. Why? Why is it so weird? WHy would I have to tell a stranger about my private health problems if this was the case as to why I stepped out of the workforce for a moment? Am I being hired for what I do on my gaps? Or am I here interviewing because of the great experience and value I can provide to you right now?
So for a change, Instead of telling you about my work history of successes that I feel very proud of, I will tell you about my unemployment gaps, the circumstances for it and how I managed. Maybe I will invite guests to share their experiences as well, actually if you are one of them, and would like to chat text me at creative career thinking, through instagram.
My first and only lay off so far for me happened around 2011, I believe, I was around 24 years old, living in Spain. Got a severance package and moved to the US to start from scratch.
That first year mostly, would become the biggest gap in my resume so far because of how long it took me to start a career there, to be prepared for it and to get the first couple of paid full time jobs. Especially without speaking the language.
The stress was high but the learning experience was priceless, never taking 10 steps back was so worth it. I could have never ever worked in the heart of the film industry in Hollywood if it wasn’t for that change and those unfortunate experiences and uncertainty those first two years in a new country full of struggles and what people would call failures although for me they weren't.
After overcoming those first couple of years of on and off between temp jobs, I was never unemployed until I left Disney - where I worked for 7+ years. When I left Disney I did not qualify for the financial unemployment program in Cali because I voluntarily left, but I only stayed without a job a couple of months, because on this occasion I was better prepared.
I had been hunting for the right opportunity for a total of 9 months before leaving Disney. In this instance I was on top of my game, with tons of clarity about what I wanted to find next and a strong plan to find that work place that would give me at least 5 of my 7 requirements. Getty Images came along, matched what I was looking for and I started with them very quickly, that was two or three years ago.
The next unemployment time is right now, probably the most convoluted situation I have ever been in yet, and even though I decided to step out of the workforce for a minute due to unfortunate personal circumstances that sometimes life throws at you, those lemons that people talk about, it feels scary.
Also because I am no longer that young and there is more pressure in regards to having your life together and the guilt for dropping something that was really good, including the income level that I worked so hard to get to only to drop it now voluntarily.
For two decades I have been running on a hustle high, and having bursts of creativity when I am on those highs. Now I am on a low and my creativity is dead, I think. But like I mentioned at the beginning, that’s just because my body perceives my current situation as a negative situation, I am convinced but I also want to give myself the space to see if that’s true and it comes back.
Let me explain further where I am getting at. I think I need to teach new things to my brain and body. I can’t operate in a new situation with the same mindset to what I was doing before, In my case working in a corporate high demanding job where you get very involved mentally within the organization all the time as I worked in HR. Additionally I hustled for way too long ‘alone’ and outside my comfort zone which have been the struggles for me personally, of living abroad.
I ran to the hills of Hollywood by myself and worked there for a long time being supported by big brands and status. Of course my brain is freaking out, and does not understand just yet why the heart is making decisions in an opposite direction of what success looks like on paper and looked for us for such a long time.
My brain just needs more time to understand, trust and believe the rationale behind certain decisions when they don’t seem reasonable from the outside.
Is it weird if I say I need a non-employment break to rewire my brain to prepare for the next phase of life so I can be sure of what I really want to hit next? Is it weird to say I want to learn to enjoy being unemployed to get healthier? Or spend more time with my family?
In facing unemployment, I've also bumped with an unwelcome companion — guilt.
This guilt, intertwined with societal expectations and personal pressures, surfaces as I navigate this uncertain phase. Why do I have to be like that? Why can’t I be content and stay stable, building what society deems as normal? I am 37, shouldn't I own property by now? These questions echo the social pressures I often find myself entangled in. As I search for resources to cope and accept myself, even when my brain is in disagreement with my heart's desires, I realize that removing this guilt is crucial in the journey of self-acceptance during unemployment
I guess, there is an essence in each of us, and about the risk we can tolerate mixed with a thousand other factors that make each of us unique. I am not a person that likes high risks but I do tend to take them as it relates exclusively to my career.
I have always been the person that takes chances. That’s what drove me to work in Hollywood. I have reinforced and taught my brain that actually chances are good for me as hard as they are and as much anxiety they may give me, Like I will take a panic attack over staying too long in a situation where for example learning is stagnant, for example, as it relates to my career.
All of that to say, let’s start talking about unemployment, and accepting ourselves and our temporary circumstances that are uncomfortable but they will launch us into something else.
I commit to continue working on that for myself and embrace this phase of uncertainty. Retraining my brain, literally in understanding that I want to keep exploring other ways of living. That I needed time to reconnect with my roots after more than a decade abroad.
I understand this is also a privilege,as not everyone has one day to spare if savings are tight or if there aren't’ savings, I had been there too. It’s a delicate subject but here I just wanted to openly talk about the many forms of unemployment and make my contribution in removing fear in speaking about unemployment.
Each phase of unemployment is circumstantial and it can be lived in such different ways from person to person. It can be caused by so many different reasons that we as humans will experience at least a bunch of them such as a layoff, a quitting situation due to an awful boss or perhaps a job abandonment due to illness or taking care of someone we love. Sometimes it will be to start our own venture and that won’t make it less scary.
I want to test out my own experiment. I want to see if my creativity spikes while I am unemployed once I calm down my anxiety and nervous system and change the perception of my new situation, which I decided by myself while I figure out where I want to work next.
I will keep you posted!
Message me on Instagram @creativecareerthinking if you want to share you experience on this topic.
