Learn how to turn your talent into a profession with these actionable tips and strategies. Start your journey to a successful career today!
The ability to create and show something beautiful can become a good source of income. Together with the online school Contented , we tell you how to develop and monetize your creative potential. And you don’t always need practical experience for this!
How to recognize a creative nature in yourself
Sitting in an office on a schedule is unbearable. Working with papers makes your head spin and your eyes hurt. Vacations don’t help bring back the enthusiasm for work. All of these may be signs of burnout, not a desire to change your profession to something more creative. Listen to yourself and try to understand what really brings you pleasure.
Special questionnaires and tests will help you recognize talent and “measure” your creativity level. For example, the Torrance method will allow you to evaluate the originality of your thinking or ability to perceive new ideas without looking back at standard solutions using three simple tasks with drawings. You can also contact career guidance centers — specialists will help you understand complex concepts, notice your abilities, and outline a rough plan for finding your dream profession.
There are also indirect signs of creative natures. For example, experts from Northwestern University of Illinois have found that people who are often and easily distracted are more likely to achieve creative success. The fact is that information that is not directly related to the current task is a potential source of fresh ideas. And people who “filter” the flow of incoming data less have a slightly greater potential for implementing creative ideas. Another international study has found a connection between high levels of creativity and sarcasm – it involves abstract thinking, which helps develop creative abilities.
If you were often told as a child that you were “in the clouds,” perhaps this is also a signal to start a creative career. Confirmation was found in a study by neurobiology professor Moshe Bar. “Wandering” of thoughts helps to awaken neural activity in the brain, which leads to stimulation of creativity.
How to monetize your abilities
1. Believe in yourself
Unfortunately, the phrase “She is a subtle, creative person” can often sound ironic and disapproving. But someone else’s skepticism is no obstacle to true talent.
Try to remind yourself more often of your past achievements, remember what you were good at at university or school. Note your strengths and turn to them in moments when it seems that you can’t do anything. And, if possible, try to talk to loved ones about your vulnerability during the period of searching for a job and a calling. It is possible that those around you just need a hint on how exactly to support you.
2. Find the right direction
Writer, artist, composer — these are far from the only professional paths for creative people in the modern world. Today, your potential can be successfully monetized even in areas close to IT — for example, in game development or design. In the first case, creative tasks await scriptwriters, concept artists who create game characters and landscapes, as well as texture specialists — they are engaged in the realistic recreation of materials in clothing elements and environments.
Design is an even broader field for realizing creative ambitions. You can create and animate 3D objects or work on special effects in films. And those who are drawn to people and psychology may be interested in interface design. Specialists in this field study user behavior on websites and in applications in order to create comfortable routes for them, for example, the path from the start page to the basket. Here, not only aesthetic sense is important – you also need to be able to analyze the behavior of a person on the other side of the screen.
Design is a universal direction that will allow you to realize your creative potential and earn a decent income. The online design school Contented will help you master the profession and boldly step into a new specialty . The platform contains courses in various areas: from interior design to working with interfaces . UX/UI designers are just in demand in IT, and the demand for such professionals is quite noticeable: more than 800 vacancies are open on HeadHunter alone .
An excellent match for those who want to quickly and confidently break into the field is the program ” Graphic Designer from Zero to PRO “. This is a course that even those who have never held paints and markers in their hands can handle. In 20 months, students will master 5 main areas of design: identity, packaging, as well as web, motion and 3D design. Contented trains universal specialists who will be able to realize themselves in a variety of projects. It is possible to enter the labor market as early as the 5th month of study – by this time, students will have basic skills in working with graphic editors and will learn how to create illustrations and prototypes of websites and mobile applications. And with the promo code ИЗВА, you can purchase the course with a 45% discount.
3. Think through an employment strategy
If your work record book has no relevant experience and your portfolio is empty, don’t give up. “No experience” is not a black mark for newcomers, and there is always a chance to get your dream job.
To increase your chances of getting a job, review your resume. Correctly placed accents will attract attention even to a candidate with no experience. It is in your power to write about this in such a way that the employer will notice your ambitious attitude and mark it with a plus among other candidates. For example, in the cover letter you can emphasize the seriousness of your intentions and readiness for large volumes of work.
If possible, complete test tasks. Each of them is a potential case for your portfolio and a great chance to “try on” the vacancy. To get less tired during your job search, create templates for different resumes and cover letters for typical vacancies. Think through your response plan and daily workload in advance. Burnout can set in even before you find that very offer — it makes sense to save your strength and desire to work until that moment.
4. Exercise creativity and train specific skills
It is good to discover your creative potential, but it is also important to develop it into skills that will be useful in your profession. For example, the same exercises from the Torrance approach will help to pump up your creativity and imagination.
Another option is the ” Six Hats ” method. This is a training in unconventional thinking and the ability to find unexpected solutions. To start, choose a task for yourself: let’s say you came to an interview and you were asked to sell a pen to the recruiter. Look at this situation from different angles, trying on imaginary multi-colored hats:
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The white hat is about the data you have about the problem. Think about what you already know about the pen, what its properties are, how you can test it, how you can get new information. Study, structure, but do not judge.
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The red hat is about emotions. Tap into your gut and feelings and think about what emotions buying a pen might evoke in a recruiter.
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The black hat helps to critically evaluate the problem. What are the disadvantages of the pen? Why might a recruiter refuse to buy it?
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The yellow hat gives you a chance to evaluate the advantages of a task or object. Think about the advantages of a pen. Why should the other person choose it over a pencil or marker?
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The green hat allows you to see unexpected possibilities and creative solutions. Even if the recruiter likes to write with a pencil, a pen will probably come in handy – it can be used instead of a ruler or simply twirled in your hands during moments of thought.
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The blue hat is the headdress of leaders who set goals and manage their achievement. When it comes to this hat, you need to organize your thinking and reflect on the entire previous process.
The 10,000-hour theory says that this is how much time it takes to become a master in your field. You don’t have to chase the number of hours, but you still need to practice in your favorite business. For example, if you want to develop in design, draw, read cases of successful professionals, develop an eye for detail, and look for ideas and inspiration in modern media.
5. Look for internships
Often, newcomers get stuck in a classic employment loop: they won’t hire you without experience, and there’s nowhere to gain experience because no one is hiring. Look for internships or assistant offers on job aggregator websites. Interesting offers can be found in Telegram channels and public pages on social networks with vacancies for young specialists.
During your internship, don’t be afraid to ask questions and remember that mistakes at the beginning are normal. You can turn each of them into a training case and get the most out of possible mistakes.
And don’t underestimate part-time jobs. For example, if you dream of becoming a designer, remember that you can show off your skills with small tasks – presentations, checklists, and even memes. Platforms for finding specialists like Profi.ru will help you find customers for such projects. You can also take a closer look at freelance exchanges. You won’t be able to earn serious money there, but there is a chance to fill the void in your portfolio with a couple of cases for a review or a symbolic fee.
6. Join the community
Attending specialized events, participating in tenders and competitions, subscribing to professional publics and communities – all this is useful both for developing awareness in your field and for employment.
You can start with something simple: leave comments and questions under posts in specialized communities, check in for polls. Participate in giveaways and chat with other representatives of the field. If you go into music, collect your playlists and share them with your fellow craftsmen. If you choose design, create a portfolio on Behance and other platforms. The more active your activity is at the start, the more likely you are to be noticed. You can also attract attention at thematic exhibitions, conferences and lectures. Sometimes your ideas can be skillfully wrapped in a question to an expert and thus hook a potential employer.