A Framework for a Creative Career

This is not advice on writing a Linkedin profile or the platform for your portfolio. There are better posts for that. With nearly 30 years across marketing in creative and strategy roles, what I can share is the strategic toolkit for how to market and present yourself. (Note: This is also an updated version of a post I originally published on Forbes.com as a contributor to the CMO Network.)

There are eight components to the Creative Career Framework. While each may have a distinct role at different points and for different objectives, one should understand them all—and how they work together—to build a long and healthy creative career.

VALUES

Start at the center. While it’s tempting to prioritize a fancy job title, the foundation must be who you are—and what is important to you. Just as we’ve seen brands codify their purpose, so must professionals clarify their Values. Examples might be an innate need for self-expression, a desire to shape others, an optimism the world could be better, or sheer joy in sharing ideas. Laura DeNatale, a leadership and career coach and a former colleague, does a values assessment as a step one. “I ask clients to reflect on their values so they become intimately aware of what motivates them,” she said. “Why is, for example, creativity an important value? What does it look like how do they live it? Getting clear on what your version is allows you to go out and find it and do more of it.”

CRAFT

Also central to a creative career is your chosen Craft and how you practice it. This is crucial during one’s early years developing skills, and then again it can become important when Title or Claim (see below) may have been achieved, and we want to be hired simply for what we want to do every day. DeNatale sees this challenge with clients who become more senior in roles. “Later in life, you have to be even more intentional about nurturing your craft to not only maintain relevancy, but also to stay true to who you are,” she observes. For craft, it’s not about the noun you are but the verb you do.

POSITIONING

With personal Values clarified and one’s chosen Craft front and center, how and where you plant your professional flag sets the stage for what people can expect from you. While many use the Linkedin headline space for a current job title, others tap it as a Positioning canvas. For example, as a management consultant in strategic marketing, my headline currently says “Senior Partner, Co-lead of Global Marketing Practice | Brand ?? Demand | Marketing Communications” while earlier, as a creative executive, I utilized flavors of creative leadership. David Berkowitz, whose digital community I am a part of and have profiled uses: “Marketing leader with big ideas who gets the job done; Serial Marketers community founder.” Nancy Harhut, a longtime creative executive who I know from the Caples Awards jury, says “Marketing Creative + Behavioral Science.”

CLAIM

This component is under-used and under-rated. In the creative and marketing fields, I find a singular spectacular success can make you an attractive draw, not to mention keep you gainfully employed. I once worked for the woman who created Pantene’s campaign “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful.” She was well-known for this iconic work, even introduced by it in meetings. And it’s not just campaigns. Others have been recognized for inventing a service, launching a product, or building something from scratch. Fame, I’ve found, leads to fortune, and every year is another change to lay the groundwork for your unique Claim.

TITLE

What’s written on your business card is the most common trope to pursue and flaunt. For me, it was to be anointed a Creative Director. Later, the goal was head of office and then the most magical title of all: Chief Creative Officer. At some point, for me, Title started to matter lees. Perhaps I was sated. The jobs I sought became around Craft, re-grounding me in my Values, yet still admittedly pursuing elusive Claim. To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeking titles as a sign and even validation of advancement at different points in the career. If that’s what you want, go for it. Just listen to creative director Ricardo Trejo whose advice I captured for the Hindsight Project: Beware of Letters in Your Title.

WORTH

A less visible component is the value exchange between us and the organization, often rewarded by compensation and measured by levels. Manager. Partner. Vice President. Executive Vice President. I always find it silly when a recruiter asks me what I make or want to make. Any job posted has a salary band for a level, declared or invisible, or it wouldn’t be available. Just tell me what it is. In some states, like New York, a new law requires the salary range to be posted. Either way, a frank discussion can make it easier to discuss what one thinks you’re worth and economics are just part of it. Most of us who have been around awhile know that choosing a role based on salary, in most cases, can be a short-sighted idea.

ACCOLADES

Awards. Badges. Reviews. While one’s Claim might be a signature achievement, accolades are the laundry list of third-party validation which gives context to Craft—and can justify both Worth and Title. As a lucky recipient of both creative and management awards, one unappreciated secret is that these accolades don’t just happen unto themselves. One has to be intentional about going after them, for yourself and to nominate others.

TRAINING

Where you previously worked, earned degrees, accreditations and certifications all play a supporting role in one’s foundation and say a lot about what you know and how you behave. For some in creative fields, it’s who you learned from—the master under whom you were apprentice. Early on, Training gives you the credibility before you have a chance to earn Accolades. Later, it can show how you’re still fresh and have stayed relevant. One question I have nowadays is where does self-taught fit in? How high does online learning stand?

When to flex which component.

There are many ways to look at a creative career. At different points, you’ll want to flex different components to build a meaningful career. At minimum, you need to start with Values. Be clear about your goals and what you’re chasing. One thing I have also noticed is that it’s not just about you. As you become senior, it’s how you champion others. One way to mentor is by shining a light in all the right places that your prodigy may not see for themselves. ?

Creative careers feel different. “What I’ve noticed in people who are creatively fulfilled,” said DeNatale, “is that they are always finding innovate ways to honor and practice their Craft. This helps them stay nimble and true to who they are no matter the role or title.”

Want to know more?

I wrote a book with (nearly) everything I have learned to date. Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from a Creative Career in Marketing. Available via Amazon in paperback, ebook, and audiobok. Hope you like this framework and share it. Let me know what you think in the comments.