Be of Service

I’m sure you’ve heard or read from many other designers and creatives out there that “it’s never been a better time to be a creative”. I can’t disagree with that notion. Businesses of various shapes and sizes are beginning to see the value of design and creativity or if they already did see that value, they are giving both a larger role in the overall direction and influence of the brand, business, product etc. I do think this statement has excited and driven many aspiring artists, designers, writers, photographers, and creatives to attend art schools and go through skillshare classes to pursue the idea of doing what they love to do for a living. Of course, I think this is a noble albeit romantic idea. I do think, however, that a creative can’t stop there, the pursuit of a passion that will pay you enough money to make ends meet will, in my opinion, either burn you out or generally lead you to down an unsustainable path.

There has to be more to your “why”. Or you at least need to dig a little deeper and truly know why you love to paint, design, draw, play music or do any kind of creative skill to the point that you want to make it so much of your life that you want to put in the work and sacrifice to consistently get paid for it. For me my why or deeper reason has been that I simply want to be of service. I just want to help.

I started off my career as a creative writer, then a painter, and of course like most middle-class teenagers, I spent some time playing music in bands. Doing all of these creative activities were fun, and at the time exciting to do, I even thought I loved to do them(and I did for a time). However, none of these pursuits were really fulfilling to me. I always felt empty or if I was missing something. When I stumbled into design, I for the first time felt that real love affair with a craft or creative pursuit. I didn’t know why at first, but as I continued to grow as a designer and self-reflect as a professional creative, I realized that I loved design because it gave me an opportunity to serve others and to make a difference for a business or a community. As I’ve focused in my career towards experience and brand design & strategy, I’ve done so with great intentionality knowing that these specific design paths or industries can give me more chances and greater opportunities to help people and make a difference.

Whether creatives like it or not, being a professional creative involves service. We are, when it is all said and done, in the service industry. Many creatives I have interacted with fear and loathe this fact, and I always empathize with them, because at times I can’t say that I always love the service part of what we do, I have had my fair share of client horror stories(half of which were due to a failing in my part by the way)and dust ups, and they are never pleasant, and to be transparent, those bad client situations can be paralyzing to me at times and slow down or impede my workflow and process. However I will say that being of service is always my “north star” or main purpose, and many of those unpleasant client situations have been resolved because I will always remind them that I am here to help. Of course that doesn’t always work and you have to watch for situations where a client will try to take advantage of you, but for the most part, if you can provide excellent service to a client you are going to be okay at the end of the engagement. I plan to write more on this in another blog, but I have been taught, and I have found it to be true, that if you are creative professional, potential clients are not hiring you for the products or services you are offering(logo, website, photo shoot etc.)but for the level of service and professionalism you provide. Creating quality work is the barrier to entry, it is what is required and many people out there can do it and do it better than either you or I. But you can separate yourself from the rest of the pack by being of great service to the people you are working with.

I have never thought I am anywhere near the level of the best designers out there on social media, and as a result, my career advancements have been mainly due to (of course) working hard at what I do, but more importantly looking to always be of service to my colleagues, and clients.

At the end of the day being of service has been my “why” that goes with my love for design. Service has helped me solve UX problems, set the tone for the brands I work with and help the businesses I have worked with in a variety of other ways. Ask yourself what your why is, if it isn’t service, what is it? If it isn’t service that is okay, but I would recommend finding a reason to do what you do that it isn’t totally self-serving. I understand that many creatives move into a commercial industry mainly to make a living, I would be lying to you that earning a decent living wasn’t a factor in my transition from fine art to design. However, in my opinion, I would strongly recommend sticking with a fine art or doing what you love in a way that doesn’t look to make you money if you are only looking to create for yourself. And believe me when I say, there is nothing wrong with doing something entirely for internal pleasure or satisfaction, I just believe that it is more difficult to earn a living doing that thing if it is only self-serving.

Thank you for reading this if you took the time to get all the way down here to the end. It is greatly appreciated. I am looking forward to ramping up both the creative honey podcast and blog. Writing more articles like this will be a part of that process so let me know what you think I should write about next or if you have any questions related to anything I have written or posted in the past.

Cheers

Zachary is a design & strategy director with Toi, a full-service digital agency specializing in UX/UI and branding for the digital environment. He also co hosts and writes articles for Creative Honey, an online journal for the creative professional. He loves his soon to be wife, good typography, and pop culture.

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