Should I Freelance Or Look For A Media Job?
Companies today seem to opt for an in-house creator rather than outsourcing creative work. As someone who has done this job, burned out while learning from it, and developed new skills while doing it, I found that there often are unrealistic expectations present.
Simply put, the idealism that a brand can be “present online” is not a one person task.
The idea of this Venn diagram is used to manage expectations for projects. Generally it is a tool that is used to drive up the amount of money being paid to do a project. The point of it is intensified for the solo media creator. The thought goes that you can always have two of the values, but at the compromise of the third.
How does this apply to an in-house media person?
If you are the solo creator for a company, then you are likely going to be expected to create high quality, at a set cost, on whatever timeline your boss desires. A common issue is that you end of disappointing someone along the way. In my experience, no one can balance being the idea generator, content planner and organizer, and have the technical skill to do all of this consistently.
With this much pressure, something is bound to snap.
The wonderful thing about creators is that we all offer different, varying skills. When a company hires you to be the Swiss-army knife creator for them, you will likely burn out. This is not your fault… kinda. Let me explain.
While I don’t think a creator is at fault for the burnout process, they are responsible for signing the dotted line without setting helpful boundaries. Unfortunately many employers mean well, but will toss your toasted ass and bring in the next poor sap to repeat this burnout cycle. Often this is what most creators will look back at as “lessons learned”. The main issue with this is that realistic expectations/boundaries need to be set. Part of setting said expectations is knowing where you aren’t skilled or efficient in your work.
This is a great way to analyze the self-awareness of a creator. For instance- While I’m quick at video projects, I am terribly slow and exhausted by graphic design work; I’m not usually that good at it either. So, when I was hired as a Communications Manager I asked for a budget to outsource these projects. This was playing to my strengths because I was still able to manage the projects while utilizing another creators skills. This is the dream.
My final answer is…
… establishing quality working relationships as a creator is something that is unique to each job. If we find ourselves in a place where there aren’t feedback loops for improvement… RUN!
However, like all things in life we must grow mature. Learning how to manage this tension with an employer will be good for us and the company. Be gracious. Be kind. Take care of yourself and others equally. Best of luck!
