That’s right everyone. Keep working. Don’t stop. We’re with you all the way. No matter who says your work is shit, off-brief, derivative, uncool, forced, uninteresting, lofty, idealistic, beige, untrue, wallpaper, too long, too short, too big, not big enough, square, round, pointy, or plain. We don’t care. Just keep doing your thing. And listen to everything Stan says…

Apparently I’ve been churning out these Monday Whips for over a year now. If you were there for the first one, and still haven’t landed a full-time creative gig, don’t panic.

As I wrote sometime ago, landing a job where you get to use your creativity for a living isn’t easy. But then you probably already know that by now.

So I’ll reiterate what I say to every young hopeful that comes to show me their folio:

If being a creative is what you want to do, what you really want to do, then you will eventually become one.

You must however steel yourself for what could be a long and frustrating ride.

People will criticise your work. They will question your ability. You will often wonder yourself whether or not you’ve got what it takes.

Hang in there, is all I can say.

Stay focused. Stay passionate. Stay hungry.

Because sooner or later you will happen to find yourself in the right place at exactly the right time.

Until then, keep working on your folio. Working until it is the best damn folio anyone has ever seen. Ever.

Are you passionate enough about what you do? It’s a legitimate question y’all. It’s easy to sit in your room all day and design/write/photograph/animate/create whatever you want, but can you do it from nine to five, five days a week, for an entire year? Would you feel less passionate after doing it as a job? Or more? Consider what Stan has to say and give it a good think. You’ll find living life and spending the majority of it working so much easier afterward.

One of the hardest things to come to terms with as a creative is understanding that what we do is a job.
Sure we might get to have fun at work. And wear t-shirts and jeans and turn up to the office a little later than office workers do, but none the less it is still a job.
This same maxim applies to sports people too.
Your average footballer may appear to live something of a charmed life, but playing football is their job. It is what they get payed to do. And if they don’t perform they will lose that job.
So how do you ensure you get past the day to day grind of the workplace? How do you accept the problems and struggles of work and push on to great heights?
One word – Passion.
I’ve used that word many times in my Monday morning ramble and for good reason. Without it you’re wasting your time.
So as you wipe the sleep from your eyes this Monday morning I’d like to leave you with this quote from Collingwood footballer Harry O’Brien:
“If you are not passionate about something, you are not going to be successful. I am passionate every time I pull on the team jumper.”