The Creative Career

The Christmas holiday was a much-needed break—not so much from work as my over-connected lifestyle in general.

It’s easy to become fatigued by the never-ending stream of online content, messages, connections and stats. I’m afraid I was beginning to have a bit of an unhealthy bond with my computer, working tirelessly to keep up and checking my stats a few too many times. But at what point does it get to be too much? When your work and life are both consumed by the web, where do you find balance?

This leads me to a few goals that web hostages everywhere should aim to accomplish in order to find some balance between the online and offline worlds in the new year.

1. Meet Online People Offline

Jamie Ridler had some great advice when she recommended stepping back and meeting online connections in the real world. I’ve followed this advice, and it’s a refreshing way to connect—with real live human beings.

2. Find a Hands-on Creative Project

For me, it’s finally enrolling in that jewelry and metalsmithing class I’ve been putting off for a year. I never want to lose appreciation for art without the “undo” button.

3. Read Fiction

It’s easy to get caught up reading within the same bubbles of information online. Reading a novel is a great way to break free and refresh your imagination. I started a book club to read more fiction. If you’re in Chicago and want to join us, feel free to get in touch.

4. Schedule Web-Free Time

Every Sunday morning, Jeff and I head out to the coffee shop around the corner—sans Internet—just to hang out and catch up on our offline reading. This is often one of the most relaxing parts of my week, and a refreshing way to step back from being always-on (although I’ll admit, it can be hard to resist the urge to send a mobile tweet every now and then).

What do you do to find balance? Do you have any goals for the new year?

Photo Source: Leia under Creative Commons

Mentorship Connection is almost a week old, and I have a few updates to get out before the holidays. I’m delighted to see students signing up, and connections are already starting to be made. Many of you have signed up to learn more in digital design, social media and entertainment communications—and I have plans to reach out to some particular contacts and groups in these areas after the holidays to make sure we have enough professionals to fill the demand.

I’ll also be making a few small changes in the coming days. The "other" field, which was originally intended to fill in the gaps for any creative careers I may have missed, has been coming back with some interesting surprises. While I’m thrilled to see the diversity of career aspirations from students, I may have a difficult time filling some of these particular requests, as the majority of professionals signing up work in various creative communications fields. That said, I’ll keep everyone who has submitted a request in mind. You never know what could come up.

Finally, I want to send a big THANK YOU to those who have helped get the word out about the project.

• Teaching PR
• Jessica Mah
• The PR Practitioner
• Career Girls
• The PR Open Mic Community
• Jeff Siarto (and thanks for all the help getting it started)

And thanks to Alexandra Levit for providing a teriffic quote about the importance of finding mentors.

P.S. You may have noticed there was no new podcast today. I’m taking a little break for the holidays, but you’ll hear more soon. Happy holidays!

When I was in college, I got it in my head that I had to use my formal name on my resume, despite the fact that no one calls me Allison. I didn’t correct anyone when they called me Allison—it is technically my real name—and before long I felt like I had completely lost my chance to make the correction. It took a good year before my coworker (and now boyfriend, Jeff —don’t call him Jeffrey) finally called me out when he discovered my preferred name via Facebook.

I learned from this, and when it came time to apply to jobs after college, I made a point to establish myself with my preferred name, using "Allie" on my resume. On top of this, as I was filling out paperwork with HR, which must include a full name, I specifically requested that my email address use my nickname to avoid confusion.

I still see some colleagues struggling when their email addresses don’t match the names they actually go by on a daily basis. It’s difficult to go back on a name or email once you’re introduced within a company. Once that announcement goes out with your formal name, don’t expect colleagues to ask if you prefer to go by something else.

You may not think about establishing a preferred name when you’re wrapped up in the job hunt, but take the time to consider it now, and you’ll thank me later. Just make sure you Google the name first.

Photo Source: comicbase