My Fellow Creatives & Former Students,

In 2007, I entered a self-induced career upheaval. After almost 6 years of college teaching and simultaneous freelancing, I decided to chuck it all and go in search of a full-time corporate senior level design job. I was not a stranger to corporate dysfunction (i.e. The Art Institute's oppressive 'Metropolis' administrative style). Hey former Ai students & grads, now do you understand why I made you watch that movie in my classes?!

However, I realized that all my previous corporate experience had been 'fortunate' exceptions to what I was about to experience. By 'fortunate', I am referring to my dreamy 3 years with Motorola, which in hindsight, was the Shan Gri La of corporate jobs.

In 2007, I was Goldie Locks, and tested the porridge of several bait-and-switch employment situations. They didn't last very long. I encountered some impossible situations in these jobs. ....Aside from there being too many chiefs, I could see early on that I wasn't going to be able to do what I do best, in a creative/conceptual sense, but also in an art direction and management sense. There were individuals (some were extremely unqualified), that could...and DID...stonewall everything I did, and any attempt to prove my abilities or take initiative and responsibility as well.

During the short weeks that I struggled to make these 'jobs' work somehow, I looked for any and every type of professional guidance I could find...maybe the right words to use in a ballsy push for progress. I bookmarked and noted the things that I found to help me get a grip, and would like to pass on one article in particular. I found this article while searching for some perspective and inspiration:

Design's Glass Ceiling by Robert Jonathan Bennett. It's from the AIGA Archives, a place I always go to look for professional direction. 

This is, at the very least, a comforting read for any designer/creative who feels as though they're running amok in a hamster-wheel marketing department.