Entering Creative “Dry” Season

The Hard Reality

The end of the year is a scary time for us as creatives. It’s the time of year where work begins to die down, and with that our paychecks too (typically).  I consider myself to be a blend of an optimist and a realist, and because of that I tried to find a positive way to view this “Dry” season. I sat asking myself, “What in the world can I use this time for, that benefits both my creativity and my business when work is slow?”

Thankfully the answer jumped out at me while having a conversation with the incredible Robby Klein. He said to me, “The truth is that when we don’t have paid work, we have time to do personal work. If we choose not to engage with personal work, we choose to not get paid work the next month. It’s a crazy reality that I cannot explain, but have seen it play out again both for me and others.”

The Hard Truth

I think there is something so incredibly true about what he said. Us as creatives need our personal work to stay creatively “healthy”. Something deep inside me also wants to spend time with that younger “no care in the world” creative self that I once was at 12 years old. The moment I lose that creativity is the moment CLICKTA’s “product development” department shuts down. 

As a freelancer, I have to wear many hats. A majority of my job revolves around things that don’t involve me holding a camera. It’s great when I get to, but it’s not as frequent as I’d like it to be. Do you know who is responsibility it is to do something about that? It’s mine. I’m the only one who can make the choice to do what needs to be done as well as what I want to do. Sitting around complaining about it will never accomplish anything worthwhile for my business or reputation. 

The Easy Solution

Us as creatives have so much power. You may not think so, but our ability to see things that don’t exist and bring them to reality is such an incredible God-given gift. It’s almost like a super power. If we take a second to flip our perspective and stop seeing the end of the year as just another “slow season”, and begin to see it as a time for us to be kids again, we unlock something special. It’s a chance to play with our craft so that we can integrate our findings into our businesses and artistry the following year. What’s the reward? Satisfaction, fulfillment, potential monetary gain, an opportunity to work with new people/friends, and above all the dopamine rush that comes with creation.

Love y’all.

-Cole Plichta