✨ The Career Pivot: Let’s Talk About It.Not the overnight reinvention, not the “I bought a vision board so now I’m a new person”, but the real one — the one so many people ask me about in DMs because the creative industries have been… let’s just say structurally unpredictable.I’m not a career coach. But I am a human who understands people, development, chaos, uncertainty, and the weird pressure of trying to plan a future in an industry currently held together with caffeine... Read more
✨ The Career Pivot: Let’s Talk About It.
Not the overnight reinvention, not the “I bought a vision board so now I’m a new person”, but the real one — the one so many people ask me about in DMs because the creative industries have been… let’s just say structurally unpredictable.
I’m not a career coach. But I am a human who understands people, development, chaos, uncertainty, and the weird pressure of trying to plan a future in an industry currently held together with caffeine and blind optimism.
So here’s my honest take:
1️⃣ You have to want to pivot
A pivot cannot be:
“I’m not getting hired in my field, so I’ll just… pick something?”
That’s not a pivot — that’s emotional roulette. And the house always wins.
If you’re only considering a new path because the current one is quiet, the kindest thing you can do for yourself is:
👉 Do some temp work instead.
Short-term. No drama. No long-term loyalty expected.
You earn.
You stay available.
And you don’t have to abandon an employer two weeks later when your dream job pops up (which none of us enjoy doing).
If you’re pivoting because you’re exhausted, burnt out, or ready for a new type of stability? That’s a different conversation — and a very valid one.
2️⃣ If you are genuinely ready for change… Great. Let’s get strategic — not existential.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Am I pivoting sideways?
(same skillset, new environment: in-house, corporate, charity, small agency)
➡️ Or am I pivoting properly?
(new industry, new rules, new everything)
Both are legitimate. One is quicker. One is slower. But both require clarity before action.
3️⃣ Before anything else: make a messy spider diagram
Ask yourself:
🕒 What hours can I realistically work?
(Not the fantasy version.)
📍 Where do I want to be?
Home? Hybrid? Travelling?
Or allergic to offices?
💷 What’s my minimum acceptable income? (Not your dream salary — your baseline.)
🎯 Which skills do I actually enjoy using?
Not “what am I good at because I had to be?” What do you want to bring into a new chapter?
These questions tell the truth faster than any career quiz ever could.
4️⃣ Use tools… and humans
AI can help you explore directions you may never have considered. But actual people — career coaches, pivot veterans, ex-creatives who’ve jumped ship — will give you clarity, perspective, honesty, and occasionally the reality check you didn’t know you needed.
5️⃣ And because it’s December… my diary is open
No coaching programmes. No big promises. Just a few informal Zoom chats each week for people who want support with:
• navigating the current weirdness in the industry
• considering a pivot
• CV sharpening
• interview prep
• or simply talking things through with someone who gets it
Tea, coffee, or Baileys — absolutely acceptable.
It is December, after all.
Link to book coming shortly.
#TheProcrastinatingProducer #CareerPivot #CreativeIndustry #FreelanceLife #ProductionLife #NewBeginnings #CVTips #WorkLife #ChangeIsPossible
Not the overnight reinvention, not the “I bought a vision board so now I’m a new person”, but the real one — the one so many people ask me about in DMs because the creative industries have been… let’s just say structurally unpredictable.
I’m not a career coach. But I am a human who understands people, development, chaos, uncertainty, and the weird pressure of trying to plan a future in an industry currently held together with caffeine and blind optimism.
So here’s my honest take:
1️⃣ You have to want to pivot
A pivot cannot be:
“I’m not getting hired in my field, so I’ll just… pick something?”
That’s not a pivot — that’s emotional roulette. And the house always wins.
If you’re only considering a new path because the current one is quiet, the kindest thing you can do for yourself is:
👉 Do some temp work instead.
Short-term. No drama. No long-term loyalty expected.
You earn.
You stay available.
And you don’t have to abandon an employer two weeks later when your dream job pops up (which none of us enjoy doing).
If you’re pivoting because you’re exhausted, burnt out, or ready for a new type of stability? That’s a different conversation — and a very valid one.
2️⃣ If you are genuinely ready for change… Great. Let’s get strategic — not existential.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Am I pivoting sideways?
(same skillset, new environment: in-house, corporate, charity, small agency)
➡️ Or am I pivoting properly?
(new industry, new rules, new everything)
Both are legitimate. One is quicker. One is slower. But both require clarity before action.
3️⃣ Before anything else: make a messy spider diagram
Ask yourself:
🕒 What hours can I realistically work?
(Not the fantasy version.)
📍 Where do I want to be?
Home? Hybrid? Travelling?
Or allergic to offices?
💷 What’s my minimum acceptable income? (Not your dream salary — your baseline.)
🎯 Which skills do I actually enjoy using?
Not “what am I good at because I had to be?” What do you want to bring into a new chapter?
These questions tell the truth faster than any career quiz ever could.
4️⃣ Use tools… and humans
AI can help you explore directions you may never have considered. But actual people — career coaches, pivot veterans, ex-creatives who’ve jumped ship — will give you clarity, perspective, honesty, and occasionally the reality check you didn’t know you needed.
5️⃣ And because it’s December… my diary is open
No coaching programmes. No big promises. Just a few informal Zoom chats each week for people who want support with:
• navigating the current weirdness in the industry
• considering a pivot
• CV sharpening
• interview prep
• or simply talking things through with someone who gets it
Tea, coffee, or Baileys — absolutely acceptable.
It is December, after all.
Link to book coming shortly.
#TheProcrastinatingProducer #CareerPivot #CreativeIndustry #FreelanceLife #ProductionLife #NewBeginnings #CVTips #WorkLife #ChangeIsPossible
