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With clients and marketing calling all the shots, there's no one
with real design experience left driving the bus. |
THE LUNATICS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE ASYLUM
As I begin to write this post, I have yet to choose a title. Mainly because there are so many things this post could be called. Hell Is Corporate America, Give 'Em an Inch – Take A Foot, You're Nothing... Now Do What I Say – there are lots of different titles I can think of for this post. But, this post is not just a rant about corporate America, it's also about how we treat one another, as individuals. It's about the landscape of our economy and where we stand as the 'middle-class.' If we're being honest, more like 'lowest-class.'
I've spent my life working for corporate America, beginning as a production artist for City National Bank and training on my first Mac (it was a Macintosh SE), to an art director consulting for the major studios. I have been fortunate enough to have worked for some of the biggest and best companies in the country. Maybe even the world. I pride myself on my work and I take what I do very seriously. I love creating art and I love what I do.
Every company has their own way of doing business. Some companies are more efficient than others, some more wasteful. Some companies have brilliant people with genius minds running them and others have greedy egomaniacs – the gap is very wide, indeed. What I am noticing, and perhaps you will agree, is that along with the suffering economy and the unemployed, are suffering employees.
In my experience, as far as company's go, gone are the days of loyalty, thankfulness and quid pro quo and here-to-stay are the days of more value for their money and get as much out of the employee as possible without having to give an equal or fair amount in return. Take what you can get then spit them out quick. Isn't turning a profit the bottom line in business?
As a freelance artist, this type of behavior from companies that hire us on a temporary basis, is prevalent. Managers will dangle the prospect of a full-time opening to a freelancer for months, even years, before they even hold their end of the bargain. If ever. I know people who had to endure years of crap from their bosses until they were offered full-time jobs. Some without benefits! Corporate America really sucks. What happened to the days when an employer would give an employee 90 days to prove themselves, and if they did, they were hired?
Keeping your job is getting harder, too – especially if you work at a company where layoffs are endemic. Marketing is now creative and creative is now support: sit there, keep your mouth shut and do what your are told. When did years of experience, knowledge and know-how become obsolete?
If a client finds me on the web, more often than not, said client will always defer to my suggestion or solution. If I am hired to work in an agency or at a client's office, I might as well be a desktop publisher. Everyone and the cleaning lady is an art director and has an opinion on the creative. Mine is not to reason why, but just to do then die.
Two years ago,
The Atlantic published and online articled title,
'How A How A New Jobless Era Will Transform America.' Having read it again recently, I realized that not much has changed in the past two years. And, that's scary.
Here's an excerpt from that article:
If it persists much longer, this era of high joblessness will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults—and quite possibly those of the children behind them as well. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar white men—and on white culture. It could change the nature of modern marriage, and also cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a kind of despair and dysfunction not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.
Unfortunately, I don't have any countrywide solutions to solve the unemployment rate, but I do know that the business landscape has not settled, yet. The way we (the 99%) grew up to know life and do business is not the way life is, anymore. As creatives, the sooner we realize it, the better.
However, there is always the flip side to being a freelancer: you can choose the jobs and/or projects you don't want to work on, and that will be that. You can fire a deranged client or walk away from an impossible gig. Your future is in your hands.
There are very good clients out there, don't get me wrong. I've worked for plenty of them, so it's easy for me to tell when something isn't working with a particular client. All I can say is that a good client will remember to let the creatives do what they do best – be creative.
Sources:
How A New Jobless Era Will Transform America – The Atlantic (March 2010)
