George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Christian Cooper.

Conversations and imagery surrounding police brutality and Black suffering may be prevalent now, but the attention to the matter is long overdue. While this is a step toward a more equitable future in this nation, this emotional conversation can be exhausting, traumatic, triggering, and distressing.

Creative Circle’s Employee Assistance Program, provided by UnitedHealthcare and Optum, is open to all of our candidates and includes a free 24/7 emotional support line (866-342-6892), staffed by professionally-trained mental health experts.

We’ve also gathered mental health and self-care resources to support our Black candidates and the Black creative community during this time, and moving forward.

Apps, Podcasts, Websites

Publications, Articles, Toolkits

Therapist Directories

Ways to Connect With Other Black People

Here are a few of the many groups out there that facilitate connections and conversations with other Black people:

Below are some resources to support the local, national, and global community now and moving forward. Click here for mental health resources for Black candidates.

 

Make a Donation

If you’re able, below are some organizations you can contribute to in order to help fund racial justice.

Sign a Petition

This is of the easiest ways to use the power of your voice in this country.

Read & Share Articles

Below is a handful of articles that can help you — and your personal and professional networks — learn more and begin making an impact.

Educate Yourself

Learn more about Black history and the Black experience in the US by reading the following books. (And simultaneously support local small businesses by purchasing these books from Black-owned bookstores.)

Watch & Listen

Educational videos, documentaries, and podcasts that document the Black experience.

Use These Tools

Resources to help you take action now.

Follow These Accounts

For continued awareness and education, stay up-to-date by following these Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Instagram
Twitter

Dear freelancer,

I hope you’re doing well — as well as you can be during what are some pretty stressful, uncertain times — and staying healthy.

I wanted to take a moment to address the elephant in the room: the fact that many of you talented, tenacious individuals we represent have lost work due to COVID-19. We — myself and all of us at Creative Circle — empathize with you and recognize that this situation frankly isn’t fair. No one could’ve anticipated the world turning on its head like it has, and we know that with this, there are additional challenges you, as freelancers, face.

I want to personally assure you that we are doing everything in our power to keep you working. I’ve seen firsthand (well, firsthand through Zoom) the Creative Circle team stepping up to the challenge — working early mornings and late nights, doing everything they can to find and take new jobs from clients, so we can give freelancers more opportunities to get to work — all while trying to find balance in their own lives.

I’ve been especially humbled to work alongside the Creative Circle team during this crisis; seeing my colleagues put their own lives on hold has shown me — now more than ever — that our team comes to work each day because they CARE. About our candidates. About our clients. About the importance of creative expression — and the importance of turning creative expression into a fruitful career.

You are the lifeblood of our organization and the reason we do what we do. We’re proud to be an organization that’s built on the creative lifestyle, with nearly every single employee coming from a creative background. So we know personally how important the work you do is.

In case you need them, we’ve gathered a few resources that you may find helpful:

In the meantime, during these tough times, please keep applying for jobs via our site. Please reach out to your recruiters. And please keep your chin up, as much as you can, and know your Creative Circle family is committed to you.

Thank you for trusting us with your work. We will continue to do everything we can to support you.

All my best,
Matt Riley, Chief Operating Officer
Creative Circle

Alton is president and chief searchologist at Searchology, a digital marketing firm he founded in 2009. For the last 10 years, he has also been a Creative Circle candidate in Chicago, developing and executing digital marketing strategies for SEO, SEM, SMO, paid search, and display for both national brands and local companies.

Along with sharing some of his favorite quotes (“Ambition’s debt is paid.”), he’s given us a look into his career and what it’s like to work with Creative Circle.

Illustration of Creative Circle candidate, Alton D.

Illustration by Creative Circle candidate, Erin G.

Tell us about your career journey.

It has been a journey of professional, personal, and educational growth due to my partnership with the Creative Circle Chicago team which began in late 2008, early 2009. The economy was a disaster; companies were not hiring; digital marketing and advertising were nothing more than a small disco ball; and money was not flowing anywhere. It was a very scary time for those of us who recall.

My first position with Creative Circle was for a major Chicago-based company that moved billions in various financial markets. It was during this same time I launched my own small company called Searchology. I didn’t have enough clients to support my household nor did I have the ability to seek new clients. And that is exactly where Creative Circle came in.

During my interview, they knew I was trying to launch my own digital brand. Not only were they able to find me positions with some of the biggest companies in Chicago, they put me in position to continually succeed at every step since. Because of their support, encouragement, faith in me, and faith in my abilities, I have been able to grow as a speaker, professor, and business owner.

Since 2009, Creative Circle has consistently provided me with opportunities and challenges I would not otherwise find on my own. I have worked on incredibly complex websites, business goals, analytic conundrums, and strategic digital efforts.

I can say emphatically that I would not be in the profession I am in today with a successful business and a life I love so very much without the continued support and unique opportunities Creative Circle provides for me and now, my family.

What advice do you have for other candidates?

This may sound a little ‘old school’ but when the knock of opportunity comes, it is the wise man who opens the door. Every opportunity is a chance to learn, to grow, and to gain valuable experience.

For those of us in the digital space, I learned our clients don’t really care about education. What they DO look for and NEED is experience. They don’t want to know your GPA, they want to know your case studies. They want to know the industries you’ve worked in and the results you’ve delivered. That is exactly what Creative Circle provides: constantly-changing opportunities for professional growth and experience clients will pay top dollar for.

How do you find creative inspiration?

I landed my first job in digital marketing nearly 20 years ago. Since then, much has changed which means professionals in the creative and digital realms need to constantly be thinking on their feet and devising creative ways to generate income and support their lifestyles. They MUST be creative and offer unique solutions or else they will fall behind and wither into the digital abyss.

In many ways, the opportunities from Creative Circle are the fuel that feeds my internal digital engine. Over the past 10 years they have kept my mind and creativity razor sharp by working with very large companies, associations, digital agencies, and top brands.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned?

  1. Gain all the knowledge you can and share it freely.
  2. Take time for yourself and recuperate your energy and mental faculties.
  3. Find your source of energy and use it to bring life and light wherever you go.

What are your plans for the next 10 years?

My ten-year plan is to continue the road less traveled. If there’s anything my first 20 years of digital marketing experience has given to me it’s that truth is the key to success. My personal bucket list includes becoming a better father to my son, a stronger and humbler man for my wife, and extending a helping hand to all who need it.

Achievement is not something monetary; it is something that fills your soul. After all, the measure of any one individual is not what they are willing to take but what they are willing to give without the expectation of something in return.

Any other favorite quotes?

  • “But wait there’s more!” – Ron Popeil
  • “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” – Walt Whitman: Song of Myself, Part 51
  • “If you want something in this world…you WILL it into existence.” – My grandmother, Dr. Pola Zuska
  • “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein
  • “This above all: to thine ownself be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” – Polonius in Hamlet

The flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix was short. In the hour since I’d departed balmy, 75-degree LAX, I reviewed my resume, mentally practiced my elevator speech, and reread the job description for the position I was flying out to interview for. Despite some general nervousness, I felt good: energized, charming, and ready to turn it on to impress my would-be employers.

And then I stepped outside into the already 107-degrees-at-11am heat and I thought I was going to die. I was ferried from air-conditioned car to air-conditioned building, and by the time we stepped outside again to go for a late lunch, the temperature was 117 degrees. While I was driven around Phoenix, I remarked to my potential coworker that the city felt like a ghost town. He told me that when it’s really hot (4 to 5 months out of the year), people just don’t go outside during daylight.

Despite this and other warning signs, when the employer called me to extend a job offer, I just mentally plowed through all of those red flags and said, “SIGN ME UP!”

I was there for six slightly miserable, totally tumultuous months before the startup I was hired for imploded and I packed my bags and moved back to LA. But heat and disappointment notwithstanding, I got a lot out of the experience. “Fun” isn’t the right word to describe it, but it was a career and life adventure I’m glad I had and, under the right circumstances, would totally do again. If you’ve ever wondered about moving for work, consider the following before packing your bags.

1. Can you afford the move?

Unless you’re going to do it yourself with a U-Haul, moving costs are insane. Just to move the contents of my 1-bedroom apartment to a new place in Phoenix was $1,600. A cross-country move for a full house can be $5,000 or more. Some companies will offer relocation assistance, but it’s usually only for moving out, so if, at some point, you decide to move back, those costs are on you.

Even if your relocation is covered, another thing to consider is the cost of living in a new city. You probably know that apartments/real estate varies widely based on where you live, but so do expenses like gas, car insurance, utility costs, insurance, and health care costs. Online tools like the PayScale calculator will give quick estimates of how your cost of living might change – it’s not encyclopedic, but it’s a start.

2. How’s the job market in the new city?

There’s probably a reason why the employer is having a hard time finding local talent.

In many cases, it’s because people in the area lack the specific skillset or experience. In my case, it was because I had experience leading pitches for biotech companies. The flipside to this is that if an agency is having a hard time finding a candidate, it’s because there’s probably not a great need for it in that locale. It’s great to feel wanted, but this can mean that if the job doesn’t work out, you may not have a lot of other employment options.

3. Why are you taking the job?

Are you yearning for change? In other words, is this a great opportunity…or are you simply scared that you won’t be able to find another job?

If you think you have to move just to make a living, you probably have more opportunity in your backyard than you think. You may have to hustle to find and then win new clients, but don’t forget: there are nearly 30 million small businesses in the US, and most of them need advertising and marketing. If you love where you live, dedicate yourself to making your career work.

4. Considering your goals, will the job be worth it?

If you’re underwhelmed in your current scenario – in either work or life – and a fancy agency comes to court you, it can be easy to get carried away and sign on the dotted line without much thought. Will it:

  • Expand your long-term career prospects?
  • Give you a radical and desirable personal change (e.g., moving to New York, frequent international travel, pay for you to go back to school)?
  • Pay you a ton more money?

You’ve got to decide what’s right for you, but taking a job in a strange new city for just a lateral move that you’re making because you’re bored or you feel desperate is a recipe for despair and resentment.

Proceed with caution.

In the end, when the agency I’d taken a job with shut down, I could not wait to turn my back on Phoenix, leaving with little more than some shiny new bullet points to put on my resume and the knowledge that LA is truly my home. Despite the fact it was hot, hard, and lonely, I don’t regret my move. If I could go back and do it again, though, I probably would have asked the recruiter if they would let me freelance for a month to make sure it was a good fit.

Ultimately, you’re the only one who can decide if moving for a job fits in your life. A lot can happen, but the key is to make sure that whatever does happen, you’re in a better position than when you started.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

Whether you’re looking for a new job, courting new clients, or trying to demonstrate value in your current role, personal branding is what makes you stand out from the sea of people doing the same things as you. But how do you differentiate yourself, and not in a way that everyone else is differentiating themselves? One way that not many people want to put effort into is starting a blog. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you have a voice, and sharing it can be one of your best personal branding tools.

If you’re a creative, you can use your blog to showcase your professional work and creative side-projects. If you already have a dedicated portfolio site, adding a blog with content on industry, creative, or cultural trends can underscore your personal brand and position you as an expert — like this fantastic all-around blog from designer David Airey that shows off all of his creative interests.

If you work in account/management, show off what makes you so good at what you do. Write about the latest industry changes, share best practices, or offer insight into business news. Account-guru Robert Solomon’s blog is an excellent example of how to turn your insight into value for your readers.

If you’re a junior creative, one of the great struggles is convincing others that your opinion is worth listening to. By setting up an aggregator-style blog (similar to something like Copyranter) and recapping news items with your own take, you can get instant credibility.

If you’re a freelancer, a blog can keep you top-of-mind with existing and prospective clients. Create mini-case studies to demonstrate how you’ve helped your clients succeed. You can also write “how I get it done” articles that invite participation from other professionals, like this post from former Crispin Porter + Bogusky wunderkind Sally Hogshead.

And no matter who you are, you can use a blog as part of a larger integrated marketing campaign to promote yourself and build awareness for your personal brand.

Ready to get started?

How to Build It

There are dozens of platforms that let you quickly put together a polished-looking site in an hour; no tech skills needed.

Many of them provide a free option that gives you a certain number of pages, but you can’t have your own URL – instead, you’ll have to settle for something like yourname.wordpress.com. And Wix, for example, shows third-party ads and Wix branding on free pages.

• If you only want to share visuals or other multimedia content, tumblr or Instagram allow for easy sharing, and both have built-in social components.

• If you want to reach a wide audience, try Medium. It isn’t exactly a blog in the traditional sense, but the online-magazine format lends authority to your voice. What’s a plus for some (or drawback for others) is Medium is content-only — there’s a single format, so you don’t get to play with how it looks or functions.

• If you want to create something customized and professional-looking, Squarespace is a great choice. Even with no coding skills, you can put together a lush-looking site with built-in functionality. If you want your own domain name, it’s the most expensive of the bunch, but it’s a solid investment if you’re a creative director or a senior professional (or want to look like you are).

To give your audience a reason to come back and engage with the site (and eventually, you), update your blog once a week, at minimum. Drive additional traffic to your blog by posting updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or wherever else it’s appropriate. It’s a win-win: when you post relevant, interesting content on social, people will like it and share it — giving you new ways to grow your own personal network.

Blogging alone may not get you a new job, new clients, or a new title (then again, it might) but it’s an impactful way to market yourself and improve your personal brand. When it’s part of a plan that includes a solid resume and social presence, you might be making a move sooner than you expect.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

Change is hard. Really hard.

How many resolutions have you set that never made it past February? If the number is big, you’re not alone. Research has suggested that while 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, only 8% of those resolutions are actually achieved.

Why?

Because resolutions rely on motivation.

Motivation doesn’t work.

Motivation is based on emotion and emotion is unreliable. Not that motivation is bad. In fact, it’s great when you can get it. It’s just not something that serves as a good foundation for lasting change.

Unfortunately, we often can’t control things that impact our motivation. What happens when you lose a client, have relationship issues, get a new and unreasonably demanding boss, or need to care for a parent in failing health? These, and thousands of other things, affect your feelings. They tend to bring down your levels of enthusiasm and energy. And when we feel down, motivation goes down. When motivation goes down, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ becomes all too easy.

This is when resolutions and commitments waiver and often fail. What’s worse is that repeated unsuccessful attempts to change work against us by lowering our self-confidence and our belief in our self-control. We blame ourselves for our lack of progress and we go out looking for things that will motivate us. But it’s the strategy of relying on motivation that got us into trouble in the first place.

If you’ve tried to change and have consistently failed, the issue isn’t you… it’s your strategy.

Forming new habits is the key.

As actions (resolutions) start to become habit, the emotion and our focus on them naturally wanes. This is actually a good thing because habits don’t rely on motivation or thinking things through. It’s why we can drive while our mind is elsewhere. Habits are automatic.

And forming habits is the key to long-lasting change.

How do we form habits?

Stephen Guise (Mini-Habits) suggests that the key is to set your objectives ‘stupidly small’ – so small that resistance to doing it is minimal and your chance of success is high. They should be so small that it takes no more than 5-10 minutes (or 3-5 minutes if needed) to accomplish. Take that new habit you want to form and break it down to super small mini-habits to get you started.

  • A resolution to eat healthier becomes a commitment to eat one vegetable a day.
  • A need to live within a budget can start with stopping all Starbucks (‘insert your regular money-wasting purchase here’) visits.
  • The desire to exercise daily for 30 minutes becomes a commitment do one push up a day.
  • A goal to be more collaborative with colleagues can start with a commitment to compliment one person’s idea or work every other day.

This approach was backed by a classic Stanford University study that focused on kids who had trouble with math. One group was instructed to set small math goals, while a second group set long-term goals. The first group accurately solved 80% of the problems. The second group correctly solved only 40%.

The Benefits of Taking This Small Mini-Habits Approach

  1. Starting small reduces internal resistance which means only an infinitesimally small (laughably small) amount of willpower is needed. If it takes more than this, you’ve not set them small enough.
  2. Doing something small is infinitely better than doing nothing. And setting big goals typically leads to doing nothing.
  3. Success at doing small things builds a positive feedback loop which increases self-efficacy. From this positive foundation it’s easier to do a bit more than the minimum as time goes on. From here, it’s easier to ‘scale up’ over time.
  4. And even if you don’t scale up, doing something small every day builds a routine. This is enough to grow into a lifelong foundational habit.

Other Habit-Formation Tips

  • Develop a plan – Select your mini-habit. Pick a trigger (e.g. time of day) which will prompt you to implement it. Select a reward. Write these down.
  • Track your progress – Keep a log on how you’re doing. Note occasions when you’ve scaled up in duration, difficulty, overcoming obstacles, etc.
  • Develop a reward system – Give yourself a reward (e.g. a hot bath or a phone call with a friend) only after you’re finished with your mini-habit for the day.
  • Surround yourself with a support network – The people you spend time with do impact your habits, both good and bad. Surround yourself with people who are good at what you want to achieve.
  • Build in accountability – Your log tracking your progress holds you accountable to yourself. Telling your support network what you’re doing so they can encourage you will help you to be accountable to them.
  • Focus on avoiding loss – Focusing on avoiding loss leads to change more often than focusing on gaining something (Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success). For example, envisioning a life plagued with heart disease has a greater chance of leading to a healthy lifestyle than imagining yourself looking good in a swimsuit.
  • Use a vacation to break a habit – Behavior associated with habits often start with a trigger which tells your brain to perform its habitual learned behavior. Vacations change those triggers which breaks up our normal behavior patterns. For this reason, Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) says that vacations can be one of the best times to break yourself of an unwanted habit.

The good news is that habits are malleable throughout our life so it’s never too late to improve something for the better.

Robin Elledge is the founder of Janus, a coaching and consulting firm in Los Angeles. Robin’s greatest passion is working with people to improve their ability to effect change within their company, team, and themselves. She has over 30 years of experience supporting and coaching leaders at all levels, from CEOs to those who are just beginning their management journey.