Do creative professionals get tired of working on the computer?

Hi Elizabeth,

Great question! I'm glad you understand that being a creative professional means more than just expressing your artistic nature. As a working creative with over 30 years of experience, I've spent the majority of my career using a computer. Personally, I enjoy it very much. Every person is different, however, so other creatives may consider computers cumbersome or an impediment to their workflow. If you can think of the computer as another tool at your disposal, it may help you deal with the fact that it's probably not going to go away any time soon.

You don't specify what your artistic endeavors entail, but you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that computers can help you harness that talent in ways you might not have considered. A great aspect of computers is that they are constantly evolving and changing (so you can, too!). New developments in software and in the machines themselves help keep me from getting bored or complacent with the work that I do.

If you have the opportunity, try to secure an internship with an architectural firm, ad agency, or interior design shop to get a better idea of how computers are utilized in those industries. If that's not an option, see if you could at least get a tour of one of those businesses and talk with some of the people who might be your peers one day.

I hope you won't let computers discourage you from pursuing a career using your artistic talents. The world needs more creative people! Good luck with your discovery process. I wish you all the best for your future!

HI Elizabeth,

yes, sometimes often creatives can get tired of sitting at a desk working on a computer. Excellent ergonomic setup of your workstation is super important (good chair, keeping your arms and legs at a proper angle, keeping your monitor the right height) and so are taking breaks. However I know that is not what you meant when you asked your question :) Most creative work has a variety of projects so that keeps the process fresh, you are always solving new problems and it is fun. Computers and software are constantly evolving, keeping up with technology is part of the field. I personally do all my brainstorming, sketching with traditional media on paper, I ink my illustrations with a nib and ink (even tho I could do it all in Photoshop and sometime I do that too). For illustration I use all sorts of paints and markers then later I might scan that in and work it more digitally.

You will see that there is a lot of ways to incorporate traditional media into your creative work. What kind of art supplies do you like to use? All creatives sketch on paper, Interior designers work with all sort of floor and wall samples, color chips, architects build mockups. So even though there is a lot of computer work, there are lots of ways to incorporate non digital creativity into the work flow. Be adventurous, have fun expressing your ideas, experiment with anything that inspires you. Follow your own instincts, enjoy your creative work. The world is looking forward to see what you create! Enjoy!

The most important thing that you can do to assure that you will enjoy doing your work every day is to get to know yourself and possible suitable career areas to allow you to see from the inside what it is like to be involved in that career.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .