5 not-fun things no one will tell you about creative jobs

5 leid-fun things no one will tell you about creative jobs5 elend-fun things no one will tell you about creative jobsI only ever had interest in working in creative jobs. I am an artist, writer, and a slew of other creative things that require a lot of time and effort for virtually no money. Choosing a creative career field sounds really cool. I cant tell you how many people say to me, upon finding out that I primarily work in animation, that they are so jealous and my job must be so fun. And tbh, most of the time it totally is. I definitely have a lot mora fun than my friends who work in offices, or are doctors and have lives on the line every day. But there are a lot of things I didnt expect when I became an artist/writer professionally, I wish I knew more going in.Would it have changed anything for me? Not a chance, but thats because the only thing I really like (besides my dog and margaritas) is art. I have to do it either way, so I might as well make a living from it. But if you re ready to quit your 9-5 and pursue a creative job, heres what you should know.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIts the worst way to make moneyLiving in LA, I cant tell you how many actors Ive met who say things like, Oh I cant wait to be rich and famous, and ride in limos, and have mansions And its said totally un-ironically while theyre serving drinks at happy hour. Heres the thing yes, you can absolutely make money from the arts. I just found out Nikki Sixx of Mtley Cre has a net worth of $45 mill, and his career was like, 10% writing/music and 90% f*cking everything up, according toThe Dirt(could not recommend more btw, watch it immediately). There are many, many artists, musicians, actors, directors, writers, etc. living in mansions and making a ton of money. But that isnt the reason to do it. It is unbelievably hard and soul-sucking to try to make money as a creative of a ny kind, and the chance of making mansion-level money is so difficult and unlikely. There are a million easier ways to make money if thats what you want (I dunno, work in finance). Be an actor because you love acting and you love film or theater. If youre after money and fame, you really just want to be a Kardashian. Also? Im a huge believer that if you work hard and your work is good, money will come. But its not easy and not a guarantee.Youll have to work harderSpeaking of working hard, except for your friend whos a doctor, working in a creative field means youll probably work a lot harder than your friends do- and for a lot less. I regularly work nights and weekends, I dont get vacation days, and I had to start forcing myself to take one day a week off work (which I dont even get every week, tbh) because I developed such severe tendinitis in my drawing arm from overworking it. Meanwhile, most of my friends work regular jobs, get off work at 5 and go to happy hour, spend their wee kends going out or watching Netflix, and theystillmake more money than I do. But creative jobs are fun, right?You wont get job perksIt is possible to get a steady job as a creative, depending on your field. I could work for an animation studio as a full-time employee instead of being freelance, for example. But most creative jobs, even in that case, are project-for-project. Meaning when your TV show (or whatever) ends, you will be unemployed. This causes issues with things like benefits, retirement plans, etc. I am completely self-employed, so not only do I pay out of pocket for benefits (which costs A LOT, BTW), my retirement plan is to just die. I also dont get vacation, sick days, etc. If I cant work, I dont make money. And on top of that, you have to put a lot of money away just in case you get the flu and cant work, so that you can still make your rent for the month.You will be unemployedNo matter how talented you are, in creative jobs, you will always have bouts of unemploymen t. In my experience its always feast or famine- I either have so much work Im not sleeping, or I have no jobs to do, so I have to work super hard to line up more. For this reason, its crucial to save money when you do have an income. I remember being horrified when I interned at a big production studio and found out that even if I was a full-time employee doing my dream job, I should expect to be laid off every nine months. Projects just constantly end or fall through or get canceled. If youre working in a creative field, its important to pick up as many side gigs as you can that earn income consistently.It does kind of ruin itWhen I was in high school, I woke up at 5 am, did full hair and makeup every day, went to class from 7am-2pm, hung out with friends, did homework, and then worked on my art for hours. For fun. Now, my art is my work, and when Im done working, the last thing I want to do is more art. So yeah, doing anything professionally ruins the fun of it. My job is really n ot fun when Ive been awake for 36 hours to meet an insane deadline. The only thing I find fun then issleeping. When you do it as your job, you have added stress you didnt have when it was a hobby. The stakes are higher. That said, the rewards are higher too. There is nothing better than working on a project that you poured your heart and soul into and having it turn out amazing, and then watching your career move forward. It makes it all worth it.So should you look into creative jobs? Only if you love your art enough to pour blood, sweat, tears, and gallons of iced coffee into it. Otherwise, maybe youd rather work a steady job and just play music for fun on the weekendsthats totally acceptable too, and it doesnt make you any less of an artist. Its about figuring out what your optimal dream is for your art. For me, I dont want to spend any time doing anything else. Also, I dont have any other skills anyway. Hopefully this insight will help you figure it out Let me know any other ques tions you have about creative jobs in the commentsThis article originally appeared on Betches.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people