The freedom of creative choice and building a career that fits you

Setting intentions for the next two years, and open to working more!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my work. What motivates me? What do I want to be known for? What work do I want to be involved in? Who are the kind of people that I want to collaborate with? What gets me moving? I’ve been a freelancer in the social media and content space since 2013, and with every new role, it felt like I was starting from scratch. In the beginning, it was disorienting- constantly struggling to explain what I actually did for a living. It made me feel like I didn’t know what I was doing, because no job title was ever a perfect fit. I was featured as a freelance content writer on Homegrown, but I was a social media manager writing posts for The Deccan Odyssey and MasterChef Australia with an agency. I was also slowly building the online presence for Skyscanner India. I was collaborating for events with LBB Mumbai and Pune. I thought I had found stability when I started my own agency, and by the time I got used to calling myself an “entrepreneur” I shifted gears into a whole new industry I knew nothing about.

But over the last one year I’ve brought together all my interests and found a way to earn myself a living- writing, social media, relationship management, and my love for hospitality, wellness, and stories- and have built a career that supports me. And because I’m mildly obsessed with time management, I’ve also figured out how to keep my life balanced and stay grounded while I’m at it. If you’re curious about what I’ve been up to this year, check this link.

Coming back to the point that I’ve been trying to make- creativity is about evolving your work as you evolve as a person. And for people like us-freelancers, solopreneurs, creatives-your personal growth is always intertwined with your professional path, isn’t that right?

So, what does that look like for me right now? What projects am I chasing now that I’m ready for more responsibility?

My focus for the year ahead is clear- I want to merge my skills and passions in a way that leaves me feeling creatively satisfied.

Now, what does creative satisfaction look like to me?

For someone who feels, thinks, and questions everything deeply, creative satisfaction to me looks like a delicate balance of authenticity and impact. I don’t want to create for the sake of creating; my work explores thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and I want it to connect with people. Whatever I do, I want to leave room for others to feel. I want to work towards creating something meaningful without forcing it on anyone. I know I’ve done something right when I see people reflecting back my ideas, questioning, learning, and understanding- not because they had to, but because something in my words made them feel or think in a new way.

And this comes to me when I have space to create freely. I need an environment where I can explore ideas, where my autonomy is respected, and where I’m trusted to bring depth to the table. In a nutshell, creative satisfaction is all about being trusted, having accountability, and knowing that the impact of my work goes beyond likes and shares.

And I guess this is why the brands I choose to work with matter- I need to believe in what they stand for because when people see I’ve worked with a brand, I want them to trust it as much as they trust me with their thoughts on what I had to share.

Career 2. 0

I’ve been quite vocal on social media all my life, and that’s because I don’t like to play by many rules on my social media. Over the years I’ve realised that as soon as rules set in, I start to feel boxed after a few weeks, and if the product (or service) that I’m working with was not strong enough, as a social media manager I would start losing interest in creating great content. For the longest time I blamed the clients, but experience taught me how to probe deeper and see how I could add value to the offerings that would enable the storytelling. I learnt how to take initiative, and be patient with everything instead of expecting overnight results. Social media has got us into the habit of expecting things too quickly, and if something doesn’t work we’re quick to jump to the next thing. I did this too when I was younger- I would look for more gigs, to help keep my interest as I figured out how to maintain a standard of living I was setting for myself. Creative satisfaction wasn’t as important as making money, but I won’t be too hard on myself because it’s all that hustle that made me comfortable enough to slow down now and rely on my savings.

Another thing with being an independent worker is that there will be no promotion lined up for you- no one would easily trust me with an entire brand strategy or creative direction on a project. I had to earn that too, so I collaborated with enterprising people who were great at doing things, and who like me, understood the need for independence in order to honour their creative process.

I’ve recently gone back to looking for new gigs now that I’ve found some stability in my life. The first few gigs that came my way were all about social media managing and execution, something that I know I have moved on from because I like to work on the brand as a whole, rather than just one part of the whole business which runs on metrics like likes, saves and shares. I like to be part of the bigger picture, where I play an important part of the brand and storytelling process and work closely with other stakeholders to give birth to a new product. Getting these gigs made me realise it won’t ever be difficult to find things to do, but it also made me reflect on what I wanted to work on. After 12 years of doing this, I’ve learned to be kinder to myself. I’ve let go of the pressure that used to push me to take on work out of fear of not having enough. Now, I’m in a position to choose, and I am slowly learning how to embrace this. I’ve built this life for myself, after all.

A life lesson

If you want to be known for offering high-quality, niche work, you have to believe you're worth it. And that means saying NO more than you say yes. It’s scary at first, and it takes a lot of courage. But after a while, all of it makes sense if you continue to stay true to your goal (of seeking creative satisfaction, in my case).

In the past few months, I said no to several projects. I gave myself space to check in with how things were making me feel, and also started focusing on the physical sensations that came along. It felt slow and, honestly, a little scary because we’re taught to go after every opportunity. But I didn’t want to say yes out of fear of missing out. I wanted to say yes because it aligned with who I am and what I’m trying to build. I wanted to move on from saying yes just to get the money, to saying yes because it made me feel seen. Some reasons I said no to projects-

• Not enough money

• Daily execution work on social media

• Micromanagement by clients

• My skillset wasn’t enough

• Values didn’t align

• Creating a sense of urgency when there was none

Some projects I’ve enjoyed lately

One of my favorite projects in the last 2 years involved working on the identity and marketing for a homegrown chocolate brand. I’ve also been enjoying organising events at my job at the bookstore, handling communications, and seeing it all translate into a thriving community. I have also just started working on another fantastic project that combines my love for travel, luxury, writing and publishing! And there’s a project that’s combining my love for travel, luxury, writing, and publishing-I can’t wait to dive in. Plus, there’s a potential to build a fun, wholesome brand in the hospitality industry that I’m seriously considering.

A new wish

Keeping creative satisfaction at the core of it, I want to set a new intention for my career for the next two years - I want to feel seen through my work, and that’s something I am seeking even in my personal life as I learn to set boundaries, communicate, and break out of negative patterns that have been holding me back.

Work with me

If you have a project in mind that you would like to collaborate on, please reach out for a chat and I’d love to see if we could make it happen. If you wish to connect and see how we can work together in the future, I’d love to explore this too! And if you’re a freelancer like me, and want to start pitching together, I’d be more than happy to get on board if our values and skills align. I can help you set up a brand. I can work on organising and promoting retreats and events. I can help with writing - content and communication are my strong points.

If you’d like to chat, my email ID is protima.freelance@gmail.com

Thanks for taking out the time to read this. Until next time, happy reflecting!