John Besmer confirms our meeting with “Word,” and signs off with, “Yup!” like he’s in the middle of a Jay-Z video. At the corner of corporate and hipster, I arrive to his office to discover him in a plaid button-down shirt, designer-rimmed glasses and a whole lot of Midwestern charm.
I first saw Besmer in a similar uniform on stage. Ten designers shared twenty inspiration slides for twenty seconds each, but Besmer’s stood out; he was the only person to play electric guitar, read from a book and live-tweet during his – he later told me – “horribly lashed-together” presentation.
Besmer, Principal and Creative Director of Planet Propaganda, is one of the creatives that has been paving the way for design to take a front-seat in how we approach everything, from education to careers to business. His client list includes long-standing relationships with big-timers like Jimmy John’s sandwiches and MTV to the young and hip Trek bikes and Red Wing shoes.
“Design is becoming more relevant because things are becoming more complicated” Besmer tells me. And with that, a relative army of people are now claiming the term designer of one sort or another.
Should you need a speedy determination as to whether you’re business or creative-minded, take my test. Ask yourself, what time do I rise and fall? Scoring: Businessmen get up early. Creatives stay up late.
What links designers today “is their belief that everything today is ripe for reinvention and ‘smart recombination’” Warren Berger reports in Glimmer. And such foundational values are the backbone of innovation and business. Here’s how to take advantage:
1. Reframe your job, your tasks, your day-to-day. The concept of job titles are horribly outdated. Accept whatever title you’re given, but expand and burst the borders into far-away corners. Do as designers do and switch up “a familiar problem or challenge [like your job] in an unconventional way…. often the way a problem is framed will determine the solution,” Berger suggests.
Most successful people do this automatically. I know a young lawyer that was just recruited as partner at a prestigious law firm – this, at a time when lawyers are hurting badly – and it’s because he never saw himself as just a lawyer. He was always a leader first, the contracts and depositions came second.
So reframe your career in a new way. Ask stupid questions: Where should I really be living? Could I work from home? If I ate tuna for lunch every day, would that increase my productivity? What makes me happy?
2. Problem-solve to success. “I’m here to help my clients sell stuff,” Besmer tells me, but later admits that problem-solving is what really drives him. When you solve a problem, you get more responsibility, more challenge, new problems to solve. And that is what’s so exciting about successful careers. You solve lots of problems one after the other. It’s the difference between working hard and working smart, between an empty job and a fulfilling one.
Designers are extra good at this since it’s their explicit job description, but problem-solving is really the function of every job, of un-sticking yourself, of true creativity, regardless of the field you’re in – administrative to professional to creative.
3. Gain momentum by doing more and more. Berger reports this is the “’upward spiral’ of solving problems, wherein the more you do it, the more you can do it.” Solving problems, after all, is actually quite daunting and it can be paralyzing to jump in to such high pressure and stress. But once you’re guaranteed the win, it’s just as assuredly guaranteed that you’ll want another one.
“Through constant acts of creative [problem-solving], you also re-create yourself,” Berger continues. “You help propel your own growth spiral, feeding off the energy of creation. That’s not just a feeling, it’s a fact: Being in that state of “design flow’ raises the levels of neurotransmitters in you brain, such as endorphins and dopamine and that keeps you focused and energized.”
My friend Besmer is a testament to such endorphins and energy, and as we wrap up our conversation, he tells me the story of how he moved to a new house a few years ago. He relates that on each moving box, he would write what that box contained. “I’d write ‘old photos, clothes,’ and whatever was actually in the box… then I’d add ‘glass eyes’ just to keep it interesting for the movers. I thought, why not make it interesting for those guys?”
Why not, indeed.
So, how do you make it interesting? Do you work only within the confines of your job title? Are you creative or business-minded?
22 replies on “3 Ways to Design Your Career”
Haven’t seen your posts in a while (I haven’t been able to put out any meaningful posts lately either). Very succint pointers off your readings and experiences. However, what is the strategy for handling situations where things are spiraling downhill, just out of curiosity?
@ Stanley – Not sure what you mean, “spiraling downhill” but if you’re talking in reference to your career, it’s probably time to jump ship (or maybe you’ll be forced to soon). You should always be paying attention to what your next step is even if you’re happy in your job. Good luck!
Well considering I usually stay ridiculously late (my best thinking is probably done between 11pm-2am) maybe I’m a creative (at least by these definitions). I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive of one another though. I’d venture Steve Jobs, Tony Hsieh, Jeff Bezos, etc. are both, no?
That said, I certainly agree with all three main points of this post. I don’t think that people who let their job title define (and confine) them are very business savvy or creative. I’m always looking for ways to solve problems I encounter…
For example. Wanted to get my haircut yesterday and looked the place up online… No hours of operation anywhere to be found. Opportunity to help make some changes to their website for a little supplemental income? Maybe. Probably not, but I try to constantly think that way.
Good stuff Rebecca!
@ Ryan – The test was just a little bit of fun… : ) But I agree, there are mixtures and if you’re that magical combination of both, like my CEO, you send emails long after your employees have turned out their lights and still manage to be the first to arrive at the office. I would definitely call you a creative! Is that not how you define yourself? Always curious on how people label themselves…
This is really interesting. I’m definitely creative-minded, although I don’t stay up late every night. Besemer sounds like a really cool guy, and I like his outlook on life and his career. The first point is essential. We can’t let our job title limit us. Instead, we have to take the tasks and responsibilities that we’re given and make them our own. Although we may not think so at the time, challenges are what make life interesting and help us grow. So, it makes complete sense to me that problem-solving would help encourage us to strive for success. Thanks for sharing this perspective!
@ Sam – I don’t stay up late every night either… primarly because I don’t like sleeping in too late! I’m with you on job titles. If you ask me what I do, I’ll tell you I lead PR & Community at my company, but I’m not working towards a career in PR and social media whatsoever. A bit sideways to most, but that strategy has always worked for me : )
I’m a problem solver by nature – I like nothing more than being presented with a challenge and left to solve it on my own…the key phrase here being “on my own.” Whatever your title may be, having the latitude to creatively solve challenges opens up tremendous possibilities in your career. I’m currently unsure of what my “job title” is (long-term intern? part-time marketing creative?) and it’s been bugging me as I’m trying to design business cards for my trip to SXSW. I was really hung up on the title until this post – it confirmed my feelings that titles don’t account for much in an age of continuously-evolving career opportunities. I tend to take try to take any opportunity (whether it’s one I’m presented with at work or one that I find on my own) and run with it. As for my sleeping habits – you’ll find me watching midnight reruns of Jeopardy on GSN and off to work at 7:30…so I guess you could say I burn the candle at both ends.
I think that the Besemer (and your CEO at Alice) seem like the ideal blend of creative & business sense. Thanks for the thought-provoking post!
@ Ellen – Thanks so much for sharing your story. That’s so interesting that you say that my CEO is the ideal blend of creative and business sense. I mean, I agree, mostly, but I often think about how he probably doesn’t have the ideal blend of work and life. I look up more to my direct boss, our President for that. A bit of a tangent, but you made me think about how burning the candle on both ends is seen to be the best thing… I’m not so sure, ha. : ). Anyway, so excited you’re going to SXSW – I need some buddies there!
Nice post. The official unofficial job title I get introduced as and is in the signature of my emails is “Social Media Chef.” I work for 2 restaurants, doing a very large range of things from social media strategy and upkeep, to blog writing, to designing and compiling email newsletters, shooting editing video, and so on.
I’d say I’m creative minded, although I habitually organize creative thoughts and try to apply them to my work whenever possible.I try to Creatively write entertaining ads and be the storyteller of news to the customers instead of just talking at them.
@ Preston – Love the title. It’s always interesting to come up with new ways to describe how we work today. And I agree, storytelling is so key! Thanks for the comment : )
I don’t think it’s just the remit of designers to apply creativity to what they do, but all too often people think that folks in creative jobs (designers, creative directors, copywriters, etc) have exclusivity on that trait.
I’ve worked with clients who have wanted to move into “more creative” work because they’re bored in their current field, but who haven’t realised they haven’t tried to apply creativity to their role.
They haven’t bust out the borders on their job title because they’re waiting for their environment to tell them they can do that. They’re operating by others’ expectations rather than their own creativity.
I know I perform better in every single part of my life when I bring creativity to it – career, friendships, dating, health, etc.
Great subject Rebecca :D
Fun article. I stubbornly disagree with the equation:
getting up early = businessman
staying up late = creative
It can go either way. Some creatives work better early in the morning. So there!
Bessmer must stay up late. Biased, I suppose.
Ha, my job title was vague to what I was/have been doing at my job. I read the job description and besides asking for an MBA and 7 years experience (I had neither, I’ve mentioned that here before in other comments) I stepped outside of the written perimeters of the job.
This is probably due to the fact that startups require a lot of ‘hat wearing’ but also because if I wanted to do something that I felt would benefit the company or had an idea, I could run with it (as long as it made some sort of sense). Finally, I just told my boss that I wanted a title change (suggested it rather than told;) reframed what I can do (more open ended) and also hired someone else to continue what I have been doing for the past year and a half.
I enjoyed reading these thoughts and interviews. I also like how obsolete job titles are ;)
Rebecca: great post, thanks again. Just thought I’d chime in on the early/late component. Yes, I’m usually a late guy – mostly because there’s less chance for interruptions. BUT. A friend turned me on to writing in the morning. Wake up, make coffee (in my case, diet mountain dew), and write/create for 30 minutes before your brain has a chance to re-rut itself for the day. Oh the places you’ll go.
Love the application of design and careers. Rob and I talk about this a lot. That idea of the energy you create by discipline and momentum.
Hi Rebecca, Hope you’re well. Love this post.
As a leader in an arts organization and a b-school grad, by definition I don’t see creativity and business as opposite ends of a spectrum. Sometimes we say business and what we mean is discipline — it’s discipline to get up and write in the morning, to practice when we don’t feel like it, to follow through and follow up. The most successful creatives I know love their art, audience, and/or self enough to be disciplined. Enough of my soapbox.
On another note, design thinking is definitely picking up steam in many quarters. I have friends in two different business schools who have courses in design thinking as part of their MBA programs. Sweet!
Rebecca- I love the statement “Problem Solve to Success” and the distinction between working harder and working smarter. Quantity of work must be stabilized by the quality.
Thanks!
Kevin
@ Steve – Yes, I love the idea of bringing creativity to every area of your life, although it’s often difficult to change your mindset to do so – we need reminders like yours : )
@ Cynthi – Yeah, I’m pretty productive/creative in the morning as well. The test was just a bit of fun : )
@ Grace – Oh, I don’t remember you saying that about the job qualifications that you didn’t have. Pretty awesome. And thanks for sharing your story on how you asked for what you wanted and succeeded!
@ John – Hmmm… since I’m having a hard time posting consistently, I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks!
@ Tiffany – It would be so awesome to be married to a designer, I think… much easier to remind yourself to be creative ; )
@ Jenn – Love your distinction between business and discipline – well said. I love design thinking. I know it’s a trend right now, but I can’t seem to get enough of it.. probably because I studied design and I love seeing how it applies to all areas : ). Thanks for the comment!
@ Kevin – Yes, it’s a simple thing to say, but hard to execute. I’m constantly reminding myself of the distinction.
Creative, yes! And your emphasis on design is important. It’s not just an extra – it’s an intrinsic part of a product or service that’s often considered high-value.
That is really the key – keeping it interesting. Many try to force themselves into false structure in order to fit the mold of how work is supposed to be performed. This may appear “normal” and not rock the boat, however something is definitely lost – namely the creative edge.
I discovered this a couple of years ago when I first started encountering creative types. They stayed up late and slept in. I, on the other hand, woke up early. I noticed a transition occurring briefly over time, which I first tried to fight, when I stopped fighting it – and stayed up late, I noticed that I produced my best work – while up late.
Great interview and article!
The idea of working only within the confines of your job title is multiplied when you work at an advertising agency, where you’re more than likely assigned to one, maybe two accounts if your lucky.
I make it interesting by being proactive and offering up assistance to other departments that I have expertise in. Advertising agencies are very departmentalized and whenever you have a little bit of knowledge or passion to learn or help someone else, it breaks down those walls, creating a REAL collaborative environment.
Advertising is a unique industry in that in sits at the intersection of creativity and commerce. Agencies can sometimes act as the battlefield for creative people and business-minded people, since both need to be present for a agency to exist.
So, is it bad to be business minded? Or does that mean that you are less influential? I used to be creative, but i’m at a job now that won’t allow me to stay up late due to early hrs…