Great creatives have always been hard to work with. Their standards are what make them great and at the same time, impossible to live with. They have the courage to dream, work towards the unknown and through sheer determination, throw their hearts and souls into uncertainty.

Of course, they make it difficult for the mediocre to settle for less and inflict a degree of shame on them for settling. Who wants to be around someone who is always pushing to make things better?

Albert Einstein knew it when he said, “Great spirits always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.” But keep in mind something else Mr. Einstein said on his deathbed, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.

Freelancing is the closest a creative can come to artistic freedom while practicing his art to generate income. It is within your power to dramatically improve your clients image provided you don’t limit yourself by bending too often to your clients’ wishes.

I think that there's plenty of stuff to do - if you look at some of the data on job growth for professions that require some degree of artistry and creativity - designers, for instance - or some degree of empathy and emotional intelligence: nurses.

There are going to be plenty of opportunities.... But it's not going to be "knowledge workers," it's going to be creators and empathizers. ...

But you can imagine accountants morphing to become broader, financial-life planners, and understanding where their clients are coming from, understanding their true needs, not just crunching numbers, because foreigners can do [that] cheaper, and computers can do it better.

[But computers] can't understand someone's dreams; they can't design a compelling experience.

Daniel Pink -- author of Free Agent Nation. His forthcoming book, A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age outlines the abilities workers must master to succeed in the future.

from article : The Christian Science Monitor, January 05, 2005

The fact is, almost all of the research in this field shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.

Creativity depends on a number of things: experience, including knowledge and technical skills; talent; an ability to think in new ways; and the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells.

Intrinsic motivation -- people who are turned on by their work often work creatively -- is especially critical.

Over the past five years, organizations have paid more attention to creativity and innovation than at any other time in my career.

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excerpt from article 
A Safe Way to Start Out On Your Own
By Barnaby Kaplan

Many people are frustrated by their current full-time job, but hesitate to take that first step toward independence out of fear.

It's understandable. When you're used to a steady paycheck from a regular job, and have family and financial obligations, stepping out of your comfort zone just seems too risky -- no matter how unhappy you are with your current situation. 

Your employer, however, could be your ticket to the new career or new business you‚re dreaming about.

This gave me the springboard I needed to go out and find other clients, while covering enough of my monthly expenses to take the fear out of starting my own business. ///

If you are thinking of becoming an independent consultant in the same industry you work in now, your current employer is your best first client. 

If you are thinking of changing directions with your work life, your current job can provide the security you need in your first year to get started on your dream.

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author Rich Karlgaard on Life 2.0..

My journey across America by small airplane began with a column I wrote in Forbes magazine in the April 15, 2002 issue. It was called "Boonyack Comeback." 

In it I wrote that small cities could very well outperform larger cities, economically, during the Turbulent 2000s decade....

Within a month of the "Boonyack" column being published.. I had received more than 200 emails. These were not spitballs aimed at my head, but something much different:

-- They were tales of the search for sanity and of the need to balance life and work. 
-- Many were sincere outpourings of deep life-transition stories.
-- Most were from people who had undergone life-changing shifts in perspective. ....

On and on the emails ran. 

Stories like these are fun to read. They evince something wonderful about the American character, the pursuit of happiness and the gift for reinvention. But do these highly personal stories tell us something larger? Might they also hint at deeper changes in the dreams and lifestyle choices of the Americans?

I thought so. 

That's why, two years ago, I set out by small airplane to travel across and collect the stories of Americans who had sought saner lives in smaller communities.

I am convinced these stories will inspire millions of Americans who feel trapped by the high costs and stresses of urban and suburban living.

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Work Styles

The following styles of selecting and performing work reflect mediocre commitment and effort and bring about mediocre results. 

If you approach work with little enthusiasm, you may recognize elements of more than one of the following types in your style:

Job Coasters stint on effort and take shortcuts whenever and wherever they can... SLHPPs [Self Limiting High Potential Persons] who job-coast work to survive rather than to meet other needs or to express themselves creatively. A few make slacking a lifestyle choice. ...

Demand Avoiders deliberately seek work for which they are overqualified... [etc]

Niche Builders : Similar to hiders but operate in small organizations, professional practices, or college faculties, niche builders perform mundane or unpleasant but necessary duties that are uninteresting to others to avoid more threatening or demanding duties....

Flashers demonstrate their exceptional talent in tantalizing but inconsistent "now-you-see-it-now-you-don't" bursts....

Hopscotchers launch one career initiative after another....

Job Surfers : The job surfer drops out of a conventional career path to take an entry-level job at a bookstore after another at a bar, staying with any one job only until bored, then going to the next...

Temp Surfers : gaining work through temp agencies....

Many SLHPPs [Self Limiting High Potential Persons] delay facing up to the need to choose a career for as long as possible. They want to wade into adult life and get used to the water.