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Solve anything with Dr. Mark: Career advice for the working class; Selling out or stocking up?

By Dr. Mark Goulston, Source: Tribune Media Services

Q: My studio grabbed me right out of film school because of my award-winning student films and creativity. Now all they want me to do is commercial crap. When am I going to get the chance to do the artistic stuff that I thought they hired me for?

A: As Joan Rivers might say: "Oh grow up!" Really! Do you think you could whine just a bit louder for all of us? As unrelenting as your muse pressures you to produce something worthy of your creative talent, she (or he) is no match for everyone else who are trying to keep their jobs and put food on the table for their families.

But before you go sniveling back to your student-film award, adorned office there is one way to have your chance to show your creativity.

In the business world, it's called, "ETR" which means you need to Earn the Right. You have to demonstrate enough "Screw everybody profitability" before you get to have "Screw everybody creative freedom."

Steven Spielberg did "Jaws," "Indiana Jones," and "ET" before he earned the right to do "The Color Purple." Then he had to re-earn the right with "Jurassic Park" before he could do "Schindler's List." Clint Eastwood had to endure a lot of spaghetti westerns and "Make my day" Dirty Harry-type roles before he could make a classic "Unforgiven" and had sufficient cache to be given the go-ahead with "Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby" and "Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima." You get the picture.

You need to pay your dues. If you can't wait, than give your apologies to the wife and kids and work 24/7 doing the commercial thing by day and your creative stuff at night or on weekends or find an angel (ha, ha good luck with that one!). Isn't that what all the start-up companies do?

A final word of advice regarding this zero sum game mentality you have regarding creativity vs. commerciality. Lose it! Most creative people have had their artistic sides increased by their side trips through their more commercial work (as have commercially successful people been helped by taking a sojourn into the more artistic side of life).

And if your muse continues to obsessively pressure you to only stay true to your art, tell her to take two Prozac and call me in the morning.

Putting it off

Q: I'm a procrastinator. It has cost me promotions in my job, embarrasses me, makes me feel lousy about myself but I still do it. I know I would feel much better if I just do the things I put off and I occasionally do, but I don't keep it up. In fact every time I do something on time, I rebound by procrastinating even more. It feels so much a part of me, I am discouraged about being able to stop it, but I thought I'd write you. Maybe I'm just lazy.

A: It sounds like either you were putting off writing me or maybe you wrote me as another way to put off doing something that you should be doing.

I don't think you're lazy. Believe it or not, many people procrastinate because they're lonely. That's because they remember being forced to do some chore (and the lonely feelings associated with that) as kids, and they don't want to repeat the experience as adults. It feels isolating to tackle a task alone with no one there to cheer you on.

Elicit support. Elicit the help of a friend. Tell this person what you need to accomplish by what date, and ask them to check in on your progress.

Conjure an image. Imagine an important person in your life who would expect you to rise above and succeed. Think of someone, a family member, teacher or coach perhaps, who believed in you in the past and would want you to do the right thing now. Have a conversation in your mind, and let this person coach you and inspire you to tackle your project.

Break it down. Sometimes we procrastinate because the job seems so big or overwhelming and we don't know where to start. Break down whatever you need to do into a list of baby steps that you can approach one at a time, with less fear and again use the real or imagined people from above to root you on.

Ask distracters to not distract you. When we're avoiding something, we're often happily interrupted. If you really want to get something done, tell your main meddlers (husband, kids, etc.) you're going to face your project for a set amount of time. Ask them to back you up by steering clear of your workspace.

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Mark Goulston, M.D., is a Santa Monica-based business psychiatrist, executive coach and author of "Get Out of Your Own Way at Work." Question him at mgoulston@markgoulston.com. Visit him at: www.markgoulston.com

© 2008, Tribune Media Services