This is awkward. Just a few short months after returning to Critical Mass as a Planner (and writing about it), I’ve decided Planning isn’t for me.
Actually, that’s not true.
A more accurate statement would be that after nearly a decade in the industry, I’ve decided advertising isn’t for me. At least not right now.
Of course, a lot of people probably just think I’m a flakey prick. Given the evidence, I can’t really deny that and I’ll just have to live with it.
The last two years have been kind of nuts in my life. I won’t bore you with the details — it’s not exactly a sex, drugs and rock n’ roll story — but one of my goals when I left Critical Mass the first time was to try something new. Except it was basically the same thing in a new place. Then I got laid off and used that as an opportunity to try something else new; namely being unemployed. That was surprisingly a lot of fun, though the salary and benefits kind of sucked. When I came back to Critical Mass, I swapped my “Copywriter” title a “Planner” title, again looking for something new. But it wasn’t really all that new. I’ve been doing planning as a copywriter for years, it just wasn’t formalized.
And I miss writing. Or at least I miss being a writer. I take satisfaction in being identified with that title, and if that makes me a bit pretentious, well… yeah.
So I’m a writer again. Technically a “Senior Writer,” and on Tuesday I’ll start my new gig over at iStockphoto. I’m excited because it’s not an agency but it’s still very much a web thing and a creative thing, and right now that feels like a pretty good fit for my life.
