Navigating Transitions and Change as Creative Professionals

As we transition into a new season, it's the perfect time to reflect on how transitions shape our journey as creative professionals. Whether in our creative careers, artistic practice, or business — transitions are by nature transformative, guiding us toward growth and new possibilities.

Recently, I came across a definition of career development that deeply resonates with me personally and as a life, career, and professional development coach for artists and creatives. You may have seen me share it on social media. It resonates with me because it is very aligned with how I see and have experienced transitions as integral to our career development and growth as creative professionals. 

"Career development is a lifelong journey 

of managing learning, work, leisure, and transitions 

to shape a personally determined and evolving preferred future."

Canadian Career Development Foundation’s (CCDF) 

This perspective on career development also reflects the holistic approach I encourage my clients to embrace and acknowledges the reality that we creative professionals are almost always in transition. Personally, I’ve  had to navigate many transitions along  my own career development journey as a creative. Looking back, I recognize that these transitions and how I’ve navigated them have shaped how I approach my work day-to-day,  how my career journey has unfolded and ultimately how I’ve grown and evolved as a creative professional. 

Transitions are synonymous with change and I know firsthand that change isn’t always easy—especially when you’re facing it alone. Transitions can feel overwhelming. Which is probably why navigating transitions is one of the most common reasons artists and creatives seek coaching and support from me. 

Here are some types of transitions that I’ve had to navigate and coached my clients to navigate as creative professionals:

Anticipated Transitions

These are the transitions we plan for and intentionally work toward. As a coach, I often support creatives as they navigate these shifts. This might include stepping into new chapters of creative life and work, seeking new job opportunities, or planning a move—whether into a new community, creative field or context, or even a new country.

Even when anticipated, transitions can still be disruptive and disorienting. I certainly experienced this in navigating my plans to take my career in the direction of coaching and starting my business. I had to learn new skills, create new habits and routines as a self-employed creative working from home after spending a few decades being an employee and evolve my professional identity. From my own experience and coaching hundreds of other creative professionals at this point, I appreciate that anticipated transitions like moving from student to working professional, from employee to independent artist or entrepreneur, or from a familiar community and area of expertise into an entirely new space can bring uncertainty and even self-doubt.

Navigating these changes with intention and support can make the process smoother and more fulfilling. This involves developing a clear vision and strategy, information gathering and evaluation. Then there are practical decisions to be made and intentional actions to be determined and taken. Sometimes we need to balance holding our vision with being flexible and open to what we discover as we navigate these transitions. 

Unanticipated Transitions

These are transitions we are forced to navigate when something happens to us. For example - we get downsized or let go or on the more positive side a new opportunity comes at us seemingly out of nowhere. Perhaps a lucky accident, serendipitous connection or unexpected offer opens up a whole new range of possibilities and decisions to navigate. Unanticipated changes - be they positive or negative - can feel like the rug is pulled out from under us. What we counted on or the vision we had for ourselves suddenly comes into question or is not possible.

We have to pivot and adapt to the situation which requires acting decisively and maybe even reinventing ourselves - sometimes quickly (as many artists and creatives did during the recent pandemic). During these transitions it can be tempting to react with panic. The antidote to this is to focus on what’s within our control, stay aligned with our values and to connect with our curiosity, resourcefulness and creativity in order to find our path through and forward.

Slow Burning Transitions

These transitions happen over time. We look back and we aren’t where we were or even who we were before. For example the transition we go through in learning and mastering a new skill or body of experience. At first we are consciously incompetent - our focus is on noticing what we aren’t yet good at and trying to correct our mistakes. Then we become consciously competent - we consciously focus on the steps and following best practices to “do it right”. Finally we become unconsciously competent - the skill comes to us more naturally. We don’t have to think so hard and it becomes second nature. We may even begin to customize how we perform or use this skill or body of experience in unique ways. Other examples include the slow building of our artistic style, creative vocabulary and processes over time. And the long career arc from emerging to mid-career to established/senior professional and perhaps leader.

Moving through these types of transitions requires a steady, ongoing commitment to growth and progress. We need to have strategies to maintain motivation, focus and self-accountability. Slow burning transitions are subtle by nature and many creatives struggle with how to measure their progress. Artists and creatives reach out to me for support when they get stuck or feel lost at various points along the way. As a coach, I support them to keep showing up, be intentional and self-accountable in their approach. This includes helping them build a consistent practice of acknowledging progress while staying attuned to their evolving needs and desires.

Seismic Transitions

Transitions can be like riding a wave.  A big wave of transition is seismic by nature. These waves of transition give you an adrenaline rush and change who you are. I’ve certainly ridden some big waves in my career as a creative professional including:

• Transitioning out of working in product development and senior management in my family’s small town based international candle manufacturing and home decor distribution business and into the local arts sector in Canada’s biggest city.

• Transitioning from working in for-profit to non-profit.

• Transitioning from being a lifelong employee to creating my own business and being self-employed.

Seismic transitions can be challenging to our identity. I can attest that navigating these transitions I’ve shared has changed who I am and how I identify as a creative professional. I had to find and seize new opportunities, leverage my core strengths in different ways and draw on trusting in myself. And I sought the support of a coach when I needed some help to navigate the unknowns and gain fresh perspective. 

Micro Transitions

Not all of the transitions we have to navigate are of this magnitude. Some are much smaller but how we navigate them can have major impacts. As creative professionals we are uniquely challenged to navigate wearing many hats. For example, we must transition from working on hands on making or creative work to administrative tasks, marketing and promoting ourselves and networking. Sometimes we navigate transitions between any combination of these things within a single day or week. I delved into “how we transition from one thing to the next matters” in a previous blogpost Small Changes = Big Impact for Creatives and shared my strategies and philosophy.

Our work as artists and creatives is always evolving, as is the world around us and we are always evolving as individuals. Regardless of the type of transitions we navigate, I see transitions as moments for new growth and opportunities for fresh perspectives on our work and lives as creative professionals. The transition into the spring season invites us to step forward with renewed purpose, embracing both the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead. 

What transitions are you navigating right now as a creative professional?

Image: Michael Evans Artworks: Kal Mansur and Superplat (Isabelle Campeau & Claudie Dussault)