Somewhere along the way, we forgot that creative work is supposed to be fun.
We’re not saving lives, so the work doesn’t need to feel like a constant emergency.
We’re not data points, and creativity can’t be forced into a spreadsheet.
We don’t work in straight lines, and the best ideas never show up exactly when or how the process says they should.
The job has become heavier than it needs to be, and it’s not because of the work itself. It’s the environment we’re being asked to do it in.
The Fake Urgency
Everything is treated like it’s critical.
Stakeholders act like we’re carrying a heart in a box, and if we don’t ship by Friday, someone might die.
But creative work doesn’t flourish under panic.
It needs space. It needs air. It needs time to wander, go wrong, and come back better.
This constant pressure to “move fast” doesn’t make the work better. It just burns people out and kills the joy.
Spreadsheet Culture
Creativity has become something we’re expected to quantify.
OKRs. ROI. Performance metrics. 360 reviews.
Dashboards built to turn creative thinking into tidy numbers.
Why?
Because the people holding the purse strings don’t actually understand creative work.
They’ve never made anything. So they build spreadsheets to help them feel in control of it.
And we, the creatives, spend more time proving the value of our work than making it.
Process Theatre
On top of the urgency and metrics, there’s the obsession with process.
We’re expected to follow a set structure.
Double diamond. Design sprint. Weekly rituals.
And when we don’t follow it exactly, we’re asked to explain why. In detail.
But creative work doesn’t follow a perfect sequence.
It loops. It stalls. It leaps ahead, then doubles back.
The magic doesn’t happen because of the process. It happens in spite of it.
So yes, we care.
Yes, we want to do great work.
But we don’t need to treat every task like it’s mission critical,
turn everything into a spreadsheet,
or explain the magic before it even happens.
We’re just people trying to earn a living, using our talent to make cool stuff.
Relax. It’s a job. And it’s supposed to be fun.