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How to Pursue Your Dream of a Creative Job Try not to drown and rise up! Give yourself pep talks and continue working on your writing until you finally get a YES

By Vidhya Iyer

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The great thing about writing is that every experience is something to write about. It never occurs to you that the shows that made you laugh and are a source of an escape from reality can become an inspiration to set your career. Those shows with jokes and ensembles in shows like Malcolm in the Middle, That 70s Show, Scrubs, The Office and creators like Mike Schurz, Tina Fey, and Nahnatchka Khan can be folks that can really push you towards exploring your creative side. It can make you feel that you want to write hilarious dialogues and jargons that can make other people laugh. There were numerous hurdles to overcome in the process but it will just help you in realizing how much of business is just constantly putting out fires.

1. Figure Out What Sparks Your Creativity

Be unabashed, but humble. She was 15 when she first had the thought that she would love to write for television. One thinks that the idea is ridiculous because it is not something you could just DO, but if you know this is what you want then just work towards it and take the plunge. It's not easy to leap headfirst into the pursuit of your passion and be fortunate to have the opportunity and the support to do so. Strive and work very hard to diminish the impossibilities. Make that internal checklist and see whether it is writing that short story, painting that bowl of fruit or performing that Bharatanatyam dance that makes your soul glow.

2. Reach Out to Your Creative Forefathers (and Mothers)

We live in a wonderful time. One feels lucky to be born in the era of the Internet and social networks. When you first start trying to figure out how you could be that artist/TV writer/ dancer your soul will connect to your work. You will know that you were destined to pursue it. Watch and learn every possible everything available to you in the form of pictures, books and videos. Folks willing to pursue Screenwriting must watch everything that is ever on-air – NBC, ABC, CBS, USA, Netflix, Prime Videos you name it. Reach out to the people who inspire you. Write fan mail to the folks whose names you see repeatedly. This is how you can find your way into the industry. Talking to the people who had been there and done that. Now more than ever it's easy to reach out to folks and ask questions. You will find that people are often happy to help and answer questions provided you have specific ones. Always keep in mind that most people are extremely busy and vague questions will not endear you to them.

3. Hone Your Craft

We consume content like life depends on it (a writer's livelihood does) because writers enjoy it. One should study the structure of the stories and the way characters are crafted. It's important to work on your craft continuously, relentlessly and focus on progress. One cannot become a great writer, painter dancer or anything overnight, to do so one needs to set their sights on where they want to go and set smaller goals that involve creating your art consistently and leaving the judgments behind in the early stages. Take professional classes to strengthen your pursuit and really study her craft. When it comes to screenwriting, take the detour and study video field production, editing screenwriting to master the craft. Go to a school, which is reputed for your niche course. Being in school allows you to focus exclusively on honing the craft.

4, Build Connections

Meet as many new people as you can because it brings immense joy and builds your social circle. Some artists tend to be a bit introverted, but it's so important to build connections with people who understand your art and want to help you succeed. There are a lot of them out there. If, you see an Instagram post from an artist that you like then Direct Message them. Like someone's tweet? Ask them to coffee or email them. Drooling when you see a food blog, message the chef and get in touch. Do this because you never know what will come from connecting with another artist – may be a collaboration, maybe a friendship, maybe romance, maybe nothing. You have nothing to lose.

5. Celebrate the Little Wins

Most of life is dealing with rejection and unsurprisingly being in a creative field is an ocean of rejection. You will lose count of the number of applications for fellowships and jobs you will do in a year. Send out a bazillion emails in the hopes of getting that first writing gig. Try not to drown and rise up! Give yourself pep talks and continue working on your writing until you finally get a YES. That's the thing; it takes just one, yes to open the door. And until you do get that yes, celebrate the little wins. If you finish that draft in time if you submit your application if you make your rent! It's worth celebrating. When that big yes does come along, throw yourself (and your friends) a massive celebration (whatever that means to you).

Vidhya Iyer

Screenwriter at Meyer Management

Vidhya Iyer is a screenwriter based in LA. Born and raised in Nigeria, she moved to Chennai, India at the age of 12 where she lived without any adult supervision. After pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from College of Engineering Guindy she made the transition into her true passion of screenwriting. Vidhya has written for popular TV series and movies like Mira: Royal Detective, Little Voice, Wedlocked, Raksha and Kanya amongst others.

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