power imbalance

04 - isn't she lovely, this hollywood girl?

Creative jobs are supposed to be fun! There are a ton of perks, like going to free concerts, working with cool artists, attending film premieres and travelling for festivals. Not to mention, there’s swanky parties where your name will be added to the tight guest list. Gosh, that sounds so cool!

The reality is, we have somehow found a way to turn our hobbies into our careers, and therefore have to acknowledge how lucky we are to even have them.

When I first started in Music Supervision, it wasn’t uber popular. There were a number of known and active Supervisors of course, but there weren’t a ton of people who knew what the job entailed, (especially my grandmother, love you Nanny). 

Ten years later, everyone and their mother wants to be a Music Supervisor. People are enrolling in online programs, attending panels and doing a ton of research, all in hopes that they’ll get some answers as to how to get started in the field. It’s beautiful to see, but there are very few places one can go to get honest intel. Unless it’s heard from a supervisor directly, no one’s telling these dreamy hopefuls what to expect.

It’s hard to attempt to build your own career from the ground up, with little to no experience with directors, filmmakers or producers. The only other alternative is to find a supervision company that is somewhat established, in hopes that they’ll hire you. These jobs however, rarely come around..

That being said, people in creative roles, specifically women, are taught that they’re lucky to have any work or opportunities at all. Therefore, they have to accept anything and everything that comes their way.

I’ve heard a number of horror stories from past coordinators, who’ve worked for certain people, were poorly mistreated and their lives were made into a living hell. All of it makes my stomach turn. No one is ever in a position to complain or push back because the reality is; they’re completely dispensable. They can easily be replaced by the next desperate person wanting to get into the industry. 

It’s no surprise then, that power imbalance is a huge contributor to burnout. The abuse some creatives endure in order to keep their jobs, get the credit they deserve or worse, be respected - is maddening.

There’s this added pressure that if you don’t bite off more than you can chew, then are you really in it for the right reasons? Are you dedicated enough? Men in positions of power are especially guilty of this… Because, sexism.

Employees should be encouraged, supported, and listened to. Not belittled, ignored and manipulated. It doesn’t sound like rocket science to me.. If these young professionals were truly respected, then I would assume they would happily work hard and have something to show for it.. Instead, they’re stomped on and guilted into how they should be grateful for the opportunities given to them. None of which, by the way, will lead to positive or generative work. 

A lot of this gatekeeping type behavior tends to show up more in the previous generation too. I am now noticing more and more teams pop up that look like they’re structuring healthier work environments and it makes me so happy to see. They’re just very few and far between.

If you’re thinking of entering a creative field and you do get the chance to work for someone, I feel it’s my duty to tell you that it’s very important you check in with yourself regularly. Do not allow yourself to be sucked into the power imbalance trap, because if you do and you experience it for a prolonged period of time, you will end up strung out, overworked and underappreciated. 

This week, I want you to try an exercise where you write out 5 things you love about yourself, 5 things you’re good at and 5 things you enjoy doing. Try to not repeat any of them on either list. You might find it challenging to come up with things that you love about yourself, because we tend to focus so much on the negative. Also, just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean you will necessarily love doing it. Give it a go.

In an overly critical world, it’s important we never forget our talents and our worth.