Table of Contents
Click above to listen to the official audiobook read by the author himself.
Prologue
Being paid to be creative is a charmed circumstance that few get to experience. And for the few that do, it’s a well-earned haven at the end of what’s often a formidable journey.
As a first-generation Pakistani-American who has just begun to dig his toes into that greener grass, I can especially vouch for this. I began my career with an understanding that my starting blocks were set well behind those of my white peers. And while the stories to come won’t be centered around that specific lived experience, it’s important to note that it’s that internalized sensitivity that has guided every career move I’ve made thus far.
So I say again, being paid to be creative is an earned privilege. And the path to that path, in my experience, is rarely linear. I’ve spent my career trekking through adjacent roles, searching for those fleeting glimmers of creative opportunity like fireflies on a summer night. When I did manage to grasp my hands around one, I held it close and let it illuminate my next steps.
What follows are three short stories of the brightest fireflies I’ve managed to catch in this humid, darkness that I’ve come to know as my career. Each one integral to shaping the creative I am today.
Dr.Max
Type “Highest Paying College Majors” into Google and you’ll find Computer Science sitting pretty atop of every list you click on. It’s hard to argue with those dollar signs and I, for one, was not immune to its visions of lucrative grandeur.
It was the second half of my junior year and I had already become well aware of my distaste for the field but hey, money. Finding myself with a free elective, I decided to take an introductory advertising course. Seemed easy enough. For the course, we had one big semester project, which was to come up with an ad campaign for Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste. Within this campaign, we were asked to deliver a television commercial concept.
As I began brainstorming on potential storylines, I found a discernible nostalgia arising for me in the process. It was faint at first, but sure enough, like muscle-memory, I felt my imagination soon buzzing to a familiar frequency. One I hadn’t felt since I was a kid writing fantasy tales and losing myself in the worlds I was building.
But as I entered adolescence those pursuits were met with disapproval by my family for straying from our culture’s perception of masculinity. Consequently, my heightened teenage appetite for insecurity impelled me to repress those urges entirely. Now, in my early adulthood, this was an auspicious return to form. Feeling starved for some whimsy after years in a coding-induced befuddlement, I let my mind wander.
At the end of the semester, while my classmates presented commercials centered around relatable dynamics of being at home and getting ready in the morning, I proposed a more… eccentric direction.
The commercial opens up on German archaeologist, Dr. Max Frisch trudging through an arctic tundra amidst a snow storm.
As the flurries subside, a palatial icy structure surrounded by a penguin colony reveals itself
Dr. Max finds his way inside this structure to find the remains of an ancient civilization’s shrine to…something.
As he explores further, he discovers a pedestal under a heavenly spotlight. On it is a large ice crystal holding something inside it.
He takes his ice pick and breaks the crystal open to find a tube of Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste and a crystallized toothbrush to match.
With a yellow smile, Dr.Max immediately squirts out some Max Fresh and begins to indulgently brush his teeth.
He cackles as a burst of blue crystal shapes reveal newly white teeth, immaculately fresh.
His cackle diminishes as he finds his mouth freezing from the blue crystals. With this, we begin to see and hear the ice palace crumbling around him, implying an ancient curse is at work.
The commercial ends with a shot of the ruins and a completely frozen Dr. Max sticking out of them. A penguin waddles up to the camera and says the slogan, “Colgate Max Fresh: Redefining Fresh”.
I look back on that project as what reunited me with my creativity and ignited my passion for creative strategy. Up till then, I saw my creativity as a distraction to my templatized professional success. But from that point onwards, post-Dr.Max if you will, I recognized the opportunity to use my creativity to make my own version of success and I’ve been chasing that ever since.
XYLØ
Post-Dr.Max, I was scrambling to land creative marketing internship experience. And luckily, after a relentless series of cold messages on LinkedIn and a tragic( yet timely) case of shingles in the original candidate, I was able to weasel my way into a last minute marketing internship at Sony Music for my final semester.
I still remember the interview like it was yesterday. We bonded over a shared interest in the indie-songstress, XYLØ. I had mentioned she was one of my favorite artists and as it so happened, my interviewer worked directly with her for promotional strategy.
You might recognize her song, Gossip, which was used in the original AirPods commercial.
So imagine my excitement when halfway into my internship I learned XYLØ was going to be in the office for a meeting. After making a promise to my supervisor to be a fly on the wall, I was permitted to sit in. Upon entering the conference room, I was met by various label executives, each one looking more intimidating than the last and of course XYLØ herself, exuding star power, even as she casually sipped her tea at the head of the table.
I took my place in the corner and listened as the team discussed a new creative direction for XYLØ’s upcoming releases. As the discussion progressed, I found myself getting confused. It all felt like a less than thoughtful attempt at marketing her to a mainstream audience. It certainly didn’t feel authentic to the artist that I’d been following since the start of her career.
What confused me further was that no one else seemed confused. Not even a furrowed brow! So, after rehearsing it in my head at least 5 times, I cleared my throat and respectfully voiced my thoughts. I didn’t think this made sense for the next phase of her career. Yes, XYLØ occupied a somewhat niche category but there was a rich opportunity to deepen that foothold. After all, a niche audience is a dedicated audience. Flattening her image to appeal to a broader market would erase the artistry that got her to where she was today.
As I pushed out the words, I watched as the executives' foreheads collectively creased in apprehension and a long silence was cast. What was probably 5 seconds felt like a lifetime as I waited for any semblance of a response to arise. To my surprise, it was XYLØ who broke the quiet spell and earnestly thanked me for my thoughts. That acknowledgement was enough to cushion the daggers my supervisor was making at me across the conference table.
After the meeting, XYLØ walked up to me and told me how much she appreciated my input. I learned much later that she was in general disagreement with the label over their imposed new mainstream direction for her image.
Figuring I was already in hot water, I shyly asked for a picture and she kindly agreed.
Even after a scolding from my supervisor, I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I had spoken my mind and got acknowledged by my favorite artist. The validation was euphoric and I couldn’t let it go to waste.
I spent the rest of my internship developing a new marketing plan. A plan that answered all the questions I found myself asking after that hallowed meeting. It was robust, it was insightful, it was probably much more comprehensive than it needed to be but it was strong.
Upon completion, I sent it over to XYLØ and eagerly awaited a response. Waiting as my internship ended. Waiting as I graduated college. Waiting and waiting and waiting till I forgot I was waiting. It was precisely then when I remembered I was still waiting and decided to reach out.
I learned that after an unsuccessful push into the mainstream market, XYLØ had parted ways with Sony Music and decided to go independent. It was there I found the start of what would be a beautiful partnership. As we brought my marketing plan into motion, we found mutual success. She found her way back to the magic her artistry was rooted in(along with 70 million Spotify streams. Nbd) and I learned that I was capable of anything I put my creativity to.
TikTok
If you’ve made it this far, I offer my undying gratitude and a generous serving of good vibes. I promise we’re almost there.
I started at TikTok as their first Account Planner, a role which was created to drive media strategy and provide support for campaign development from pre-sale to post-campaign. I loved my time in that role, not for the responsibilities themselves, but rather the potent ambiguity I was able to build into.
I had joined the company knowing I wanted to find a way to creative. With that mission in mind, I quickly identified my emerald city, Creative Lab, TikTok’s internal creative consultancy. As I began my due-diligence, I learned that it was one of, if not the most, highly specialized non-tech teams in the company.
Every Creative Lab member had their pedigree. Portfolio School. Agency and client-side rounds. Clios, Webbys, pencils and a slew of other oddly shaped impressive awards. I also learned that despite the many attempts from employees, no one had managed to successfully transfer into the team.
I forced myself to not be intimidated by any of this. I’d stowed my creativity in adjacencies for too darn long and I was going to make this happen for myself. I just needed a plan.
Step 1: Learn the role(the good and the bad).
I learned that while the work offered delectable creative opportunities, their plates were severely stacked and they were regularly turning away campaigns to focus on the highest budget work. I also learned that their team was surprisingly siloed from the sales team beyond the initial sharing of client briefs.
Step 2: Find a friend.
The creative strategists were quite clique-y and reluctant to befriend the wide-eyed planner in any meaningful way. So, I did what soccer moms have been doing since the beginning of time, I spoke to the manager. Well, by manager I mean the creative directors leading the regional teams. I found them to be more willing to connect, especially once I offered my thoughts on ways to improve their team’s workflow in conjunction with cross-functional teams. After all, as a planner, I had a unique perspective being in one of the most cross-functional roles in the company.
Step 3: Propose a growth track.
Given that there was no precedent set for an internal transfer to the team, I had to construct my growth track from scratch. I didn’t have the resume but I did have perspective. As a planner, I was a master of our ad-product suite and I could marry that knowledge with my creativity to deliver robust creative strategy that was symbiotically aligned with TikTok media strategy.
Step 4: Turn friend into advocate.
Once I made my case that I could be an unprecedented lateral-minded strategist, I got the green light to put my creativity where my mouth is.
Step 5: Create a portfolio worth advocating for.
Because Creative Lab’s bandwidth was so limited, they were leaving a bunch of work on the table. With a creative vengeance burning bright in my heart, I began to moonlight as a back alley creative strategist, offering my services to salespeople who had no other choice but to take my help.
Step 6: Make it Rain.
Within 6 months I had amassed a hefty portfolio of creative work I was proud to put my name on. And what’s more, I had sold in over $3MM worth of campaign creative strategies, all while successfully holding down the job I was actually being paid to do.
Eventually, I had a small army of salespeople advocating for my skills. My impact had spoken for itself and the creative directors were listening. And that’s how I became TikTok’s first and only internally promoted Creative Strategist.
It’s been a year since that blessed ascension and I’ve loved every moment of my time in this role. I’ve had the privilege of working with a myriad of larger-than-life brands and seeing my ideas be experienced by millions of TikTok users globally. It’s surreal and I made it all happen.
Epilogue
In the midst of finishing this cover letter, I was laid off from my role at TikTok. Yup. It was completely unexpected but I suppose that’s part of the authentic ‘being laid off’ experience.
Although my time there was cut short, I‘m leaving with the satisfaction that I pushed my creativity as far as I could and learned a great deal in the process. When I think about where my skills were a year ago and where they are now, I’m astonished. I hope to leave my next role feeling the same way.
While I’m no longer being paid to be creative, I’ve caught enough fireflies to know that my identity as a creative won’t be mandated by a corporate title.
My path to where I am today has been dimly lit but I’m proud to have found all of the lights myself. And while my path forward might be dark again, if I squint, I can make out the faint flickering lights in the Orchard up ahead.