Redmond's Girls Unlimited program hosts annual workshops focusing on career options for young women in the area. In 2015, I was invited to return for my second Girls Unlimited keynote talk, this time focusing on my career in the arts - both in interaction design and in acting. The talk ends with a number of calls to action that are applicable to any beginning artistic career.

1. THE
CREATIVE
CAREER
Cheryl
Platz
Designer,
Actress,
Artist
Twitter,
Instagram,
Vine:
@MuppetAphrodite
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/TheCherylPlatz
Blog:
http://blog.cherylplatz.com

2. LOVE YOUR
ART, LOVE
YOUR LIFE.

3. YOU ARE MORE
EMPOWERED TO
CREATE THAN ANY
PRIOR GENERATION.
Internet,
cheap
materials,
gender
equality,
freedom
of
self-­‐determination….

4. The End of
the Single
Career Era
Are
you
an
artist?
An
architect?
A
sculptor?
A
performer?
A
writer?

5. The End of
the Single
Career Era
Are
you
an
artist?
An
architect?
A
sculptor?
A
performer?
A
writer?
…It
doesn’t
matter.
You’re
a
creative
person,
and
all
of
these
modes
of
expression
can
be
tools
in
your
toolbox.
Whenever
you
choose.

6. MY STORY:
ART, TECHNOLOGY,
AND A WINDING
PATH

7. Youth
&
Choices

8. A Tale of
Two Majors
I
almost
applied
to
art
schools
instead
of
technology
schools,
but
couldn’t
deny
the
seduction
of
the
tech
boom.
I
found
a
school
that
let
me
do
both
–
Carnegie
Mellon
had
a
technology
program
that
also
let
me
study
visual
design
and
art,
along
with
a
strong
student-­‐run
theatre
program.
I
did
everything
from
hacking
museum
exhibits
to
3D
anmimated
shorts
and
occasionally
drawing
comics.
And
TONS
of
theater.

9. The Art in
Gaming
4
years
in
the
video
game
industry
as
a
producer
and
designer
Lots
of
creativity:
storytelling
and
writing,
level
and
system
design,
etc.

10. Interaction Design:
Creative Problem
Solving
On
a
daily
basis
at
Amazon,
I
may
be
drawing
storyboards,
sketching
ideas,
designing
screens
and
flows,
designing
voice
user
interfaces,
writing
voice
UI
scripts,
producing
videos,
or
programming
hardware
prototypes.
Past
jobs
have
let
me
design
everything
from
phone
interfaces
to
cars
and
huge
server
systems.

11. Getting Started
in Seattle
Theater
My
first
“break”
out
here
came
in
the
form
of
Daphne
from
Scooby-­‐Doo.
Launched
several
years
of
working
with
Jet
City
Improv
and
various
scripted
theater
companies.
I
took
voice
lessons
for
2
years
to
break
into
musical
theater
in
the
area.

12. Unexpected
Productions
My
theatrical
home
of
7
years:
improvised
comedy
and
drama
on
a
weekly
basis
Redmond-­‐based
teaching
artist
for
introductory
improv
classes
Daytime
gigs
including
video
work
and
corporate
performances
http://unexpectedproductions.org

13. NERDprov
Improv
comedy
group
born
out
of
a
mutual
love
for
geeky
things
and
a
desire
to
perform
at
conventions.
Performed
at
Bumbershoot
2012
and
2013,
GeekGirlCon
2012
and
2013,
Emerald
City
ComicCon
2010
–
2014,
The
Dammit
Liz
Holiday
Special,
and
independent
shows
around
the
state.

14. Seattle
Experimental
Theater
All-­‐female
staff!
Productions
include
“Where
No
Man
Has
Gone
Before”,
“The
Journal”,
The
Doctor”,
“The
Wolf
and
the
Witch”,
and
“Wedding
Horror
Stories”
We
have
been
in
the
black
every
year,
and
pay
everyone
on
our
shows.
http://seattleexperimentaltheater.com

15. What keeps
me going?
• Like-­‐minded
friends
and
peers
• The
feeling
of
bringing
joy
to
others
• The
childlike
joy
of
playing
with
friends
• The
bewitching
thrill
of
storytelling
• Curiosity
about
new
experiences
• The
satisfaction
of
teaching
others
• Knowing
I’m
always
learning
and
improving
But
no
one
ever
told
me
I
could
do
all
of
these
things.
I
just
did.
I
saw
opportunities
and
seized
them
unapologetically,
without
concern
for
whether
it
was
“right”
or
“too
much”
or
“good
timing”.

16. 1. DON’T WAIT FOR
THE PERFECT
MOMENT…
OR PERMISSION.
The
morals
of
my
story?

17. 2. YOUR PATH WON’T
LOOK LIKE ANYONE
ELSE’S PATH.
BE INSPIRED, NOT
INTIMIDATED.
The
morals
of
my
story?

18. 3. KNOW YOUR VALUE.
DON’T GIVE YOUR WORK
AWAY WITHOUT A GOOD
REASON.
The
morals
of
my
story?

19. LOOKING
FOR
ANOTHER
STORY?

20. Celene
Ramadan
(Leeni / Prom
Queen)
“Get
out
of
your
own
way
and
do
the
best
work
you
can.
Realize
that
while
art
is
important
it
is
not
the
end-­‐all-­‐be-­‐all.
The
most
important
part
of
art
is
that
it’s
truthful.
Choosing
art
is
choosing
honesty,
a
certain
level
of
openness,
a
very
humble
life
and
finding
joy
and
celebrating
in
the
immediate.”
-­‐
From
Crosscut
magazine,
April
17
2015
Local
musician
Creator
of
“Midnight
Veil”
music
video
movie
(funded
on
Kickstarter)

21. Christa
Charter
“There
is
nothing
to
prevent
you
from
holding
your
own
book
in
your
hands,
whether
it’s
digital
or
in
paper
form.
There
is
not
a
damn
thing
to
stop
you.
You
just
have
to
decide
to
make
it
happen
and
do
a
little
bit
every
day
until
you
get
to
the
end.
It’s
not
easy.
Sometimes
it’s
the
worst
thing
ever.
But
the
payoff
will
be
the
greatest
feeling
you’ll
ever
have.”
Former
Xbox
Producer
Turned
her
experiences
into
a
successful
self-­‐published
series
of
video
game
mystery
novels,
in
addition
to
other
series
Twitter:
@trixie360
http://trixie360.com
(caution:
some
adult
content)

22. Daisy Church
http://Daisychurch.com
Animator
for
Adult
Swim
and
casual
games
Now
works
as
an
artist
and
illustrator
in
San
Francisco.
Does
original
2D
art
for
conventions
and
galleries

23. HOW DO YOU
MAKE A LIVING
AS AN ARTIST?

24. Choose
Your
Own
Adventure
Find
an
audience
that
will
fund
you.
Now
is
a
very
exciting
time
to
be
an
indie
artist:
Kickstarter
(reward-­‐oriented
pledging)
IndieGoGo
(open-­‐ended
project
funding)
Patreon
(monthly
artist
patronage)
YouTube,
Vimeo
(earn
advertising
revenue)
Comic
Conventions
(direct
sales
to
fans)
You’ll
end
up
wearing
many
hats:
creator,
CEO,
marketer,
HR,
producer,
secretary,
accountant,
saleswoman.

25. Build an
Avocation
The
classic
“day
job,
night
job”
dichotomy.
Pursuing
your
passion
in
your
“free
time”:
-­‐ Refreshes
your
mind
for
your
primary
work
-­‐ Gives
you
a
source
of
money
for
supplies
and
food
-­‐ Provides
inspiration
and
social
engagement
-­‐ Is
totally
acceptable
and
not
“selling
out”
But
it
also:
-­‐ Really
complicates
your
taxes
-­‐ Requires
really
strong
time
management
skills
-­‐ May
always
make
you
wonder
“what
if”

26. Find an
Employer
Working
for
a
company
as
an
artist
or
designer
lets
you
focus
on
the
work.
You’ll
get:
-­‐ Valuable
experience
and
bigger
exposure
more
quickly
-­‐ Mentors
and
training
-­‐ Tools,
supplies,
and
space
-­‐ Someone
to
handle
the
parts
you
don’t
like
But
you’ll
sacrifice:
-­‐ Creative
control
-­‐ The
ability
to
choose
your
projects
-­‐ Ownership
of
your
work

27. THESE PATHS AREN’T
MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. BE
CREATIVE IN SEEKING
CREATIVE OUTLETS.

28. While
You’re Here
Remember:
don’t
compare
yourself
to
these
women;
be
inspired
by
them.
There
is
no
timeline
or
single
recipe
for
success.
Find
other
women
your
age
who
are
inspired
by
the
same
things
you
are.
Exchange
contact
information.
Creative
people
frequently
collaborate;
start
now.
If
you
get
an
idea
for
a
project,
WRITE
IT
DOWN!
Don’t
let
that
moment
get
away.

29. YOUR
CREATIVE
CHALLENGE
Closing
Thoughts

30. #1: Find
your joy.
Art
is
subjective
–
to
be
healthy
and
successful,
you
need
to
find
joy
in
the
process
of
creating
that
art.
What
part
of
the
process
makes
you
happiest?
What
tools?
What
types
of
projects?
Chase
the
joy,
not
the
accolades.

31. #2: Start
your
notebook.
Ideas
will
fly
through
your
head
for
a
fleeting
moment.
Have
a
system
for
capturing
them
before
they’re
gone.
A
notebook,
voice
notes
on
your
phone,
even
text
messages
to
yourself.
Don’t
let
inspiration
pass
without
noticing
it.
If
you’re
a
visual
artist,
sketch
like
there’s
no
tomorrow.

32. #3: Cross-
train.
Is
there
another
branch
of
art
or
creativity
you’ve
always
been
curious
about?
Learning
a
new
process
can
unlock
new
insights
about
what
you
already
know.
Try
writing
if
you’re
an
painter.
Singing
if
you’re
a
writer.
Dancing
if
you’re
a
designer.
Painting
if
you’re
a
composer.
Or
stay
closer
to
home,
and
try
a
new
medium,
technique,
or
software
program.

33. #4: Find
new
inspiration.
Browse
a
community
of
creators
–
like
Kindle,
Etsy,
Behance,
or
YouTube
–
until
you
find
a
new
artist
you
appreciate.
It’s
easy
to
get
stuck
–
develop
your
method
of
seeking
new
inspiration,
so
you
can
fall
back
on
it
in
tough
times.
Inspiration
doesn’t
have
to
be
creative,
either
–
see
a
marketing
technique
you
like?
A
great
website?
Take
note.

34. #5 Embrace
technology.
Ask
yourself
how
technology
can
make
your
artistic
life
better
or
easier.
Faster
creation
of
pieces?
A
new
creative
medium?
Broader
inspiration?
Or
is
technology
helping
you
on
the
business
side
–
Marketing?
Budgeting?

35. #6 Find
your Desert
Island
Creativity.
Say
you’re
trapped
on
a
desert
island,
with
only
a
pencil
and
paper
or
a
music
player.
How
do
you
keep
your
ideas
flowing?
Developing
a
connection
with
a
bare-­‐
bones
approach
to
creativity
will
help
you
in
those
off
moments,
on
subways
and
in
waiting
rooms.
Don’t
let
environmental
conditions
prevent
you
from
expressing
yourself.

36. A last
thought
about
working in
the arts
from Amy
Poehler
“You
have
to
care
about
your
work
but
not
the
end
result.
You
have
to
care
about
how
good
you
are
and
how
good
you
feel,
but
not
about
how
good
people
think
you
are
or
how
good
people
think
you
look.”

37. GOOD LUCK.LOVE YOUR ART, LOVE YOUR LIFE.
Cheryl
Platz
(cheryl@cherylplatz.com)
Senior
User
Experience
Designer,
Amazon
Performer
&
Instructor,
Unexpected
Productions
Performer
&
Digital
Media
Manager,
Seattle
Experimental
Theater
Performer
&
Cofounder,
NERDprov
Twitter,
Instagram,
Vine:
@MuppetAphrodite
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/TheCherylPlatz
Blog:
http://blog.cherylplatz.com