Ever since I can remember, I've dreamed of working in midtown Manhattan. There's something magnetic about the image of myself as a modern-day Don Draper from Mad Men — suit perfectly pressed, joining the river of ambitious professionals flowing through the concrete jungle that is New York City. That vision of creative purpose amid the urban energy has always pulled at me.
There's a certain rhythm to creative work that changes dramatically depending on where you plant your feet. For the past several years, I've lived in two distinct creative worlds — crafting visual stories for a commercial real estate firm's marketing team by day and chasing light as a freelance photographer whenever I could steal away. These parallel paths have shaped not just my portfolio, but my entire approach to creative work.
The Structured Canvas: Life as an In-House Designer
Walking into our marketing department each morning, I know exactly what awaits me: the familiar faces, the consistent brand guidelines, and the steady paycheck. There's something beautifully predictable about in-house work that allows for a different kind of creative freedom.
The Comforts of the Nest
The stability of in-house design work can't be overstated. In commercial real estate especially, I've found that:
The deep understanding of a single industry becomes second nature. After months of designing property brochures and marketing materials, you begin to anticipate needs before they're articulated. You know which features of a commercial property will need visual emphasis and which market trends deserve graphic spotlight.
Relationships with your team evolve into a creative shorthand. My marketing manager no longer needs to explain what "make it pop but keep it sophisticated" means — we've developed our own visual language through countless projects together.
There's an undeniable safety in knowing exactly when your next check arrives. This financial stability allows for creative risks within projects that might feel too experimental otherwise.
The Challenges of Captivity
Yet in-house work comes with its own set of creative limitations:
The brand bible becomes both guide and cage. After designing within the same color palette and typography system for years, I sometimes find myself dreaming in our corporate blue and wondering if I've forgotten how to use certain fonts that aren't on our approved list.
Even in my field of marketing, with the flexibility to create custom designs and not stick to the brand guidelines, projects can feel repetitive. There are only so many ways to present a Class A office building before you start feeling like you're designing on autopilot.
The pace is dictated by organizational calendars and committee decisions rather than creative inspiration or market demand. I've had designs sitting in approval limbo for weeks while my creative energy for the project slowly evaporates.
The Open Horizon: Freelance Photography Adventures
When I step out with my camera as a freelance photographer, I enter an entirely different creative ecosystem:
The Freedom of Flight
Freelance work delivers exhilarating creative autonomy:
Each project is a fresh canvas with new clients, new challenges, and new visual problems to solve. One weekend I might be capturing architectural details of historic buildings, the next I'm documenting a corporate event where storytelling happens in real-time.
My creative voice remains unmuted. There's no brand guideline telling me how to frame a shot or which moments deserve focus — these decisions flow directly from my artistic intuition and technical expertise.
The financial ceiling disappears. While feast-or-famine cycles are real, there's no predetermined salary cap limiting how much I can earn when inspiration and opportunity align.
The Weight of Wings
Yet freelance freedom comes with significant responsibilities:
The business side demands attention that could otherwise go to creative work. Hours spent invoicing, marketing my services, and negotiating contracts are hours not spent actually creating.
Creative isolation can be real. Without a team to bounce ideas off or provide feedback, I sometimes find myself stuck in my own echo chamber, unsure if a concept is brilliant or misguided. (Hence why, I created this blog to have a platform to share and provide experiences to the creative world.)
The income unpredictability creates a background hum of anxiety that can either fuel productive work or paralyze creativity entirely, depending on the day.
Where Worlds Collide: The Creative Synthesis
The most interesting discovery has been how these two creative worlds inform and enhance each other:
My in-house experience has made me a more efficient freelancer. I approach photography projects with the same strategic thinking that guides our marketing campaigns, considering the client's broader goals rather than just capturing beautiful images.
Conversely, my freelance photography has infused my in-house design work with greater authenticity and visual storytelling. I find myself approaching corporate materials with a more human-centered visual perspective, looking for the emotional core that will resonate with viewers.
The business discipline I've developed through freelancing has made me more effective in corporate environments. I understand project costing and ROI in ways many creative professionals don't, which helps me advocate for design resources more effectively.
Finding Your Path
There isn't a single "right" answer to whether in-house or freelance work is better. The creative journey isn't linear but cyclical — seasons of stability followed by seasons of exploration.
For those contemplating this choice, consider what you need most in your current creative season:
Are you seeking creative foundations and mentorship? An in-house position might provide the structured learning environment you need.
Do you crave autonomy and variety? Freelancing might be your canvas of choice.
Or perhaps, like me, you might find that maintaining a foot in both worlds creates a beautiful tension that keeps your creative spirit both grounded and soaring.
The commercial real estate marketing team has given me roots; freelance photography has given me wings. Together, they've helped me become not just a more versatile creative professional, but a more complete artist.
Whatever path you choose, remember that creativity thrives on contrast. Sometimes the most striking designs emerge from the interplay between structure and freedom, between discipline and spontaneity. The borders between creative worlds aren't barriers — they're the most fertile ground for innovation.
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