Complacency Disorder
Finding a creative outlet for your creative juices

by Dave Sniadak, special guest post for WWDS.

Hello and thanks for clicking in, I’m Dave Sniadak…throughout my career, I’ve worn a handful of hats – sports anchor, news videographer, project manager and even telemarketer (don’t ask)…

But in all of my work-place endeavors, I’ve always found myself searching for something bigger and brighter…even as a college student selling shoes at Foot Locker over the summers, I found myself distracted by the idea of doing MORE.

As I’ve gotten a bit older, my hair has thinned, even grayed…yet, part of me still feels I can bring more to the table. But how does this creative ambition translate into professional productivity? Over the next few lines, I’ll expound a bit on the one thing that’s always been my Achilles Heel in my career – complacency disorder (CD).

How do “right-brained,” creative-obsessive individuals fit the corporate mold? What I’ve found, from hard luck and bad breaks, is that I don’t. I just don’t. I’ve worked for corporations and newsrooms of all shapes and sizes, but one thing always rung true – if I wasn’t given the opportunity to squeeze out my creative juices, the fruits of my labor turned sour.

Take my stint as a corporate media relations coordinator… in less than a year, I took a handful of in-house clients and delivered (project after project) some pretty nice results. I had them on the front page of major market dailies, A-blocks of nightly newscasts, and – a first for this company – live product placements on a national morning show.

While I had a lot of success in doing my job, how I fit into the office atmosphere was a problem…you see, in the office I worked in, most of the people had never chased ambulances or spent an afternoon running up and down NFL sidelines. Sitting in a cubicle, waiting for the phone to ring or setting up meetings to talk about more meeting just didn’t mesh with my DNA…

So, how did I find peace of mind? Instead of shutting down, accepting my CD and recusing myself to my cube like so many of my peers, I adorned my space with things that spoke to who I was. Posters, bobbleheads, pictures and trinkets. There wasn’t any HR hymnal saying I COULDN’T display these things, but there certainly weren’t similar displays of personality anywhere to be found within 100′ of my desk. My personality stood out like jeans and t-shirts in a formal gathering.

And when it came time for meetings, brainstorming sessions and group huddles, I came armed with ideas — fresh, original, WAY outside the box ideas. Most of these ideas were received just as you’d expect – poorly. Instead of keeping quiet, potentially sitting on legitimate media “gold”, I opened up and let it all out. When my ideas had legs, they broke through the ice glares my bosses would shoot and were received with open arms — in turn, the outcome tallied huge results for our corporate channels.

Unfortunately, most of my ideas were too bold for this particular conservative, small-town corporation and we parted ways less than amicably. Some companies, as some of you may know first hand, prefer to keep their practices close to the cuff, safe and sound, just like they’ve always done. Complacency is the straight and narrow, while free-flowing mind massaging was the slippery slope that this particular company fears would crash the bottom line.

I found the same situation ringing true in an outlet where creativity and originality have traditionally been embraced. As a sports anchor in a medium-sized market, at a station that was a perennial underachiever, I came on board to provide a bit of a “spark” to the way things were being done. My experiences in major market news were seen, by management, to be an asset; my coworkers, though, saw my creative ingenuity to be a threat…thus, I was often undermined by those whose jobs I potentially stood to take, should things take a rise – or dive – after my arrival.

Not everyone at this particular station viewed at me as Public Enemy #1. A few saw that my experiences could benefit theirs, so we formed some pretty strong alliances. After several months, my allies’ work started to show major improvements, morale among these coworkers picked up – but those who still perceived me with slighted eyes, the opportunity to come together and help the overall product (the daily newscasts) never took off. That was my mission, my whole reason for existing at this TV station…why more people didn’t want to improve the status quo ate at me…again, complacency was the easy way out. Me, I wanted to see improvement – eventually, the lack of drive and determination pushed me to the point where I felt I couldn’t give any more. You have to pick your battles to win the war…I waved the white flag of CD in lieu of peace of mind.

Sometimes, complacency is a byproduct of poor chemistry. When you’re not welcomed and embraced for who you are, the love just isn’t going to last. Case in point, my current situation has been positive — I’m in a PR agency setting, I present my wild ideas to receptive ears and all in all, things are good. The best thing I did was get into an agency environment versus a corporate environment. Agency folks get me, and I get them.

What does the future hold for those of us who have complacency disorder? This isn’t a terminal problem, it can easily be rectified by finding an ideal professional situation. One simple solution you can try is freelancing – I’ve been able to develop some incredible contacts this way. In the past 9 months, I’ve worked assignments for the Minnesota Vikings, Discovery Channel, CNN, FSN, Lifetime Network and some of the most dynamic PR and marketing firms in the country. And while freelancing isn’t for everyone, it can open doors for you in places you might never have been able to step foot in.

Additionally, seeking the networking insight of my peers in the profession, and finding my inner-tweet – sites like Twitter, LinkUp and LinkedIn – offer invaluable resources. Since using these sites, and reading posts here on What Would Dad Say, I haven’t had a single conflict associated with my CD. It’s amazing how simply finding a good professional fit can make all of your worries go away.

While my hat collection seems to have stopped growing – for now – I’m happy to admit my disorder. If – through admitting and accepting my condition – I can help a fellow creative savant, then that’s one less day someone has to spend tormenting themselves, trying to figure out what to do next. Don’t ever let someone who doesn’t have the same passion, vision or perspective tell you what you can or can’t do – after all, complacency disorder may be a curse for some, but it’s a blessing for others!

To stimulate some conversation, what experiences have you encountered where you felt your creativity was being handcuffed? How did you overcome this?

What other advice would you offer to someone who simply can’t sit still in the career? Do you think freelancing is a productive way to earn a living? What direction would you advise friends/family to go if they wanted to venture down the freelance avenue?

Ed.Note: Dave Sniadak is a video producer, on-air personality and project manager, based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Working with Axiom Marketing Communications, Dave has developed a video production element for Axiom’s clients that help them increase online exposure, as well as media opportunities previously unattained. Additionally, Dave produces commercials and other video projects for clients nationwide through on a freelance basis. An avid travel enthusiast and slow-softball pitcher, Dave is married with a young son. Please visit him at www.highdefhusband.com or send an e-mail: davesniadak@hotmail.com