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Designed to Go The Distance: A Survival Guide for the Creative Professional
Designed to Go The Distance touches upon many career and lifestyle issues specific to those in creative career fields – cultural topics that are not often talked about or adequately prepared for.
Think of this book more as a late-night barstool or coffeehouse conversation between two creatives. A creative “pep talk” so-to-speak. And just like any pep talk in life, these pages provide a healthy serving of food-for-thought, as well as a few tips along the way, too.
The perfect addition to the creative professional’s bookshelf, or even for non-creatives who need to understand the mentality and culture more in-depth, Designed to Go The Distance is sure to be an engaging and informative read.
Think of this book more as a late-night barstool or coffeehouse conversation between two creatives. A creative “pep talk” so-to-speak. And just like any pep talk in life, these pages provide a healthy serving of food-for-thought, as well as a few tips along the way, too.
The perfect addition to the creative professional’s bookshelf, or even for non-creatives who need to understand the mentality and culture more in-depth, Designed to Go The Distance is sure to be an engaging and informative read.
102 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
343 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 24, 2017
“Designed to GO the Distance” was a pleasure to read. It’s overloaded with information and it’s a huge help especially to professionals who continue to strive hard to be better when it comes to their skills and creativity. I am one of the people who consider themselves as “average” when it comes to the creativity department so reading this book somehow made me realize that if I apply the right rules, I can discover my full potentials.
What I especially loved about this quick guide was how the author incorporated his personal experiences. This means that the things that he instructed here were realistic and achievable. I also loved the tips that were written here as well as the real-life examples that absolutely made so much sense.
Quick and easy to read, this book is worth investing. Young professionals who are about to enter the creative industry will benefit a lot from this book.
What I especially loved about this quick guide was how the author incorporated his personal experiences. This means that the things that he instructed here were realistic and achievable. I also loved the tips that were written here as well as the real-life examples that absolutely made so much sense.
Quick and easy to read, this book is worth investing. Young professionals who are about to enter the creative industry will benefit a lot from this book.
July 20, 2017
Designed To Go The Distance: A Survival Guide for the Creative Professional by Mitch Dowell is a concise and informative guide for anyone in a creative industry. With plenty of useful hints and tips throughout the book, this will surely help to guide one in his or her chosen creative field. The guide provides a good overview and summary of solid, down to earth advice that can help in advancing a career. Well written and presented in a clear manner, this is a great way to increase your knowledge and truly examines the creative personality. An informative and helpful guide, this book acts as a catalyst to prepare for and sustain a creative lifestyle and career.
November 27, 2017
‘What makes you different or weird – that’s your strength.’ – Meryl Streep
Author Mitch Dowell marks his publishing debut with DESIGNED TO GO THE DISTANCE/ Mitch is a marketing and creative director in the Baltimore/DC metro area involved in visual branding, graphic design and creative marketing, being often sought out by mainstream and business media for his expertise on the topics of marketing, branding and design, and is frequently booked for speaking engagements on similar topics. He now generously places in written format his concepts, making them available to us all.
In his Introduction Mitch offers both his personality and his mission written in the accessible style that pervades this fine book. ‘This book isn’t about creativity. Chances are that you’re already a creative professional or you wouldn’t have picked up this book. Creatives early in their careers generally aren’t concerned about “survival” guides, but those who have been in the field for some time most likely understand that the demands and expectations of their field can take a unique toll on creative professionals. There are many hard lessons that creative professionals must learn that formal education tends to leave out of textbooks. If only there were a book that covered many of the “gotchas”, “booby traps” and “landmines” that creative professionals will likely have to navigate through as they pursue their true passions…This book also isn’t about a specific job or professional role in the creative world, as it will cover topics that can certainly be relevant to many. But you might occasionally notice a slight slant towards the visual arts or scenarios that may favor those in corporate or creative agency careers…I have owned my own creative firm, served on non-profit boards, and have been featured in the media for my creative contributions to the business world – all having never set foot inside a college or university classroom – in true, gritty, chip-on-the-shoulder, underdog
fashion… let’s dive in and talk about what it might take to create and maintain a fulfilling creative career – one that is designed to go the distance.’
Opening his chest of knowledge Mitch states, ‘Creative personalities simply think differently. That’s the whole point. That is the blessing in it all – it’s the value that creatives bring to the world, as well as leave behind in their legacies.’ He then expands each of his contribution in the following sections-: Square Pegs in a World of Round Holes, Introverts, Extroverts, and Creativity, Getting Comfortable With Risk, The Inconvenient Nature of Creativity, Establishing a Philosophy, Bridging The Creative Divide, Your Obligation to Non-Conformity, The Emotional Intelligence Advantage, The Benefits of Boundaries, Understanding Comfort Zones, Understanding Burnout, Balancing Career and Life, Handling Criticism Like a Pro, When Side Projects Just Make Sense, Depression and The Creative Pro, and The Final Word: Paying it Forward.
Mitch makes it come together so well that the stumbling blocks for the creative mind disappear. This is a rich resource for the creative professional.
Author Mitch Dowell marks his publishing debut with DESIGNED TO GO THE DISTANCE/ Mitch is a marketing and creative director in the Baltimore/DC metro area involved in visual branding, graphic design and creative marketing, being often sought out by mainstream and business media for his expertise on the topics of marketing, branding and design, and is frequently booked for speaking engagements on similar topics. He now generously places in written format his concepts, making them available to us all.
In his Introduction Mitch offers both his personality and his mission written in the accessible style that pervades this fine book. ‘This book isn’t about creativity. Chances are that you’re already a creative professional or you wouldn’t have picked up this book. Creatives early in their careers generally aren’t concerned about “survival” guides, but those who have been in the field for some time most likely understand that the demands and expectations of their field can take a unique toll on creative professionals. There are many hard lessons that creative professionals must learn that formal education tends to leave out of textbooks. If only there were a book that covered many of the “gotchas”, “booby traps” and “landmines” that creative professionals will likely have to navigate through as they pursue their true passions…This book also isn’t about a specific job or professional role in the creative world, as it will cover topics that can certainly be relevant to many. But you might occasionally notice a slight slant towards the visual arts or scenarios that may favor those in corporate or creative agency careers…I have owned my own creative firm, served on non-profit boards, and have been featured in the media for my creative contributions to the business world – all having never set foot inside a college or university classroom – in true, gritty, chip-on-the-shoulder, underdog
fashion… let’s dive in and talk about what it might take to create and maintain a fulfilling creative career – one that is designed to go the distance.’
Opening his chest of knowledge Mitch states, ‘Creative personalities simply think differently. That’s the whole point. That is the blessing in it all – it’s the value that creatives bring to the world, as well as leave behind in their legacies.’ He then expands each of his contribution in the following sections-: Square Pegs in a World of Round Holes, Introverts, Extroverts, and Creativity, Getting Comfortable With Risk, The Inconvenient Nature of Creativity, Establishing a Philosophy, Bridging The Creative Divide, Your Obligation to Non-Conformity, The Emotional Intelligence Advantage, The Benefits of Boundaries, Understanding Comfort Zones, Understanding Burnout, Balancing Career and Life, Handling Criticism Like a Pro, When Side Projects Just Make Sense, Depression and The Creative Pro, and The Final Word: Paying it Forward.
Mitch makes it come together so well that the stumbling blocks for the creative mind disappear. This is a rich resource for the creative professional.
November 27, 2017
Designed to Go The Distance is a statement on creativity and creative people. I think the book is more useful for the people who are close to creative individuals than creative individuals themselves for it shows the non-creative the world of creatives and the reasons why they seem to have different types of obligations at the cost of personal and professional relationships. However, there are plentiful tips or the creative person too. For example, the book states that while we see that bit of creativity, the creativity is in turn seeking us and wanting to be found. This I found very insightful and feel that whenever anyone would feel a creative block then he or she just needs to keep in mind that the spirit of creativity is also waiting to be found. So, instead of trying hard to grasp at the genius, we must be patient and helpful to make the path for genius to come to us. The book is filled with such helpful insights and to talk more would be giving away the content. So, creative people and less creative people would benefit from this book- both in getting boosted creativity and also in making a success of this creativity.
November 27, 2017
Mitch Dowell’s book is a great book for all professionals: creative and non-creative people. Designed To Go The Distance: A Survival Guide for the Creative Professional is a great resource and has something for everybody. If you’re looking to find out more about the creative process, you can find it. If you want to know the best way to deal with the creative people from your company, there’s tip in it. If you’re a creative person and are feeling blocked, here you’ll have a step-by-step manual.
It truly amazes me the amount of information on display in such a short space. The author is very straightforward and concise, which is a very good thing. The way the book is organized also makes it fairly easy to navigate and find the information you’ve been looking for. All in all, a great tool for everyone and very well-written. Informative, useful and not boring.
It truly amazes me the amount of information on display in such a short space. The author is very straightforward and concise, which is a very good thing. The way the book is organized also makes it fairly easy to navigate and find the information you’ve been looking for. All in all, a great tool for everyone and very well-written. Informative, useful and not boring.
May 23, 2017
Note: In exchange for an unbiased review, the author, publisher, and/or narrator were kind enough to provide an audio version of this book at no charge via AudiobookBlast.
This was a good summary style book on a subject that could definitely be expanded into something bigger. But the summary was pretty well done and concise, with some good, no-nonsense tips and advice that probably worked better than if this book HAD been expanded into something bigger. A quick listen, and decent performance by the narrator. Recommended.
This was a good summary style book on a subject that could definitely be expanded into something bigger. But the summary was pretty well done and concise, with some good, no-nonsense tips and advice that probably worked better than if this book HAD been expanded into something bigger. A quick listen, and decent performance by the narrator. Recommended.
November 29, 2017
The book is a guide for new or existing professionals in creative fields from various walks of life. It presents tips with real life examples from the author’s experiences to overcome your shortcomings and identify your full potential and be successful in the field. It also talks about culture more in-depth in the creative career field which is a plus for the readers. Regardless, you are from creative field or not, this book has something to offer as some challenges mentioned are common across all career fields.
July 19, 2017
Creative advice for the professional or novice
This is a concise and well thought out book of advice for the creative professional. There are many useful tidbits throughout the book that you can use to further your knowledge base and education. This is a good starring place with an easy read that is well written and understandable to the novice reader. Would recommend giving this a try.
This is a concise and well thought out book of advice for the creative professional. There are many useful tidbits throughout the book that you can use to further your knowledge base and education. This is a good starring place with an easy read that is well written and understandable to the novice reader. Would recommend giving this a try.
July 25, 2017
Mitch Dowell's book: "Designed To Go The Distance" is written as a "Survival Guide for the Creative Professional." I enjoyed reading this insightful book. Though it wasn't very long, I found it packed with lots of useful suggestions. Being an author of sorts, I found his views on introversion and the creative process quite interesting. According to Mr. Dowell and Meryl Strep, weirdness can be a good thing. I guess that counts me out. All in all, this was a real treat to read.
January 17, 2018
The book goes through advice on how to get the most out of your career as a creative professional, for working with non-creative people and (most importantly) ensuring you don't burn yourself out along the way.
The book is quick, and no-nonsense. Full of good advice and information.
I am not a Creative Professional, but I often work around or with the. So I picked up with book so as a way to get some of their perspective. And it that goal, this book worked well.
A good resource for both creative types and those who have to deal with them.
Narration by Seumus Michael Maley was really great. He brought a non-fiction book to life by breathing some character into it. At one point the text lists out all sorts of things that can wear you don't and as Maley reads it you can feel the pressure of them, and the release as he finishes the list. Certainly a narrator I will keep an ear out for.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
The book is quick, and no-nonsense. Full of good advice and information.
I am not a Creative Professional, but I often work around or with the. So I picked up with book so as a way to get some of their perspective. And it that goal, this book worked well.
A good resource for both creative types and those who have to deal with them.
Narration by Seumus Michael Maley was really great. He brought a non-fiction book to life by breathing some character into it. At one point the text lists out all sorts of things that can wear you don't and as Maley reads it you can feel the pressure of them, and the release as he finishes the list. Certainly a narrator I will keep an ear out for.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
April 15, 2017
Not quite what I expected. The book is more of an overview of the creative personality rather than a survival guide for the creative individual. Thus, there is too little guidence and too much overview.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews