Whose Career Do I Want?

What is a role model? On the one hand, they are futile – any business or media expert will tell you that you need a USP, a unique angle, or a way to stand out in order to achieve success. Small-scale success can be achieved by imitating the way others do things, but true success is for those who push the boundaries of the system and bring fresh perspectives to the way we do things. In an age where the work landscape is changing as much as ours is at present, with a new style of media being codified and an economy based in new principles requiring new literacy, what good is idolising the way somebody who has gone before has done something? What can we possibly learn from people who did it the old-fashioned way?

On the other hand, it will surely not have escaped your notice that most of the people who achieve success in our society are of a particular race, class, and gender, and tend not to be disabled or queer.* The impact of ignoring the successful in the hopes of blazing our own trails is to ignore the lessons learned by the successful and learn them the hard way ourselves. By asking ‘whose career do I want,’ we are in fact asking a number of questions – whose reputation do I respect, whose output do I admire, whose direction do I seek to imitate? Although I may not want to live a one-to-one imitation of the careers of the people below, I am inspired by their paths, and although I may not even work in the same industry as them**, by looking at their lives I can more clearly see what I value and aspire to. I have taken many people I might, otherwise, be jealous of – for their glamorous lives, for seemingly unearned success, or for doing better than me at something I care about – and have taken three lessons from their career trajectories.

The message I hope to take away from assessing ‘establishment’ careers and how people got there is a direction; I hope that by admiring aspects of others’ journies I can replicate the pieces admire on my own journey, and push myself to a place I am happy to be in through conscious effort and wilful striving. I hope you, too, can figure out what shape you want your future career to take from the example of those you admire.

Wes Anderson
Did you know that Wes Anderson has absolutely no formal training in filmmaking? His degree is in philosophy. He wanted to be a screenwriter, so he made Bottle Rocket with his English-major friend, and pushed his own vision to the forefront. Filmmaking is a collaborative art, and Wes has built strong relationships with his actors and heads of department to achieve that vision (which, incidentally, is something else I can respect: I, too, hope I can drag my friends up with me), something between micromanaging and communication.
I respect learning as you go, I respect keeping your own vision, and I respect how far he lives his art.

Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd appears so posh I never quite realised that he grew up on a council estate with a single parent and went to Cambridge on a scholarship. What I would most like to emulate in Ackroyd is his zeal for work: the man works in a number of disciplines, including my favourites history, poetry, and memoir, and has published 63 full books, many of which were genre-defining and incredibly chunky. Ackroyd has also won the award I covet most, the Somerset Maugham prize (several of my favourite authors have won it, so I find it a great indicator of talent) as well as made documentaries that have greatly influenced me; his career is surely enviable to anybody who aspires to dive headfirst into your passions and share everything you find.
I respect work ethic, passion for your own interests, not merely the medium, and being perceived in a way that suits you.

Karina Longworth
The ‘You Must Remember This’ podcast is a stalwart favourite of mine, but although it’s a subject matter I’m interested in, it has thus far proven to be Longworth who makes it worth listening to above any other podcast. Her high standards for research, patience to script and beautifully narrate her own work, and consistently fascinating topics – chosen for their impact on her – raise YMRT as probably the best podcast out there, never mind the best on the topic of Hollywood history. Longworth is not interested in doing anything except her own research and shows, and it’s her ability to hone in on something that truly says something about contemporary society that makes her podcast truly fascinating. Did you wonder why there were two movies and a Lana del Rey album about The Manson Family in one year? That’s Longworth’s impact.
I respect laser focus, direction which comes from passion and curiosity, and quality output.

Stephen Fry
Went to prison, started his career as a comedian, guested in numerous lowbrow projects & was constantly on TV for a while, married a toyboy… and is still considered a public intellectual and a national treasure. What I respect about Fry’s career (and other people in his position too, for that matter) is that, in a media landscape that pigeonholes you and reduces you to a name and a persona, Fry has carefully shaped his persona into one that pursues knowledge yet allows that pursuit to be fun, as well as attaching his name to projects that otherwise might not have happened and dabbling in everything from directing to portraying his favourite historical figure to pioneering the ‘celebrities go on holiday’ television format (who let that happen??)
I respect the mix of highbrow and lowbrow, I respect allowing yourself to be laughed at and make jokes, and I respect allowing mainstream projects to enable your passions.

John Boyega
There have been enough white people on this list, and John Boyega should be respected not simply for his own talent, output, and hard work, but also for being outspoken and connected to his heritage. Boyega shot to fame in Star Wars (in which he was compelling, and in promotion for which he truly shined), but immediately proved his chops in theatre (I saw Woyzeck, he was excellent) and used his voice to combat racism and his power in the industry to support Nigerian art. Boyega has been clear about where he comes from, supporting the theatre school he learned from, regularly referencing everything his parents have done for him, and using his voice to speak truth to power. He has gone on to work with black creatives and, it appears, only chooses projects that speak to him.
I respect honesty about power dynamics, I respect pulling up undervalued creators, and I respect working hard to polish your talent and crediting those who have helped.

Mark Gatiss
Anybody who has known me for a long time will know how intensely I have followed Gatiss’ career. I have read his books, watched his shows, and seen him in numerous theatre productions – whether it’s as an actor or as a writer, I follow Mark Gatiss and the things he has done, regardless of medium or genre, and I always find a kernel of some shared interest in all his projects.
I respect being an unabashed fan, I respect working in a number of media to fulfil your dreams, and I respect writing the projects you want to act in, or see in the world.

Julia Lepetit
Although she’s just one part of a popular online show, Julia’s personality always shines through in her art. I love that, upon being made redundant from the website she worked at her whole adult life, she redoubled her efforts, learning new skills to make her new business work and taking the opportunity to create a new, more ambitious show that demonstrated her skills and passions in order to get closer to her eventual, bigger goals.
I respect making your passion your work so you want to work hard at it, I respect taking pitfalls as opportunities, and I respect aligning skill and vision to move in the right direction.

Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro has won all of the most prestigious literary prizes possible, and has been shortlisted for the Booker a further three times. His writing darts around genres, and subverting genre expectations is clearly something that he delights in that belies a delight in reading beyond research for his own works.

I respect being recognised for your craft, I respect writing in your own style, and I respect loving what you do.

Slavoj Zizek
Zizek is a ragamuffin. He looks like he has never brushed his hair and as though he’s been wearing the same t-shirt since 2007. You would never know this, though, from reading his writing: it is precise, and takes on board a wealth of inspirations, from Kant to Spielberg to dad jokes, whilst remaining rigorous and as accessible as it’s possible for philosophy to be. Zizek’s speaking style is famously meandering and hard to hear, yet he packs out lecture halls at international universities. His scruffy presentation and inaudible speaking have not impacted his influence, and his curiosity and care for social issues is evident.
I respect substance over style, I respect taking a wide array of influences, and I respect making yourself heard.

Kate Williams
I would love to be a TV documentary presenter, but what appeals to me about Williams’ career as opposed to that of Mary Beard or James Fox is that her portfolio is diverse and she has a reputation for being legitimately nice. Williams uses twitter to communicate with others on their level, she’s been on panel shows, and is interested in fashion and celebrity gossip as well as historical figures whose lives span across centuries – many of whom are women.
I respect taking academia out of its ivory tower, I respect having a reputation as a kind, considerate person, and I respect having wide interests.

Joanna Zylinska
Zylinska’s books are weird. Focussing on AI, Sublimity, feminism, and the Humanities, Zylinska writes about how we perceive things. I’m particularly fascinated by her research as there is a very slight overlap with my own, but she is in such a different sphere and department to mine that everything she does feels fresh and freaky.
I respect having a specific niche that’s your work, I respect allowing your own emotions and interests to influence your work, and I respect making your work relevant to the wider community and world.

*I am, of course, from two of the above ‘correct’ background markers
**Although I believe all of them are in some way involved in literary, academic, or media circles. The circles are a Venn diagram of a symbiotic career.

On This Topic:

• This guy Struthless seems to have some insight to share
• Some Peter Ackroyd wisdom for us all
• Drawtectives is Julia Lepetit’s series demonstrating her skill and vision

To-Do:

• Talk to family
• Book in to doctor’s to talk about nose
• Return library books

Today’s Culture:

• The 20th anniversary of Avril Lavigne’s first album is a real trip down memory lane that has been gloriously indulgent.
• The hotels I stayed in on my trip away – in Athens (also a deli in London), and the most beautiful hotel in Santorini
• Monterey Bay Aquarium are doing the internet right.