While it may seem that our society thrives on self-promotion and recognition, there are many people who achieve great success out of the spotlight -- and actually prefer it that way.
In his new book "Invisibles", David Zweig profiles a selection of these professionals to show that success isn't always measured by how much credit a person seems to have in the public eye. In fact, when these people do their jobs well, they seem to melt into the background perfectly. Zweig sat down with HuffPost Live host Caitlyn Becker and one of his profile subjects, MSLK Design creative director Marc Levitt, to discuss how these so-called “invisibles” find gratification in the work they do every day.
In conducting research for his book, Zweig found that the stories of those thriving in professions that receive little or no public attention are just as inspirational as those in the headlines each week -- and Levitt is no exception.
“I come from a long line of invisibles, actually,” Levitt says. “I’m a third-generation graphic designer, so for me, I’ve always been aware of the graphic designer’s work from a young age. ... I kind of was always aware of it, and also aware of how oblivious most of my friends were.”
Levitt finds fulfillment in his work itself, rather than in the credit he receives for doing it.
“Money helps, but it only gets you so far, he says. “It is true that for designers and certainly artists, it’s really about our body of work that we feel very proud of, our portfolio, our website, what we brought to a particular project. I certainly derive a whole lot of joy about that.”
To hear more about how successful people can thrive in “invisible” professions, watch the full HuffPost Live clip in the video above.