Understanding creatives.

Imagination and creativity are the currency of our time. Invaluable and precious, that currency is the ability to source fresh, elegant, and beautiful solutions. One can’t research their way into something new. As Henry Ford once remarked, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” So, if you value the ability to move from the obvious into the realm of the unexpected, the realm of surprise and delight, cultivate your understanding of and ability to work with creatives.

I write from experience. When I was younger I made every mistake in the book. I behaved as the biggest jerk on the planet. I have whined, wheedled, complained, yelled, threatened, pontificated, condescended, and patronized my way through relationships with creatives. Why some of the most talented people in the world chose to endure my infantile, insecure, and arrogant demeanors remains one of the great mysteries I confront.

Having made more mistakes than most of my friends and colleagues - even when taken as a group - I’ve learned a few things and, by way of some small atonement, I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned. While I may have not always been a great client, I have always loved and respected creatives. I love working with them. And I thrive on the wonderful product that emerges from working with them.

For the purposes of these posts, let me define what I mean by creatives. I’m referring to those people whose work products singly or collaboratively comprise our communications products: graphic designers, copywriters, photographers, illustrators, videographers, models, costume designers, composers, musicians, conductors, scriptwriters, lighting designers, audio designers, art directors, and creative directors. Forgive me for any omissions since I’m sure there are some.

Creatives are people. Like you and me, they respond well to people who are skilled at managing performance, giving clear direction, and who treat them with respect and warmth. They do not respond well to being treated as just another vendor who can easily be replaced - and probably at a lower cost. They also don’t respond well to people who think writing big checks will somehow make up for coercive or abusive behavior.

We’re all fighting myths perpetuated by television like that episode in Mad Men when a brilliant idea emerged five minutes before a meeting.  These myths belie the truth that big ideas don’t usually come from someone being struck by insight-lightning. In the real world, the best ideas emerge from a sound work process where responses to creative direction are diligently explored and winnowed down so that the best ideas can be further developed.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, there are still plenty of people out there who cling to their imagination’s portrayal of the tortured artist going home every night to their fire-warmed, candlelit garret to read Yeats or Kierkegaard while drinking absinthe into the wee hours. While there are creatives like this, most of them left this period behind when the rest of us did. Yes, creatives are different from many other people, but they are not zebras living among horses. Nobody does creatives any favors by romanticizing who they are. Be real with them and you will build a much stronger and more productive relationship with them.

Still, creatives aren’t accountants, network administrators, lawyers, human resources staff, etc. They are fiercely individual even when that fierceness is masked by a soft-spoken, deferential demeanor. They are highly individuated, sometimes quirky, and often scornful of convention. Ironically, many of the most talented are tentative and insecure. Their processes aren’t linear and many of them can’t explain how or why they arrived at solutions they create, although my experience is that the most articulate creatives rise to the top. If like me, you value Socratic dialogues, don’t expect creatives to respond well. Most are fantastically well-equipped to create wonderful work but less well-equipped to defend it.

Most creatives work for inner satisfaction, not extrinsic rewards. Usually, motivating them is not a problem since they love their work. The challenge is working with them in a way that doesn’t de-motivate them. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to trust the development process once you have clearly established your creative objectives. Try to reserve judgment until everything is on the table. Let the process work through.

One of the biggest differences between creatives and the average working stiff is that most creatives I know work from a sense of vocation. They feel called to their work. They don’t slog off to work; they run towards their day. It is precisely because many of them feel they don’t have a choice but to do what they do that they feel particularly vexed by clients who don’t treat them right, regardless of whether they’re clueless, mean-spirited, or disrespectful. In spite of their efforts to not take their work personally, it’s very difficult not to. It is just the nature of creative work and the extent to which subjective decisions are necessary and important.

Perhaps more than most of us, creatives feel a strong desire to please those for whom they work. They are tasked with harmonizing functionality, beauty, and meaning. It never ceases to amaze me that they mostly succeed at their attempts to do so. The fact that they are often successful shouldn’t diminish anyone’s estimation of how very difficult it is accomplish this. When they fail, as all of us do on occasion, their attempts to succeed should be accorded respect, not disparagement. Mountain climbers sometimes perish on the mountains they choose to climb. When tragedy strikes, most people would never think of responding derisively or of scoffing. For reasons that evade me altogether, some people respond to a creative fall with scorn or contempt. Needless to say, people like this should be kept as far away from creative enterprises as it is possible to get them.

For most creatives, failure is a soul-stealing experience not unlike that resulting from the “Dementor’s kiss” as described in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books. It is very difficult for many good creatives to take a second, third, or fourth sally at a difficult creative problem. This is not because they are overly sensitive or because they have egos like eggshells. It is because most creatives know that the best ideas come early and that if a solution has not emerged early, it is increasingly difficult to craft a solution the longer the design process drags on.

Smart creatives I know are good at understanding that clients are not always going to give feedback in the most effective way. They coach their teams to approach work strategically, to avoid being too sensitive, and not to let their egos get bruised when the feedback process is less than ideal.

Working effectively with creatives is not unlike working effectively with anyone else. To some extent, treating them as if they were exotic and different is counterproductive, but understanding how they are different can make one more productive. We all feel special. We all feel that we are unique and most of us hope that our uniqueness is not only visible, but valued. I never cease to be amazed at how much better work product is when it is delivered by someone who feels valued, trusted, and secure. Conversely, setting a disinterested or overly tough tone when working with your creatives can spook the best ideas right out of someone’s head.

Don’t be surprised if your creative team is just as nervous or scared by the breakthrough idea as you might be. Do everything you can to get those breakthrough options on the table and even if you must pass on them for whatever reasons, embrace their appearance with joy and enthusiasm when they do appear. In a world where most people choose faster horses, breakthrough ideas can take you further faster than you might imagine.

Next: Part 3: Making agreements that make for better creative.