A Dummies Guide to Dealing with Creatives

Nurture your creative team

 

Work to their strengths and know their weaknesses. Know where their passion lies and use it to your advantage. They need to feel as if their opinion and expertise are valued. Creatives are actually fragile creatures – basically they are the Worker Bees of the colony. If you leave them to fly in the sunshine and visit the flowerbeds, they will produce tasty honey.

 

Creatives invest themselves in their work and ultimately leave a little bit of who they are in every creation. So it is understandable that they are very passionate about the creative process and about doing the best work they possibly can.

 

 

Some insider information…

 

Having said all this, here are a few things to keep in mind for those who are working with or alongside the “Big dreaming, head in the clouds creatives”:

  1. They really do want to do awesome work for you; it’s all in the approach.
  2. Listen to their professional opinion before you force them to do it your way. They may have an idea you never even considered and they are, after all, getting paid for what they do because they know what they are doing.
  3. Value their “head in the clouds ideas” when they bring them up. These are not always available on command.
  4. Try to give them as much time as you can to deliver their best work within realistic deadlines. Teamwork on meeting a deadline will always get a better result.
    The more you push, the less they are likely to shoosh.
  5. Again, they really do want to do exceptional work, them giving you alternatives is not them just being difficult.
  6. Take their strengths and weaknesses into account before expecting something from them that might not be their strong point.
  7. A clear and comprehensive brief will always get you brownie points.
  8. Being a creative IS a REAL JOB. It is not just a talent they tap into, they have worked hard to get where they are. They are constantly learning and upskilling themselves to be better and stay current. They might be unique weirdos who don’t fit the “norm” but they do take what they do seriously and definitely do not ever want to be considered mediocre.

 

And with that, the ball is in your court keemosabis.