Doing good creative work shouldn’t feel like work at all.
If you’re looking for someone to help a team do breakthrough creative work that really produces results, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been at this creative direction business for a while, and I have some ideas about where good work comes from, which I’ve written about on this page.
Fun fact — I still have two of my baby teeth. If you find that kind of information interesting, here is some more.
Most importantly, I think good work comes from good environments. Places where people treat others the way they'd like to be treated. Where people help each other reach their full potential through encouragement and example. Where everyone asks lots of questions and is after the best idea, whoever it comes from. Where the pursuit of creative excellence includes having some fun along the way.
Leverage past experience.
Keep an eye on current trends.
Messaging strategy. Brand positioning. Concept development. Creative direction. Conception, direction and production for broadcast and video. Art direction. Design. Photo supervision. For both traditional and digital spaces. The experience I've gained is invaluable.
But looking to the future and keeping up with new trends is equally important. Which is why I collaborate across departments, subscribe to multiple daily digital newsletters, ask a ton of questions and stay curious.
Collaboration stimulates creativity.
(And it's fun.)
Collaboration can inspire creativity. Perfecting briefs. Melding strategy, media channels, digital and creative, into one unified brand expression. Unearthing hidden gems of insight and acting upon them. Breaking into new territory together. That's what transforms a team into a well-oiled machine – made for growing business.
You’ve got to experience users to design user experiences.
User experience. The sum of a series of interactions. Is it easy to use, attractive and appropriate? Does it meet user needs? Asking the right questions is a good starting place if you want to ensure a successful outcome.
Know the rules, and when to break them.
I have a ton of experience working within brand standards and understanding where they can be flexible. One of my clients has a grid system and ratio dictate that is so complicated, you have to break out a calculator every time you do a layout.
Guide by suggestion, not dictation.
You get more out of your people by providing support and guidance instead of dictation. Seeing the possibility of an idea and helping it grow into a fully realized outcome is a strength of mine.
I've helped build a department of over 25 art directors, copywriters, digital designers, videographers, editors and project managers. Mentoring them and helping them reach their full potential is one of the most important things I do.