Creative talent brings new, innovative thinking, insights, and ideas to the table, often turning existing perceptions or ways of doing things on their head. In an industry where changing an audience’s beliefs and/or behavior is the objective, this is imperative and adds real value throughout every part of the process.
All great brands should tell a story and indispensable creative talent knows how. So how can creatives continue to generate innovative ideas and insights, thereby ensuring their value?
By staying curious, interested and involved. Get out of the office and back to ‘the street’. The most effective creatives are those who really ‘live’, continually investigate new things and truly understand the cultural zeitgeist by being steeped in their audience’s world. All that, and sleep.
A lot of companies do sadly far too little to keep top talent engaged. So do it yourself! Define and manage your own career or stimuli. It puts you in greater control and bosses love being presented with a solution rather than a problem.
For those starting out, trust your judgment and be bold in it. At its heart, this is a subjective industry where there are no right answers because everyone’s looking for the next big thing. So have conviction about what you do, what inspires you and what you create. At the same time, don’t be cocky. No one wants to deal with that on a Monday morning.
For those more seasoned and seeking a spark, get out there. Talk to 10 people you admire or who impressed you. Get inspiration from new experiences