How to Inspire and Direct Creatives

Diversity Can Be Inspiring

A creative team, which can include writers, art directors, designers, programmers, videographers and photographers, may have their own perception of their involvement in a project and their own vision of the outcome. I prefer working with a diverse team because diversity is a competitive advantage. We are the sum of our inherited traits, spiritual beliefs, ethnic background and our personal and professional experiences. Our diversity makes us unique. Our uniqueness brings value to our profession.

At times, directing a team of creative people may seem as easy as herding cats, but the rewards make it all worthwhile.

Keeping a Team Informed

I believe in keeping a creative team informed throughout a project so that everyone is on the same page. Some directors like to spoon-feed information, with the idea that knowledge is power. When you give a person responsibility, the tools they need, and keep them informed, they take ownership and pride in their work.

What About Writer’s and Designer’s Block?

Anyone can experience this at any time in their life. When that happens, a brain-storming session, word association game, or topic exploration can help break through the blockage and allow the creative juices to flow.

What’s My Motivation?

One of the essential factors in realizing how to inspire a creative person is to discover what motivates them. I like to ask each person how and why they chose this career. Once I discover the individual motivation of a creative person, it is much easier to inspire them. When I uncover the “Why”, only then can I determine the “How.”

What is a Creative Director?

That’s a question I have been asked for many years.

A Creative Director wears many hats.

A creative director wears many hats and the skills needed for this position include expertise in marketing strategy, project management, creative briefs, directing, technical writing, programming, designing, creative copywriting, budgeting, presenting, guiding and inspiring.

In a corporation, a creative director is the liaison between upper management and the company’s creative team. They need to be able to communicate the vision and strategy of the company so that the team understands and can convey the message in a conceptual way. They need to be able to drive the company’s brand identity through online channels. Project management is essential for a concept to come to fruition. Budgeting, prioritizing work and tracking the progress of assignments is important to make sure that projects are on target. The creative director is also responsible for providing creative briefs that determine the objectives and goals of each project while providing quality assurance.

In a smaller company, the creative director wears even more hats. In addition to developing concepts and project management, they can be responsible for writing the copy for online and print promotion and press releases for public relations. Whether the company is large or small, there is one essential element to both: understanding the target market and their behavior. Research is helpful in knowing your market and brainstorming is helpful in creating fresh, new ideas. I like to invite writers, art directors, designers and assistants to brainstorming meetings because you never know who will come up with the next brilliant concept. I find that creating emotionally-based messages in a story-telling format, using multiple touch points, is a successful strategy.