Managing Creativity

Strategy, Organization, Execution

GETTING STARTED

Ok, so you are talented, you have an idea, you are creative. The problem is: what now? Sometimes we think: if we only had the money, if we only had the connections, if we only got lucky. Well, yes, any one of those can be nice, but the reality is that for many creative types, the problem is more a question of translating that idea or talent into reality.

Step #1: find yourself a business partner. Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti, Karl Lagerfeld and …well, Karl is Karl. The fact is MOST creative success stories are partnerships. Some creatives have a good business mind, most do not. And those that do are too busy creating to manage. Find someone who can help you focus, handle to day to day, and tell you “no” when needed (this will become increasingly important the more successful you become).

Alternative Step #1: If you can’t find a business partner, then take part of your day, everyday, and put on a different pair of rose colored glasses to focus on your business (and rose they must be, because turning creativity into reality is hard, always has been hard, and always will be hard).

The first thing to do is to have a STRATEGY. It will evolve over time, but make an attempt to know where you want to go: do you want to be a global star? or do you just want to create and make enough money to pay the bills and live a quiet comfortable life? This is harder than it sounds. Wanting fame is alluring, but it is hard to “plan” for that. My feeling is that just being able to create is in and of itself a degree of success, to make money at it is even better. To be famous for is more a function of being the right thing at the right time (the “zeitgeist”), with a healthy dose of luck thrown in.

I am reminded of a friend and client who was a very successful designer in Zurich. In the 80's, Barney’s came calling, and I encouraged him to bite that apple. He turned it down, telling me that operating at that level, and with those type of clients, was a whole different ball game (uncertain production dates, inflexible delivery dates…). He wanted to be free to knock off work at 3PM on a summer Saturday to go swim with friends in the lake, or to have a coffee with friends during the day. Regardless of what your personal strategy is, know that there is a difference between a dream and a fantasy: a dream (starting a career in design) is something that you can take any number of concrete steps towards (get a related part-time job, create at home..), a fantasy (winning the lottery) is something for which there is only ONE step you can take (buy a lottery ticket).

Your second step is to ORGANIZE around that strategy. What do you need to have in place in order to achieve your goals: time, materials, a different skill set? This can be a simple as buying fabric to create a few pieces to show buyers, or as complex as finding the best and most cost-effective place to have a collection made; as simple as building a portfolio on your iPad, or as complex as producing a beautiful book for you to send out to potential employers or clients. A recommendation: it is VERY difficult to hold down a full-time job AND create.

The third step is to EXECUTE your ideas. This is the hardest. The most fun part is dreaming, and playing in the “sandbox” of ideas. The hardest part is making the choices/compromises that are inherent in turning those ideas into reality: the dress is not QUITE as rich as you wanted (materials too expensive), the chair prototype is not what you had hoped… Accept this and move on. The key is to PRODUCE something, get it out there, get feedback (either positive or negative), and then go back to the drawing board.