Bridging the Gap Between Creative and Professional
I’m kind of a weird person.
Obviously, weird people are usually the ones who like any movies or shows that start with “Star” (Star Wars, Star Trek, Dancing With the Stars)….
Ok, I’ve never watched dancing with the stars. And I like the prequels. So shoot me. Whatever.
But there’s something weirder. I’m a professional creative. I love graphic design and I’m great with a camera. Everything on my desk is wood and I carry a Fossil messenger bag. But I’m also always on time (except to meet my girlfriend at the gym in the morning — never been on time for that). I have a degree in design and I’m working on an M.B.A. I love art and economics and quantum theory. And I’ve never worn black jeans.
In my professional experience, however, I’ve found that almost no one expects professionalism from artists. Even though creatives have become the beautiful face of every successful public-facing company, they live on as the black sheep of the business world. Executive leadership, middle management, accounting departments, engineers, and all the others are expected to fall in line — on time every morning, pressed slacks, blah blah blah…
And then there’s us. Flannel shirts, lounge chairs, late to work, endless supplies of coffee needed for motivation. But is that really us? Are designers a necessary evil that must be dealt with to appease the customer? Me thinks no.
So how do you bridge the gap?
1. Build trust.
2. Ask questions
3. Do awesome work.
It seems obvious that you should build trust with the people around you. Of course, your employers or clients trusted you when they hired you for the work you’re doing now. I’m going to take it for granted that you’ve accomplished that much. But have you gone deeper? I’ll share an example from my own experience.
I was recently on the phone with a business strategist and author who’s joining the communications team of a client. During our conversation, we discussed all the usuals — SEO, social media schedules, consistent voice and tone in our messaging, design and branding guidelines, etc. A pivotal point in the conversation came when I expressed to him that I had read through some of his website and blog and that I understood and agreed with his philosophies in business organization. He jokingly asked if I had copies of his personal notes as we were talking.
Yeah, I totally hacked your Evernote account man.
In a moment, I shifted myself from a production and marketing contractor who is on the fringes and worried about making things pretty to a business professional with an understanding of this organization’s and its customers’ needs. At the start, he trusted me because the director of communications gave me a very kind introduction. By the end of the discussion, he trusted me because we shared a common goal and agreed on the next clear steps to get there.
Build trust. Not just by being honest, kind, and on time. Build trust by digging deeper into the lives and goals of the people you work with. Understand that your manager’s performance reviews are affected by the business’s bottom line, not its excellent creative work. Show that you value efficiency and excellent communication among your peers. You’ll get more freedom to wear the blackest jeans you can find and, at the same time, bridge the gap between creative and professional.
Ok, so you’re in the inner circle now. Trust built. Now what?
Ask questions. In all things life, people love to do the talking. Learning to ask engaging questions may be the single most important interpersonal skill you can develop. I’ll write another post soon about developing the skill of asking questions. In the meantime, stick with this; many of the greatest discoveries come from a question — “What shape is the earth?” “Is there a faster route to India?” You’re not likely to discover a new continent these days, but you might discover a problem that you’re uniquely suited to solve.
All too often, people are willing to make due with things that are “good enough,” simply because they don’t know how to ask the question that would solve their problems. I cannot say how many times a well-worded Google search or an offering from a slightly different perspective has positioned me as a go-getter and a problem solver among my previous employers and clients. Never stop searching for problems to solve. Keep asking questions.
And, finally, the obvious.
You’ve built trust in your professional relationships and you can demonstrate that you understand your managers/co-workers/clients’ problems. You ask questions regularly and you help the teams that you’re a part of dig deeper into their projects. Here’s what you do to wrap it all up and smack a bow on the top:
Do awesome work.
Just do it. No fanfare, no announcements. Deliver ahead of time, give reports before you’re asked for updates, hit all three bullet points in a project and add a fourth because you have another perspective for your manager to consider. When you come to work, you’re in all-out go mode.
If you’re in a place where your managers, clients, or co-workers take advantage of your work ethic and put more on you, GET OUT OF THERE! In most situations, however, you’re going to find that these three skills will give you more influence, latitude, and freedom than you’ve ever had before.
Do you want to be able to work from home one day a week? Break dress code a bit? Bring in your own chair or other comfort items to make office life a bit more tolerable? You will never fail to succeed in any of these ventures if you’ve built trust, you invest into knowing your business and your co-workers, and you freaking kill it on every project.
Get out there and turn yourself into a professional creative.
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