Homecoming: Beyoncé as Creative Director
BE PASSIONATE: “Creating something that will live beyond me, something that will make people feel open, and like they’re watching magic, like they’re living in a time that is super special, and like it’s a day they will never relive.
That’s what I want.” — Beyoncé
Full disclosure, I am a devoted Beyoncé fan. One of the zealots still playing her latest album, “Renaissance,” almost daily. One of the “Beyhive” who still spurns the Grammy Awards for their unforgivable decision to overlook the transcendent “Lemonade” for Album of the Year in 2017. In my defense, even the recipient that year knew she did not deserve that award. Bey is a brilliant vocalist. Her tunes are throbbing, bump bombs with lyrics that express an unapologetic black consciousness and empowerment of the feminine. She is a gorgeous style icon, an all-around exceptional performer, and a legend — yes, I agree.
However, my adoration for Bey transcends stagecraft. There are unending volumes of press on Beyoncé, the music artist, but for me, I am gleefully hung up on the side of her that most people would find terribly dull. I adore Beyoncé, the creative director (CD). Bey is a role model for me as a creative professional. Specifically, as a creative director in the music industry and creative lead of her enterprise.
I was inspired to write this piece while watching her documentary, “Homecoming,” Beyoncé’s documentary on her headline performance at the Coachella Music Festival in 2018. (I know that was four years ago, but I periodically watch “Lemonade” and “Homecoming” for self-care, okay?) During one of my early viewings of “Homecoming,” a moment stood out that was meaningful to me as a creative professional. It was a scene at the end of a long day of rehearsals, and the whole creative team was gathered for a meeting. Each team — sound, video, choreography, costuming, set-design, musical direction, et al., was providing status updates. In this captured moment, she addressed the sound team.
Imagine for a moment… the effort involved in sound design for a live performance involving 151 performers on stage which includes: her band, a drum corps, marching band, orchestra, steppers, dancers, Bey’s big voice, and four guest artists coming on and off the stage. These performers were also integral to the overall percussive sound. If you have seen Homecoming, you KNOW that the rhythmic stepping, and syncopated stomping is not only part of the overall creative vision — traditions of HBCU’s — but also, musical arrangement. Bey was dissatisfied with the lack of percussive impact being captured on the stage. Whatever the sound team had tried up to that point, was not working. She was not getting the desired results, and she communicated her dissatisfaction directly, without ambiguity. More importantly, she refocused the team on the bigger vision of creating a performance that the audience must not only see, but feel. She reminds everyone that the performers on stage are working hard to project a physical energy that the sound team must capture, or the impact will be lost.
BE ACCOUNTABLE: “Just standing up there, and seeing all the beauty up there, and feeling it — it is the only way I can articulate why I am frustrated, because it’s not translating on camera. So, my goal is simply that, so everyone out there can feel what we feel.”
— Beyoncé
One of the most important roles of a creative leader is to motivate. Often, this involves leading an ensemble cast with differing skills and experience. To motivate a diverse team, you must focus everyone on the shared goals, being careful to never frame a misstep by a crew as their isolated problem to solve, but instead reminding them of how essential they are to help realize the vision for everyone.
Bey empathizes with the team acknowledging that she understands everyone is tired and is sincerely doing their best. She closes with, “we aren’t there yet, but we will get there.” The “we” matters as she is sharing accountability for the current failure. They are not dismissed to go fix this for “me.” It is “we” who will be working toward this goal for “us.”
To some, this may seem like insignificant semantics, but there have been moments in my design career where I have been on a crew that was falling short and we experienced the significance of a creative leader recognizing our efforts, and commitment. A leader who then reassured our crew that they would be with us until we all felt satisfied with our work. In “Homecoming,” Bey’s own personal commitment to the performance underscored the credibility of her assurance of “we” with the team.
Another moment from this scene that perked my ears was when she said to the team, “Let us know what we can prioritize so we can try to facilitate everybody’s needs.” The archetypal portrayal of the CD is often the aloof, black turtleneck wearing, impetuous, rude (and often incompetent) person who cannot be bothered with the banalities of schedules, budgets, and resourcing. For certain these jerks exist. I have met them (however not at SAS). A CD with no concern for team management and resourcing is an ineffective leader that will cost the organization its most precious assets, their people. You simply cannot expect commitment to a bigger vision from a team buried under deliverables with deadlines divorced from reality. An understanding of resource management separates the “talkers” from the “doers.” You know the type, “all hat, no cattle.” A solid team of creatives do not want to let you down, and it’s your job as the CD to remind them that you are here to facilitate their success.
Imagining the big vision and setting the standard of artisanship is only half the gig. The other half is the human part — figuring out how to remove ambiguity, determine priorities, mitigate confusion, and ensure the team is equipped and resourced properly. You do that, and you will achieve your own small “Beychella.”
Some could read this and dismiss my ode as something that any CD would do, and I know there are many CDs out there that are quality leaders. However, the truth is, there are a lot of creative pros put in a position of leadership with little to no preparation beyond the craftwork of design. There is a reason the jerky creative director archetype exists. Therefore, this moment stood out for me, because here it was… the everyday work of a creative director — the unglamorous team management part — on display in a hugely successful, critically acclaimed feature on Netflix. For all of us creative professionals that have ever had to explain what we do for a living, it was satisfying to see our work demonstrated so authentically by one of the most successful and powerful creative leaders of popular media in the world. Beyoncé is one of us!
BE AUTHENTIC: “But right now, it’s still janky.” — Beyoncé
BE CURIOUS: “I feel like we made something that made my daughter proud, my mother proud, my father proud and all of the people that are my brothers and sisters around the world, and that’s why I live. I’m so lucky and grateful that I am able to take all these crazy ideas and actually make it into something that heals people… That shows them to dream big, that shows them they are limitless.” — Beyoncé
Product design at SAS is elevating to a higher level within the enterprise more than ever before. Our creative crew is diverse in experience, domains, and skills. We are amid the production of the most elaborate and comprehensive design system in the history of SAS. We have earned a full seat at the table of how our products are being realized. With this expanded participation, comes expanded responsibility to deliver at a higher level than we have in the past. The impact of our stomps and steps has been heard. We have been working hard toward this performance. It is time for the big show. We all have our part to play, and we will get there together.
- SAS Core Values: Curious, Passionate, Authentic, and Accountable
