Becoming a Creative Director is weird.
You often end up in the role because you’re great at creative. Admittedly that’s very handy, but it’s missing the second half of the title. And that’s the part a lot of creatives aren’t ready for.
Great creatives are often people used to grabbing hold of the brief themselves. Bad CDs carry on trying to do that.
You have to realise and accept that you can’t solve it all. That the job’s actually about trying to help the creatives get there in their own right.
Sometimes by opening up thinking so they push the work themselves. Sometimes by knowing what needs to be done and nudging them in that direction. Sometimes using your experience to guide them through problems.
And you always need to do all that at a much faster speed than you’re used to.
Great creatives aren’t always great CDs. Unless they prepare for it.
If you want to CD then spend time speaking to students and grads about their books.
When you’ve only 30 mins to look at 6 pieces of work and give good, sensible comments you’re practising the exact skills I mentioned.
It gives you the speed and sharpness you need for a creative review.
And you’ll be asked the same type of questions over and over again so you learn the most useful direction to give.
Keep it in mind when in production with photographers, directors, illustrators and designers too. Assessing comments, options and diplomatically managing people set on different directions are all essential skills.
Especially as, you might have noticed, the very thing that makes creatives creative can make them not the easiest group to manage.
