Creating a More Creative Agency

I had a really strong reaction to the first concern of John Adams in my previous post. It was about creativity. I thought I'd share my thoughts.

It's true we don't know enough about creativity. 

Perhaps it starts with the fact that we are an industry at the intersection of creativity and business yet only a certain group of people in our agencies are called "creatives." This is even more appalling as we admit and acknowledge good creative can come from anywhere or anyone. It's a term that silos us without even really meaning. It's language and simple semantics that shape the way we act in ways we don't even realize. It's why women fought for him/her, fighter-fighters vs. firemen, and other such simple changes that make great differences. I've always believed you are whatever you say you are (even Eminem, the rapper believes in that one). We should all be calling ourselves creatives if we work in the industry no matter what our job title. It's that kind of thinking and ownership across the agency that will inspire and cook ingenuity across disciplines.

Also, I wholeheartedly buy into the notion that creativity is a muscle. I think it can be exercised. People are made to believe that they aren't creative because of x, y, z reason. Either they are not in the habit of being creative, they have formulated a definition they don't quite fit into (such as I have to be able to produce to be creative) or maybe were even told at one point they weren't creative and have tagged themselves as just that and accepted it as a fact. Most people need to be pushed to have the confidence to be creative. It is a risk to put yourself and your ideas out there afterall. They need to be given time and opportunity to develop the abstract relationships between people, things, places, etc. that lead to unexpected thinking (aka creativity). I think it's a human resources activity worth investing in because even the accountants should believe themselves to be more creative than accountants who work in other fields (cough, but not in sneaky creative accounting ways!).

For agencies looking for creative people, there are actually tests that determine who is and who isn't creative. Currently I am part of a group at VCU called The da Vinci Center for Product Design and Development. We had to take one of those tests. I was really happy with my results. I'm not technically or traditionally a creative, but that test indicates I am creative. Maybe tests like these should be adopted by agencies.

Finally, another way I think agencies could find creative people across disciplines for hire is to do something very simple, but very telling. Instead of relying on polished books and savvy interviewers putting on a show, here's what you do: Give a person a blank sheet of paper and a pencil and tell them to inspire you with just that. It takes a brave person to even attempt to follow through with the exercise and a creative one to do it well. Whatever they do with that sheet will be telling of what consumes their thoughts and how creative they really are. Anyone can spend hours practicing and polishing a portfolio and personal interview skills but no one can practice or polish up for a test like that. It's too raw. If I'm ever in a position to hire in this industry, that will be my test. I came up with the idea from an experience in high school when I once auditioned for a play (yes, I was in improv theater for 4 years). The only assignment during the audition was to frighten the director on the spot. So simple, yet so very, very frightening (ironically) and difficult. I choked, but I learned a valuable lesson.

Words of Wisdom from John Adams.

At the Brandcenter we get the pleasure to hear a myriad of people in the creative industries talk, theorize and hand off advice. 

The other day we had the pleasure of hearing John Adams (see below), CEO of The Martin Agency, talk about what does and doesn't keep him up at night when it comes to this ever changing industry of advertising.

I won't go through what doesn't keep him up but I will go through what does keep him up. His speech was delivered masterfully and was incredibly compelling and provocative. Please know this is a gross summarization. Anyways, here's what he said:

1. We don't know enough about creativity. We don't know how to identify or how to teach it. With the industry changing we need it more than ever.

2. We need to be better relationship builders. We need to understand that there are no business relationships, only people relationships. The basis of all relationship breakdowns in business and between people are resultant from poor communication (ironic given we are in a communications industry), changes in priorities, and lack of commitment. We need to find a way to bring to the forefront of these relationships that awards and results are not separate or competing.

3. We need to realize we have a bigger job to do. We are focusing on the trees when we should be focusing on the forest. We work as a service for corporations which are the dominant part of our civilization. People don't trust them and we tend to not like them. We have a responsibility as to help shape the corporate social responsibility endeavors of our nation.