The best creatives have one skill above all others.
You need it because creativity is a journey with no end.
Well, until the inevitable deadline.
Along the way there’s a lot of points you’ll want to stop. Either because you think it’s done (it rarely is) or because the process is frustrating and soul-destroying (not every time but it happens).
That’s why the most important virtue for any creative is ‘persistence’.
You have to force your brain past the expected and into positions where it will find new and different answers.
Too often I’ve seen people think they’ve come up with something amazing and simply stop pushing. Whether through a lack of confidence or too much of it.
How do you know the next idea, layout, headline… is not better unless you do it?
You should never feel completely satisfied. Find things to itch and scratch at. Reshape the idea and sharpen the craft. Be your own creative director, strategist and client.
I’ve never been 100% happy with anything I’ve created, there’s always a bit here or there I want to tweak.
However, too far down that path insanity lurks.
Occasional step-backs solve that. Pin everything up with the brief in the middle then literally step back to judge it all with fresh eyes. It lets you get refocused and spot the right.
Persistence is the constant hunt for the new and better, the ‘more’ creative.
It’s an attitude. A simple refusal to be beaten by any obstacle that’s stopping you from making the best work you can. Total optimism.
I’ll end this post now and no doubt find things I want to change next time I read it.
