My Process
I’ve always grappled with the notion of how I’d eventually move from the role of the “maker” to the “overseer”. It’s always blown my mind how as creatives, we’re promoted almost solely based our good idea record, not our leadership skills. Then one day, POOF! We’re expected to run the show. No wonder there’s so many sh*tty creative directors out there. Insert shrug emoji.
I’ve always loved ideating, writing, and seeing my little idea babies become grown-up ads. I didn’t know how well I’d respond to the *gasp!* managerial side. Or if I could hack it at all, for that matter.
The truth is, I love it.
Not because I got sick of doing the work. But because I was vastly wrong. Leading teams is a creative process in and of itself. And as for the work, I still love to get elbow deep. Only now, it looks different. Because the ideas aren’t my own. I love finding the one tasty morsel of an idea inside a loosey goosey sandwich. I love noticing the glimmer in the eye of my copywriter when they’re about to share an idea they love. And I love seeing new cultural references from my way-cooler-than-me art directors.
In all of this, my joy comes from championing my team. First and foremost, I lead with empathy. And I won’t work at shops that don’t put humans first. For creativity to thrive, it needs a healthy space. This new generation gets it. And I’m here for it.
Gone are the days of working til 2am (…mostly). But what isn’t gone is the motivation and work ethic that comes from working on projects you love with people you respect. And you know what happens when motivated teams create great work? You get happy clients.
I could take another three paragraphs to talk about how I build relationships with clients by really listening, but the odds you’re still reading this are slim at best. If you are, I’ll save that for our chat.
