I recently met a creative who was incredibly vocal on how they think all clients are stupid.
Now I know there are some clients who can make Kim Kardashian look like Einstein … but every discipline has their fair share of total bloody idiots, so I asked them what they hated about them so much.
Their reply was “They keep putting obstacles in front of me doing my work”.
When I asked what they meant, they said they wanted to do whatever they think is good.
And here lies the issue … some of us are still confusing commercial creativity with creativity.
But here’s the thing I don’t quite get.
If the goal for these people is to feel they are brilliant … then, in theory, commercial creativity should be a much better way of achieving that.
Is it really a challenge when you are given the freedom to do whatever you want?
Is that really showing others what you are capable of doing … achieving … overcoming?
The fact is, we’re paid money by clients to help them move forward. If we ignore their situation in our solutions, then we’re not doing what we’re paid for and what we are brilliant at.
That doesn’t mean we can’t approach their challenge in very different ways to what was expected.
Hell, that’s actually what we’re supposed to do.
But somewhere along the line, some people have decided ‘challenges’ are inhibiting their creativity and I find that bizarre.
Answering a problem in the most imaginative, intriguing and creative way possible is an infectious feeling.
It shows how you can think and do things in ways few can imagine.
Of course, if the challenge you have been given is the wrong challenge, then you have a point to complain. Just like you do if a client keeps adding challenges to their original challenge … but if people out there think they should be able to do whatever the hell they want – regardless of what the situation requires – then they have 3 choices. Take a long hard look at how they are selling their ideas to their client, pack in advertising and become an artist or start their own business.
Problems are the lifeblood of our creativity, we should look at them as our friend because the harder they are, the more prestige they can give us when we answer them brilliantly.